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First Week of LTS

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2011-01-07T12:48:50-07:00

This week has been the first week of Learn to skate. We are offering the group lesson format on Thursday evenings and Saturday late mornings. I have been pleased with the turn out so far. Like all things it could be better but it is a starting point and a point in which to grow our program. We have classes tomorrow one at 10AM and another at 11am that still have spaces open.

I am continually amazed by the kids in the program. Just from how quickly they are picking things up and progressing. The LTS program really is the springboard to other program from within the figure skating program as well as hockey. It really is true todays LTS students are tomorrows figure skaters and hockey players.

Learn to Skate Starts Tomorrow

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2011-01-03T16:55:19-07:00

Tomorrow starts our first round of Learn to Skate Group Lessons. We do our program a little differently then most other rinks. Our classes run 30 minutes in duration with a 30 minute practice time after class. Participants still get a 6 punch card to come to any of our open skate sessions for additional practice time if they wish. The reason we do the practice session after class is so the skaters that can’t make it back to practice aren’t at a disadvantage.

A lot of parents ask or want to know what to expect on the first class. Try to arrive at the rink at least 10 to 15 minutes early for the first class. This way if for some reason the front desk needs you to complete paperwork you have plenty of time.

If you are in Basic 1 or have children in Snow Plow please be at the rink ahead of your class time. Generally about 5 to 10 minutes before class your instructor will go over the some of the basics off ice such as falling and the proper way to get up when you fall. Then the class will meet on the ice at your class time for you lesson.

We hope you enjoy your Learn to Skate class and have fun! Always know that if you have any questions about anything that is going on in class the instructor or skating director will always have time for questions or any concerns you may have.

Happy New Year

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-31T11:49:27-07:00

With only a few more hours left in 2010 we wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year. We here at On Edge Skating are looking forward to great 2011!

We also wanted to let everyone know that OES is not on DIGG. So if you’re a DIGG user stop by say hello.

First Newsletter

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-30T11:03:36-07:00

Our first newsletter is now available. Each monthly issue will outline some of the things we have going on here at the rink, program updates, and so forth. Each newsletter will also have coupons in each issue. The coupons could be for a discount in our Pro Shop, Learn to Skate, or punchcard discounts and more. Each month we will have 1-2 QR codes that unlock deals for that months issue. To sign up for the e-newswire you can click here and do it from within our site or go to our Facebook page and click on the “email signup page” tab. Either way it’s quick and easy and you’ll be in the know for all the happenings here at OES. Don’t miss out!

Busy week

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-28T15:17:16-07:00

It’s hard to imagine that we are in the final days of 2010. In a few short days it will be 2011. This has really been a crazy week between the two holidays. We have several things on our horizon before we close out the year.

The first is the first edition of the E-news wire. This is our monthly newsletter that goes out to everyone on our mailing list. Each issue you will find updates on our Learn to Skate program, status updates on our Grow the Rink project and exclusive coupons just for mailing list subscribers. Each month different QR coupon codes will be included in the newswire. Could be discounts on punch cards, Pro Shop discounts, special pricing on products or services or something totally different.

You can sign up for our E-newswire here or through the On Edge Skating Facebook page.

Our in house Learn to Skate program will be starting the week of January 4th and will run through the week of February 12th. The semester will run for 6 weeks and classes meet once a week for a 30 minute class, 30 minute practice following class. Students are also given a 6 punch open skate card to get them into 6 free open skate sessions free to practice what they are learning in class. Class space is limited. Classes that don’t have at least 3 students will be combined on a alternate day. We try to not have more then 7 skaters in a class due to space. For more information see the front desk at the rink.

Merry Christmas

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-24T10:32:34-07:00

As we all take a break to celebrate the Christmas Holiday with Family and friends we also take a pause to say Thank You to our loyal supporters of OES. A year ago if someone had told me we would have a rink and have it up and running I would have probably told them to stop what ever drug they were smoking..... ha ha. As we enter the holidays our numbers of patrons for the rink and shop may not be that of larger facilities but it’s a great start for us here in Western CO.

I am continually amazed by how figure skaters are finding our shop and our website. We have clients now from all over the US from Nevada to Virginia and everywhere in between. 2010 also opened us up to international orders as well serving clients in Australia, Netherlands, and Scandinavia. All total not bad for a business started in a garage!

As we look to the new year in 2011 we hope that we can build off what 2010 gave us. The week January 4th we will be launching the On Edge Skating Academy’s Learn to Skate Program. We are also hopeful that in the first couple months of the new year we will be able to have our first expansion of the synthetic rink going from 15’ x 15’ to 21’ x 30’. We are also hopeful to be able to offer more with our rental skates as well.

January will also mark the launch of our OES Newswire newsletter which will outline what’s happening here at OES as well as offering coupons, specials and contests just for newswire subscribers. You can subscribe via our website or on our Facebook page under On Edge Skating.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Google Maps

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-21T12:40:03-07:00

I finally made the jump and put OES on Google maps. I can say that doing the research to even see if it was worth the time to do it was extremely confusing. So many independent website some saying yes while others say no. Trying to digest all of it is like going through a root canal with no Novocain! Finally it came down to OK 1) it’s free and 2) if more people see us that’s a positive. So we jumped through all the Google hoops.

While I was at it I also added us to QR codes. A QR code is a special code for smart phones or web enabled phones. There is a black and white pattern that your phones camera can scan that unlocks things from that particular business. It could be coupons, links to Google maps and more.

Check us out sometime!

Christmas Holiday is just around the corner

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-20T13:35:54-07:00

I can’t believe the Christmas holiday is just around the corner! Where has all the time gone? The kids are out of school till the new year. The question that is on the tip of everyones tongue is what to get the kids for Christmas and what to do with the kids for the two weeks they are out of school?

We here at On Edge Skating can help with both of those questions. As far as what to do with the kids.... we have over 30 hours of open skating sessions to choose from each week. Bring them to any of our open skating sessions and while they skate parents can utilize our free wifi to get caught up on work or just have a place to preoccupy the kids while you finish Christmas Shopping.

We also have you covered on stocking stuffers. Whether you looking for punch cards for our open skate session or, Learn to Skate enrollment ( which starts Jan 4th), we are here to help. Our stocking stuffers don’t end there for the skaters on your “Good” list. We have gift cards, skate knick knacks such as soakers, guards, laces and don’t forget we stock clothing, training wear and skates. Stop by the rink and see what we can help you with!

It's a small world

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-17T10:31:41-07:00

The skating world is in deed a small world. Last night I got a call from a client who was making a purchase in the VA Beach area back on the east coast. As it turns out their daughter skates over at Iceland in VA Beach which is one of the rinks I use to skate at.

In this day and age with so many rinks going under it was really great to hear that, that rink is still doing well and has a thriving skating program. I know it’s been many, many years since I skated there back in the late 80’s early 90’s so hearing about the program really was a breath of fresh air. I hope that things continue to grow out there.

The Synthetic Difference

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-15T10:33:27-07:00

This past weekend it was so great to see so many kids back on the ice and loving skating on our synthetic ice.

Most skaters when they first get on our synthetic ice, it takes about 2-3 minutes to get use to it. Once they get use to the fact that they have to push a little harder they are fine and it’s skating as usual. On synthetic you push on average 10% harder then on traditional refrigerated ice.

That’s why you get a better work out and skaters that train on synthetic are stronger skaters when they return to refrigerated ice. Once the skaters get past the 2 minute mark they realize that it’s skating as usual and they can’t tell a difference.

Another reason it takes about 2 minutes is that your blades have to warm up. With the brand of synthetic ice we use tempered blades will not de-temper because they will not get anywhere near that hot. The blades do have to warm up so that the ice and the blades are roughly the same temperature which makes skating a breeze.

There isn’t anything you can do on real ice that you can’t do on our synthetic. Come on out and try it for yourself.

Thank You to everyone who skated with us

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-13T11:49:03-07:00

We at On Edge Skating would like to thank everyone who came out this weekend and saw our synthetic ice rink at Olde Fashioned Christmas. We hope that all the children enjoyed skating. Thank you to West Star Aviation for graciously sponsoring our being there and to the Glacier for providing free rental skates for the children. It was great to see all the kids having a great time and great to see skating back in the Grand Valley! We look forward to being able to grow our ice surface and provide our environmentally friendly skating alternative to the area for many years to come.

I can't believe it's almost Friday

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-09T16:39:48-07:00

I can’t believe it’s almost Friday already! Big day planned for tomorrow. Are you ready? Starting at 4PM tomorrow Palisade will have skating on the town square. Come out and see the tree lighting and skate for a while! That’s not it by a long shot, then on Saturday you can skate on the town square again during the Ole Fashioned Christmas Festival. The kids can skate for free and the parents can wrap up last minute Christmas shopping it all kicks of at 11AM on Saturday. Don’t forget to stop by the OES booth on Saturday as well. Get fitted for skates, sign up for learn to skate and so much more!

What a week!

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-12-07T14:49:40-07:00

Wow what a week! Things have been crazy to say the least. My macs laptop battery died and went to laptop battery heaven. So that left us without a computer for a few days and no way to update the site either. All is better now.

We hope that everyone comes out to Palisade, CO on December 10th and 11th for the Old Fashioned Christmas Festival. The Palisade Chamber of Commerce has rented our surface out and will be offering free skating to kids. So come out finish your last minute Christmas shopping in downtown Palisade.

The rink will be set up in the middle of town in the town square. We are so excited to be able to bring skating to Palisade with the help of the Palisade Chamber and sponsor West Star Aviation.

Come on out and say hey! Don’t forget to stop by the On Edge Skating booth to pick up last minute items for your skating enthusiast. From soakers to training wear, skate fittings, register for Learn to Skate and more!

Cyber Monday

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-29T09:00:22-07:00

Cyber Monday Deals!
Give the gift of skating this year.

Please note to get discounts please follow directions listed on the bottom of this page.

Jackson Boots

Artiste Boot & Blade Tot sizes 8-10 $99

Artiste Boot/Blade Misses sizes
11- 3 1/2
$100

Artiste Boot/Blade Women’s sizes 4-10
$105

Jackson Blades

Aspire UB20 size 7.25 - 11 $79

Freestyle UB120 size 8.25-12 $250

Paramount Blades
$20 Paypal cash back on any Paramount blade purchase

At Rink Purchases

Skate Shorts, Tops, and Skorts
1/2 Price

$10 Off Learn to Skate Group Lessons

To Place an Order
Send an email with the following:
Item your interested in
Size
Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address.

To get these discounts we have to invoice you through Paypal. Do not go through our online store we can not apply discounts if you make a purchase in the online store. Offer is only good Friday Nov. 26th. Offer is good in store and online by following these rules. Discounts do not include shipping and is only available to US based orders.

Rink Size

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-27T10:08:52-07:00

Rink Size

I get a couple phone calls a day on the size of our rink. I figured I can address some of these here.

Our starting size is just that a starting size. We do plan on growing the size of our rink. Right now the size is 15’ x 15’. We hope that by the end of this year to have a rink size of 21’ x 30’. The rate we grow at is dependent on a couple key factors.

The first is our Advertising Partners program. We have taken a great deal of time and energy into this program to develop a program that will be an asset not only to our Advertising Partners but to our clients as well. We want users of our rink to be able to get the most out of our facility. We want area youth hockey and figure skating groups to be able to use our rink. To grow our rink size to a size where these two groups along with the general public that can use our rink is not cheap. That’s why we have started the Advertising Partners program.

We are trying to work with area businesses on banner advertising. The income generated does not go directly in our pocket like with most traditional rink. The income we get from this goes directly to purchasing more panels and growing the size of our rink. Without the help of our local and regional businesses this could be a daunting process. The cost of getting these additional panels would cost about $8K.

The second aspect of things with adding additional panels is the usage of the rink itself. Once people know we are here and our customer base grows we can and will add panels as we can. We just need more of a turn out before we can starting adding panels.

Our first priority is adding to our existing rink to bring us to a rink size of 21’ x 30’ or larger. Once we get to that size we can then focus on other areas of the rink such as offering rental skates. The cost of rental skates is more then double the cost of the ice itself. We do have some skates on hand for those who don’t have skates but the sizes and quantities are limited.

At the present time even though we may be smaller in size we are the only year round skating rink to Grand Junction within a 2 hour drive. We are also one of the few year round synthetic rinks in the country to offer a USFS basic skills program with our learn to skate program.

When we started the rink at On Edge Skating we did so not to make a ton of money from it. We did this to fill a need for our local community. Youth and adults in Mesa County need an outlet both socially and athletically. Since the traditional rink here in town closed it’s doors over the summer that left a void in this community. It is our hope to fill this void in our community. It is our hope that the traditional rink will re-open in the near future. With the rate of growth the Grand Junction area is in we feel there is more then enough room for both a synthetic rink and traditional rink to coexist within this community.

If you own or work in a business here locally or regionally we encourage you to take a look at our Advertising Partners page. Support from our local and regional business community is key to keep skating moving forward in Western Colorado.

Black Friday Deals

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-24T16:10:18-07:00

Black Friday Deals!

Give the gift of skating this year.

Please note to get discounts please follow directions listed on the bottom of this page.

Jackson Boots

Artiste Boot & Blade Tot sizes 8-10 $99

Artiste Boot/Blade Misses sizes
11- 3 1/2
$100

Artiste Boot/Blade Women’s sizes 4-10
$105

Jackson Blades

Aspire UB20 size 7.25 - 11 $79

Freestyle UB120 size 8.25-12 $250

Paramount Blades
$20 Paypal cash back on any Paramount blade purchase

At Rink Purchases

Skate Shorts, Tops, and Skorts
1/2 Price

$10 Off Learn to Skate Group Lessons

To Place an Order
Send an email with the following:
Item your interested in
Size
Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address.

To get these discounts we have to invoice you through Paypal. Do not go through our online store we can not apply discounts if you make a purchase in the online store. Offer is only good Friday Nov. 26th. Offer is good in store and online by following these rules. Discounts do not include shipping and is only available to US based orders.

Well.... It was interesting

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-23T11:33:55-07:00

Last night was the start of Skating with the Stars. What did you think? To me the only bright spot was the plug for the USFS Basic Skills program. My question is how many people actually watched enough of the show to hear that plug. Most of the skaters I know barely made it through the first 1/2 hour of the show. So the show may be lucky to get through the first season.

I think where ABC really dropped the ball is in the cast. There are certain people that should have never been considered for the show. Unfortunately this is not Skating with the D-List All Stars. The sad thing is that there are some stars that are a good fit and they are being brought down by the stars that should have never been considered in the first place

The Pro Skaters lack some insight as well. The only skater that I think ABC did well with getting on the show is Dennis Petukhov. The other pro’s I wasn’t overly impressed with.

I think another area that is going to be hard pressed to overcome is with the judges. Most people that follow skating or are involved in skating can certainly do without Dick Button but I will say this. He wasn’t nearly as annoying in the judges roll as he is at times with commentating. What is with ABC’s judges and having at least one person with the middle name Ann? Both DWTS and SWTS have a judge with Ann as a middle name it’s annoying.

Who ever thought it was a good idea to have the host be annoying as I don’t know what should be fired. I think Peewee Herman would be less annoying then the current host. Why not get a skater to host?

If ABC plans on salvaging this series for a 2nd season they have their work cut out. They have some overhauling to do. The object isn’t to embarrass every skater in the country from basic skills to other professional skaters. Time will tell I guess.

Learn to Skate

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-20T14:25:20-07:00

Learn to Skate classes start in 10 days!

LTS classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 5:30PM. Based on enrollment we should have the schedule set we hope by the Monday before the first week of classes. We have to have at least 3 skaters per class to have the class on the schedule. Any classes that don’t meet the 3 skater minimum will be cancelled or merged with another class on another day.

Paramount Blades

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-18T10:19:44-07:00

We got word today that our friends over at Paramount have added new blade styles to their line up.

To those of you who don’t know about Paramount they are a US Blade Manufacturer. They blades consist of two parts. The blade housing which is made from aerospace aluminum which gives the blade high strength and cuts down the weight of the blade by 30%. The actual blade itself is made of carbon steel which is stronger then traditional metal used for blades. This gives the blades a lighter weight and a blade that can go longer between sharpenings. A lot longer. Depending on the blade some skaters are getting 120 hours of training time between sharpenings which is something that traditional blades can’t compare to. Most traditional blades skaters are only getting 20-30 hours between sharpening.

One of the other key benefits to the Paramount line is the fact that alot of skaters purchase one pair of blades then they purchase a second set of runners ( the actual blade part ). When they need their blades sharpened they take the first set of runners off and send them to be sharpened and put the spare set of runners (that are already sharpened) on and it is skating as usual. When they get their other runner in from being sharpened they put them away until they need to switch out again. It really is an ingenious system.

If you go to our blade store you will see all the blades we sell from Paramount. A lot of people may be asking well what’s the difference between the C 12 and the C27? It comes down to two things. 1) is the rocker that is on the blade. Some skaters like a deeper rocker some don’t don’t so it’s a preference thing between the skater and the skaters coach. 2) is the profile of the blade. Each blade type has a unique profile that the blade is made to be comparable to. In this instance the C 12 has the profile of MK Professional and the C 27 has the profile of the Pattern 99. both blades are 3mm thick.

Some of their blades come in the CC version. The CC version stands for Cross Cut which is in reference to the toe picks. The CC blades are 3.5 mm thick.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to drop us a note or call us.

The Start of week 2

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-15T09:47:41-07:00

As we start week 2 we have a lot going on here at OES. Did you know that OES is on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube? It’s true we are all over the place now. Take us with you on the go!

Follow us!

Friend us, ask us questions, what ever is on your mind. It’s like having OES right in your pocket on your phone or other mobile device.

As we mentioned last week we have started a new program called the Advertising Partners. This is a unique program where OES partners with local and national partners for banner advertising within our facility. Money generated goes directly to growing the size of our surface which adds more users and programs which means we can get more people into our rink to see your advertising. Contact us today to get more info.

First Week

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-10T09:25:47-07:00

On Monday we opened to the public officially. Like with any new business it’s been a slow start. It’s all about getting the word out that you’re here and open for business. We have been very grateful to our local media here in Grand Junction they have really had our back and have given us a lot of great coverage to help us get the word out. We have been getting some people coming out to try the new rink out from within our local skating community. All in all the reception has been very positive.

Starting today we are kicking off a new program. A lot of rinks have been “selling” advertising space within their facility for some time. We are approaching things a little differently. We’re not “selling” space. What we are doing is we are looking for advertising partners. We will be doing banner ads throughout our facility. A one time payment for the banner ads that will be good for one year. One payment and you can forget about it. No more stressing over monthly ad rates. The revenue we generate from selling these ad banners will go directly towards growing the size of the rink. The bigger we grow the rink the more groups that can use it and the more exposure everyone gets that advertises with us. The more people we can attract the more people will see our businesses banner ads.

We feel that the businesses that partner with us are just that partners. The communities we live and work in need a fun, safe environment in which to skate in. So we are now looking for businesses to join us in bringing skating back to the Grand Valley. We want local youth hockey groups and figure skaters to easily be able to use our rink and the bigger we can grow it the more these groups can use it. We are looking to grow from 15’ x 15’ to
21’ x 30’ by the holidays.

If you’re a local business looking for a way to advertise see our Advertise with Us page and lets set up a time to talk. If you’re looking for a job that will be commission based and like the face to face interaction of sales let us know.

Great Turnout for our 1st Open House

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-05T14:24:13-06:00

We had a great turnout for our first open house last night. I really didn’t know what to expect since it was mid-week. 10 Skaters showed up! Everyone was blow away by our rink. I can’t wait for tomorrows open house. 12-4PM but we will stay open until people stop coming in. Free skating, food, drinks and did I mention cake? Come out and see the rink!

Media Interviews and other good news.

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-03T11:29:25-06:00

This morning Grand Junction Channel 5 news (our local CBS station) was out to see the facility and do a story on our synthetic rink. It could be on the newscast at noon but it will definitely run tonight at 5, 6, and 10PM the reporter said.

Other big news is we have officially opened our Learn to Skate enrollment. You can find the application here. You can fill it out and send it to our email or drop it off at the rink anytime. Classes need to have at least 3 skaters or the time/day slot will be cancelled. Our program runs on Tues.or Thurs. evenings with a limited class size of 8-10 skaters.

We will be holding an open house tomorrow from 4-6PM and again on Saturday from Noon to 4PM. Come out and see the place and skate for free! If either of those times don’t work we are offering free skating from 10AM to 2PM and 4PM to 6PM through Friday. So if you have your own skates come join the fun.

Skaters needed for a news story

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-02T14:27:01-06:00

Skaters needed for a news story. Tomorrow we have a news crew coming out to do a story on our rink. If your a local skater who has their own skates and is available around 10AM let us know. Call Charles at the rink at 970.589.7706 we are looking for 2-3 skaters to skate during that time.

Dawn of a New Era

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-11-01T12:50:28-06:00

Dawn of a New Era of skating has now begun in the Grand Valley. Today is opening Day for the rink at On Edge Skating. We are officially open for skating. One spot where clients can skate, full service pro shop, and best of all for all parents have a space to watch their kids skate complete with Wireless Internet! Come in say hi and see our new facility.

We are just off North Ave between 29 RD and 29 1/2 RD. Coming from Grand Junction just before the U-Haul dealership you will see an unnamed ally with a sign for Overhead Door. Make a right and follow that through the “S” curve. Overhead Door is on your right. We are in the second building on your left. Suite 208. We are between F&S Tire and Catfish Canoe CO.

On Edge Skating Opening Soon

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-28T13:59:30-06:00

On Edge Skating is pleased to announce that our new facility will be opening to the general public on Monday November 1, 2010. We will be offering a sneak peak open house on Saturday October 30, 2010 from 12PM to 4PM. Come see our new rink if you have your own skates you can come skate for free during the open house. If you can’t make it out the open house we will be offering private tours on both Saturday and Sunday. Contact Us for more info.

Time for paint

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-25T08:15:50-06:00

Things are on schedule with the rink. We spent a long weekend catching up on all the little things. We have also started painting the main rink walls. Slowly but surely it is starting to look like rink.

All of the dry wall is done in the off ice room and parents perch. I can’t wait to get everything set up and get the wireless internet up in there. I think that will be a big hit with parents.

So today we are painting more of the walls in the main rink and laying the finished floor in the off ice room and parents perch.

We are hoping to have everything finished up this week so we have an open house on Saturday. Once we get further in the week we will have things set up as far as time for the open house.

Slowly but surely

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-19T12:32:17-06:00

Slowly but, surely we’re getting there. I have heard before that patience is a virtue. I am learning that lesson with getting our rink space up and going. Finishing walls is the first step. Before today and yesterday I thought the one thing hated more then anything in this world was painting. That is no longer the case. It has been replaced by finishing walls and working with dry wall putty. I felt like the Karate Kid with the wax on.... wax off but instead of wax it was put on.... putty on and more putty on. I keep telling myself that there could be worse things to be doing with ones time. It’s just one of these things that has to be done so I might as well get it over with right?

The search continues

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-13T08:34:15-06:00

The search continues. Yesterday we looked at a piece of property that I really fell in love with. It’s not associated with a gym so the training center aspect of things fall short. It is however in the Palisade/Clifton side of town which is in the general area we want to be in. The space includes an office, a large area for a skate shop and then of course the area for the rink itself. The rink space will be more then enough room for our first growth spurt going from a 15x15ft surface to 27x30ft surface plus a little more.

All in all the space offers more then 2,000sqft. It has space within the rink space to offer an off ice room that looks down onto the rink space. This would allow parents an area that they could use our wireless internet to work as skaters skate in a fun safe environment.

We were hoping to get things worked out with the local gym we were working with over the past couple weeks. We were hoping to offer a training center for both hockey and figure skaters. One of the other tenants for the space did not welcome what we were trying to do. When we were asked about noise and smell pollution we knew things were starting to go south.

Hockey players to know ones surprise smell. It’s a basic fact. Kids work hard and they sweat in their pads. That is just part of hockey. We would also be limited as to our radio usage for both public sessions and figure skating freestyle sessions. I can not and will not limit these sessions. We want to create a fun & safe environment for skaters. Our “gut feeling” is that if we go into the gym we would be constantly butting heads with this tenant and putting the gym owners at a severe disadvantage and that’s not what we want. Another aspect is that the gym space is twice the expense for half the space. We have not made our final decision yet but these are a few things we are thinking and considering. We hope to have more news later this week.

Synthetic FAQ

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-05T09:58:44-06:00

Synthetic
FAQ

I get asked a lot of questions about our synthetic ice. So I have been wanting to do a blog posting to answer some of the more frequently asked questions.

What is synthetic ice? Synthetic ice is a man made alternative to refrigerated ice that is virtually maintenance free and uses significantly less utilities then traditional ice.

What is your synthetic ice made from? It is a man made polymer that was initially a NASA discovery that was used in the space program.

What is the skate life of the surface? Each panel has a 2 sided skate-able surface that last 15-20 years on each side.

Can I do on synthetic what I can do on traditional ice? Yes! Anything you can do on traditional ice you can do on our synthetic. Skaters get 90% of the glide ratio compared with traditional ice. Both hockey and figure skaters push 10% harder on synthetic which makes for stronger skaters when they return to real ice.

Will synthetic mess up my blades? No. Skaters that train on synthetic get their skates sharpened at about the same frequency as skaters who skate on “hard” hockey ice.

Will my blades de-temper on synthetic? No. We use a special glide enhancer that keeps that from happening. It also gives a better glide to the surface similar to real ice.

Will the Glide Enhancer stain or ruin clothing or hockey gear? No. The glide enhancer we use is EPA approved and is non toxic. When skaters touch or fall on the surface it has an oily feel that can be wiped away and will come out of clothing when washed.

Will the surface scratch? Yes. As you skate lines will be seen but they do not impede when you skate. The more the surface is skated on the faster the surface becomes.

Will I get snow on my blades like I do when I am on real ice? In the beginning you will. Once the surface has been skated on for a while that will stop.

Can I do Hockey Stops on synthetic? Yes anything you can do on real ice you can do on synthetic.

How big is your rink? Our starting size is 15x15ft. Once we get open we play on enlarging the size of the rink to 21x30ft and will continue to enlarge the rink until we are a NHL size rink.

Will you offer Learn to Skate (LTS)? Yes we will start LTS as soon as we open.

When are you planning on opening? As soon as we can. We are waiting on the property owner to get back to us on some things but are hoping to open by Fall 2010.

In a holding pattern

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-05T09:29:56-06:00

In a holding pattern
I know a lot of people have been asking when and where we will be opening our rink. No one wants to get this rink open as bad as we do. Right now we are playing a waiting game. We have done everything in our power to push this process along. In the end it is something that is out of our control. We are waiting on the owner of the space we are wanting to use to get back to us on price and a date of when we could move in and install the rink. Despite daily phone calls we have yet to hear from them one way or another.

Maybe it’s my southern upbringing but I am a get in and get it done kind of person. I will also be the first to admit that patience is not my strong suit. My daily prayer is God give me patience and give it to me now! Lol. At this point we will still diligently try to get info from the owner of the space we are most interested in.

As soon as we have a place lined up we will be proceeding with the Skating Academy and the start of our Learn to Skate program. Until those pieces fall into place, if anyone has their own skates and wishes to skate they can call us at 970.589.7706 to set up a time or they can email us One of the great things about our synthetic rink in it’s current state is that it can be installed and uninstalled fairly quickly and is a strait forward process. I have no problems installing the rink when I know people are wanting to use it and skate.

Renting synthetic ice

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-10-04T09:33:54-06:00

We are opening a new area of On Edge Skating. We are now renting our synthetic ice for special events and functions. Our rates are very competitive and offer skating on just about any budget. Rental prices range from $3 - $5 per sqft. We can even assist clients in getting rental skates for their event.

Clients can rent out our surface for a special events for up to 3 days. We are offering a total turnkey operation where we handle everything. This is going to be a great service as we get closer to the Christmas season and companies start thinking about company Christmas parties or just for businesses looking to draw more business to their location. Contact us for full details on this new service.

Things are coming along

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-09-30T09:31:45-06:00

Things are coming along nicely. I stopped by the rink site this morning to check the levelness of the floor and things should work perfectly. I can’t wait till we can do the install and get the surface down. Skating will be coming back to the Grand Valley and I for one can’t wait. This is going to be a perfect location. I couldn’t have picked a better location.

We are also talking with the Palisade Chamber of Commerce about skating for the Ole Fashion Christmas on Dec 10th and 11th. If we can pull everything together it should be a great family event.

With the opening of our rink coming in the near future I am curious. In your mind what would the perfect rink include? What amenities or programs would you like to see with our facility? Leave us a comment below we want to know!

Keep us in mind for rentals

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-09-28T11:45:51-06:00

Keep us in mind for Christmas time rentals

Don’t forget that with Christmas fast approaching so is the timeline for special event rentals. Renting out our 15x15ft surface for a weekend event or party is available. Affordable rates between $3-$5 per sqft makes skating an affordable option for any budget! Get more details from contacting us

We have a Location

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-09-28T11:41:20-06:00

We have a location in mind for our rink. After weeks of searching we have things worked out for a location of the rink. We have chosen to have the rink on the Palisade side of Grand Junction. We are still waiting for all the numbers to come in and all that good stuff but we have a light at the end of the tunnel now. With a little luck we will be kicking off our brand new Learn to Skate Program about the 2nd week of Oct. Stay tuned for more details!

Murphy's Law

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-09-27T11:02:13-06:00

Murphy’s Law

Sorry for the lateness on where our rink will be located. We have run into a couple roadblocks that are out of our control. We are working hard and we hope to have an actual location set up in the next couple days. Trust me we are just as excited to bring skating back to the valley as you are to have a place to skate.

We hope to have everything ironed out this week. With a little luck we will have where the rink will be and when our LTS program will start. We are looking forward to a busy week ahead.

Changing the way Western Colorado sees skating

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-09-15T10:56:03-06:00

Changing the way Western Colorado sees skating!

Skating is about to make a resurgence in Western CO. With the closing of the Glacier Ice Arena in Grand Junction a few months ago it has left the community in a state of loss. Hockey players, figure skaters all the way down to general public session skaters have felt the loss of not having anywhere to skate.

We have been working diligently on ways to bring skating back to Western Colorado. We are currently waiting on a truck that will be bringing 8 panels of synthetic ice. Our starting rink size will be 15ft x 15ft and will grow from there. We will be working on all the fine details and will reveal our total plan and location mid week next week. Our Lean to Skate program will be kicking off here in a couple weeks as well. Stay tuned for all the details.

Fitting Days

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-09-02T10:17:52-06:00

On Edge Skating

We are currently scheduling fitting days with rinks and skating clubs through out CO, UT, MT, WY this fall. We are a sport specific retailer specifically for figure skaters. OES is a dealer for:

SP-Teri Skating Boots
Jackson Skating Boots
Edea Skating Boots
MK ( Mitchell King ) Blades
John Wilson Blades
Jackson Blades including Matrix & Legacy
Paramount Blades

We also offer Sk8 Strong DVD conditioning for skaters and Onward Training Apparel.

Email us today to set up a date to have skaters at your rink fitted for their skating needs.

Press Release

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-08-26T09:35:13-06:00

Grand Junction Business Aims to Bring “Green Rink” to
Colorado’s Western Slope

August 26, 2010 – Grand Junction, Colorado: Grand Junction-based On Edge Skating is heading up a movement to bring ice skating back to the Grand Valley. “On Edge Skating is a business for skaters by skaters,” owner Charles Crawford said. On Edge Skating has been looking for investors for the project for over a year, but with the recent closure of the Grand Valley’s only skating rink, a greater sense of urgency has been added to their plan.

“We want to open a rink with a new, improved version of synthetic ice,” said Crawford. “Synthetic ice has several advantages over traditional ice, which include lower up-front and operational costs and less negative impact on the environment. Unlike other groups in the area, we’re trying to bring an environmentally friendly ice skating option to Western Colorado.” Synthetic ice has been on the market for some time. Crawford was involved in some of the original test markets for early versions of synthetic ice. He admits that the early products were not much like skating on real ice but the technology has, “come a long way since those days.”

“Not all synthetic ice products are equal, but after extensive research we feel that we have found the best available product and we have developed a relationship with the manufacturer of the surface," Crawford continued. “Today’s synthetic ice products allow skaters to be able to do anything on it that can be done on traditional ice, including figure skating jumps and spins, as well as playing hockey. Also, synthetic ice uses considerably less energy, water and chemicals than traditional ice surfaces.”

Crawford and his business are hoping to find investors in the near future so that local figure skaters and hockey players will no longer need to drive one and a half to two hours to get on the ice. Skating offers a great recreational option for local youth. Interested individuals may contact
Crawford via e-mail at charles@onedgeskating.com or by calling (970) 589-7706 and learn more about the project at www.onedgeskating.com

Breaking News

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-08-19T09:53:17-06:00

Breaking news will be coming out over the next few days to OES. Keep up with what’s going on, on Twitter and Facebook. More info coming soon.

Another Rink Closes

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-06-22T11:03:05-06:00

It’s always sad to hear when a rink closes it’s doors. One of the latest rink closures has happened in Grand Junction, CO which also happens to be in our own back yard. The rink started having some issues with the refrigeration pipes and pipes rusting. The needed repairs to the facility to get it opened back up are over a half million dollars.

There is a grass roots effort to try to save the rink on Facebook. I encourage anyone who can go to the link below and join the effort in trying to raise money to keep skating alive here in the Grand Valley.

www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=111215392257676

News from Jackson Boots

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-02-26T22:01:27-07:00

We learned today from our Jackson Boot Company US distributor that Jackson has ceased production of the popular Pro Flex Boots. The reason we have gotten is that Jackson wasn’t getting enough orders coming in for the top of the line boot model. Everyone we have sold Pro Flex’s to have loved them. Our hope is that Jackson will bring these boots back for 2011.

Congrats to Kim Yu-Na

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-02-26T21:41:47-07:00

Congrats to Kim Yu-Na who won the Ladies gold medal in Women’s Figure Skating. She skated a beautiful long program. I still don’t get how Joannie Rochette got the bronze. I know that Joanne didn’t skate a clean long. I also know that Rachael Flatt had 2 triple flips downgraded but I did not feel that warranted a 7th place finish. It seems the deductions were harsher on Flatt then on Joanie. All in all it was a great night of skating.

WOW! Ladies Short

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-02-24T09:24:21-07:00

All I can say is Wow. Last nights ladies short did not disappoint. Joanie Rochette who lost her Mom a few days ago skated beautifully. I don’t think I have ever seen her skate as strong as she did in her short. Joanie is currently in 3rd after the short.

It is no exaggeration to say the night belonged to Korean skating star Yu-Na Kim. She skated a perfect short program. She is currently leading the ladies field going into tomorrow nights ladies long program.

Currently in second after the short is Mao Asada. She is the only woman in the world at these games who has a triple axel in her repertoire. a little over 4 and a half points seperate Yu-Na and Mao after the short. Something you have to consider going into tomorrows long program. Triple Axel or not one jump can’t replace the technical perfection of Yu-Na Kim. When you look at Mao Asada’s jumps and spins they just don’t compare to Kim’s. Kim has better flow over the a more “polished” look. Her jumps kick things up a level. Her jumps are huge. She carries a huge amount of speed going into each element and her jumps cover far more ice then the jumps Mao does. Lets not forget about the spins. Yu-Na spins on a dime. They are fast and very well centered.

Lets not count out the current US National Champion Rachel Flatt. Her nickname is the “Rock”. She skated a great short last night hitting all her elements effortlessly. If she can keep things together I would expect nothing less then a top 4 finish for her. My choice for the top 3 skaters to watch tomorrow night have to be Yu-Na Kim, Joanie Rochette, and Rachel Flatt

If you missed the Men's Long Program you realled missed out.

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-01-18T17:04:21-07:00

If you missed the mens long program on Sunday you really missed out. Sunday’s Mens long program showcased some of the best skating this season. Jeremy Abbott skated his way to a second national tittle after he did a flawless long. At the end of the day it was Jeremy, Evan and Johnny in the top spots. Ryan Bradley came in forth with a perfect long as well showcasing his inner ham. Watching his long you couldn’t help but to smile and at times laugh. This coming week should be another great weak at Nationals with the Women’s event starting on Friday.

2010 US Nationals Kicks Off Today

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-01-15T13:47:39-07:00

2010 US Nationals Kicks Off Today.

The US National championships started earlier today. Ice Network
( www.icenetwork.com ) has streaming video of Nationals. They also have video uploaded from the Jr Men’s Short Program.

After the short Max Aaron is at the top of the leader board followed by Jason Brown in 2nd and Austin Kanallakan in 3rd. Joshua Farris is currently in 4th.

Other skating coming live on Ice Network today will be:

Sr Pairs Short Program at 4:30PM EST
Sr Men’s Short Program at 9:45PM EST
Both live and streaming on Ice Network.

US National Championships fast approaching

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-01-11T15:51:04-07:00

US National Championships fast approaching

As most people that are either in the skating industry or are skaters know that National’s in an Olympic year is huge. This is where our World and Olympic team is selected.

Later this week the men’s and women’s single team will be finalized. Both disciplines will be tough competition. The US can only take 2 women and 1 alternate to the team.

Just in the women’s event you have a deep field with Alissa Czisny, Rachael Flatt, Ashley Wagner, just to name a few. Lets not forget the return of Sasha Coen. So this should be a very interesting week ahead of us.

The Mens slot has 3 open slots and one alternate. Again this is another deep field. Skaters like Evan Lysacek, Johnny Weir, Jeremy Abbott, Brandon Mroz, Ryan Bradley, to name a few. This should be another interesting event. Be sure to check your local listings for air times on NBC. You can also see live coverage in it’s entirety on Ice Network with a paid subscription ( of $30 ).

Backbone of skating pond skating

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2010-01-04T17:27:41-07:00

For those of you that live on the west coast or in the southern part of the US I feel sorry for you. Most people that live in these area don’t know what it’s like to skate on a frozen pond. I think everyone should experience this at some point in their lives.

I’m not going to say that pond skating will give you perfect ice all the time. From time to time you will have to shovel snow off of your skating area. The feeling is totally different on a pond, different in a good way. My feeling is that if you can practice your elements in this environment you can complete them in any environment.

Please note that not any pond ice will work. It works best when you have a pond that is fairly smooth and level. High winds during the freezing process makes a choppier surface. You also need to measure the thickness of the ice with a auger drill bit. Only skate on surfaces that have at least 12 inches of ice before turning to water or more. The last thing any skater wants to do if fall through the ice in a week area. Also only skate when the daytime high is below 30˚ F. Also use a little common sense as well. If the ice has a large or a lot of deep cracks in it don’t skate on it. Most fire departments will flood the rink when asked to in the evening.

Over the Christmas Hump

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-12-28T17:55:00-07:00

Over the Christmas Hump

Its hard to believe that in less then 2 months till the Opening Ceremonies at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC Canada.

In about 3 weeks till the US Figure Skating National Championships in Spokane, Washington. This years nationals will lay the ground work for the US team. Who will make the top spots in the strong mens singles field? Time will only tell. The coming weeks should be interesting to say the very least.

The air you breath

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-11-23T23:32:20-07:00

I came across this video online via the ESPN website. It is a expose’ done in rinks in various parts of the country about the air quality in traditional rinks. I guess this is another aspect of “green” rinks being a more healthy option.

Another Great Networking Event

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-11-19T12:57:41-07:00

Another Great Networking Event

We had another great evening of networking at the Palisade, CO Chamber of Commerce last night. People are really very interested in what we have on our horizon. A skating rink that is not only mobile but is a “green” technology. Using far less utilities then traditional ice and 1/10 of the start up cost as compared with real ice. So now the only thing we need is an investor to get this expansion off the ground and going.

Don’t Forget About Us

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-11-17T12:36:03-07:00

Don’t Forget About Us

I hear a lot of things in the course of a day. From clients, to forums and everything in between. Recently the big thing has been the Paramount Blades. Skaters love them. What’s not to love? The blades can be colored and in the mid and high level blades skaters are getting 120 hours of skating time between sharpening’s. That’s huge. Most skaters get 20-40 hours depending on their usage and other factors. You can even get extra runners so you always have a sharp pair ready when you need them.

It’s also a double edged sword. These same people complain that they can’t find anyone to sharpen them because the blade runner is a harder metal.

Don’t Forget About Us! We are not just available to assist you in the purchase of new boots and blades. We are also here after the sale. We do waterproofing of boots and we do blade sharpening. Even Paramount blades. We ship nationally as well so no matter where you skate we can keep you skating at your best. It’s about the relationship we have with each and every client we serve. Even if you didn’t buy your Paramount blades from us we still do sharpening and maintenance. So the next time you hear skaters and coaches talking about how no one sharpens Paramount blades near you let us know. We would love to talk to them.

Getting Figure Skating Boots in an Olympic Season

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-11-16T12:34:50-07:00

Getting Figure Skating Boots in an Olympic Season

I wanted to write some thoughts on getting boots. First off let me remind everyone that is new that in less then 100 days way are the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

With the start of the games fast approaching everyone is going crazy and I’m not just talking about Olympic hopefuls either. That extends all the down to the boot manufacturers and yes even to shops like ours.

It’s all about supply and demand. The Olympic season causes an increase in skating interest. So not only are the boot manufacturers trying to keep up with the usual demand but also the peak of Olympic fever. A lot of the boot manufacturers get behind.

We are not talking about a few boots and a few models we are talking about thousands of boot and orders coming in from not only all over the world but here in the states as well. More orders coming in then the factory can put out. So it is not uncommon for boots to take 4 to 6 weeks to come in for stock boots. In some cases it could take up to 8 weeks. It’s a lot of take a number and as soon as they can fill our order they get it out as soon as they can.

So when you place orders keep this in mind. Don’t wait till the very last minute and then expect boots on a 14 day turn around. It’s not going to work that way. Should you need them soon call us ahead of placing your order and we can check on what the current wait time is. We look forward to helping clients with their skating boot needs from the top figure skating boot manufacturers in the world. We currently work with and sell Sp-Teri, from Northern California, Edea, from Italy, and Jackson, from Canada.

On Edge Skating Expansion

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-11-15T17:03:31-07:00

On Edge Skating Expansion:

As many of our regular customers and visitors know we are are in the process of doing a major expansion of the current On Edge Skating. We are currently looking for an Angel Investor to assist us in a $60,000 expansion of services. Now don’t start freaking out guys there will be no services being deleted on adding of additional services.

So you may be asking what is he talking about? We are looking to add a mobile synthetic ice skating service to the On Edge Skating family of skating services. It would be a starting size of 40x60FT utilizing the EZ Glide 350 surface. We would using this service for special events, corporate rentals, hockey training, figure skating training, and ice shows through out the west. More info about all the details of our plans are contained in a Power Point Presentation. To find it go to Investor Inquiries and it will be towards the bottom of this page.

A independent website that helps entrepreneurs find and get funding from possible angel investors recently reviewed our proposal presentation. We have been awarded the Venture Worthy Silver Award by the VC Angel Network. An award awarded to expanding businesses / new businesses that are deemed more profitable based on preselected terms such as niche market, profitability, environmental awareness, and rated on the business plan it’s self.

So if anyone happens to know of anyone looking to invest in Green Technology or in skating we would love to talk with you.

VC Angel Network

Technical Issues with our Phone System

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-09-30T11:15:00-06:00

Technical Issues with our Phone System:

We have recently been informed of a technical issue with our phone system. We are working hard to fix the issue. If you need immediate help please email us at charles@onedgeskating.com Thank you for your patience

The phone issues have been resolved. Thank you

Figure Skating Coaches Beware!!

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-09-30T11:11:54-06:00

Figure Skating Coaches be aware. There is a new email scam targeting coaches world wide. If you get a email like this do not respond and delete it.

Greetings

I am Mr Benjamin Davids form the uk I would like to book for skating classes/workshop for 2 hours each day,as the case may be, Monday through Saturday (morning hours or evening hours) for a group of 10 adults,We would be coming over to your location, and as part of our plans we intend to have classes/private lessons in that space of time, where do you conduct the training?send us your offers for the adult classes and please let me know if you have skating shoes for hire and also i will like to let you know that the skaters have little or less skating skills that is why we are coming over to have the training so i believe you are in a good position to let us know how many weeks of training will be good enough for the group to have learnt something , Do you have guest rooms or is there any 3 star hotel close to your studio where we can lodge ?
DATE: November 4th TO 27thth Nov 2009 is the date taken by the group
please get back to me with the required information i await your email

Kaleidoscope

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-09-30T10:11:41-06:00

Kaleidoscope Skating Benifit
Washington DC will host a special benifit on Monday November 16 at 7pm at the Verizion Center. The show is designed to bring awareness to women about cancer but even more important is the message of survivorship and to inform, inspire, and influence women to take action for their health. Figure skaters participating in this event will be Scott Hamilton and Dorothy hamill. Other skaters that will be joining them are Nancy Kerrigan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Hopefuls: Rachel Flatt, Johnny Weir and Brandon Mroz. Olivia Newton-John and GRAMMY winning song writer David Foster will also perform musical numbers. Fox will broadcast this event on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th at 4PM ET.

Skate Buzz

charles@onedgeskating.com — 2009-09-29T13:32:18-06:00

For those of you who don't know there is a new skating website on the world wide web. The latest addition is Skate Buzz www.skatebuzz.com It is a website done in cooperation with Skate Canada. It host anything and everything skating related in Canada.

One of the featured video's is a preview of "Battle of the Blades" where pair skaters and ice dancers are paired with past and present hockey players of notoriety in Canada. The show premiers Oct 4th 2009 on CBC. The show will be hosted by Kurt Browning some of the participating skaters are Barbra Underhill & Ron Duguay, Shae-Lynn Bourne & Claude Lemieux, Jamie Sale' & Craig Simpson to name a few.