It's cool to be on the ice

Ice has been, and is, everywhere. It's on the pavements causing us to slip, slide and un- intentionally triple salchow our way to work in the morning.

Switch on our television and it's there, too, thanks to the new series of Dancing on Ice.

It's even taken over the Playhouse, where the Imperial Ice Stars are performing Swan Lake on a stage that's been temporarily converted into an ice rink.

We can't ignore it, so is now the time to embrace it, get our skates on and join the ice boom?

According to Billy Dunbar, one of the managers at Murrayfield Ice Rink, business has taken off as a new generation of would-be skaters hits - hopefully not literally - the ice.

"We're very busy from January through to March, which is largely down to Dancing on Ice," he says. "Since it came on television around six years ago, we've seen a huge change in the numbers of people wanting to learn to skate. Numbers have probably trebled, so it's been really good for us."

The upturn in interest initially took the rink by surprise. Today, though, it is geared up to handle demand with 1000 pairs of skates for hire and a team of highly-qualified skate instructors on hand.

The beauty of skating is you don't have to be super fit, super equipped or, as 66-year-old Angela Rippon proved last week on Dancing on Ice, super young to take to the rink.

Even she is overshadowed by ice king and queen of the Murrayfield rink, Irene and Jack Stoddart - combined age 146 - who can be found there at least three times a week.

"I started skating when I was 44," recalls Irene, 70, of Granton. "We had been watching the Olympics with Torvill and Dean, and we thought it would be nice to try it.

"We took some lessons and now we still compete in dance and free-skating pairs competitions.

"Jack's 76 now, so we don't do the type of full lifts we used to do, but we still do our little dance lifts and our spirals. It's great fun and I can't imagine not doing it."

Everyone has to start somewhere and, according to Billy, people from three up to pension age regularly join in the rink's Sunday beginner classes.

"That's the best way to get started and find out if you enjoy it," he says. "Quite often people have had their first taste of skating at the outdoor rink at Princes Street Gardens over Christmas.

"While that might be OK, it's not quite the real deal when it comes to the quality of the ice we have here. In fact, sometimes people are put off skating because they've tried it there, the ice has been rutted and difficult to skate on and they've had bad falls."

Learners can take to the ice on Sundays from noon until 1.45pm at the rink's Learn to Skate sessions which cost 4.30, plus 1.20 for skate hire, and include nearly an hour's tuition from Murrayfield's coaches.

That, says head coach Alice Sell, is the best way to get a feel for skating and to learn the basics. "Everyone is different. You can have kids that whiz along and others that are terrified, and it's same with adults," she says.

"The most important thing on the ice is to relax. The other problem is when people start to think they're doing great and become over-confident, that's when you can fall, but everyone falls. That's why one of the first things we teach new skaters is how to get up from the ice!"

New skaters don't need special equipment, just warm clothing and a pair of gloves. A helmet can be a good idea, but isn't essential.

Call Murrayfield Ice Rink on 0131-337 6933. Go to www.murrayfieldicerinkltd.co.uk for details of classes and sessions.