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School Trips and Skate Rentals:
School Trips
School Trips are encouraged to come and make use of Dufferin Rink and the skate rentals that we offer. Please contact staff at dufferinpark@gmail.com to book a time slot during the week.
Skate Rentals
Our Yellow Skates and Helmets, Red Hockey Sticks and Mitts are still available to lend out this year. Since last year, a few sticks have been brocken but but everything else is still available to be lent.
Yellow Skates and Red Hockey Sticks posted February 1, 2005
The NHL Players' Association's gift of fifty children's hockey sets arrived in the second week of January. West End park supervisor Tino DeCastro had arranged for this donation, and he then got all the skates sharpened, at McCormick Arena.
Then our park staff sprayed the (excellent quality) skates yellow, the hockey sticks red, and put markings on the hockey gloves. The park staff called and faxed all the local schools to let them know that we have helmets here now, so the teachers can bring their kids for a skate without having to drag giant bags of helmets along. A big record book was readied for recording names and I.D. of people borrowing skates, sticks, gloves, helmets. Laces were put into all the skates. In the last week of January, the word went out that the skates and other hockey gear were ready.
The first people to borrow them were girls from Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal. They told us that shinny hockey is a really fun sport. Next were several school classes and the McCormick after-school program. Some of those kids went home and told their families, so on the last weekend in January, grandparents and cousins turned up, with more kids. Even on Sunday, when there's only pleasure-skating, there were so many yellow skates on the ice. We've started gathering signatures for a giant thank-you letter to the NHL players - what a wonderful donation.
Skate Rental Guidelines:
· Fee for skate rental: $2. No charge for mitts or sticks. Why: Rink goers must take skate rental seriously. Skates cost between $150 and $250 a pair. Laces and insoles must also be replaced, plus blades sharpened. The city does not pay for this. This policy, like others at the rink, is flexible. If some cannot pay $2 and they are regular rink users, they can choose to work for half and hour chipping ice, shoveling snow, or emptying the garbages. Work must be done before skates are given out.
· We only accept ID. Valid IDs include student card, health card or driver’s license. The point is accountability – library cards don’t work because there’s no picture or contact info and they are not that valuable.
· If someone over twelve does not have ID they must go home and get it. They can get a school ID.
· If they are under twelve and do not have ID ask them to get their parents. If we know certain young kid who comes everyday, then they might not require ID. The amount of kids under twelve who are here alone and are not regulars is pretty small. This is how we get to know the rink users!
· All IDs are placed in the plastic sleeves provided.
· We require full names, phone numbers, and form of ID given, as well as numbers of all equipment given out. We need all of this inormation so please do not rush the staff!!
· Parents/caregivers can put their children’s skates under their name with their ID. Friends, on the other hand, must each provide their own info and ID. This is to avoid confusion because multiple staff are working the skate room on any given day, and because people must take responsibility for their own skate use.