Lisa Q. Mathews

Flying Strong

Lately some of us Chicks have shared experiences from our childhoods that helped shape our lives. Today it’s Lisa’s turn, inspired by the recent tragedy over Washington, DC that included the loss of 14 promising young figure skaters, their families and coaches…

The news this week that 14 members of the figure skating community were among the 67 souls lost in a 2-plane collision over DC was devastating. It also brought back a lot of bittersweet memories for me. Today I am honored to be a member of the amazing mystery writing community. But long ago, in a galaxy very far away, I was a competitive figure skater.

When I was 7, my dad spent Saturday mornings skating at the local ice rink with his buddies. He took me along (probably so my mom could sleep in) and signed me up for group lessons.

Things did not start well. I fell so many times trying to reach my class at mid-ice that I finally gave up and crawled. And when I actually learned to skate, I had no idea how to stop. I improvised by slamming myself into the boards. Otherwise I would still be there at the Crystal Ice Rink in Stamford, CT, doomed to endlessly circle the ice like Charlie on the MTA.

Eventually, I became more proficient. I loved earning buttons and ribbons and badges (soooo much better than Brownies). Plus, my mom let me give up ballet, which I hated. By 9 I was taking private lessons and joined the skating club. At 11 I bugged my coach to enter me in my first competition, even though I wasn’t ready. I was legit thrilled when I finished 11th out of 13 skaters. NOT last, woohoo!

Soon I was on the ice almost every day (the same rink as Dorothy Hamel, before she had her famous haircut. I got one, too–and yes, there’s a horrible photo further down). And then my whole skating life changed: My coach teamed me up with a partner. A boy.

At first, we were both shy. Even holding hands as we skated was awkward. We were the same age and well-matched physically—we easily passed for brother and sister—but we had comically conflicting skating styles. He was also way gutsier than I was. We were ice dancers, so we didn’t do scary throws (except when our coach wasn’t there), but we took plenty of impressive tumbles.

When we weren’t actually on the ice, we ran through our routines in parking lots, driveways, even swimming pools. Other than school (we had shortened schedules), we spent most of our waking hours either at a rink or traveling to another rink. Our moms took turns driving as we did our homework, played heated games of War, or laced up our skates to save prep time in the back seat. We bickered endlessly, but we always had each other’s backs.

As we reached higher levels of competition, we also took ballroom dance lessons and (ugh) went back to the ballet barre. We worked with a choreographer, studied classical music and Broadway show tunes (that’s what skaters used back then for their routines), traveled the country, and won a medal on Friday the 13th (someone else’s bad luck?).

We skated before school, after school (sometimes til midnight or even starting at 4 am) and double-time at summer skating camps (hello, Lake Placid, NY!). We also endured a lot of costume fittings. Because I looked twelve when I was sixteen, and ice dancers had to appear “mature,” I wore tons of makeup, my hair up, and an embarrassing padded bra for competitions. I may have looked older from a distance, but off the ice I fooled no one (and yup, the Dorothy Hamel haircut below).

My partner and I gave up competing when we went to separate colleges. I played women’s hockey, but that second career on ice did not work out. I always forgot 2 things: 1. The puck (I’d make it to the end of the ice in 2 seconds but somehow leave it behind) and 2. When you’re skating backward fast, hockey blades do not have toepicks—3, 2, 1…faceplant!

This past week was indescribably painful for everyone. And for many, the tragedy over DC brought back devastating memories of the 1961 plane crash in Brussels that took the lives of the entire US Figure Skating team—along with coaches, families, and judges—headed to the World championships in Prague. Here’s a link to the story, with clips and photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m1euizkxsk

In this latest horrific event, the Skating Club of Boston, where my partner and I often skated, lost 6 souls, including promising young skaters, former Russian champions, and dedicated parents. Along with the simultaneous passing of former Olympic champion and TV sports commentator Dick Button, the news shined a spotlight on the skating community old and new. Nancy Kerrigan spoke at the rink in Boston, supported by 1956 Olympic Ladies champion Dr. Tenley Albright (almost 90 and still wearing a jaunty flower in her hair). After her tribute to all of those lost in the DC tragedy, Kerrigan tearfully closed with, “We’ve been through tragedies as Americans, as people, and we’re strong.”

We have. And we are. To my beloved writing and skating communities (and everybody else): Buckle your seatbelts. Stay strong. Together, we’ve got this, no matter what lies ahead.

Readers, how are you staying strong these days?

28 thoughts on “Flying Strong”

  3. Such a horrible tragedy. One of my grandson’s schoolmates was a friend of one of the lost skaters. A big hole was ripped in the fabric of that sport.

    But, Lisa, I love the picture of you ice dancing! I grew up skating on the local pond and took lessons in college, but never competed. Gave myself a concussion falling while failing to execute a jump/spin thing. You’re my hero. I noticed the lack of toepicks when I tried to take up roller skating as an adult and broke my tailbone when I tried to stop that way. Oops.

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    1. Kaye, I am a terrible roller skater! (Did a lot better with rollerblades, though–until I hit rocks or branches on the pavement outdoors, ouch.) When I lived in NY, I used to rollerblade at dance clubs (the party kind) on Sunday afternoons. They’d convert the huge dance floors to “rinks.” And the lost skaters broke my heart, too. I saw that Spencer Lane and his mom were very active in New England dog rescue.

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    1. My college asked me to teach skating PE classes (2 years of PE was required of all students). My whole freshman dorm signed up but they all really just wanted me to mark them “present” for the credit. Awkward.

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  6. Our past experiences make us who we are. You walk this earth, Lisa, as an athlete, an ice dancer, no matter your age or current physical state. That kind of dedication and devotion to becoming something, someone, never leaves you. And one of the things that also got into you as you strived on and off the ice was compassion. Athletics and compassion… both are immensely beautiful, and both come, at times, with tremendous pain. Thank you for sharing yours with us. Warm wishes and healing strength,

    A sister.

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    1. Aw, thank you Pamela! What beautiful thoughts. Made my day. (I have my seat belt on extra-tight.) All of these thoughts apply to authors and readers as well!

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  7. Ah, the memories. Daddy skating as a stress reliever and exercise, you crawling on the ice, all the competitions I missed, Mom in her beaver coat……. I laughed. And I cried for the families and skating community for yet another tragedy.

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    1. Love ya, sis! The beaver coat that Mom wore to keep the rink chill off is in my basement. New England is truly reeling, tho. Everyone seems to know the wonderful people who were lost, or their friends or families.

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  8. What a beautiful post, Lisa. So incredibly sad–my heart goes out to all the families of those lost, as well as the entire skating community.

    I went ice skating only a handful of times (back when skating on a weekend night with your high school friends was a thing. Is that still a thing? Are there still even skating rinks around for non-serious skaters to go to?) And I was terrible. But it was fun! I l especially oved the races across the rink where you’d win ice cream bars.

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    1. Ice cream bars! How did I miss those? All we got were rink hot chocolate, greasy fries and those red licorice rolls (did you hear that, Chick Kathy Valenti?). But yes, skating is still big, at least in these parts. The rinks are always there anyway because hockey is huge.

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  9. Such a tragic loss this past week.

    But thanks for the look into your past. I’m impressed by anyone who puts in those hours to do that. I’m way too lazy.

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    1. My dad used to polish my skates with that white-out type shoe polish for me (until I got older, of course). It drove him nuts that the toes were always black from the impact. I never did learn to do a hockey stop properly.

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  11. Lisa, what a beautiful post. I’m so sorry to be late to comment.

    As to staying strong these days, between the fires and the politics, it’s a real battle. And I’m not doing that well. A lot of insomnia and exhaustion.

    But that’s nothing compared to the losses people have suffered. I thought of the 1961 plane accident the minute this happened. Heartbreaking. On every single level.

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    1. Aw, El, I hear you. But truly, we are all in this together. (Including the insomnia and exhaustion.) Was so glad to hear about your Agatha nom today for A Very Woodsy Murder. YAY!!!

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  12. Lisa, you look so adorable in your Dorothy Hamel haircut! Thanks for sharing these cute pix cute pix. I know you must feel a special connection to these young figure skaters who were lost in the plane crash. Sending hugs.

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  13. Circling back–needed a little time–I couldn’t even respond before: the crash is so tragic! Heartbreaking.

    But I want to say thank you for sharing your stories about skating and the pictures. It’s really wonderful that you did that training and had the experiences. (Love your Hamill cut too.) I took skating lessons for a while when I was younger but never competed. You are very impressive!!!

    (I did play other sports, but we can talk about that another time, ha.)

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