First laps on the ice · Tips
First laps on the ice in Cornelius: things worth doing differently
Small changes that make a visit go better, learned the ordinary way.
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
A Cornelius school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Before you leave the house
Falling is part of it and is less dramatic than parents fear. Ice is slippery at walking speed, which is the speed a beginner moves at.
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
When you arrive
A first lap is mostly about the wall. Children hold it, let go of it, grab it again, and somewhere in the third lap they forget it is there.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
While you are there
The advice that helps most is the least technical: bend the knees, look ahead rather than down, and take short steps instead of long glides.
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
On the way home
Falling is part of it and is less dramatic than parents fear. Ice is slippery at walking speed, which is the speed a beginner moves at.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
Questions parents ask
What age can a child start skating?
Children start at very different ages. What matters more is whether they are willing to hold a rail and shuffle.
How long should a first session be?
Short. Twenty minutes of trying beats an hour of being cold and frustrated.
What should they wear?
Layers, long sleeves, gloves. Gloves are the item most often forgotten and most missed.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
How do I get in touch?
By phone on +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925, or by e-mail at info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Planning your visit in Cornelius
Parents from Cornelius tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
If two adults are coming, split up rather than shadowing the same child. One at the rail, one free, and everybody has a better hour.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
Families around Cornelius who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.