Master's student Naisargi Dave has picked up a hobby uncommon to her home country of India: ice skating. She will demonstrate techniques on August 6 at 8:45 a.m. during a competition at the John Breslow Ice Hockey Center, 433 V Street. Anyone can watch the competition, but Dave cautions that it isn't like the ice skating competitions that might be seen on TV.
"Trust me, it is a very basic level and it is not a pretty dance thing at all," she says.
Dave has taken lessons at the rink (which is housed in a building UNL owns) for several months and is performing at the Basic 4 level, which doesn't include music.
On alternating first and second Fridays of the month, the center offers "UNL Night," when students can skate for free. If students need to rent skates, the charge is $3. The normal skating charge is $6.
Students can also take "Learn to Skate" lessons for seven weeks for $70 or eight weeks for $80. These prices include skate rentals. Classes start next on August 24.
Dave has been taking lessons since January. She had rollerskated in India for 10 years before taking up ice skating in the United States.
"It was something I enjoyed the most," she says. "It sounds unreal, but I forget every single thing when I skate. And the first time I tried ice skating, I felt the same thing."