- Joined
- Jun 18, 2011
Have any of you enjoyed skating the 'old-fashioned' way -- skating in the outdoors?
I remember as a kid, not that many years ago, when a group of my friends and I would grab our skates (which were pretty banged up), hiked over to one of the local lakes, and spent a very enjoyable afternoon racing around the ice, playing "whip", trying to look graceful
, and doing our best to stay upright. There were bonfires on both sides of the lake, and we would take breaks to warm up and laugh at the other skaters.
There must be something about global warming, as those lakes haven't frozen solid for years - at least not solid enough to venture safely onto the ice.
A few winters ago we had a rare prolonged cold snap that lasted for about two weeks. Lo and behold, the lakes froze solid - and they were packed with an intergenerational mob, some of whom played pickup hockey, some skated in pairs, some skated alone, and many just hung out on the ice, having a ball. I wanted to jump out of my car and join the fun, but I was on my way to an appointment, so I missed out. Darned it!
Figure skating competitions used to be held outdoors, and that surely posed a challenge. Skaters had to trace school figures outdoors and then compete outdoors, being at the mercy of the elements. A gust of wind could wreck havoc with a jump takeoff, and of course there was assortment of snow, rain, sleet, and fog. Yikes, talk about competing under difficult circumstances. If I recall my skating videos correctly, Peggy Fleming won her first World title in Davos, Switzerland in 1966, and the competition was held outdoors in brilliant sunshine.
Maybe next winter will be a good time to venture outdoors on the ice!
I remember as a kid, not that many years ago, when a group of my friends and I would grab our skates (which were pretty banged up), hiked over to one of the local lakes, and spent a very enjoyable afternoon racing around the ice, playing "whip", trying to look graceful
, and doing our best to stay upright. There were bonfires on both sides of the lake, and we would take breaks to warm up and laugh at the other skaters. There must be something about global warming, as those lakes haven't frozen solid for years - at least not solid enough to venture safely onto the ice.
A few winters ago we had a rare prolonged cold snap that lasted for about two weeks. Lo and behold, the lakes froze solid - and they were packed with an intergenerational mob, some of whom played pickup hockey, some skated in pairs, some skated alone, and many just hung out on the ice, having a ball. I wanted to jump out of my car and join the fun, but I was on my way to an appointment, so I missed out. Darned it!
Figure skating competitions used to be held outdoors, and that surely posed a challenge. Skaters had to trace school figures outdoors and then compete outdoors, being at the mercy of the elements. A gust of wind could wreck havoc with a jump takeoff, and of course there was assortment of snow, rain, sleet, and fog. Yikes, talk about competing under difficult circumstances. If I recall my skating videos correctly, Peggy Fleming won her first World title in Davos, Switzerland in 1966, and the competition was held outdoors in brilliant sunshine.
Maybe next winter will be a good time to venture outdoors on the ice!
