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Opening Day atProsn?ct Park%u2019sWoiiman RinkContinued from Page 1spun circles in a solitary corner of theice and repeated the same moves, slowlygliding backwards, and with a small gesturefrom one blade reversing her direction.Dressed in pale blue she stretches out herarms for balance and loses herself inrepetitious spins.%u201cIt%u2019s an interesting social event when youcome with your friends, but I like to comeand practice my tricks,%u201d she says, taking amoment out of the stream of skaters, leaningagainst the rink%u2019s waist high wall. %u201cThis isthe first place I skated when I started at 12,%u201dshe says. Arriving early that morning for theopening of the rink, she said she planned tospend the day there, gliding on the ice,repeating her moves and watching the betterskaters perform in the middle of the rink, theunofficial center stage for those capable ofperforming icy pirouettes.%u201cI never took lessons,%u201d she explains, %u201cbut Icome here and watch.%u201dWatching and falling and socializing underthe sun is the typical behavior for the firstskating Saturday of the season. SmallThis is the first place Iskated when I started at12. I t %u2019s an interestingsocial event when youcome with your friends, but I like to come andpractice m y tricks.children tottering along on their skates,pigeon-toed in their unfamiliarity with theidea of sliding along the ice, tightly hold mittened hands. When the crucial moment ofbalance arrives, they tumble together, fallingthe short distance to the ice with the clumsiness of a large-footed puppy. With determination they strain to pull each other totheir feet, an exercise that results in seven oreight more tumbles before both are standingagain. Ten feet later they land in a heap.%u201cYou fall down a couple of times but that%u2019swhy I come,%u201d says Elizabeth Duggan afterperforming an unintended split on the ice.%u201cThat%u2019s the real fun part of it,%u201d she says wobbling back to her feet. Her friend, however,disagrees with this assessment.%u201cI come to relax,%u201d she says, fixing her mittens and waiting for her friend to regain herfooting. %u201cI like to roller skate and I like to iceskate,%u201d she adds, as the two grab hands tobegin their big circle of the rink again.Around and around they go, when they%u2019llfall nobody knows, but for most it%u2019s the inevitable fate once the skaters lace on theirskates.The uninitiated to the sport run along theice, forgetting to glide in their urgency tostay vertical. Others, hands clasped behindtheir back, gently lean from side to side asthey propel themselves across the ice, theirrefined style a far cry from the slow motionsprawl that surrounds them on the rink. Wallhuggers clutch their safety line, draggingthemselves along hand over hand at the wallthat surrounds the rink.Ashkenazi, skating around the rink,observes the efforts of the young and the oldO pening day at the K ate W ollmanRink in Prospect Park brought outskaters of every generation to enjoy thenew ice season. The rink is open everyday except Monday and Tuesday and anew bus service picks up skaters fromaround the perim eter of the park totake them to the ice. (Phoenix Photosby Kathryn Kirk)alike. He moves slowly and gracefully,carefully crossing one leg over the other,pulling his ankle into his heel in gracefulskater style. At the age of 69, he is now slowlyperfecting his technique and moves aroundthe rink with the assurance of years ofskating.%u201cI met some kids and I thought how is itthat these little kids can do all these thingsand I can%u2019t,%u201d he says, recalling his decision tobegin taking lessons several years ago. %u201cIcould do all the moves, I just wasn%u2019t doingthem the right way. It looked terrible,%u201d he explains. Ashkenazi says he now likes to comeout and help some of the newer skaters learnto keep their balance.%u201cI really enjoy helping out the beginners,%u201dhe says, smoking a cigar at rinkside andwatching the swirl of humans glide by, as twofive-year-olds spill to the ground.For the first day of skating and the rest ofthe year, the scene at Prospect Park is whatthe sport is all about. Falling, learning,watching and falling some more, but enjoying the spin in the air as well as the spin onthe ground.PROSPECT PARK WOLLMAN RINK:Wed., Thurs., Holidays, 10-6pm; Fri. toSun., 10-9pm. Adults, $2 weekdays, $2.50weekends. $1 for kids and seniors. Skaterental $2 for three hours. Bus travels parkperimeter along Prospect Park West forfree ride to rink. For information, call788-0555.November 27, 1986, THE PHOENIX, Page 7