Last Updated on Thursday, 17 January 2013 10:54
By Diane Ness
The one gift us Minnesotans are given each winter is outdoor ice. Whether it’s on the lake, pond or school playground, outdoor ice brings out the kid in each of us. I grew up on a small lake and most of my beginning skills were learned outside.
All of the skills that I teach my students can be worked on by spending time on outdoor ice. We always use the analogy of a person learning to play a musical instrument. If you only practice during your lesson and do nothing between lessons, improvement will be very slow. You need to take what you learn in practice and continue to work on these skills away from your mandatory practices. That is the only way you will get yourself better.
Many youngsters will use their time outside to not only practice but to play pick-up games and chase games such as tag or sharks and minnows. Without these kids even knowing or understanding it, they are working on turning, crossing over, stopping and starting and many other skills.
The same can be said for playing “pick-up” games. These games can help the skater improve upon his/her skating skills while improving creativity as well.
Even things such as shoveling off the rink, which if anyone has done knows it is an extreme leg burner and forces kids to have to bend their knees to move the snow. Again, this doesn’t need to take structure, indoor ice time or money. It is as simple as finding the time to have your skaters locate a place to skate.
Here are some tips that I will share (especially for parents who are new to the sport). Your son/daughter will either want to have an “outdoor pair” of skates or make sure to take them to get sharpened after skating outside. Nothing takes an edge of a skate more than a few hours on outdoor ice. Also, remember to dress warm. We get coddled in the warm indoor rinks these days and we forget how cold it can actually get outside. It’s that time of year, so find a rink or lake near you and enjoy the perks of our state.
Diane Ness has been a full-time professional skating coach for over 35 years. She has coached both figure skaters and hockey players alike and is a former U.S. gold medalist in figure skating. She is the Director for the Pro Edge Power hockey camps and the Learn to Skate program at Highland Park Arena. Ness is the skating coach for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. She has trained players in the NHL, AHL, NCAA, USHL and NAHL.
