Summer may be here, but that doesn’t mean winter sports fans have to stop doing what they love. 

Figure skater: “Ovi” R.

Seventh grader Oviya R has been figure skating since she was five.  Explaining how it works doesn’t take too many words. 

“Basically, ice skating is when you skate on ice with knife shoes, and sometimes you fall a lot,” described Ovi.

She got started after watching her cousin skate. She is currently in Team Ashburn’s Preliminary Synchronized Skating Team.  Before Covid lockdowns interrupted her practice, she had hopes of making it to the Olympics, but now she just aims to pass her Field and Free Skate tests.

“It takes a lot of bravery sometimes to do certain jumps and spins on ice,” Ovi explained. 

Ovi has mastered a move called a flip jump without a harness and is working on an axle, though she still uses a harness for that one.  Executing these moves can be very dangerous when you are wearing knives on your feet, and the surface below you is hard as a rock.

 “I remember when I first started,” Ovi recalled. “It was tough for me because I was really scared to fall and die because, for some reason, I thought that might happen.”

Now, Ovi enjoys doing jumps and spins on the ice and is proud that she doesn’t fall down every 10 seconds.  “Trust me, I have seen many people do it before,” she laughed. 

Mostly, she just enjoys gliding on the ice and having fun with friends.   She encourages students to give it a try.  Her tips for beginners?  “I’m going to say the cringe answer, but it’s true,” Ovi advised. “Believe in yourself. You can do this! Also, try just try not to fall.”

 Hockey Players: Noah Joyner & Jacob Abalev

Noah J.  has been playing hockey for about six years. He got into this sport to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, who also plays hockey. Joyner says stealing the puck from the opposition may be the easiest part, and skating backward is the hardest. 

Noah practices once a week in season and he loves to play hockey because he loves to ice skate. He hopes to eventually get onto a high school team and, with luck,  play at the regionals.

Jacob A. is also a hockey player, who has been on the ice since he was two. Some of his recent accomplishments on his team include winning the championship three times and playing undefeated for the past two seasons.  He currently plays defense which is, in his opinion,  “the best position.”

Jacob describes hockey as, “A rock on the ice you push with a stick, while you’re skating on knives.” 

For those who don’t know anything about hockey, here is how the game works. Hockey has five to six people on each team with a goal for each team to try and score. Each team is trying to put the puck in the goal. Noah commented that it is similar to lacrosse. 

 Are you interested in playing this sport, and looking to see how to begin? Learning to skate with ease and speed can really help you out. 

If you are thinking of trying these sports, here are tips from the players. 

“Get on the ice, and if you can, get onto a team to do that. But if you can’t, go to the skating rink, and just learn how to skate,”  said Noah. 

Jacobs’s wise words were, “Squat when you’re ice skating, it makes you go faster.”

So if you’re looking to cool off when the sun heats up, this summer.  Head to your local ice rink and work on those skating skills.