First laps on the ice · Tips
First laps on the ice in Huntersville: things worth doing differently
Small changes that make a visit go better, learned the ordinary way.
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.
Families around Huntersville 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.
Before you leave the house
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.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
When you arrive
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
While you are there
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 quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
On the way home
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.
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.
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
If Huntersville 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.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
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.
Coming in from Huntersville with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
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.