Learning to skate late in life

Walking into a hockey arena after 15 years of being inactive was a big step for Niki Doggett.

Three months ago, the Victoria resident signed up for adult skating lessons at the city's Panorama Recreation Centre.

Today, she's lacing up her skates like a pro. Wearing a blue California Tigers sweatshirt and matching blue sweat pants, she puts on her helmet and waits for the youngsters to clear the rink.

Doggett is stocky yet surprisingly nimble as she steps onto the ice. With a chin strap done up as tight as her skates, she has come to the rink with a purpose.

"I'm in my early thirties, and when I have kids, I would expect them to be athletic, so I thought I better get off my butt and do something," she says.

Like many adults, Doggett has been living a sedentary lifestyle for more than a decade. A former athlete in high school, she stopped playing basketball, soccer and other sports when she reached university.

"Over the last 15 years, I gained 100 pounds," she says. "My life got in the way. I was so busy studying I didn't eat properly, and I just got caught in that cycle."

Today, she's on the ice with her instructor and two others practicing how to turn and stop on skates.

"I can skate forward," says Doggett. "I don't know if I will ever get backwards. I hope to learn and eventually play women's beginner hockey."

Doggett shows all the signs of a novice skater – legs straight as an arrow and bent hips and arms that reach forward like Frankenstein.

Every beginner has experienced the awkward, unbalanced feeling that comes with stepping on the ice for the first time. But instructor Justin Isaac says in time, those choppy movements turn to smooth, graceful strides.

Isaac, a member of the Junior B Peninsula Panthers hockey team, has been working at the rink since he was 13.

"Usually, the class has about four or five people enrolled and seems to be more popular with women than men," he says.

Sturdy skates and relaxation key for beginners

Doggett took up skating in part because of her love for hockey. She cheers for the Montreal Canadiens.

"I don't really admit it in public," she laughs. "Out here, you are either a Vancouver or Calgary fan."

When learning how to skate for the first time, some of the key points to keep in mind are having a sturdy pair of skates and remembering that relaxation and technique are key.

Rentals are okay for your first steps, but if you own a pair of skates, make sure the blades are sharpened before heading onto the ice. Trying to walk at first is a good drill that will provide ankle support and help with getting used to the friction of the ice.

While Doggett enjoys skating, it is just one part of her return to fitness.

"In September, I also started going to the gym," she says, adding she was inspired to get active after watching the Summer Olympics.

Doggett grew up in Errington, a small town just outside of Parksville, B.C.,  After graduating high school she attended Malaspina College for two years before enrolling at the University of Victoria for what she calls the "real years" of her education. She now works in Victoria at the public affairs bureau with the Ministry of Environment.

Skating lessons are as much a step forward for Doggett as they are a step back in time. She says she's rediscovering the emotions and feelings she experienced as a teenager when she was active in sports during her high school days back in Errington.

After 30 minutes of practice, Doggett sits smiling on a little green bench, her face red and a bit sweaty. She loosens her chin strap, removes her helmet, unties her skates and slips her feet into her running shoes.

She's proud of immersing herself in a situation where she risks embarrassment and disappointment. She also has good motivation to keep coming back.

"Next week, my three-year-old nephew is coming to watch me skate," she says. "I'm trying to encourage him to take lessons, but he does not want to. Maybe if he sees me, he will think it is a little less scary and will want to try it."