Summer is cool for ice skating
The Skating Club of Boston keeps its rink open in the summer to accommodate ice fans of all ages, levels
A s sunbathers lounged on the banks of the Charles last Sunday in 85-degree bliss, rollerbladers wove along its paths, unaware that the chillier sport that begot theirs was in full swing just across Soldiers Field Road.
Throughout the summer, the Skating Club of Boston has opened its doors to the public on Tuesday nights and Sunday afternoons, providing the city's sole chance for an icy summer skate.
Last week, the opportunity to step out of the heat and onto the ice attracted tykes and seniors, tyros and pros, moms and daughters, dating teens, and a number of solitary individuals who gave the impression of enjoying an Olympic moment, if only in their own minds.
Collectively, they turned the blank sheet of ice into a lively tale of crisscrossing lines and lives, from the novice egg-shelling it along the boards to the Olympic hopeful swanning around center ice. Despite their differing abilities, each skater seemed to find a pleasure in skating unlike anything under the sun.
"My husband thinks I'm loony tunes," said Linda Aglio, a doctor living in Cambridge who has accompanied her 6-year-old daughter, Nicole Kelly-Aglio, to the rink each Sunday throughout the summer. "Dad's always suggesting an outdoor activity, which we're happy to do as long as we're back in time for skating."
Mother and daughter had settled in a corner of the rink to work on "3" turns, attempting to leave that number's shape scored in the ice.
The Cars song "Just What I Needed" sounded throughout the cathedral-like rink as sunlight streamed in through blue and white glass windows, adding a touch of the sacred and sharpening the sense of a world apart.
"I'm the director of neural and critical care at Brigham and Women's Hospital," added Aglio, between compliments on her daughter's turns. "The weeks can be long and stressful and difficult. Then I come here with Nicole; it's so light, so fun."
Escape seemed to be on the mind of an investment banker from Brookline who identified herself as Peggy Fleming, before quickly adding, "well, not the Peggy Fleming."
"Imagine going through life with that name and not being able to skate!" said Fleming. "So, a few years ago, I decided to give up my lethargic life and abandon my mantra, 'There's no distance that's too short to drive.' I saw a class for beginner skaters in the Cambridge Adult Education catalog. I've been trying to learn ever since."
Fleming, accompanied by her private coach, stuck to the perimeter of the rink, laughing while bemoaning what she called her "cranky feet." Still, she displayed a Walter Mitty-like optimism about the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. "My short program will be once around the rink without touching the boards," Fleming deadpanned. "My long program will be just like my short one, but include a diagonal or two."
Fleming, unwilling to divulge her age but resembling Barbara Walters circa the '80s, said she now preferred the arena's chill to surf and sand. "The beach? I did that in my 20s," she said. "You don't have to worry about SPF numbers in here."
On the other side of the boards, Tony Rufo strolled among skaters taking a break from their counterclockwise travels. He never wandered too far from the Zamboni he has driven for 15 years. Rufo surveyed the few dozen skaters and recalled the crowds that flocked to the rink when he began his tenure. "It has been good and steady for the past five or six years," said Rufo, "but it used to be mobbed here in the summer."
Behind his Zamboni, outside the rink, stood a mound of melting snow, the product of his near-hourly ice-making. Each summer, said Rufo, brings its unusual requests for snow.
"I had a guy stop by earlier today from Ski Market who grabbed a bunch of it for some demonstration at the store," said Rufo, 51, of Brighton. "I've had people come by looking to test snow blowers with it. I'm surprised more people don't come by to use it for summer parties."
Rufo, who dreams of putting down a clean sheet of ice for Olympic skaters some day, recalled mention of an offer to work at the then-Fleet Center years ago.
"Sure, I'd love to make the ice for the Bruins, but that's not a year-round job. This is."
The mixed tape Rufo made for the 90-minute public skate was winding down with Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen." He returned to the Zamboni station and hit the session-ending buzzer that some were reluctant to heed.
The lone skate guard, sporting cargo shorts and a red windbreaker, slowly picked up four orange cones, allowing the diehards a last lap around the ice.
Most will return to the rink this afternoon for the penultimate summer session. Aglio and her daughter will be among them. When September arrives, they won't miss a week of skating, just the frisson of striding against the grain.
"It's a little like the forbidden fruit to skate during the summer," said Aglio. "We'll miss that this fall."
You can skate this afternoon from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Skating Club of Boston. For details, visit www.scboston.org. 