Winter Wonderland
When the temperatures
drop well below freezing,
Niles Pond in Gloucester
becomes the perfect place
to skate the day away.
Skate
Club
The North Shore offers an
abundance of indoor and
outdoor venues to enjoy
a little ice time this winter.
By Regina Cole
W
hen lillian tribby
first skated her precision figures for what
was to become the
North Shore Skating Club, she practiced
on area ponds. It was rough going, compared to the smooth ice of indoor rinks.
"She was from Chevy Chase, Maryland, and had skated at the Chevy Chase
Ice Palace," says her daughter, Norvetta
Tribby Pinch. "Then, in 1948, they built
an indoor skating rink in Lynn, and figure
skaters of all ages were finally able to
skate indoors."
Pinch, who is the longest-serving
coach of the North Shore Skating Club,
talks about how the sport has changed
since her mother laid the groundwork.
"Now there is more training off the
ice—skaters do ballet, stretching, and
strength training. And they skate with us
in order to do a [variety of things]. Some
skate to build their skills and take tests.
Others go into ice theater. A lot of skaters
are doing school sports, and some do
synchro skating, or what used to be called
precision skating."
But ice is still ice, whether in the North
Shore's many indoor rinks, or on any one
of a plethora of beloved neighborhood
ponds. Rink ice is smoother and better
groomed, thus better suited for groups
like the North Shore Skating Club. But
for others, there is nothing better than a
brisk turn outdoors.
Ice skating's beginnings date to 3,000
December 2013
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