A Sign of the Times?

Yesterday, while in south Jersey, I went over to the Flyer's Skate Zone on Albany Avenue for the 12:30-2:30 pm public session.  While the local economy is reeling under the weight of a collapsing gambling industry to the point of driving the city to seriously consider filing for bankruptcy, one would never know it from the size of the crowd gathering at the rink.  I had to circle the parking lot twice before finding a space.  A healthy ice tourist presence does help keep the doors open. 

But the  thing that really grabbed my attention was a notice printed out on single sheets of computer printer paper, scotch taped to the rink Plexiglas windows which stated " No Chewing Tobacco out on the rink."  My reaction was  Oh my Gaud---ewwwwwww.  I next wondered is this a hockey thing or an unwashed public thing? 

Is chewing tobacco spital a  common thing or a hockey thing?

 

 

 A quick trip to the internet revealed that this was not an isolated case.  You can read about it (or not) here: https://www.google.com/search?q=No+chewing+tobacco+on+the+ice+rink&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Is this a problem at your rink?  It's news to me--lips that touch chew will never touch mine.  Up til now I've thought that it's bad enough to skate over stick-on skating passes which have liberated themselves from their purchasers.  But then I probably live a sheltered life. 

Well, although the rink was heaving with people, ice time is ice time.  No lick-spital was encountered yesterday by your diarist.