The Cost Of Skating

I was emailing one of my readers and we compared costs for skating. The reader is on (in?) Long Island, and of course I'm in Tucson:


I live on Long Island. Most of the Coaches seem to be charging $40.00 per half hour. Others charge more, especially if they are a Style Coach, Jump coach, spin coach, etc. Group lessons cost $99.00 for 8 weeks @ 1 half hour lesson a week. Group Skaters can skate on the Ice (at the Rink where the lessons are taught) for free, whenever they want. I think it's a pretty good deal. Admission costs $5.50 if you are NOT in a group lesson, and the public sessions are two hours each. DJ Night costs $10.00 for 2 hours, and it consists of Rap music/pop music, strobe lighting, and VERYFAST hockey players that skate the way that Sea Gulls fly. They swoop down low, change direction quickly, and they seem to have no "game plan" at all.) Besides all of the above, there are teenagers skating who can't skate, but they are all really there to meet members of the opposite sex anyway. Can you tell that I dislike the DJ nights? lol
Freestyle Ice Sessions differ in price, depending on the Rink. Our closest Rink costs $11.00 for an hour and a half session. This is inexpensive compared to other Rinks which can cost DOUBLE this amount.

I think $40/half hour is about what our coaches charge, but otherwise it looks like it's better in Long Island. Our group lessons are $12/lesson, in two-month semesters, so it's either $96 or $108 depending on whether there are 8 or 9 lessons (lessons are Wed. nights and Saturday mornings). For that you get a half hour group lesson, a public session the same day, free skate rental (doesn't apply to me) and 2-for-1 admissions to public sessions on other days. Our public sessions are $7, and they range from 2 hours (nighttime) to 3 or 3.5 hours for afternoons. Freestyle ice is $12/hr but skating club members (I'm not one yet) can get a 10-punch ticket for $90. Friday and Sat. nights are the DJ and strobe thing with the high school kids (yes, and the hockey boys). I've decided I'd rather have the little kids who have no clue and skate right in front of you going the wrong way, etc., than the hockey boys.