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Ready for Ice Skating Season?© Dr. Marie Miczak
Sep 30, 2005
Well, are you? This is the time that we can draw from all of the cross training we've been doing over the summer to spur us on to new heights this season. This summer we've done bicycling, hiking and jogging. We've also looked at U.S. Olympian, Charles Butler's Physics on Ice DVD. This covered Advanced Stroking, Footwork and Hydroblade principles in great detail. I would suggest getting this DVD and begin working on sharpening your skills for edgework, pushing, backward / forward crossovers, acceleration and footwork. I just purchased a portable DVD player for under $150.00 which has a battery pack. With a portable DVD player, you can take this DVD with you to the rink! Review it with your coach or skate mates. There is a lot of benefit to seeing this material many times and in the setting you'll be using it in. What about ice time? Now is the time to consider putting in a NiceRink before the ground freezes hard. It is easy to set up if you plan early and do it in stages. Weather forecasters predict that this will be a fiercely cold winter. With gas and fuel prices soaring while temps are falling, you can save a lot of time and money by having your own ice rink at home to skate on. We've had ours for two years now and enjoy plenty of unlimited, free ice time all winter long. Last season, we put up our NiceRink after Thanksgiving and had solid ice until March. For more information visit http://www.nicerink.com. There are shows and events coming up as the Ice Theatre of NY opens its 2005-2006 performance season with special guests Ivana Trump and Dick Button. There are also the Rockett's Holiday Show at Radio City Music Hall. Ice skating season officially opens in October with the major competitions but is already underway. Across the pond, the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series heads to Sofia, Bulgaria, for the fifth of eight events. The event runs from Sept. 22-25, with 12 athletes representing the United States in four disciplines: ladies, men's, pairs, and ice dancing. The competition will be held at the Sofia Winter Sports Hall. The USFSA events start with the 2005 Nebelhorn Trophy, September 30 - October 2, 2005. Belbin and Agosto will be leading the U.S. contingent to this event which will be held in Obertsdorf, Germany. So there is electricity in the air as we look for old favorites to return and new faces to emerge. So how about you? Are your ice skates sharpened? How about the boots? Sometimes skates will feel very tight after not wearing them over the summer. If so, they may need a little heat molding to soften them up a bit but don't go overboard. What you don't want is a sloppy bedroom slipper that gives you no control on the ice. Blades are another thing to check. If they need sharpening, be sure to have your skate technician gets out any little nicks or burs along the blade. Always remember to add a little machine oil to the blades when you take them out of the bag. Actually this should be done as well before storing them for a long time. However you can do it now and put them back in the bag until ready to use. Do you have blade covers and soakers? Make sure your soakers especially have not dry rotted over the summer. This is bad news once you're at the rink and really need them. One needs to take care of their equipment because it can effect both performance and safety long term.
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