Last semester, you may have noticed a new club you hadn’t seen before at the Org Fair. Macalester Figure Skating Club, having garnered significant interest during its first semester, is ready for a second.
The club, created by multiple sophomores, allows students to engage in one of Minnesota’s most popular activities — ice skating.
The club leaders emphasize that students don’t have to have any experience with ice skating to join. Those who don’t have their own skates can rent them at Highland.
“You can be unable to stand up on ice skates or [can] hold onto the wall the whole time,” club Social Media Manager Sanjana Pullan ’27 said. “That’s how we started.”
The club was started after Adusumilli and her friend group went ice skating together and were inspired to create more skating opportunities.
“Our friend group is multicultural and from all over the world,” club president Sudhi Adusumilli ’27 said. “I thought, why isn’t there a skating club? I mean, there’s club hockey.”
Before last semester, club hockey was the only opportunity to have designated ice skating time with other Mac students. Macalester Figure Skating is for those who want to ice skate without the competitive stakes attached. The club took advantage of free ice times at Charles M. Schulz-Highland Arena.
Every week, the club sends an email detailing designated skate times, which are sectioned into hour-long blocks and usually at night. Students sign up for them through a Google Form and take the A Line to the arena together.
“We do a raise of hands asking who wants assistance, and sort them into those who [do and don’t] need help,” Pullan said. “Those who don’t need lessons have free skate time for the whole time.”
Lessons usually last 30 minutes and are taught by two student instructors who have figure skating experience.
“What motivated us to continue with this club is that it’s a judgment-free space and people have the opportunity to make friends,” Adusumilli said.
The Macalester Figure Skating club is a much-awaited club that students wish had appeared sooner.
When the club debuted last semester, it gained immediate popularity.
“When we first introduced the club last year, we had so much interest,” Adusumilli said. “Over 800 people signed up.”
The club also provides optional lessons for those with no experience.
Many Mac students don’t ice skate because of the inconvenience surrounding it. Between Highland always being booked, having no skates and outdoor rinks being far away, there aren’t many opportunities to get on the ice. This club is an invitation for those who want just that.
“I did it mostly by myself last year,” Whelan said. “I went to the Roseville Oval with some friends, but it wasn’t often. It’s hard finding places to skate, believe it or not. Even this place, they have one free skate per month. I’m happy that this is a place to have access to skating.”
Whelan can attest to the judgment-free attitude of the club.
“It’s a very welcoming environment,” Whelan said. “Everyone’s talking to each other on the ice and the bus. It’s a nice place to be.”
The competitive nature of figure skating has led to the proposal of a possible future for the club.
“The vast majority come just to learn how to skate in any capacity,” Adusumilli said. “We planned on [adding a competitive aspect] eventually, but we don’t want to take [a noncompetitive atmosphere] away from people who just want to skate.”
As for the future of the club, the board members have high hopes.
“We’ve been circling the idea of expanding the club to not just Macalester students, but to the community,” Adusumilli said. “We want to give free-of-cost ice clinics for kids. All the money would come from our budget. We’re hoping that when we’re seniors, we can organize something like that.”
For now, though, the club is a place for students of all skill levels to learn and find community through figure skating.
“As long as you want to skate, you can come,” Pullan said.
