Here we are, an hour away from the end of what many are calling the most difficult year in our collective memories.
Some people are probably hunkered down and cozy with something warm to drink on the couch. Others may be on a Zoom call with relatives. Me? I’m one blog post away from accomplishing a 2020 New Year Resolution. Woo hoo!
Dawn and I had lists of goals, plans, and ideas for 2020.
We had a HUGE wall calendar with competition dates, personal events, and ideas for hosting skater community nights. We had dreams for growing our outreach. We had booked our first real vacation!! (RIP Alaska 2020). I launched this blog with the goal of posting once per month, and I outlined which topics to share. I know we weren’t the only ones saying, “2020 is gonna be our year!”
Then New York State went on PAUSE in March.
As a non-essential business we were mandated to work from home for the good of the public health and flattening the curve. I couldn’t take my skate grinder home with me, and I couldn’t perform fittings six feet apart. No one prepares you to suddenly stop your work and interacting with people.
Not gonna lie, I pouted for a bit. It was so hard trying to offer a luxury sport service for figure skating when people were dying. My social media feeds were filled of stories from my healthcare friends risking their lives. What did I have to complain about?
Then I lit the fire under my butt and got to work serving skaters as best I could.
We tried every new idea we had to help skaters when they couldn’t skate. Sharpening pick up service, curbside and virtual shopping, the skate spa, and pre-paid sharpening cards kept us afloat.
When we heard the news of possibly reopening in Phase 2 we were THRILLED. We pored over the NYS documents for businesses and came up with our operating plan. Even though we were so close to opening our doors again, I had a nagging concern.
As a skater growing up, I would see friends start and stop skating. They’d take the summer off, try the school musical, or be away due to an injury or illness and not return to the ice. Alternately skating isn’t cheap. If households were struggling financially and had to pinch pennies I could imagine skating being cut from the family budget. With WNY being a small skating community to begin with, I couldn’t help but wonder: after so many consecutive weeks off the ice, are the skaters going to return?
Will skaters discover a new love of Zoom dance classes, drawing, writing, a new language… and stop skating?
I should have known that a pandemic can’t stop passion.
Even without ice immediately available, skaters came in for new skates and getting their skates comfortable and ready for practice. The store opened in Phase 2, and rink facilities weren’t going to be open until Phase 4 which could be several weeks apart. But moms had been emailing me wanting to get in for a fitting ASAP as early as April. So when we had our opening date set I emailed them with the good news and every single one of them booked an appointment.
Just the thought of being able to skate again soon was enough for our customers to return!
I know we’re the ones here to support and inspire skaters, but the dedication, perseverance, and passion our skaters showed to getting back on the ice ended up inspiring me!
While the Summer, Fall, and Winter seasons were (another 2020 buzzword) “unprecedented,” we made the best of them and we’re still here.
We set skaters up with new skates, introduced new skaters to the proper equipment, and kept everyone’s edges sharp and level. We’re so grateful to have the support of our skating community, and grateful that community could lend us some inspiration when we needed it.
So here we are, another year peeking around the corner, and 2020 leaving us almost as it found us.
We still have plans, but they’re ready to be adjusted.
We’d like to host events, but they’ll be virtual.
We know what to expect with competition season, and have our fingers crossed to see events hosted again safely soon.
We’ve always been grateful for being WNY’s only figure skating boutique and service center, but now we’re EXTRA grateful.
Every day, for being able to turn on the lights, open the doors, and say, “Come on in.”
And with that, my final 2020 Resolution is accomplished!
See you next year!!
-C