Ice Skating Fantasy
Keystone, Colorado

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Zamboni ice  resurfacing  machine Keystone Village Ice Arena is the epitome of a perfect ice skating experience - outdoors, surrounded by snow covered mountains, - an endless five acres of smooth-as-silk hard ice!  At night lighted trees and inviting campfires along the edge make it even more magical.   The people at Keystone will tell you it's no accident.  The Lake is Zamboni-maintained, meaning they use one of the finest ice resurfacing machines made.   For those of you who are proficient at ice skating, you know how good ice grooming affects your experience   If it's new and you decide to try ice skating, there are certain things you should know.  Techniques are certainly important, but  wearing the proper equipment and clothing will improve your performance more than you may think!  Safety issues are a must also.

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Keystone Lake Ice Arena - skating sessions 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 2-6 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. daily from late November to early March, weather permitting. Skate, sled and hockey stick rentals, as well as ice skating lessons are available. Admission Rates (per person) are Adults $6.00, Youths (13-17 year-olds) $5.00 and Children (5-12 year-olds) $3.50. Skate rental is additional.

First, how to prepare.  There are four main things to consider before you go out on the ice, boots, blades, clothing, and safety.

Boots:  consider your weight, your level of skating and how often you go.  Boots are basically the same, so don't buy the most expensive boots.  Just make sure they fit properly.  A boot should be snug.  You don't want to get blisters from a lot of movement in the heel.  Talk it over with the pro who sells them. 

If your ankle feels too tight, ask the pro to punch a little hole to relieve the pressure.  The next hurdle is getting them broken in so the leather softens up and moves a little better.  

Blades:  it could get technical here.  The two factors to consider are radius, the curve of the blade and hollow, the groove that cuts down the middle of the blade.  Depending on the measurements, you will get different results on the edges and control.  The more curved the blade, the deeper the edge and smoother the turn, but the harder to control. A deep hollow allows you to make deep, strong edges but turning and control will be more difficult.  Now you know. 

Clothes: "The tighter, the better."  Words right from the mouth of Scott Hamilton.  But don't confuse tight with restrictive.  On the contrary.  It should be stretchy  and move with your body.  No jeans and no baggy clothing; they get in the way and slow you down.  Dress warmly with a hat, gloves and a sweater or jacket.  To browse your online options in ice skating clothes, click here. 

Safety:  Common sense applies, but it never hurts to mention the obvious.  If you warm up and stretch, you will be less likely to cause yourself injury.  Always watch where you are going (duh!) and if other skaters are around, go in the same direction.  Learn to fall down; you'll be less likely to get hurt and you can get up more quickly and get out of the way.  If you're skating in a remote location, be sure to have someone along.  If you fall through the ice, it's always nice to have someone around to pull you out!

Try Ebay for good deals on clothes and equipment. 

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Now for technique.  Pretend you're skiing.  The motion is not that different.  Good posture will help give you balance, keep your chin up (that should go last), body upright and knees slightly bent.  Now, stroke!  That means push one foot out, glide, push the other foot out, glide.  Easy!  Try it backwards.  Whoops, a little trickier, but keep trying. At some point you'll want to stop.  Snowplow!  Just like skiing - heels out, toes in.  Or you could use a T-stop by placing one skate at a right angle to the other one while it glides forward.  For a quick stop, do the hockey thing; turn both feet sideways, bend and push your knees down hard.   Instant whoa! Now, what about turning? The Crossover is the way the pros do it.  Start out slow by mimicking the action.  The object is to cross one foot over the one that is stroking.  Want to go left?  While the right foot is gliding, cross the right foot over it; to go right, cross the left foot over the gliding right.     This is so easy, you might want to enjoy gliding around for awhile. When you're ready, you can try more advanced techniques, like  jumping, speed skating or spinning.    Like me, for example. I'm getting quite good, don't you think?

Skating Tips By Dame Melba  Morgansenmon, SPF You will fall. A lot. Wear padding. The ice is cold. Bring gloves. Watch for 7 year old speed demons. If they can hit you, they will.  Hit back. If you fall creatively, give it a name. Possible Suggestions: The AeroMurphy, Inverted Jurvis, A Reverse Plotsky, Blitzkreig. Make friends with the skating guards. Hold your arms up like the Y in YMCA, and look up at the ceiling as you skate. People will think you are a professional, practicing the "graceful" portion of your routine. Practice makes perfect. If you can fall perfectly, you will win the support and admiration of everyone on the ice. A Brief History of Ice Skating

TIDBIT Question asked by student:   "How does ice skating work?  Why does it not work in extremely cold weather?" Answer by expert Ladykatya:  "Well, It's been a long time since I took chemistry, but I will help you as much as I can.... If you put enough pressure on ice, it will turn into a liquid. An ice skate concentrates your body weight on a very small area of the ice, so you are actually skating on a thin film of water.  As the temperature sinks, ice takes more heat to turn to water (Remember that the friction caused by the pressure of the skate will create heat to warm up the ice until it reaches 32 degrees where it will change states to a liquid).  Therefore, if the temperature is so low to the point where you cannot put pressure on the ice to turn it into water, you cannot skate on it. There is a formula to figure that out, but I cannot remember it off the top of my head. I hope this helps!!!"