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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Tips for ice skating this winter!

I have been skating since I was a small child and wanted to share some tips for all of you out there a bit confused about the ice skating world:

Some tips for skating safely: BEND YOUR KNEES! Once you are bending your knees, make sure you look where you are skating (if you look down, you will most likely fall or run into what/whoever is in front of you). Once you are bending your knees and looking where you are going, make sure that your arms extend straight out in case you fall (so you can easily protect your head). DO NOT hold onto other people when you skate, unless you like being a person-sandwich. DO NOT kick other people with your blades- they hurt.

When renting and tying skates: As a general rule of thumb, get skates that are your size in shoes. The skates should feel snug (so they won’t fall off), but also not so tight that your circulation is being cut off. If your ankles are turned in or out when you walk or skate, you could really hurt yourself. Either your skates are too loose or too big, which means a re-tie or re-size. If you rent skate, try to get a pair that it made of leather (not plastic) and has laces (not Velcro)- after all, you would not want to wear plastic- Velcro shoes, would you?

What to wear: It is cold on the ice. If you are going to an outdoor rink, you may want more layers than an indoor rink (chances are it might snow). Jeans are fine to wear. Gloves are basically required unless you like to lack feeling in your hands. Scarves, heavy jackets, and hats might get in the way or make you really hot if you plan on skating for a while.

Girls- DO NOT wear skating dresses unless you are an ice skater. Also, a secret that no one wants you to know- ice skaters usually only wear skating dresses for performance, not practice (which is what most of their time is spent doing). You look stupid falling down, getting icy, freezing, and wearing tights. Also, skip the short shorts- you will get ice burn.

Guys- It does not make you ‘girly’ to wear figure skates. Hockey skates are fine to wear, also. Keep in mind that each type of skate is entirely different because they have different purposes and are not meant for one gender (guys can figure skate and girls can play hockey). Figure skates have toe-picks, meant for jumping and spinning. Hockey skates lack the toe-picks, creating a bigger “rocker” that enhances quality of edges and speed for playing defense or offense. Wear the kind of skate that you feel most comfortable in.

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