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Greetings Yale FSC families, skaters and friends,
We hope that all of you are managing the various hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic as we work to remain safe and healthy. Employment layoffs, working from home and virtual home schooling has impacted us in ways we could not have imagined several months ago. Our year-round skaters and their coaches have struggled to find substitute activities for their training and practice.
As you all know, last summer, the Yale Athletic Department announced a significant increase in their rates for rental ice at Ingalls Rink. While we were able to obtain a one year reprieve, Yale maintained its position. The Board worked all year with various members of the Yale administration and with an attorney in an attempt to chart a path forward regarding pricing and scheduling issues for the 2020-2021 skating season. None of our efforts resulted in success.
This spring, we received an offer to move our skating club to Quinnipiac University and have begun negotiations with the Executive Director of the People’s United Center, a beautiful 7-year-old multi-purpose stadium on the York Hill Campus. Our tentative plan is to offer a Learn to Skate Program and Practice Ice on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons at Quinnipiac, with a longer skating season and a more consistent weekly schedule.
It is with a heavy heart that the Board struggled to make this decision. This move represents a significant loss in terms of the Yale Figure Skating Club’s long history at Ingalls Rink as well as convenient proximity for our many Yale affiliated families.
While many factors were considered in this decision, the primary reason was financial. Remaining at Ingalls would have been unsustainable. Quinnipiac has offered us a better ice rate and offered our club a warm welcome and a willingness to support our club’s efforts to switch locations.
The Board is now moving forward to plan a program for the 2020-2021 skating season. Which brings us back to our current struggles with COVID-19. At this time, no one knows when rinks will open again and how they might need to be managed if social distancing efforts are still warranted. If a program opening is delayed, the Board shall continue to work on the many organizational issues that come with this move. They include revision of bylaws and articles of incorporation, a name change and tax and insurance implications.
In the meantime, we remain the Yale Figure Skating Club, Inc., for purposes of club and US Figure Skating membership renewals. We hope that you will continue your membership and come with us to our new home in Hamden! Materials for membership renewal will be available by email and on our website well in advance of June 30.
Yours,
Nancy Brittingham, President Yale Figure Skating Club, Inc.