The ice skating season may be over in Central Otago, but members of the Alexandra Ice Skating Club (AISC) went skating on Sunday (December 4) anyway. 

The blades were swapped for wheels for World Ice Skating Day, and 15 club members enjoyed trying out the concrete surface for the first time at the Alexandra Ice InLine skating rink.

This was the first year the International Skating Union (ISU) has run a World Ice Skating Day (WISD), with 45 countries taking part. 

The event is dedicated to celebrating ice skating across the world in the form of a global ice-skating festival.

“It was a good opportunity to get the ice skating community together pre-Christmas and wonderful to see them out having fun together on the rink,” Alexandra Ice Skating Club’s new president Jon Foote said.

“There was a great group of AISC skaters present including skaters from our adult, Kiwiskate and competitive classes keen to celebrate World Ice Skating Day together, even if it was bending the concept a little.”

David Golden tries out his new rollerblades and high performance protective gear (thanks to Wastebusters Alexandra) at the Alexanda IceInline rink

The club has a new committee (since September this year) which is keen to encourage returning and new skaters to join the club in 2023, and hoping more initiatives like this one will grow awareness of the club and the excellent skating facilities here in Alexandra.

AISC has the shortest ice skating season of all the New Zealand Ice Skating Clubs (12 weeks maximum), with some of the AISC competitive skaters keeping up training at other rinks and competing in the off season, including at the 2022 New Zealand National Figure Skating Championships in October. 

“Sometimes it’s hard not to feel like the underdog with our short season, but the skaters showed us yesterday how enthusiastic they are about the sport and that they are keen to get involved anyway they can,” Jon said.