Everett on Ice: An Overdue Trip to the Rink
Story & images by: Richard Porter.
“He was a skater boy, she said, ‘See you later, boy.’” -Avril Lavigne, Sk8r Boi
An overdue experience in a winter sport town
Last weekend my family and I were watching the Winter Olympics on the couch, scratching our heads as the Kung Fu Panda skater from Kazakhstan was punched by costumed skaters Deadpool and Sub Zero. This really happened, by the way. Not too inspiring.
However, the following figure skating performances by Teams Japan and France were exercises in effortless grace, flawless execution of choreography, serious core muscles, and undoubtedly buff ankles.
We were inspired, to say the least. My kids begged my wife and I to take them to the rink until we caved. Ultimately, I was glad we did.
The following day we made a trip to the Angel of the Winds Community Ice Rink to try our hand (er… calves?) at being ice ice babies. Frankly, I’m surprised that I had never set foot in the ice rink before.
My wife and I first moved to Everett in 2008, and it didn’t take long to realize that the City of Smokestacks was a capital-H Hockey town. Ice sports play an outsized role in Everett, thanks to the Angel of the Winds Arena and (I suppose) our proximity to Canada. Our neighbor literally has a Stanley Cup carved into a tree trunk on their front lawn and a Silvertips flag flying in the backyard.
It’s that kind of city.
It’s all nice on ice, alright.
We arrived at the rink, located just off the corner of Hewitt and Broadway. We filed in with several other families and rented skates. With the admission fee and skate rentals it cost my family of five almost $100 -- or, about the same price as eating out. (If money is a concern, the rink offers free community access skate nights every second Friday of the month from 5:00 to 6:30. Admission is zero dollars for kids ages 18 and under.)
The ice rink was abuzz with activity. We were absorbed in the stimuli of the large, echoing arena: the scrape of skates on the ice, the endless motion of bodies in a counterclockwise rotation, the speakers overhead blasting classic rock, and the cool air. It was all very exciting.
Like a roller rink, the ice rink during open skate was full of folks of all skill levels. Kids in sparkly tights and unicorn helmets cruised in tandem with teen boys in hockey jerseys and mullets. The center of the arena was dominated by seasoned figure skaters executing double axels and something that I want to call a salchow, but I’m not sure if that is the right word. Remarkable.
The thing you need to know about the community skate is that it’s pretty safe and chill. The skates have intentionally dull blades, so you don’t need to worry about cutting yourself by accident. You can hang onto the railing around the arena until you get your sea legs (or ice legs?). And folks are very forgiving. Just merge into the rotating traffic and find your lane, locking in your groove.
I was surprised at how quickly the hour and a half allotted for the free skate elapsed. My family was having so much fun I almost didn’t realize it when our time was up.
Childhood flow state, unlocked
The whole experience unlocked three summers’ worth of muscle memory. From approximately ages 11-14 I was bored out of my skull in rural Monroe. When my chores were done, I’d spend literally hours rollerblading our concrete sidewalk – jumping over hoses and “grinding” on the front steps while my boombox blasted TLC and Savage Garden. The experience was epic in my mind: a sun-saturated endless afternoon filled with nothing to do but enter into a musical/kinetic flow state.
What’s remarkable is that I reached that place some decades later, just by skating in an oval for over an hour. I unlocked both the moves and the mindset of a bygone summer pastime.
It’s said that whirling dervishes achieve a state of spiritual ecstasy from spinning in circles to reach a euphoric state. I get that.
Try it, you’ll like it
I recommend that you go to open skate at the Angel of the Winds Community Ice Rink and that you have wholesome family fun or a date night to remember. I wholeheartedly advocate for getting kids to do anything active in this, the apocalyptic day of YouTube and iPads. I believe that some of those kids I saw on the ice in Everett will be tomorrow’s NHL stars and possibly represent the U.S.A. on the world stage at some future Olympics.
Hot take: the punk rock platitude “skate or die” can be better reframed positively.
Yes, I urge you instead to skate and live.
Angel of the Winds Community Ice Rink
Open every day except Christmas and New Year’s Day
2000 Hewitt Ave, Everett, WA 98201
Richard Porter is a marketer for Snohomish County’s Executive Office by day, and a freelance writer. He lives with his wife and daughters in Everett. When he’s not writing or drinking coffee, he’s probably binging podcasts while running or hiking.
