The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
SPORT al THE ICE Kinks.
rrv YoRK NO LONGER WAITS ron
GOLD WEATHER. TO SKATE

-s, Attitudes They spin over the sneetl
Zoe 81 the Kinks with All 81 vSister'r
sest-what n Cssts ana new - Drsss'
On Christmas Day tho ice skating season
"opens in earnest in this city. Temperature can
no. longer influence the opening, and for this
happy state OF Affairs skaters owo no thanks to
nature. Art or science or Yankee ingenuity
has put her 70 shame and denss her to spon
the happiness Of those who love TO 20 flying
and falling and frolickine over the frozen
waters. There are two places in New York
whore people can 70 to skate even when the
mercury, seemingly out OF sheer oontrariness.
vsrsists In clinging to summer attitudes. One 10
6he st. Nicholas Ice Skating Rink In West
nixty-sixth str Get, and the other the Ice skat
ing Palace at 10th street and Lexington evo-
rue. The managers of both say that business
b booming this year. that It 10 three times as
big as II was last year. and that BY the time
the season reaches its height, which It does
during the holidays, they win hardly DO
obie to handle the crowda. One has only TO
look in on the skaters In both places TO see this
q not mere talk
In times past winter cut such antics with
Skaters that It sometimes took . boy or girl
several seasons to become expert
"Tvo been skating I've years." . pretty girl
would remark, with o dissatisfied frown, land
can't even cut an outside edge roll forward.
much less backward, yet"
How many days did you skate last vinterf'
0,me expert would ask.
2 I'VE only got two days last winter" would
b the reply. "and i've the winter before that,
and the one before that we actually had two
solid weeks Of excellent ice."
In three years there were only twenty-ono days
Of skating. and that was o fair average. OF
course, no human being could become expert with
that experience. 1t takes some persons longer
than that to- walk on ice or.to learn the plain
forward movement.
The artificial Ice rink has done away with
This difficulty. A better name for 1t would DO
the skating school, for here hundreds and hun.
dreds Of persons arc taught to skate each sea-
Oon. Tho day: in both the ST. Nicholas Rink
and the Ice Palace 10 divided into three ses-
~eions-morping, afternoon, and evening-and
before the opening Of each the ice surface 10
made a. smooth az plate glass. All sorts and
conditions OF men, women, and children arc to
be seen taking lessons. They struggle with
balancing, plain forward and backward move
ments, inside and outside edge rolls, as II their
future salvation depended on mastering them.
There seems to be q perfect craze for ice
skating this year." said the manager of the Ice
Palhoa "We completely overhauled this place
this fall, and hired q new set of employees, from
the doorman up. including twelve instructors.
until night giving lessons, and both men and
teacher is free to give them q lesson. Four
years experience taught me that where
r. r. essa islai E9 h sas ssSyfi look TAG .tt s1t'T tn. So sl rs
fnd women. We've made a great improvement
IN our ice surface this season. Heretofore we
used fresh-water ice, but now before freezing
che. water it is softened by q chemical process
which, causes 1t to maintain a waxy surface
tho entire season. There are only 200 skaters
put there now, and YOU. can SEQ for yourself
how free the surface is fro IN snow. as we call
An the time that the manager was talking tho
reporter was watching a girl taking q first los
and had the head instructor to teach her.
across the floor to the ice pit.
wal. 1.-The On FRI. sH. thing yys;a have AZ 'o.l learn is hoy eSn to
on tho Ice he continued. "tho arst posi-.
non II aa I'M sRsti tSe Is ty s91 arn efa., to shS FIRST p position Ed%,
heels toseS.her At right / I Angles, a so. Cd NV wy sS 20.
sssrt w with w ySSr sS S0ay s slightly inclined ned forward
The shorter step you take the shorter time your
weight is on one, ankle, and. besides, short
Most people are one-footed skaters and 1t is i'm
possible for them TO be very graceful. to get o
perfect rhythm OF the body. which is the secret
All this time beginner and expert were NAL,
"What do do When my loot feel as If they
were flying from under mei' asked tho girl Is
one nearly came to the floor.
Turn them at more of an angle"
" want to go faster" she said next.
"A child must learn to walk before 1t learns
feel an inclination to 90 fast, and most persons
%h S;. skate en say to- them Strike out, That's bad
TO balance ones self properly
By this time the two were back where they
rs that all there is to itT'
Yes" answered her instructor, ''that's all
there Is to the first lesson. T. takes some
lhould try to master walking on the Ice at a first
lesson which should not extend over a half
DAYS will do more for a pupil than twenty hour
lessons taken a week apart; The first thing
confidence. Sne should be taught to stand up
With every muscle, relaxed except those in the
but our muscles seem to hold fright, and as soon
as we drop the tension on them confidence
'.But how do skaters attain that long, beautI-
"a, gliding motionI' asked the impatient pupil.
no tAfteE 2 M pupil Pill learns arms to walk well she falls
nke going from the onc-two-three waltz step
into a blending Of the three. 1t is the greatest
y of tho ice a little in front of the is,
70 reach forward with it as II you were trying
g e keep keep the ,of fSo s's sRst t Is OF Pf thps ios sh rathe to ID aG th Is
rear Of , the one that Is on it. More skating is
9houlders than with the foot on the Ice, which
Is merely merely a tracer forced viz tho other.
tho hoOb Aolhk oIL-
and the foot should not be held back at a stop.
that 10 off the ice gives force. balance, and Y ACC
In conjunction with the shoulder. Always
remember that nine-tenths of skating 10 In the
body as is the case in dancing. After q skater
body she is able TO turn outside edges and
then to go In for figure skating. Anything
that can be danced on the floor can be danced
On Ice. A waltz on steel blades is just as en-.
}oysole as a Waitz on a springy, floor. IN just
how II Is done" and Off he put. gliding back
ward. forward, and across.
THE noise Of your skates on the Ice sounds
IKE music called out the beginner. and every.
body was enthusiastic over the mans grace
Snd skin. Urged 70 give a further exhibition.
Gramme arranged for crack skaters.
Would II DO possible for a person to learn to
DO oil those things in one season. asked the
NOVICE when he returned to her.
mo, but en apt pupil can learn a great MANY
aEures In ono season II she practices" was the
There is practically nothing new in skates
this year.. he went on, in response to another
good as they used 70 be; just why / would
nate 70 try TO say. The key skate 10 the best,
and all haulnnara Hhnulh ,uaa. a LIe