I recall the winter nights at college in New Hampshire. Often, we`d grab scarves, mittens, sweaters and skates and head to a nearby stand of thick pines surrounding a frozen pond.
The air was frigid, but gliding around the ice we worked up enough of a sweat to keep us impervious to the chill.
Those evenings passed quickly, as did those winters. That is how I came to enjoy skating.
A similar appreciation for the sport can be acquired easily almost everywhere in the country. After the first major freeze, Chicago, and most other city park districts, create skating rinks. And if unseasonably balmy temperatures thwart outdoor skating, indoor rinks are available in many areas. Some 30 million people a year lace skates and take to the ice, according to the Ice Skating Institute of America. Those numbers could be even higher.
”A lot of people out there think they can`t skate because they have weak ankles,” says Cale Carvell, who has owned the Rainbo Sports Shop at 4836 N. Clark St. for 35 years, and has supplied skates for the Ice Capades.
Frequently these ”weak” ankles were simply skates that failed to provide the proper leg support, he says.
For ample support, Carvel recommends all-leather boots that are a half to a whole size smaller than your street-shoe size. And don`t load up on socks when you wear them. A thin pair of wool socks is best; bulkier kinds can hinder circulation and make you cold. If your toes feel frosty, add warming covers, which are held in place with Velcro.
For beginners, Justine Smith, the skating institute`s executive director, suggests lessons.
”That way, learning is less frustrating, more fun and you can learn how to fall.”
Instructors will demonstrate how to let the body go limp and fall to the side so that the buttocks, and not breakable limbs, bear the brunt of the tumble.
This being an Olympic year-the Games kick off next month in Albertville, France-if history repeats itself, countless neophytes will be inspired to try skating.
”We call it the Olympic swell,” says Karen Iverson, an instructor at the center.
Some invariably drop out, but those who continue discover skating`s fitness benefits.
”Skating works the whole body,” she says. ”The calves, upper thighs and your bottom provide the push (when striding), your arms provide balance and your upper body is also working to keep you from falling forward. And the motion has to be constant. After all, if you stop pushing, you stop moving.” That`s why skating is excellent for the cardiovascular system. ”The aerobic benefits are as good as cycling,” Carvell says. ”And like cycling, the motion isn`t jarring. Skating is a low-impact sport.” He pauses.
”Unless, of course, you fall.”
For information on lessons, call the Ice Skating Institute of America at 708-808-SKATE.
