Dimond Center Anniversary Skating Show

I put on my first pair of skates 24 years ago at Dimond Ice Chalet when I was 5 years old. I can't even begin to fathom the number of hours I spent skating there as a child-early morning Freestyles and late night public sessions make up the bulk of my childhood memories. I even had two, yes TWO birthday parties there (one of them was kind of a bust because the ice started melting and by the end of the party only half the rink was left!) My closest friends shared the ice with me for years and are still in my life today, through our graduations, weddings, and the births of our children, the bond and strength of our friendships built on the ice remain our foundation. I skated in my first competition at that rink when I was 6 years old and went on to do so many exhibitions on that ice surface that I can hardly even remember them all. Even when I was in high school, at the height of my competitive skating career, I always felt Dimond was my "home" rink even though I rarely skated there anymore. The early morning smell of chlorine mixed with cinnamon rolls, the sight of the "walkers" getting their daily exercise, the sound of blade scraping ice always bring me back to all the memories of this place that have such a special place in my heart.

Needless to say, when my skating club, the Alaska Association of Figure Skaters asked me to be a part of the Dimond Anniversary Show I enthusiastically agreed. This show, honoring the opening of the Dimond Center Mall over 20 years ago, featured some of our club's rising stars. It was such fun to see everyone perform their programs as full run-throughs, in full dress. Usually I only get to see these routines as partial run-throughs during practice.


I also enjoyed seeing how much our young skaters are maturing and advancing in their skating and performing. One of the girls who performed, Hannah O'Brien was in my Pre-School class 8 years ago! Skating was such a huge part of my life and such an impacting experience for me that I look forward to all the success and growth these skaters are going to achiever throughout their years of skating. Another great thing about exhibitions is the ability to perform for an audience without the pressure of competition. It's a great way to try out a new program and see how it works before using it in competition, or to get to show a side of yourself you usually don't by choreographing a number that is strictly for fun and pleasing the audience. All the skaters did an awesome job and the audience sure did get a treat in their performance. I was happy to be there to participate in the finale and thank the audience for attending.


For more information about our skating club, group, or private skating lessons, visit our website at www.akafs.com