Growing up, I always loved to watch the figure skating competitions during the winter Olympics on TV, amazed at how those men and women could do those tricks on ice. They make it look so easy.
The first time I went ice skating was in the third grade during a birthday party for a friend from school. I remember holding onto the railing the whole time, scared to death. Everyone always said it was just like inline skating, but I beg to differ. Recently, I went to the rink downtown and did not fall once. I?d like to think I?ve come a long way since the third grade.
Ice skating is a popular sport during the winter months, with ice rinks set up all over Chicago at Millennium Park and Wrigley Field and in the suburbs by local park districts.
The Geneva Park District has three rinks set up at Wheeler Park. Two rinks are dedicated to hockey and one is dedicated to open skating. With the mild weather we have been experiencing, it has been difficult for local park districts to set up and maintain their rinks. To make ice, the temperature has to remain at 20 degrees or below for at least 48 hours to create a base thick enough for skating. Once a firm base has been established, it is maintained by applying water on a regular basis to smooth out the surface and fix the grooves left by the ice skates.
Going ice skating can be a fun winter activity for families to get out of the house and enjoy time together. It is hard to find winter activities for kids around this time of year to help beat cabin fever.
Ice skating also can be a fun activity for couples to spend time together. (Hint hint, guys ? Valentine?s Day is coming up Feb. 14.)
It also can be a great workout. According to the U.S. Figure Skating Association, you can burn up to 800 calories in just one hour of recreational ice skating.
Though ice skating is a fun activity, it also can be dangerous if the conditions are not ideal. It is hard to produce an ice rink when relying on something as variable as the weather. If the air warms up, the rink tends to melt, creating less than ideal skating conditions.
Before ice skating, check that the rink you are going to has been maintained and is safe to skate on.
Also, one of the biggest dangers of ice skating is simply falling on the ice. A fall might simply be a fall with no major injury involved, but the risk is greater with a novice skater who is not used to falling on a hard surface such as ice.
The impact on the hard surface can injure the body, but that is rare.
Another danger comes with outdoor rinks, where the strength and quality of the ice can be less safe because of the weather conditions that the ice relies on.
Ice skating is a great winter activity that everyone can enjoy. Whether it is an indoor or outdoor rink, it is a great way to get out of the house and enjoy time with your family and friends. And it is a great workout.
Before skating outdoors, be sure to check the conditions of the rink so everyone can stay safe and have fun.
? Melissa Swanner is marketing coordinator for the Geneva Park District. Contact her at editorial@kcchronicle.com
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