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Winter News 2006
Winter News 2005-2006
Shinny at the Cluster Rinks>>: Dufferin, Wallace Emerson & Campbell
Rink Hours at Dufferin Rink 2005-06:
Info about Wallace Emerson Rink
Rink Hours at Campbell Rink 2005-2006
Perimit Times and to book...
AT DUFFERIN RINK
SINGLE-OCCASION SHINNY PERMITS are available Fridays and Saturdays 9 p.m. - 11 p.m., and Sundays 7:30 to 9 p.m. For adults, the single-occasion permits cost $79.00. For children and youth, there is no charge. To book a permit, e-mail mayssan@dufferinpark.ca. or call the rink. RINK PHONE NUMBER: 416 392-0913
AT WALLACE EMERSON AND CAMPBELL
Wallace Rink and Campbell Rink still have seasonal permit spaces left: to book one, e-mail Manny at msilva2@toronto.ca or leave him a message at 416 392-0913. You can also contact him through rinks@dufferinpark.ca
SINGLE-OCCASION SHINNY PERMITS are also available. To book these contact Mayssan at 416-392-0913 or by email at mayssan@dufferinpark.ca
Women's Shinny:
WOMEN’S SHINNY HOCKEY
posted December 17, 2005
Tuesdays 9 to 11 p.m. at Dufferin Rink
Thursdays 8.30 to 10 at Wallace Rink
Sundays 6 to 8 p.m. at Campbell Rink
posted December 22, 2005
Shinny hockey is so much fun that it’s no longer just the sport of guys. (Actually, it never was: if you look at old archive photos of pre-World War I Toronto, you can see hockey was played by lots of women then too).
In addition to Jeannie Stiglicz’ regular Wednesday shinny permit, there is open women’s shinny for two hours on Tuesdays 9 –11 p.m. at Dufferin Rink.
Deirdre Norman email, organizer of the Annual City-Wide Women of Winter Shinny Tournament has also lobbied successfully for more women’s open shinny ice time in this part of town: Thursdays 8.30 to 10 p.m. at Wallace Rink (just up the street at Dufferin and Dupont) and Sundays 6 to 8 p.m. at Campbell Rink (two blocks west of Lansdowne, one block south of Dupont). You can find the exact locations of most outdoor city rinks on the “city rinks” section of our web site at click on “city rinks.”)
WALLACE SNACK BAR NOW OPEN TWICE A WEEK
posted January 30, 2005
Barrel Fire a success!! Look here for photos soon! Click here for poster!!
posted January 2, 2005
Starting in the New Year, January 2006, the Wallace Snack Bar will be open two days a week:
Saturdays 12-3pm
While the kids are in Learn To Skate, look for staff out by the rink at the Barrel Fire to grill your own hotdogs!!!
The Snack Bar will be run by both Wallace Rink Staff and Dufferin Rink Staff. Prices will be at cost, purchased mostly from the conviniently placed Price Chopper accross the street. Staff people Amy and Chris put together a cart last week so that they can transport snack bar items back and forth.
The official first day was thursday, Dec. 30th (we made a total of $10.00!!!) and to mark the occassion staff Shannon and Mayssan put up some christmas lights in the rink change rooms. Adequate lighting is a big issue in the change rooms; so the more - the better! We had a little meeting before the opening to discuss our plans for Wallace. Shannon suggested that she take down the summer camp mural in the change room and paint pictures skating related. We also talked of painting the benches that are in really bad condition.
This week staff Daniel brought down a barell to Wallace so that we could light a fire when it gets dark, maybe even put a few hotdogs on sticks and grill them. Something to look for when you come down!!
Learn to play shinny for adults 2005-2006:
posted December 8, 2005
There's "Learn to play shinny for adults," taught by Lawrence Barichello, at Dufferin Rink on Sundays at 6 p.m. to 7.30. Registration is on Nov.20.
From Lawrence: "All adult beginner men and women are welcome who can basically turn and stop on skates. This is for beginners only. The idea is for people who have really never played before to learn the basics. If you can already play and have skills you will not be allowed to participate. $90 per person for the whole season. (This fee goes to the City for cost of ice time only—lessons are free!) This season, we will be collecting the entire $90 fee in advance during registration night."
There will also be additional ice time for practice games, times TBA.
To contact Lawrence, call 416-530-4810.
He also has a beginners-shinny web http://www.tinyurl.com/8jjnj.
Extended Rink Season at Dufferin Rink
posted February 18, 2006
Monday February 27 to Sunday March 19: rink season extension. November was a cold month with low sun, and we tried hard to get the City to open selected double-pad rinks in the third week. But the decision was to open later than last year (December 10 for most rinks) and then extend the season into March. Since the ice is by now far too thick for the compressors to freeze it properly in warmer weather, and the sun is much higher, there may not be a lot of skateable days in March even with the compressors working 24/7. It will be a matter of luck. If the weather is cloudy and not too warm, there’s a fairly good chance that the rink will be skateable in the evenings. The hope is also there that the skating lessons can last through to the end – March 11. We’ll have limited rink house staffing, according to the weather, and we’ll keep the phone message updated for ice conditions. Call 416 392-0913 for up-to-date rink information.
Events 2005-2006
Bikes on the Ice
posted February 14, 2006
It will be tricky to keep the outdoor rinks open into March unless the City figures out how to get the ice thinner. So Dufferin Rink is going to squeeze in a few extra fun things in February:
Saturday Feb.18, 6 to 9 p.m. is the annual bike race on ice -- the outdoor oven will be on for pizza, plus there will be a 3-piece jam band indoors (i.e. two of the rink staff, Jake Sherman on drums and Nick Cameron on triangle, plus our webmaster Henrik's son Karl Bechmann on keyboard)
Friday Feb.24 6 p.m. is the opening of Laura Berman's photography exhibit "Seasons at Dufferin Grove" at Friday Night Supper (also with Karl at the keyboard). That exhibit runs until March 11 in the rink house.
Saturday Feb.25 1:30-4:00pm the Jimmie Simpson "hockey in the neighbourhood" kids will come over for a couple of hours to do drills with kids 6 to 12, and play some shinny (call the rink at 416 392-0913 for more information, ask for Daniel, if your kid is interested)
Sunday Feb.26 there will be a DJ (rink staff and DJ Ted Carlisle) on a special stage on the ice, sort of like at Harbourfront Rink, with good ice skating/dancing tunes, and the zamboni cafe will be staffed by Clay and Paper Theatre's puppets, plus the rink guards will be puppets too (on skates, with fluorescent vests of course).
Campbell Family Skate
posted March 5, 2005
We though we would have a final Campbell Family Skate March 25th. When we got there though, we found the building closed. It seems the skating season has ended and altough it would have been nice to have one final hot dog roast, we think the experiment worked out quite nicely. Hopefully, next year we can do something similar. If you are interested in helping out with ideas or time for the coming season, be sure to email us and rink supervisor Tino DeCastro at Dufferin Rink or call us at 416-392-0913 and we can collaborate.
Thanks to all the staff that came out to help and all the community people who started the project and helped it continue by coming out to skate. Until next year!!
Campbell Rink Staff and Dufferin Rink Staff are putting aside a special TWO hour time for Family Skate At Campbell Park….EVERY SUNDAY : 2-4pm!!
There will be
- Drop in Skating Lessons from 3-4pm
And
- Snacks served from a barrel fire near the rink, where you can also warm up!!
LATEST MEETING WITH COUNCILLOR ADAM GIAMBRONE
Meeting with Councillor Adam Giambroni the first week of January 2006
- Week of Jan.16: Adam attends a late-afternoon meeting at Wallace with rink staff and any rink users who can make it. (Open meeting). Presence of Brian Green, Tino DeCastro, Dave Dermott essential.Walkabout with all details looked into (garage, compressor room location, gas supply, rink change area sight lines, danger spots, access stairways, etc.) Follow-up with all suggestions, sketches posted afterwards.
- Week of Jan.23: Mike Johnston gives written evaluations of suggestions (interim). Bulletin board at rink posted with this information. Larger weekend public meeting with Adam Giambrone and Michael Johnston, about rink proposals, at Wallace. (Sunday afternoon?) Barrel fire with marshmallows and hot chocolate. Meeting would be advertised through a neighbourhood mail drop as well as being posted at the rink.
- Week of Jan.30 - Feb.4: written follow-up response from Michael Johnston, alternative suggestions, costing, etc. posted on Bulletin board. Rink staff encourage rink user discussion during all rink hours, report responses to T.DeCastro or show rink users how to call or e-mail direct if they want.
- Week of Feb.5: City Hall daytime meeting with Counc.Giambrone, M.Johnston, T.DeCastro, B.Green, D.Dermott, new city rinks manager as representative of B.Librecz, meeting is open to J.Mason and anyone else. (Transparency.) Proposals for RFP details and remaining problems discussed. Afterwards posted on Wallace Bulletin Board.
- Week of Feb.12: evening meeting at Wallace Emerson for all interested rink users, rink staff, to review proposed RFP details.
- Week of Feb.19: RFP issued, if approved by city and rink users. Contractors wishing to bid can go and see the rink in operation as they choose.
- Week of March 13: RFP bidders have their mandatory tour of Wallace Rink with M.Johnston.
- Week of March 20: M.Johnston meets with Counc.Giambrone, T.DeCastro, B.Green, D.Dermott, J.Mason, rink staff rep to explain Policy and Development recommendations and reasoning. All rink user and rink staff suggestions are taken into account. Past records of bidders with other city projects are taken into account.
- March 20: Bids deadline. All proposals are circulated (anonymously but otherwise uncensored) to Counc.Giambrone, M.Johnston, T.DeCastro, B.Green, D.Dermott, new city rinks manager as representative of B.Librecz, J.Mason. Followed up with main points of Proposals, "A," "B," "C" etc posted on Wallace Bulletin Board (transparency).
- Week of March 27: If agreement is reached, contractor is chosen, choice submitted to City staff and Council committees to go through final approval. Or: if no agreement is reached, call public meeting and discuss. This may result in a recommendation to go ahead anyway, or a recommendation to wait for a year wait for additional funding etc.
posted March 23, 2006
Dufferin Park Rink Closed for the Season
The rink is officially closed - now we have something like a backyard ice rink - the compressors have been turned off since Monday (March 20-2006) - so its a little bumpy - but much like pond ice. Some people are still hanging on to the rink; there was one group skating on Monday night, then a couple of friends on Tuesday. Today (Wednesday) the ice is a little slushy, still hard in the middle but water at the east sideboards).
We've been experimenting with flooding (with a big black hose), scraping shell ice with green shovels, moping (a tip learned from Curling Arenas!) all so that we can learn a little about how ice acts when there is just the weather cooling it. If you have any tips and tricks, email us at skating@dufferinpark.ca or call 416-392-0913 - we'll try it out and maybe you'll drop by to show us how its done!
posted March 16, 2006
The Dufferin Park Rink is open until (and including) Sunday March 19. And we're in luck - the weather is cold enough for skating!!
For other rinks that are still open, see City Rinks Website.
Holiday Hours 2005-2006:
posted December 22, 2005
Christmas Eve: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., both rink pads open until 11 p.m.
Christmas Day: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, both rink pads open to 11 p.m.
Boxing Day: regular hours.
New Year’s Eve: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., both rink pads open to 11 p.m.
New Year’s Day: regular hours.
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.