First laps on the ice · Occasion
First laps on the ice in Huntersville: planning a weekend afternoon around it
Here is how the day tends to run and what is worth arranging in advance.
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 nearest of the two centres to Huntersville is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Why it fits the occasion
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.
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.
How the day runs
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
What to arrange first
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
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.
Small things that help
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Huntersville
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Huntersville. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.