Olympic gold draws crowd to local ice rink

More than a decade ago, a little girl in Española watched TV coverage of the Olympics  — dazzled by figure skaters dancing, spinning and leaping across the ice in glittering getups.

That little girl grew up to be 26-year-old Danekah Johnson, who, after years of dreaming, started taking lessons several weeks ago.

“When I go home, I'm a mother and I'm a wife and I was an airman, but when I step on the ice — I'm Danekah,” Johnson said. “I get to wear my pink. I get to be a girl. I get to have these two hours to myself.”

More and more adults like Johnson are pursuing figure skating for the first time after watching Olympic athletes like Alysa Liu take home gold in this year’s winter games in Italy.

The local skating rink, Outpost Ice Arenas, has seen a “massive” increase in interest, said figure skating director Cleo Drobrik. Around 300 people signed up for their latest round of skating lessons, which is typically the number that the rink sees for the entire year, she said.

The uptick began in earnest, Drobrik said, in the past two weeks, while the Winter Olympics aired on TV.

Drobrik also noted that more people have signed up for curling classes post-Olympics, though to a lesser extent.

What draws people to the ice is different for everyone, Drobrik said. For some it’s the shimmering outfits and competition dreams, while for others it's simply a fun workout with friends and family.

“You're out there on your own, and it's your deal — it's you,” she said. “The amount of work that you put in individually is what you're gonna get out of it.”

Another draw, Drobrik said, is the longevity of the sport. Figure skating is a “life sport” that can be picked up at any age and enjoyed for a lifetime, she said.

That claim is reflected in Outpost’s demographics.

Unlike other rinks that focus on children and young adults, at Outpost this year’s signups came from hopeful skaters of all ages, with a solid percentage of beginners being middle-aged and older adults, Drobrik said.

“It doesn't matter how old you are, how young you are — you can be out here,” she said.

And there’s no better example than 85-year-old Madeline Nasby, who rehearsed a program to the theme of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” skimming the ice to the classic sci-fi film’s iconic crescendos Thursday afternoon.

While Nasby is far from a beginner, having skated off and on for 80 years, Drobrik said her dedication is an inspiration for beginners and pros alike.

“I want to be like you when I’m grown up,” Drobrik told Nasby as the two rested after practice.

Though Nasby said she can no longer keep track of the lifetime medals she’s won, her passion runs much deeper than accolades.

“My emotional, physical and mental output — it's all entwined with this,” Nasby said while unlacing her skates. “It keeps me going and alive. And I wouldn't be doing this now, I wouldn't be in this health. It’s been very, very special.”

Gillian Barkhurst is the local government reporter for the Journal. She can be reached at gbarkhurst@abqjournal.com.