Skaters heat it up and melt it down

Author: Sarah Harris

Twice this weekend, Kenyon Arena was filled with excitement and eager anticipation for the annual Winter Carnival Ice Show. Expectant youngsters, flower-clutching parents and a slew of college students lined up to see this year's show, "Fire and Ice." Showcasing the talents of skaters of all ages hailing from the College, from town and even from the Olympic Center at Lake Placid, "Fire and Ice" boasted a diverse array of 22 performances, each in keeping with this year's carnival theme, "Heat it up to melt it down."

I caught up with 11 year-old skater Lejla Mahmuljan and 12-year olds Shiloh Solomon and Zaidie Barnard-Mayers before they went out on the ice. The girls are students at Mary Hogan Elementary School and Middlebury Union Middle School, respectively, and have been practicing for the ice show three times a week since November.

Solomon cited "gliding on the ice and feeling free" as the reason for her dedication to the sport and excitement about her upcoming performance.

Mahmuljan had other advice to offer aspiring skaters. "It's really fun - if you want to skate and you don't think you can, you should just put your mind to it," she said.

Barnard-Mayers, for her part, extended an invitation to her male peers."We should have more boys because there are only two or three that are in the program," she said. "All guys want to wear tights at some point in their life, right?"

The show opened with skaters clad in yellow, red, blue and purple t-shirts skating enthusiastically to Katy Perry's smash hit "Hot 'N' Cold." The participants boasted a wide range of ages and skill levels, yet it was clear, as they joined hands and made their way around the rink, that all were enthused about the upcoming performance.

The show's most impressive display, rife with triple salchows and double lutzes, came courtesy of guest skater Kendall Whyckoff.Whyckoff, 16, is a native of Panton, Vt., but moved to Lake Placid in 2007 in order to train at the Olympic Center. She is currently ranked 27th in the United States and placed fifth in Junior Ladies at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January.

Describing her attraction to skating, Whyckoff noted that she liked "the flying sensation. Also, it's probably the easiest sport to go fast in."

Middlebury students Sara Blaise Huddleston '09, Kelly Slentz '11, Hilary McReynolds '11, Chi Zhang '09 and Garret Reynolds '09 also lent their talents to the show.

"I've been coaching kids for a long time and I wanted to continue," said McReynolds of her decision to continue skating at Middlebury.

Slentz cited a similar motivation. "I give private lessons once a week to 8- and 11- year-olds," she said. "I hope that the little girls are really inspired by my skating."

Both Slentz and McReynolds began skating in childhood. "I've been skating practically since I could walk, said McReynolds. "I started skating because my father took me out to the rink to family skate to go around in circles." McReynolds quipped that she was particularly excited for the day's performance because she really liked her dress.

One of the show's more notable numbers, called "Figure Eight," incorporated young skaters and their parents