New-York tribune., 1918-01-27
Skating News
By Fred Hawthorne.

lt does not always follow that be-
cause man, or Jane" either. for
that matter. is light on his or her feet
on dance floor that he possesses the
same grace and ease of footwork on
the ice. The truth of this profound
statement is demonstrated every day
and evening at Thomas Healy's Crystal
Carnival Ice Rink. at Broadway and
Nincty-lfth Street.
One day last week we were particu-
larly smittcn with the toe work Of a
fair damsel as she fitted over the
one-step music in the dance room be-
low the rink. "The perfection of grace
it's gift" we thought.
An hour later, however, the same
lady lair appeared on the ice upstairs,
assisted by an instructor. Horrors !
On the steel blades she was knock
kneed, pigeon-tocd and dreadfully un-
aignihed She clung tenaciously to the
instructors arm, and every now and
again she scraped the surface of the
zee madly with one skate. Before she
had made one lap her hat was hanging
by one hairpin to the back of her head
ana the instructors shins had been
punctured dozen times by the lad y s
skates 1t was very sad
conversely. We saw six-footcr who
looked like Yale football guard 90
ing through all the delicate tracery Of
fancy skating with case. neatness and
polish. but when he essayed the dane
ing stunt below stairs he looked as Sula
Heyonpaaa, the Frightfui Finn. might
LOOK trying to do a Spanish maxixe
with Mrs. Vernon Castle. "Waiter.
BRING the gentleman a piece of ice and
par OF skates" we felt like saving.
they were discussing Hobey Baker
the famous hockey player, who is now
pottIng Hun aviators in France, at the
st. Nlcholas Rink tho other night. It
ca same blii Lconard's turn at the bat.
remember the first time Hobcy ever
came to this rink" said Leonard. at
Vas "hlle ne was a schoolboy at ST..
fauIs, OF Concord, and he was on the
school hockey team, which had inst 'st
l1nlshed lrf a game with a local school.
Inc boys wanted to go out and skate
after the game, and they all went out
on the ice and began to scoot around
WIN inc regular patrons Of the rink.
ell, do you know. that fellow Baker
just couldn't skate slow. He couldn.t
even skate decently slow, and after he
had gone four or We laps like a piece of
creased lightning I had TO go out and
warn nm to put on the brakes. Hobey
was fcarfully embarrassed, and nrom.
lsed TO reform, but it was no use. Ha
SIMPLY couldn't make his skates behave
and | finally had to order him off thu
ice for good, while the regular public
skating sessions were going on. q,
least" '"'
Those who have seen Hobev skatIno .
rings around an opposing team whi,e
playing hockey with the old st. Mich =
olas seven have often remarked tha,
Baker would have made one Of tho
greatest speed skaters in the world had
ne devoted his attention to that snort
blll Leonard's story indicates that thi,
IS the whole truth.
The Brooklyn Ice Palace will beo;n
an active career next week, with th..
opening of the series Of inter-c,rv
hockey games. New Workers are hun.
CRY for the ice game. and BROOKLYN
has always been mecca for skaters
Of every description, SO it is probable
that the attendance at this rink viii
be large at every match The Crescent
a. Z. team boasts a lot Of stars and
are prepared to battle desperately for
the title o'