First laps on the ice · Seasonal
First laps on the ice in spring in Huntersville
Written for this time of year specifically.
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
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.
Why this time of year
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.
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
What changes
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.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
What to wear
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.
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
Planning around it
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
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.
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.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
From Huntersville the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.