Back to the Rinks!

By Scott Lowe – DMVProspects.com
We’re not out of the woods yet.
 
While it’s great to see the excitement and energy among members of the local hockey community as we prepare for the expected opening of ice rinks in our area, there are still more questions than answers, and as much as some people seem to want to ignore it, COVID-19 hasn’t gone anywhere.
 
Many college campuses across the country opened up less than a week ago for athletes to return for voluntary offseason workouts. Today the University of Houston suspended all workouts after six COVID-19 symptomatic student-athletes tested positive. There are reports that as many as eight Alabama football players tested positive, while there were three positives at rival Auburn and other positive tests at schools such as Oklahoma State, Central Florida, Marshall, Iowa, Iowa State and Texas Tech.
 
Those are just the cases we’ve heard about.
 
The virus is still out there among us. In fact, it’s all around us. There’s no doubt that it’s time for us to start moving on with our lives, but we still must proceed with caution to ensure our sacrifices to date have not been in vain.
 
This week Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said that the state could fully enter Stage 2 of its reopening plan by Friday, June 19, stating that state residents hadn’t just flattened the curve, but had “crushed it.”
 
Dine-in restaurants are allowed to host customers at 50-percent capacity with certain social-distancing and sanitation protocols in place as of June 12 along with outdoor amusements. Casinos, malls, arcades, Indoor gyms, martial arts, dance and other indoor fitness activities may begin at 50-percent capacity with strict health, distancing and sanitation measures as of June 19. Here are the guidelines and best practices.
 
It is assumed, but does not state specifically, that ice rinks and hockey included among the nebulous “indoor fitness activities” category. Still, the published guidelines raise almost as many questions as they provide answers.
 
Conversations with folks at different ice rinks haven’t shed much light on the subject either. Reisterstown was waiting to hear from Baltimore County about what it’s next steps might be. Gardens Ice House in Laurel has a state contract to serve as a morgue for coronavirus victims until mid-July. Bowie Ice Arena is located in Prince George’s County, one of the state’s most-affected jurisdictions, which is a few weeks behind most of the rest of the state when it comes to reopening in general.
 
The Rockville and Capital Clubhouse websites give no information about any plans to reopen in the near future, but at least up in Harford County the Ice World website does display an encouraging message from general manager April Pussler: “Governor Hogan announced ice rinks are allowed to open as of June 19! We currently have a lot we have to do to make ice and get the building ready for customers so we are still looking at a little wait. Once we figure out a date we can open we will post it here and send out an email.”
 
Out West in Hagerstown rumor has it that the rink has used the downtime for renovations and will be ready to open soon. On June 6 the rink’s website stated that the rink likely would be allowed to open by the end of the month and that adult figure skaters and hockey league’s would be the first groups invited back to resume activities. After that, the website says, limited youth programs and private rentals of fewer than 25 skaters will be permitted.
 
Skate Frederick is still listed as closed with a letter dated May 11 posted on its site.
 
Much like Prince George’s County, Montgomery County is still in Phase 1 of its reopening, with outdoor youth sports activities not beginning until Saturday, June 20, so the Cabin John and Wheaton rinks would appear to be a few weeks behind the Governor’s June 19 indoor sports activity start date. Rockville Ice Arena is privately owned, but still would be subject to any county restrictions.

Baltimore City is not entering Phase 2, but its ice rinks are usually only open on a limited basis in the summer, anyway, and Columbia Ice Rink is closed for its annual summer shutdown. There also is no update on the Piney Orchard website, but all signs indicate that it will be ready to open at the earliest allowable date.
 
Even if Maryland rinks can open June 19, the state’s best practices document doesn’t specifically address some of the issues that may arise at hockey facilities. What exactly does 50-percent capacity mean? Is that number based on the capacity of the entire building or the number of players or skaters that an actual rink can safely accommodate?
 
For example, when I ran the rink at Reisterstown there were times when we would draw 200 or more customers for a public session. Does that mean that rinks can let 100 people attend a session? Given that all 200 were never on the ice at the same time, I wouldn’t describe that number as a “safe” capacity. So what is the right number if social distancing concerns are being considered? Maybe 75? Probably more like 50 or even fewer.
 
And as someone who has run numerous hockey programs over the years, I can tell you with confidence that while it’s possible to cram 50 hockey players on the ice for a skills session, the ideal number in terms of getting kids plenty of repetitions and eliminating standing around is more like 25-30. Even at those numbers, maintaining social distancing would be a challenge.
 
So Is 50-percent capacity for hockey 50 players, or is half of that a better number as long as the players are spread out across three zones in stations that allow them to be at least six feet apart? Or should we assume that since two full teams of 20 often compete at the same time that 40 is capacity for hockey, making 20 the number we should be looking at under COVID restrictions?
 
We will hop over the river to discuss Virginia next, but rinks there are going to be allowed to operate at 30 percent capacity starting this weekend, and I know of a group that has rented ice at Prince William Ice Center and been told that 12 skaters is the limit. I’m no mathematician, but to me that indicates that capacity there is 40. Does that include coaches? And not parents, right?

See what I mean. It’s complicated.
 
One rink general manager told me that the number will be based on a facility’s square footage and that parents or observers will not count against the number of skaters allowed. But the more of the Maryland best practices document you read, the more confusing it gets.

It encourages guests to “exercise individually” and at one point says to “limit class size to 10, including the instructor, so long as participants can maintain physical distancing of at least six feet.” So is a skills session considered a class? If so, what is the 50-percent capacity restriction for? Is that just in place to make sure too many people don’t congregate inside the building?
 
“Evaluate space and capacity based on executive orders and social distancing guidelines,” says the document. “Determine capacity in order to ensure guests can properly physically distance themselves at all times, including in areas that may be prone to congregation, such as equipment rooms, gym floors, entrances, exits, and other amenities.”
 
Stressing social distancing definitely means that we won’t be seeing any games, battle drills or physical contact of any kind for quite a while. Staff and guests will have to wear face coverings once inside the building, but players will not be required to do so on the ice. Coaches most likely will have to wear masks, which will make communication challenging. Showers will not be open.
 
Closed locker rooms means that players will probably have to be mostly dressed upon arrival and will not be allowed to congregate or hang around inside the facility after an ice session. Areas with chairs spaced at least six-feet apart likely will be provided so players can put on their helmets, gloves and skates. They will need to bring their own water bottles and towels. Interaction between guests and employees will be minimized, so all payments may be electronic and check-in may take place on the ice. Large hockey bags may not be permitted in many rinks. Some rinks may take your temperature and not let you enter if it’s above a certain level. Players may not be allowed to enter facilities until just before they are scheduled to get on the ice.
 
Many of these questions and concerns transfer across the Potomac River, where Medstar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington opened this week, but only to allow small groups of Washington Capitals to practice as the NHL entered Phase 2 of its plan to return to action later this summer.
 
That was before Northern Virginia moved into Phase 2 of its reopening plan today, allowing ice rinks to operate at 30 percent capacity. Medstar did open to the public and is operating under these guidelines. As mentioned previously, Prince William Ice Center opened today on a limited basis requiring all visitors to fill out screening forms before each visit to the facility. The Ice Center’s requirements for returning to the rink can be found here and include many items presented in this article.
 
Likewise, the new Ion International Training Center will be up and running this weekend and has a schedule of activities posted on its website. Stick and puck and public sessions are limited to 50 skaters, and participants have 10 minutes to leave the facility once they exit the ice.
 
 
 
Other local Virginia rinks that have opened or are opening and posted guidelines include:
 
The Maryland best practices document lists many preparations that must be made at each venue including sanitation and cleaning requirements, employee training, creating and posting of appropriate traffic flow and social distancing signage, advance communication with potential customers, minimizing physical interaction, closure of locker rooms and more.
 
Keep in mind that most, if not all, of the rinks also will have to rebuild their ice, so it may take a while for many facilities to get up and running – and there also is the business side to consider. With extra staffing and cleaning required, along with new signage, hand sanitizing stations and other amenities, will there be enough “small-group” and individual business to make it viable for all local rinks to open? Time will tell.
 
Other guidelines and restrictions suggested by USA Hockey in conjunction with the U.S. Ice Rink Association and U.S. Figure Skating can be found in its Returning to the Rinks document.
 
We’ve all sacrificed a great deal the past three months to get to the point where we can return to the rinks. Please be smart and understand that there still is a long way to go before we can start talking about playing games and having a season. By showing that we can follow the rules and respect the health and safety of others we can continue moving toward having a complete 2020-21 season.
 
We’re not out of the woods yet, but this is a step in the right direction. Let’s do everything we can to keep moving forward and ensure we don’t have to go back where we were.
 
Wash your hands frequently. Don’t touch your face with unclean hands. Wear a mask when you’re supposed to. Maintain proper physical distance from others. Clean and disinfect your gear. And just be patient.
 
Also, don’t be a tough guy (or girl). It’s part of the hockey culture to play through pain, injury and sickness. Now is not the time to do that. While that type of commitment often is celebrated as heroism in hockey circles, right now – and for the foreseeable future –
you can be a hero by staying away from the rink if you feel the slightest bit under the weather.
 
Do it for the good of your team and the sport. Coming to the rink and infecting a bunch of your teammates is the worst possible thing you can do.
 
By being smart and doing the right thing now, you can at least get back on the ice and know that all the time spent in lockdown and all the work you have put in off the ice will not have been for nothing. The end goal is the same for all of us. We want to be playing hockey for real in September.
 
Keep that in mind above all else and do whatever it takes to make that happen.