Ice dancing: Yes, it's a real sport

By Kristina Chiapella

During the Winter Olympics, it's easy to be mesmerized by the graceful figures sailing over the ice. But as sophomore Caitlin Mallory knows, mastering ice skates can be both a difficult and rewarding experience.

Introduced to her first pair of ice skates when she was just five years old, Mallory had so much fun that she began taking weekly lessons. By the age of seven, she was taking daily lessons and participating in local competitions.

These days, Mallory practices five to six days a week at Logitech Ice in San Jose. Each day, she spends three and a half hours on the ice and another hour or so off the ice stretching and doing ballet. During her skating career, Mallory has done freestyle skating, and more recently has begun ice dancing with her partner, Brent Holdburg.

As she describes the feelings that accompany the skating experience, Mallory says, "I loved the excitement and sense of accomplishment when learning new jumps. There's no better feeling than landing your first double axel or triple toe loop. What I love most about ice dance is interpreting music and giving an emotional performance to the audience."

However, Mallory admits that taking on the competitive aspect of skating can be extremely frustrating, and, as with many sports, there is an intense psychological as well as physical aspect.

"You have to deal with suddenly losing jumps that you have been able to land for years, or not performing up to your ability at competitions," she explains. "Even after competing for over ten years, I get nervous every time."

Yet it is clear that the demands of competition can be well worth the feeling of achievement that comes after a good performance, and Mallory has had an astounding record of such accomplishments.

Her greatest triumphs in ice dance include placing second at the 2005 Nationals at the junior level, competing at the 2006 Nationals at the senior level, in which she placed 11th, and representing the United States in international competitions in both the Ukraine and Vienna.

When it comes to juggling her skating and the demands of a college education, Mallory admits that it is proving very difficult and requires certain sacrifices.

Last quarter, for example, "I only took one class because I had to be away for three weeks of skating competitions in the fall quarter. I also had to leave the honors program, which was a very difficult decision to make," says Mallory.

Because of the hours devoted to her skating practice, very little flexibility is left for class times and extracurricular activities.

"My week days are extremely busy, so I do most of my homework on the weekends," she says. "I try to go to bed by 9:30 so that I'll get enough sleep to skate well the next morning, but going to bed early is pretty difficult in the dorms."

As she pursues her skating career, Mallory plans to compete in the 2007 U.S. National Championships. Taking place in Spokane, Wash., in January, Mallory qualified for this event by placing second in the Pacific Coast Championships this past November. Says Mallory, "I am hoping that in coming years I will be able to skate in more international competitions, like Grand Prix events, Worlds, and of course, the Olympics."

* Interested? Downtown Ice.

While these frosty days linger on, there is still time to experience this timeless winter pastime at Downtown Ice in San Jose.

While not nearly as effortless as professional skaters would lead you to believe, ice skating is an activity that can be pursued by those of all ages.

For those interested in the recreational skating experience, Downtown Ice is a seasonal outdoor skating rink that will be open through Jan. 15.

Located in the Circle of Palms next to the San Jose Museum of Art, Downtown Ice is the largest skating rink of its kind in the South Bay area.

During the first couple weeks back at school, while the workload is still manageable, why not spend a day exploring downtown San Jose and attempting to master balancing on a pair of skates yourself?

The rink is open Monday --Thursday from 5 - 10 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. -- midnight, Saturday from noon -- midnight, and Sunday and Martin Luther King Jr. Day from noon - 10 p.m.

The cost is $14 per person, which includes skate rental and as much time on the ice as you want.

If you can gather a group of at least 20 people, admission price is bumped down to only $11 per skater through Jan. 14 if you go to the San Jose Downtown Association office or call the number posted on the rink's Web site.

Contact Kristina Chiapella at (408) 551-1918 or kchiapella@scu.edu.