On a Tuesday afternoon in Oct. 2009, silence filled the rink, replacing the sounds of skate blades against ice.
The noise of steel on ice and blades grinding to a halt was supposed to have been there—but it wasn’t. Instead it had been replaced by the silence of people who had forgotten about the ice, if not the building.
I signed up for these skating lessons to perfect my own abilities in this quintessential Canadian pastime. That lesson was cancelled, because not enough people signed up with me—and my class wasn’t the only one that would feel the axe brought about by the lack of attention. Of the eight instructional classes for ice skating, all at various levels made available by the Athletic Centre, only one survived the fall.
I was lucky enough to have a schedule that fit that one class, but doubtless, there were others less lucky than me.
My skating instructor later told me that registration has never been as bad as it was that fall. While she conceded that she often loses around half of her classes registered for September, this was unprecedented.
Everyone pointed in different directions in placing the blame. John Robb, the event coordinator for Varsity Arena, emphasized that students often do not register for these courses in a timely fashion, leading to its inevitable cancellation as a result of a perceived limited interest in the course. He stressed the importance of early enrolment.
My instructor was a bit more diplomatic. She indicated that the recession also likely created a significant barrier for those interested. These lessons aren’t cheap. At over one hundred dollars for 10 lessons, there are city rinks that provide cheaper beginner skating lessons. What you are paying for is the convenience of playing hockey right in the centre of campus.
Both also mentioned the weather as a factor. September was unseasonably warm and temperate after a summer of rather unfavourable weather. Both indicated that it is unlikely that many students would think of wrapping themselves in a jacket and skate on cold ice.
Both addressed this problem as something that was unfortunate but in some ways unavoidable.
One student and fellow classmate thought differently. She had previously felt the harsh reality of cancelled skating lessons at the University of Toronto and placed the blame on the Athletic Centre’s lack of promotion of both the university’s facilities and programs. “Lack of interest” was not an excuse when most U of T students are largely unaware that the campus ice rink even exists!
Skating is the love of her life, she told me. And though this year she had some financial difficulties herself, she consciously set aside the money to attend these lessons. She was devastated that her class was cancelled, and it was only through extreme effort that she was able to attend the one class left available to her. In her eyes you could see her anger over her feelings of neglect as well as the burdens of defeat.
There was a time when every basic skating class would be full. But last fall, only on Wednesdays could you hear the happy sounds of skaters learning to skate.
Skating lessons start again on Jan. 12. The snow has fallen, the weather has become colder, the economy looking brighter, and the Olympics are around the corner. But I still can’t help but wonder if this semester the lack of interest will be any different.
To register for skating lessons, click here.
