Stepping on the ice for the first time: what to expect
Although I have skated on and off for over 40 years, have competed in numerous events, and am now a coach for adult skaters, I remember the first time I stepped on the ice. She was only nine years old and so excited to experience ice for the first time. Of course, back then I wasn’t doing it for the physical and psychological benefits of the sport. I didn’t know anything about it, I just wanted to slide and have a good time, the way all those figure skaters seemed to have fun on TV. Little did I know that when I took those first wobbly steps, I was beginning a lifelong love affair with the sport of ice skating!
On that first day, I had no idea what to expect. I had been skating a lot in my neighborhood, but I had a feeling that ice skating would be totally different. Because there are so many unknowns when choosing a new sport or hobby, I’d like to share with you my initial experiences back then and how much things have changed for beginners today. More importantly, I’d like to share with you what, as a new skater, you can expect when you venture out on the ice for the first time.
I still remember that day, when my mother took me to the ice rink one summer afternoon. We drove up to this big old building with a sign that said, “Ballard Ice Arena” in big blue letters. The ice rink was located in Seattle, Washington, in an older part of the city, so the building had that old look you’d expect from the Rocky movies. When we opened the door, I remember looking into a dreary hallway and not being impressed. It seemed much older on the inside of the building than on the outside. Talk about vintage!
I walked up to the skate counter with my mom by my side to get my first pair of rental skates and nearly laughed when I was handed these very unattractive blue skates. They were nothing like the gorgeous, glamorous white skates I envisioned. They looked like they had been through a war, with lots of giant feet!
When I sat down and began to lace up my skating boots, it felt like two foreign objects attached to my feet and not like a comfortable pair of slippers. They pressed on my feet in all the wrong places and felt pretty heavy for a 9 year old. Then when I first stood up, I remember thinking, “How the hell do people walk in these things, let alone skate on them?”
Slowly, and very cautiously, I proceeded to wobble down the hall towards the ice with my ankles trying to keep my balance on the very thin blade, trying not to look like the beginner that I was. I remember how musty the air was, too, as I made my way onto the ice, but it still had a clean, fresh quality to it because of the cold temperature. It’s still a smell I love, even today, for all the beautiful memories I associate with it.
Ahh, finally! I was there! I could see the glint of ice in front of me as I got closer.
When I stepped on the ice… I immediately grabbed the railing to hang on for dear life! Yes, I knew the ice was slippery, but wow, was it really slippery! “Wow,” I thought to myself, “how is this better than roller skating?” I stayed there for a minute or so to get a feel for things and see how to balance on the ice surface.
As I began to get a better feel for the blades, I slowly began to shuffle my feet forward, in a similar walking motion. I was still holding on to the railing, but as I progressed, I realized that skating forward was a lot like going forward on roller skates. So, I started to push off a little bit with one foot while skating. It got easier and easier as I went on until I was finally able to let go of the rail.
While balancing on skates was initially a challenge, what surprised me was how easy it was to maneuver. Much easier than skates! I could turn in various directions easily and sliding felt almost effortless. This is a feeling I could learn to love, I thought.
But like the pavement outside, the ice was not completely flat. Because the rink was old and there was some dripping coming from the roof, the moisture froze and eventually built up in bumps on certain parts of the ice, especially around the edge. I remember going over the bumps and looking a bit like moguls on skis – something to be avoided at all costs! Hey, I just learned to keep my balance; anything more than that was too much!
After a while though, I got used to the feel of the ice, and it seemed to get easier the more I relaxed. While falling was still a distinct possibility, he seemed to be able to keep his balance quite well. So I kept skating for about 45 minutes or so before I had to sit down and rest next to my mom. She asked me if I liked it and I said, “I love it!” My mom was very happy for me, as she found a new activity for her daughter to avoid problems during the summer!
While lounging on the sidelines, I watched slightly older skaters perform all sorts of cool flips and jumps in the middle of the rink. They were amazing! I laughed to myself as I struggled to get up and skate forward on these contraptions called “ice skates” and here these kids were practically dancing on the ice! I remember thinking to myself how much I would love to learn how to do that!
Well, that first experience may have been a long time ago, but I can still relate to new skaters and the challenges of starting out in a new sport. Of course, it was different for me as a child than it was for my adult students. But I have to say that looking back, nothing would have changed. Skating has been a big part of my life and a great passion. However, a lot has changed in skating and like all sports it has evolved, thank goodness!
One big change is that today’s ice rinks tend not to be dirty and old, but are usually free-standing buildings, part of a sports complex, or smaller venues in shopping malls. They often hold up well and are beautiful. Back then, it was a different culture. The rinks were often family owned and there was a certain amount of prestige associated with learning to skate in a seedy place and ending up in a big, glamorous competition. It was mostly about competition, and amenities beyond the basics were thought to make it bland. Hey, if you couldn’t skate in a dilapidated building with just the bare essentials, how could you handle the pressure of a huge crowd at a competition?
The ice was different too. Today, many rinks have more than one ice sheet and are open all year! There are even some tracks that are outdoors, like a location in Vail, Colorado. I once skated at an outdoor rink in Canada in a park surrounded by a shopping area which was quite lovely, and I had a friend who skated at a rink in New York who said she was in a building high above the street! city! The track was suspended on one of the floors of the building with windows around it. That’s a long way from the tracks of 40 years ago.
Today, the ice is often as beautiful as the slopes. It’s often cleaned every hour and a half or two on most tracks now so there should be no bumps in the ice and the temperature is maintained so there’s no dripping off the roof creating the obstacle course I experienced in the old days. Ballard Ice Rink. . And surprisingly, the temperatures on most tracks are quite warm.
The only thing that is still questionable though is the skating equipment, specifically the rental ice skates.
Some rinks have great rental skates and maintain them well, while others… well… not so much! As a coach, this bothers me because a lot of people get discouraged if the team wears out, because it causes pain for the new skater and they don’t stay in the sport long enough to give it a chance. Skaters often give up, thinking the problem is their ankles, rather than poor equipment that doesn’t support their foot properly. (A little trick to help with that is to bring ACE bandages to wrap around the ankle for support before putting on the skate for extra support.)
The sport has grown a lot and the atmosphere in the skating rinks has changed a lot, so the experience for beginners is much more satisfying. Many rinks even have games and services in the lobbies, such as cafeterias and skate shops. They are quite nice today and go above and beyond to make the beginner feel welcome and appreciated.
Ice skating is a wonderful sport and has something for everyone and for people of all ages. I did most of my skating as an adult and it kept me in shape for years. It’s a great exercise! But it’s also a sport that builds character, teaches grace and makes you strong. And it’s so much fun! I invite people of all ages to try this sport and see the difference it makes in their life; physically and psychologically.
Happy skating!