HAMPTON ROADS— For many people, ice skating is a sport that comes up on television once every four years. For the women and men who call Chilled Ponds home, skating is on their minds all day, every day.
Chilled Ponds is also home to many skaters who have gone on to have careers in show skating.
Kelsey Blake, one of the coaches at Chilled Ponds Yorktown and a former skater herself, recently sat down with WYDaily to discuss how the Hampton Roads professional skating community is taking to the ice throughout the world.
The Tidewater Figure Skating Club, which offers learn to skate lessons at both the Chilled Ponds Yorktown and Chesapeake locations, begun seeing a rise in show skating in the mid-2010s.
“It’s really cool to see. I graduated high school in 2016 and I went to touring straight away. At that point there were a couple people that were older than me that had done some shows, but now there have been a lot more,” Blake shared.
Skaters from Chilled Ponds have gone on to do shows with Disney On Ice, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, as well as cruise ship skating shows.
According to Blake, many people assume that the only way to have a successful skating career is by making the Olympic team or winning a national championship title. For those who skate in shows, getting a spot on the tour is like their own version of the Olympics.
“I always had people coming up to me asking if they would see me on TV at the Olympics and I always questioned if they asked every kid who played soccer if they were going to be going to the World Cup. Skating can be such a novelty to people that you can get lost in that you can have a really meaningful experience in your skating. They perceive it as such a novelty that it’s always TV and the Olympics. Every four years, six to nine people get chosen to go to the Olympics across the whole nation, and that’s not a lot. With show skating, you are able to pursue this thing that people perceive to be cool but it’s not the pressure of going to the Olympics,” Blake explained.
During a tour, Blake shared that life can become quite stressful and busy. From waking up in different time zones daily to packing everything into one large suitcase, skaters must continuously stay organized to stay on top of everything while on the road.
“You just are asking questions to yourself constantly. How am I going to live out of suitcases for the next six to 10 months? What am I taking with me? How am I going to cook? How am I going to eat? You also have to account for enough time to do your own hair and makeup, getting workouts in, getting to the arena on time, all while ensuring that you are taking care of yourself physically and mentally. At the same time, the experience is just so fun and you just have to soak in every moment,” Blake said.
Ultimately, Blake hopes that show skating continues to grow, not just in the Hampton Roads region but throughout the country.
“There’s way more depth to the professional skating opportunities than people realize,” Blake shared. “No matter which show you are doing or which company you are representing, you are seen as a professional in your sport and that’s such a cool feeling.”
The Tidewater Figure Skating Club offers learn to skate programs for kids and adults at both its locations. For more information, visit skatetidewater.org.