Rationing the Rink

Two weeks hence, when the Crimson meets Princeton, it is possible that the local gridiron score will be something less than 65-7. But regardless of the football outcome, Cambridge sports fanciers will still have concrete reason for celebration. The hockey rink, overlong in fund-raising and planning stages, will be completed. There will be, of course, a dedication in a formal ceremony. But more important is the small meeting of H.A.A. officials who will dedicate the rink to specific purposes.

The rink was built primarily as a home for Varsity and House hockey and this is as it should be. The University will be getting only part value for its money, however, if the rink lies fallow between games. Many undergraduates who greatly enjoy skating have come no nearer to a puck than Midsummer Night's Dream. These casual skaters, as well as the hard-toc hockey player, should have a chance to use the rink.

The directors of freshman physical training, which now includes most sports and exercises, should certainly add skating to the program. Hours which don't conflict with games or practice can be arranged for freshmen, as the H.A.A. is doing now with the swimming pools in the IAB. Skating particularly lends itself to the freshman program because it can easily be worked into the undergraduate's crowded schedule. Also, skating does not hinge on the necessity of gathering a group. And with a reasonably free range of hours, the inexperienced novice can wobble when he pleases, fall when he must, and progress completely at his own speed.

There are upperclassmen who have an interest in skating apart from the freshman's consideration for the black checks of P.T. attendance. These skaters should be allowed to slide in between hockey sessions. Open periods for the College skater should be held, or perhaps this time combined with the P.T. hours, depending on student turnout.

In the past, there has been little facility for the hockey player and none for the pleasure skater. Any plans for making skating a part of the College athletic program have been necessarily kept on ice. With the opening of the new rink, the H.A.A. should delay no longer.