By Maddie Knight
Staff Writer
5:52 a.m. Friday, March 13: I was late. I rushed to the front doors of the ice rink, tying my hair back as I ran. I had less than 10 minutes to be on the ice for my first practice session, which started at 6 a.m. sharp. I pulled open the door; it didn’t open. Of course it didn’t, they replaced the door over a year ago; it was a push door now. I attempted to push the door open and, to my surprise it still did not open, the door was actually locked. It wasn’t until then that I noticed the sign on the door. I couldn’t tell you the full text of the notice printed there, but I saw the important bits. I read words like: “Closure of rink”, “COVID-19”, “Until further notice”. Well, that was just fantastic.
It is now mid-May. It has been just over two months since that day at the rink where I encountered a locked door with a closure notice. The closure sign is probably still there today; I wouldn’t know; I haven’t been back there since. All the other rinks in the area closed the same day; rinks in the rest of California and all over the country (and the world) followed as everything shut down because of COVID-19.
There is no rink open to train; I can’t skate. It’s a foreign concept to me, a girl who’s skated practically every day since age 5. The last time I was off the ice for this long it was because I was on crutches, and that was different. I had a return date; with this pandemic, it’s unknown when the rinks will reopen. So for now, I just have to make do.
ABOVE: In this shelter-in-place, my house has turned into a mini gym! Here is all my exercise equipment I’m using to keep myself in shape for my return to the ice. PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Knight
Here are 3 ways I am training off the ice and keeping in shape for my return.
#1: Cardio
LEFT: I go on a bike ride on the outdoor trail across the street. Biking has become one of my main ways of exercising in this shelter-in-place. The trail is five miles each way, so every day I bike 10 miles. PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Knight
RIGHT: I run on the treadmill. I actually despise running, but it is good cross training for skating (it improves stamina and is good cardio), so in quarantine I’ve been making myself run a couple miles every morning. PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Knight
#2: General Workouts
LEFT: Abs, Abs, Abs: Core strength is essential in skating. PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Bergstrom
ABOVE: I do some simple conditioning exercises. One of my favorites is the plank, shown in this picture. PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Knight
#3: Skating-specific Training
LEFT: I perform a box jump on my plyo box. Box jumps help with agility and jump height. PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Bergstrom
ABOVE: I do balance drills on my Bosu ball; it’s harder than it looks! PHOTO CREDIT: Angela Duerr
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