First laps on the ice · Guide
First laps on the ice in Davidson: a parent guide
This is the practical version - what it is, who it suits, what to bring, and what usually happens in the first ten minutes.
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
A Davidson school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
What it actually is
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.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
Who it suits
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.
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.
What to expect
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Before you go
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
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.
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.
What are the opening hours?
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
Planning your visit in Davidson
Families around Davidson 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.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
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.
If Davidson is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
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.