News

A Case for Winter

Dec. 17, 2014 | 5:00 AM

Cuyahoga Community College doesn't have a figure skating team. Yet McBeath, a 20-year-old Tri-C student, earned a silver medal for the school at the U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships in August. Skating since age 6, she finished third at the Eastern Sectional in November to qualify for her first U.S. Senior National Championship Jan. 17-25.
 
 I'm a skater. I have always been OK with the winter weather. It doesn't bother me at all. Winter and fall are my favorite seasons. The cold air isn't that bad. As long as I have my jacket, I'm fine. One winter, my sister and I went outside and it had snowed a lot the previous night. We decided to play in the snow in our backyard. We thought it would be fun to pile as much snow as possible on the stairs of our porch. There was so much snow, and we piled it on high. My family had just bought sleds, and we wanted to use them. We started adding as much snow on the porch as possible. We started to go sledding down our porch, which was super fun. We went down as many times as we could. This was an adventure for my sister and me. We knew it was kind of dangerous, but we had so much fun sliding down and using our sleds that we kept going. Afterward, it was nice going back inside. It was a family tradition for my mom to make us hot cocoa for a nice treat and get warmed up. — as told to Aziza Doleh

How To Skate Ski

Find your rhythm. Push, glide, recover is the basic mantra. Angle your torso to one side as you bend your knees and plant both ski poles firmly into the snow at the same time.

Achieve balance. Thrust both arms behind you to propel your body forward in one swift motion. Like skating, shift your weight from the right to the left with each stroke.

Focus forward.
It's easy to lose balance when looking at your feet, standing upright or positioning your arms behind your torso. Focus instead at the glistening path ahead.

Set your own pace.
Getting into the groove may mean a few tumbles. Be patient and go slow. As with everything in life, Fowler reminds us, "When you fall, you get back up."


Cold Comforts  


For the Unmotivated

 For some, exercise is its own reward. For the rest of us, it helps to have a little incentive. So Lake Metroparks offers a Moonlight Wine and Cheese Cross-country Adventure Jan. 9 with 90 minutes of nighttime skiing followed by fun at Pine Lodge Ski Center. Just bring a few of your favorite bottles. "Whatever warms you," says event coordinator Gloria Costello. //AD

 6-8 p.m., Chapin Forest Reservation, Lake Metroparks, 11211 Spear Road, Concord, 440-358-7275, lakemetroparks.com
 

For the Romantic

Snuggle up on a 20-minute horse-drawn sleigh ride through the Burton farm of Ma and Pa's Gift Shack. Then return to its 1820s cabin for chocolate chip or sugar cookies, hot chocolate and maple coffee. "It's romantic,"says owner Tammy Puleo. "The fields are lit by kerosene lamps." 

Reservation required, 15161 Main Market Road (state Route 422), Burton, 440-548-5521, maandpas.com  
 

For the Rock Star

Alan Cox, Erika Lauren and Bill Squire of 100.7 WMMS captain teams of radio listeners for tubing races Jan. 30 at Boston Mills Brandywine. "Erika is very competitive," says Steve Mackle, product manager of Boston Mills Brandywine. But everyone wins after the races. Try the 300-plus-yard frozen runs until 1 a.m. and then slide over to the after-party for drinks and music. 

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