TOYOTA SPORTS CENTER

Technical Score: Level 3 +1 GOE for ginormous restrooms
Presentation Score: Level 3 -1 GOE for ending the session a half hour early with no notice

My friend and I took advantage of the fact we didn't have anywhere to be on a weekday morning one fine summer day, so we rose early and braved ridiculous LA traffic to attend an early session at Toyota Sports Center (which I refer to as El Segundo).

It was so totally worth it.

I don't know if the early hour was the reason or if publics at El Segundo are always like this, but the session was great! Everyone out there was an actual figure skater who was working out or having time with a coach. There were no hockey players or kids hanging out with friends, so practicing was easy, even though the ice was relatively crowded.

We were on the Olympic rink, and the ice was just dreamy. No ruts, no dip by the Zamboni gate, perfect balance between hard and soft. I am very picky about ice, and El Segundo had some of the best ice on which I've ever skated. If this rink was closer, I'd definitely be a frequent flyer.

Beyond the ice, the facility is very impressive, not to mention massive. Almost too much so. The place lacked a feeling of community that exists at other rinks, but that may be because so many sports train here -- besides hosting figure skaters, the rink is the training center for the LA Kings, and the Lakers work out here as well. Whoever operates the center seems very interested in making sure everyone who visits knows just who uses the facility too. Kings stuff was everywhere, and there were banners congratulating all the past and present champion skaters. This kind of promotion is common and is a way of bringing in new business, of course, but it seemed a bit overdone at El Segundo.

The major annoyance of the morning was when the session ended a half hour earlier than scheduled, because the Kings had to use the Olympic rink for practice (the NHL rink was undergoing renovation). If you head over to El Segundo, call ahead to make sure the schedule hasn't changed.

I have to give a shout-out to the woman who took my money at the box office. She was one of the friendliest rink staffers I've met!

Bottom line: El Segundo for the win! The awesome ice and lack of hockey hooligans are worth the drive...just call to double-check the session times!

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