LONDON, UK – It was three months ago that the UK went into lockdown and Bauer began making visors for hospitals rather than hockey teams.
Don’t let the sun set on Bracknell rink and ski slope – Image by https://letsgowiththechildren.co.uk/
The summer has never been a particularly exciting season for our sport, unless of course it’s going through one of its cyclical changes, usually brought on by poor management of a few teams and a reset of the league structures to adjust.
This year hockey hasn’t been the architect of its own pain for once, in a global pandemic that has been devastating on both a personal and business level for many of us. Thankfully from a hockey perspective, green-shoots began to emerge from the undisclosed HQ of the EIHA this week (not weeds before anyone quips), as the governing body revealed in a joint statement that the sport could move into phase 2 of recovery assuming ice rinks re-open as planned.
What is phase 2 you ask? Well before we get to that, it’s worth noting that phase 1 only allows off-ice training in maximum groups of 5 at a social distance of 2 metres.
If you think of your average visit to the Toby Carvery (if you haven’t been to one you might want to close your browser now), phase 1 is the wait outside. The restaurant is out of action and you can’t get a table, but you can eat your own snacks in the car park. Not ideal because you brought your 80 year old grandmother along and half the people parked up are agitated and playing loud music with their engines still running. Who wants to eat crisps in that atmosphere? Nobody.
Phase 2, which the EIHA hopes will start in early July when the rinks re-open, allows for training at the ice rink with a maximum of 20 people, but crucially you can’t get changed at the rink and 2 metre social distancing is in effect. Ideal for defenders with terrible gap control, but less great for anything other than the big horseshoe and basic flow drills.
In Toby terms phase 2 is bringing your own cutlery and plate to the carvery. Possibly even a jug to fill up with gravy, especially if you’re Northern. You can dine, though at separate tables across the restaurant. Still not a great experience but at least you can eat indoors and strategically place your least favourite companion behind a pillar or next to the toilets.
Phase 3 allows more people to train and for body contact to be eased in. In this phase players may still not be able to change at the rink thus stinking out their car or possibly even public transport with the odour of stale sweat. At the Toby this phase is similar to phase 2 but you can take a bigger group and shake the hand of the waiter or waitress.
Phase 4 allows for friendly games with no social distancing and the use of locker rooms at the rink. At the Toby this means you can use their plates and even upgrade to a “Big Plate” for £1.50 more, making you eligible for an extra Yorkshire Pudding and a sausage. In other words, almost the full experience but not quite.
Phase 5 is when the new season will start and competitive league hockey returns, bringing all the joy and frustration we’ve missed. This is the ultimate Toby experience. No queue for the carvery, a generous carver behind the hotplate and for the beasts among us, a dessert.
Of course instead of reading this ridiculous comparison you could have just checked out the handy graphic below:
A tale of two facilities
In other news, a blueprint of the new twin pad facility at Lee Valley was revealed with a request for feedback. No mention of whether the showers in the locker room will work properly for the first time in 10 years but hopefully that benefit is buried in the small print. All joking aside the images look stunning, even if the suggested spectator capacity is only 800 people.
Lee Valley proposal
In Bracknell the news was far less positive with a consultation on potential redundancies at the rink taking place as this article went to press. A campaign is underway to help save the rink as players, fans, supporters and the rest of British hockey waits with baited breath to find out if it will survive. 4,000 people have signed the petition to keep the facility open so hopefully all the Bracknell hockey teams will be back on the ice as usual when the puck drops on the new season.
Planet ice to re-open?
The UK’s biggest company of ice rinks has set a provisional date of the 6th July for re-opening with social distancing still in place. No doubt other operators will also follow suit, with ice marshalls no doubt gearing up to enforce the new rules.
The poor neon-clad enforcers have a tough enough time patrolling wobblers recording with iPhones, snoggers by the lockers and the twirling boots of the ice dancers. Keeping Joe public socially distanced on a skating session will take an eagle eye of epic proportions and very quick feet.
All will be hoping the UK government relax the 2 metre social distancing guidelines this week, and of course that phase 5 arrives before Christmas.
Stay safe hockey family.
Contact the author: davidcarr_2@hotmail.com
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