Issue #41, January 19, 2007

Figure Skating In Greenport

North Forkers That Take It To The Ice Are Always Cool

By Phyllis Lombardi

Over there. Look. The girl in the dark blue outfit. That’s gotta be Michelle Kwan. And that older skater gliding along by her side, kind of coaching her? Looks like Scott Hamilton to me.

You know, for a moment, I thought I’d stumbled into an off year Winter Olympics. Except that no figure skating competition I’d ever watched had a backdrop of a golden wintry bay and was positioned alongside a glistening carousel. No. I wasn’t in Saranac or Sarajevo. Just Greenport, the North Fork’s Greenport. Mitchell Park on Front Street on a dream of a midwinter’s afternoon.

Now it’s been many winters since my fingers laced up skates over heavy wool socks I thought would keep my toes from freezing. I first ventured on ice on the Kissena Park Lake in Queens, where crack-the-whip was the main event. Later I skated in an old wood-enclosed rink on Cutter Mill Road in Great Neck. Still later, in the Commack arena. I’ll admit to two things only. I could never skate backwards. And my toes always froze.

Thus, it was with great admiration that I approached the whirling Greenport skaters and all the excitement they generate in this picture book setting. The rink in Greenport is only in its third joyous season – but I suspect there’s not one North Forker who would disagree. The ice melts the hearts of all who come near. The music. The laughter. The rush of cold air. The goodness of it all.

Goodness requires a rule or two. And the rink has a few rules posted. They begin with “Be Polite.” And they end with “Have Fun.” What else need be said?

From rule-reading, I moved on to searching out the people who keep this place spinning when the thermometer reads 55 or below. There was Courtney Knispeo, a Greenport resident and the rink’s assistant manager. More about Courtney later. And meet Zac Wingate, a senior at Southold High School, who is a skating guard. Zac is out there on the ice, helping someone up who has fallen, or taking a young child by the hand and skating along with him. With Zac is Dale Raynor, a Greenport High School student whose job is security. Cashier Porschia Poteet has been working at the rink since it opened. She and I talked about food. Skating does that to you.

One of the first skaters I spotted was a guy I knew. I’d seen him in kilts and playing bagpipes but I’d never envisioned him on skates. Hello to Cutchogue’s Tim Kelly who, when not on skates, is Public Relations Director of Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. Tim is a longtime skater. Last year he participated in the Greenport rink’s Open Hockey League (for adults over 30). I could say I didn’t think Tim was quite that old but you want the truth, don’t you? Anyway, Tim owns, and uses, kneepads and a helmet when he plays hockey. He says he “tends to fall a lot.”

Also prepared to fall, were some first-time skaters who had traveled to Greenport from Southampton – the Shinnecock Reservation, to be specific. Two adult sisters, Donna and Kathy Bess, had several little children in tow. Three-year-old Amanda, Kathy’s daughter, was putting on skates for the very first time. With Amanda were Chauncey, 6, and Celeste, 10. They were going to show off a bit – for Amanda, I’m sure.

From Riverhead to Greenport came Mike Brewer, who is President of Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton Community Association. Mike watched as his daughters skated by and spoke of how much his family enjoyed the rink in Greenport. His hope, something he’s working for, is the construction of a similar rink in a portion of the 144-acre Iron Point Park in Flanders.

An interruption now in the music – a waltz or a jig or a polka. “Skaters, please leave the rink so the ice surface can be groomed.” Skaters comply (they are polite) and in comes Courtney, deftly maneuvering one of those monster Zamboni machines. “Village of Greenport” emblazoned on its side. Round and round Courtney goes, each sweep of the ice presenting a more perfect surface.

I stood at the edge of the rink along with all the skaters – all sizes, shapes, ages, colors. In the mirror ice, though, I saw not the differences but only the faces, all smiling. We were standing together in the sun, waiting for the next go-round on the ice. Thank you, Greenport. Thank you.