Student Perspective: Sports in Quarantine with Ishani

article written by Arya, a news team contributor

During quarantine, many people have been spending extra time on their hobbies. However, most athletes have experienced a large shift from their typical busy practice regimens to a far lighter schedule. Some sports like track and field or soccer make it easy for athletes to practice and improve on their own, even if they cannot meet with their teams or use facilities in person. However, some sports like ice skating prevent athletes from practicing without the necessary equipment. Today I spoke with high school student Ishani about how she has been balancing her sport, skating, with school and now the pandemic.

When and why did you start skating?

I started in 6th grade (I’m in 10th grade now). When I was in Girls Scouts, we participated in Scouts on Skates, a fun annual event that involved around two to three hours of skating and other activities. I stayed on the wall the entire time when I first went, but I saw that some of my more outgoing friends were having a lot of fun just going for it. So I decided to try a lesson – it wasn’t supposed to be anything serious; I just wanted to improve a little for the time. Then, I fell in love with the grace and power of the sport with guidance from my coach, who was so sweet and funny.

What was it like balancing skating with school last year?

Since I did not have a ride most evenings, I had to wake up at 5:30 in the morning two days a week to skate before school. I also went one afternoon during the week and one day per weekend. Although I hated waking up so early, the regimen helped me become more disciplined; I became even more committed to the rink, my coach, and the sport. Plus, starting the morning with skating sets a nice mood for the rest of the day.

What is it like to skate during quarantine?

Quarantine was really upsetting especially at first because I couldn’t skate for three months – the rink was completely closed. Eventually, we were allowed to attend skating camps one to two times a week with seven to eight other people. The timings were weird and sometimes interfered with school, but I made it work one time a week. It was a bummer to go from four times a week to just one, but I was still making progress with my coach’s help, and we had way fewer people on the rink at a time and more space to ourselves. Overall, I was so grateful to still be skating at all.

Right now, we’re closed again, but I’m hopeful that we’ll start slowly reopening soon with the vaccine and proper precautions. This is the point where I envy other sports – for soccer, you can just go to the field. Meanwhile, skating requires a rink, and that’s just not doable right now. In the end, I love skating and value whatever time I can have to glide across the ice.