Public Commons

Part of Dufferin Rink Skaters

Showing picture [/public/uploads/pictures/dufferingrove/PC040202.larger.JPG].

From the Dufferin Rink Diary 2008-2009

Thursday Dec.4 2008

Weather: High of 5 celsius, low -5. A few short flurries but mostly weak sun or cloud.

Market day madness -- when the rink house is filled with farmers and skaters, on Thursday Farmers' market day. The new zamboni driver was pretty accomodating to the hubbub -- he has obviously been warned that this mixed-use is the reality of Dufferin Rink.

shinny hockey The biggest headache for the rec staff is the 13 to 17 shinny hockey age cut-off. Some of those fellows are very good, and the age cut-off is an arbitrary way of cutting the numbers into different time slots. So the borderline kids pretend to be over 18 or under 18 depending on the scheduled time. Staff have put up signs that i.d. will be required, but it's not so easy to insist. A lot of time is spent in argument at the rink gate. Ten years ago, the argument would have quickly become abuse, especially because most of the rec staff are women. But by now there have been so many examples of the rec staff's willingness to make their points stick -- and so many signs that the rec staff are struggling to make the rink work for the shinny players -- that there is rarely any abuse. Just diplomacy and strategy, waiting for the moment to sneak on. Another kind of game.

It's important to remember that much of this will improve when the other rinks open tomorrow.

One of the window-smashing kids from last April came to the door at 9 om. The meeting with his family has not yet been set up. He asked -- am I allowed to play after 9? The staff said -- no, of course not. He will try at other rinks too, innocently -- in a way -- a child of 13 not fully taking in that if you smash windows, you are labelled, and for good reason. You can't recede, becoming just one of the group.

Friday December 5 2008