LONDON, UK – After weeks of uncertainty, the UK government finally gave the green light for English ice rinks to re-open on the 1st August. More importantly to hockey players and fans, the English Ice Hockey Association got the go ahead to begin phase 2 of the restart of hockey on our shores.
Regular readers will be aware from our previous article that phase 2, although welcome, is as useful to most hockey teams and players (especially in the summer months) as a concrete parachute. It’s worth pointing out that the EIHA had to put some kind of plan in place to satisfy the government of a safe restart of the sport – so this is no criticism of their approach just a depressing reminder of the world we now live in.
Is the phased return of hockey any worse than the often farcical scenes being set up in other sectors of life? Not really, in fact it fits in perfectly well with the seemingly often random measures aimed at keeping us all safe, but making lives even more miserable than they already are/were. And that’s before the upcoming unemployment issues and whatever else springs from the impact of our mutual “friend” covid 19.
Let’s look at what phase 2 means in practice and why the countdown is very much on for phase 3:
Maximum group size increased to 20 for on and off-ice training
On paper this makes sense. Less bodies equals more space, although twenty people on an ice pad at the same time is still relatively crowded. On some smaller sized ice pads it would even have shades of Shibuya junction. Regarding off-ice training, most teams won’t be doing this out of season as a group and even if they were, it probably wouldn’t be more than 20 at a time.
Coaches on the ice
Good news. No Coach wants to be on the sidelines blowing their whistle and unable to get out into the action. What’s the point in coaching if you can’t slash players for not skating hard enough or take clappers at the goalies at any opportunity? Demonstrations aren’t possible and stopping drills mid flow to illustrate a point is harder to do without whistling everyone back to the board. Coaching off the ice sucks for all concerned.
No changing rooms at the rink
Devastating news for anyone with a Smart car or who takes public transport to the rink, but amazing news for skate guard manufacturers and car air freshener outlets. Let’s see if the magic tree can mask the filthy smell of hockey kit, or if people get off the bus a few stops early to avoid the stink of a hockey player festering in their kit.
Different groups cannot mix
The Montagues and Capulets “like” this.
One way systems for moving round the venue
Entering the rink is no problem, but how do we get out? Don’t worry, that fire exit that leads out to overgrown bushes still strewn with empty cans of Tab Clear from 1996 will do. So what if your car is on the other side of the rink? Just think of it as a warm down.
Social distancing (2m)
Let’s face it. It’s virtually impossible to run any meaningful session and stick to this properly. Will the police show up with matrix style lasers to check adherence? There’s more chance of wooden sticks making a comeback.
Hand sanitizers
On the bench? In the car park? Glued on to helmets? Details to follow.
Deep clean of all kit after each session
Wipe down the shaft and get the germs off your stick. What’s that rattling sound? Oh don’t worry I’ve just put my helmet on a spin cycle. What’s that fabric in the garden? Oh that’s what is left of my Tackla pants from the previous cycle. Why do we now have 100 brillo pads in the cupboard? Don’t worry, I’ll get those stains out of my leg pads if it kills me.
No contact during the practice
Don’t like wearing shoulder pads? Set yourself free.
Focus on skills and technical development
Always a good idea, but unless you are mega rich and do a private hire is it worth any team renting out the ice given all the restrictions listed above? Stickhandle and shoot outside, get the rollerblades out if you haven’t already.
Wait for phase 3, that’s the real prize. That’s assuming your rink re-opens.
For hockey fans, the wait will be even longer.
Fun times indeed.
Contact the author: davidcarr_2@hotmail.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.