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Skate with the Grinch, Whos from Whoville in Steamboat Springs

The Steamboat Springs Skating Club will offer a different kind of skating event Friday, Dec. 29.
Photo courtesy of Lizzie Larock
If you go: What: Skate with the Grinch When: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29 Where: Howelsen Ice Arena, 285 Howelsen Pkwy.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Lutz, flip jumps and expert spins aside, the Steamboat Springs Skating Club will offer an open skate Friday for all ages and abilities.

Not only that, the Grinch and the Whos from Whoville will also take to the ice.

Instead of the club hosting its annual holiday program, local figure skaters will offer this year’s family-themed holiday open skate from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Howelsen Ice Arena. The cost, which includes skate rentals, is $10 per person or $30 for a family.



The all-ages skate will also offer hot cocoa, cookies and a way to engage the community with a classic holiday pastime.

“I think back to when people could only skate on ponds and not arenas,” said Celina Taylor, Steamboat Springs Skating Club director. “It was something that was really special that’s associated with Christmas, or during the holiday season, when the lakes and ponds would freeze, and you would watch the snow fall as you skate.”



The event will also give people an opportunity to try something new and create a new holiday memory.

This is the first time the skating club has offered an open skating event for the public.

“We thought it would be a really nice way to engage with tourists and families that live here and give them a nice holiday experience and be a part of something we love,” Taylor said.

Skating, Taylor said, can be intimidating for first-timers on the ice, but she offers the following advice for those who want to give it a try.

5 tips for first-time ice skaters

• Wear a helmet

“If you’ve never skated before, I always tell people to wear a helmet,” Taylor said. “The first thing we teach people is how to fall because our natural reflex is to put our hands behind us in the spur of the moment. If you feel like falling, it’s safer to put your hands in front and bend your knees.”

• Don’t look down

“If you look down at your feet or the ice while skating, it will pull you forward,” Taylor said. “You always want to look where you’re skating. It helps to pick a point in front of you.”

• March

“Skate as if you’re marching,” Taylor said. “Sometime,s we tell the kids to pretend like they’re stepping on ants so they don’t catch an edge.”

• Balancing

“Hold your arms out to the sides for balance and to stay centered,” Taylor said.

• Stopping

The best tip for stopping, according to Taylor, is to bend the knees.

For those who cannot attend Friday, part of the ice rink is open for skating during the bump and skate sessions. Visit the Howelsen Ice Arena website at steamboatsprings.net/ice or call 970-871-7033 for reservations or more information.

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@steamboattoday.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1.


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