Although I have skated on and off for over 40 years, competed in numerous events, and am now a coach for adult skaters, I remember the first time I ever stepped foot on the ice. I was only nine years old and very excited to experience ice for the first time. Of course, back then I didn’t do it because of the physical and psychological benefits of the sport. I didn’t know any of that, 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 skated 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 town, so the building had that vintage look you’d expect from the Rocky movies. When we opened the door, I remember looking into a dingy hallway and not being impressed. It looked much older inside the building than it did outside. Talk about vintage!

I walked over to the skate counter with my mom by my side to get my first pair of rental skates and almost burst out laughing when I was handed these very unattractive blue skates. They were nothing like the beautiful, glamorous white roller skates I envisioned. They seemed to have been through a war, with many giant feet!

As I sat down and started to lace up my skating boots, it felt like two foreign objects attached to my feet and not like a comfortable pair of sneakers. They pressed 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 stagger down the aisle onto the ice with my ankles trying to keep my balance on the very thin blade, trying not to look like the beginner I was. I remember how musty the air smelled too, as I moved toward the ice, but still had a clean, crisp quality due to the cold temperature. It’s still a scent I love, even today, because of all the beautiful memories I associate with it.

Ahh, finally! I was there! I could see the glitter of ice in front of me as I got closer.

When I stepped onto the ice… I immediately grabbed onto the railing to hang on for dear life! Yes, I knew 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 feel things out and figure out 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 walking-like motion. I was still holding on to the railing, but as I moved forward I realized that skating forward was a lot like moving forward on roller skates. So, I started kicking myself 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 railing.

While balancing on skates was initially a challenge, what surprised me was how easy it was to maneuver. Much easier than rollerblades! 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 a bit of dripping coming from the roof, the moisture froze and eventually collected in bulges on certain parts of the ice, especially around the edge. I remember going through the bumps and it seemed a bit like the tycoons on skis, something to be avoided at all costs! Hey, I just learned to keep my balance; anything more than that was too much!

However, after a while, 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 spins and jumps in the middle of the rink. They were amazing! I laughed to myself as I struggled to stand 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, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Skating has been a big part of my life and a great passion. However, many things have changed in skating and, like all sports, it has evolved, thank goodness!

One big change is that today’s ice rinks don’t tend to be dirty and old, but are usually stand-alone buildings, part of a sports complex, or smaller venues in shopping malls. They are often well kept and beautiful. Back then, it was a different culture. The rinks were often owned by families and there was a certain amount of prestige associated with learning to skate in a dingy place and ending up in a big, glamorous competition. It was mostly about competition, and it was thought that amenities beyond the basics would make it smooth. Hey, if you couldn’t skate around a dilapidated building with just the essentials, how could you handle the pressure of a huge crowd at a competition?

The ice was also different. Today many rinks have more than one ice sheet and are open all year round! 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 that was quite lovely, and I had a friend who skated at a rink in New York who said that she was in a building high above the city! The track was suspended on one of the floors of the building with windows around it. That’s a far cry from the tracks of 40 years ago.

Today, the ice is often as beautiful as the rinks. It’s often cleaned every hour and a half or two on most tracks now so there shouldn’t be any bumping on the ice and the temperature is maintained so there’s no dripping from the ceiling creating the obstacle course I experienced on the old ballard ice rink . And surprisingly, temperatures on most tracks are quite warm.

However, the one thing that is still questionable is the skating equipment, specifically the rental ice skates.

Some rinks have excellent skate rentals 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 it’s their ankles that are the problem, rather than poor equipment that isn’t holding their foot properly. (A little trick to help with that is to bring bandages to ACE 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 rink has changed a lot, so the experience for beginners is much more satisfying. Many rinks even have games and services in the concourses, such as cafeterias and skate shops. They are quite nice today and do much more to make the beginner feel welcome and appreciated.

Ice skating is a wonderful sport and has something for everyone and people of all ages. I did most of my skating as an adult and it kept me fit for years. It’s a great exercise! But it is 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 lives; physically and psychologically.

Happy skating!