Eazee Skating: The Basics of Ice Skating for Beginners

Viewers watching figure skating championships on television often wonder how the skaters can "do all that on a ¼ inch blade." Donna Ashton-Good, Canadian figure skating coach for over 25 years, makes the sport of ice skating seem a little less daunting here. After showing how to select appropriate skates and get the proper fit, the program introduces five beginning skaters, ranging in age from four-to-fortysomething, who learn everything from moving slowly forward to backward figure-eights. Although the video is only a half hour, there is too much content to digest in one sitting and viewers will best benefit by watching and trying the skills in short chunks. I was pleased to see a section on "falling and getting up" appearing right after the beginning section on "first steps." Many sports videos forget to take into consideration that beginners are going to "biff" it more often than not, and knowing how to recover from these mishaps is essential. The simple outline and clear demonstrations of a wide variety of ice-skating maneuvers will inspire viewers of all ages and more than compensate for the home-movie style production quality. Recommended. Aud: P. (L. Stevens)