The cool, crisp breeze flows off the ice as kids swish by, or maybe for some, as they slink along, clinging to the wall at the beginning of their lessons. It’s an occurrence that happens all week long at an ice-skating rink on the outskirts of Memphis. But this year, like every four years, there’s even more interest in figure skating.
“I’ve always wanted to ice skate, and I’ve seen people on TV do it and I thought it was cool ever since I was 6,” says 9-year-old Lilly Robbins who’s taking figure skating lessons for the first time.
It happens to coincide with the Winter Olympics taking place this month, and Lilly’s mom, Emily Robbins, says this is a dream come true for her daughter. “Two lessons in and she says she’s going to the Olympics. So we just want to support her interest.”
Winter Sports in the Mid-South
The Mid-South Ice House in Olive Branch, Mississippi, advertises that it offers “winter games all year long.” It certainly fills a void since the Mall of Memphis closed in 2003, which offered the only public year-round skating rink in the area. The next closest ice-skating rinks are in Little Rock and Nashville.
The Ice House offers more than figure skating. Ice hockey is also a main attraction at the rink.
“It was formed out of a passion of the parents of budding skaters and hockey players to continue to give their kids a place to improve,” says Jene Rogers, general manager of the Ice House.
In 2010, a handful of hockey and figure skating parents and other participants came together to tackle the problem of having nowhere to skate. They wanted to bring back an amateur hockey and figure skating rink that was state-of-the-art, while also creating a recreational facility for anyone to come and skate in the greater Memphis area.
Passing on a Passion for the Ice
Sarah Guenther, now a senior at the University of Memphis, was one of those kids who started skating lessons, at the Mall of Memphis, when she was only 6 years old.
“One day I just wanted to try it,” Guenther says. “My parents took me to the mall to try ice skating and I fell in love.”
For the last 16 years, Guenther has participated in competitions from the east coast to the west coast. She now shares her passion for the ice with young students she teaches at the Mid-South Ice House
“First and foremost, always love it,” Guenther says. “We want our skaters to have fun with it. We give them as much help as we can. If you lose the passion for this sport, there’s no reason to keep going.”
Six-year-old Sophie Herring took up the sport of figure skating after a field trip to the Ice House as part of her homeschooling group, and a year later she loves it more than ever.
“I get to do fun stuff, even though it’s hard,” says Sophie.
Parents, if you ever want to try your hand at an Olympic sport like figure skating or hockey but without having to strap on a pair of skates, it’s not too late. There’s always curling, which we hear so much about during the Olympics.
2018 Winter Olympics Fast Facts
The 2018 Winter Olympics will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This will be South Korea’s second time hosting the Olympics. The country also hosted the 1988 Summer Olympic games in Seoul.
The 23rd Winter Games kick off with opening ceremonies on February 8 and will run until the closing ceremonies on February 25.
You can watch the Olympics on the NBC network and online. A full line-up of the days and times of an exciting month of competition in sports — figure skating, hockey, curling, and many more events — can be found at nbcolympics.com.
Mid-South
Ice House
10705 Ridgeway Industrial Road
Olive Branch, MS 38654
midsouthicehouse.com
901-881-8544
Lessons are offered in ice-skating and hockey for children and adults year-round. Visit the website for more information.
Learn-to-Curl sessions offered Sunday, February 18 from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and Saturday, February 24, from 5 to 7 p.m.
During the school year, Mid-South Ice House offers a special rate for home school participants and groups every Wednesday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Open skating times vary. Admission, $10. Children age 3 and under, $4. Skate rental, $3.