There will be beginners on public sessions, deal with it!

Reccently I've heard some comments from figure skaters to the effect that if someone gets in their way on a public session, they'll intimidate that person by doing a camel spin or jump or something practically on top of the offender to "scare them off".  The same skaters will then complain about so-called hockey skaters (not actual hockey players) dashing about.  All this is on a public session.

Public session. Means open to everyone.  If you want to practice with a stick and puck, there are plenty of hockey training times.  Equally, if you want to seriously practice free skating or ice dance, there is plenty of patch ice.  By all means skate on public sessions, but don't expect to be able to train seriously!

I have been on quiet public sessions with some of my friends doing double jumps, flying spins, fast field moves etc. As more people came on, they stopped jumping and were more careful with spins and stuff.  When it got busier, we left to go have food.  On a busy Saturday morning you're lucky if you can even practice crossovers or one foot glides, and trying anything backwards is suicide.

These people "getting in your way" probably don't mean to.  On patch, people can tell when you're setting up a jump or spin, or if you're doing a compulsory dance or field moves.  On public, they're too busy trying not to fall down to pay attention to you.  And those teenagers zooming around and chasing each other have just as much right to be there as you.  So do the little kids who can't skate three steps without falling on their bottoms.

Nobody has a right to do anything to threaten or endanger anyone else.  Whether it's crashing into people deliberately, or doing a camel spin right next to someone, it's stupid and childish and worst of all, dangerous and I lose all respect for anyone doing it.  In fact, I lose more respect for serious skaters than kids just messing around.  If you skate enough to be able to do a camel spin or jumps or whatever, you skate enough to know better. 

The people who I've heard making these comments are adult skaters.  The child skaters I know are sensible to use public sessions to play with their friends and patch ice to actually train.  Grow up, before someone gets seriously hurt!