It was approximately two weeks ago when I received an invitation to attend the “Dick Button Festival of Artistic Skating” event at The Skating Club of Boston. The invitation came from Jirina Ribbens the Executive Director of the Ice Theatre of New York. Although I haven’t been involved in the sport for nearly twenty years (apart from Skating with Celebrities (2006), ESPN’s The Price of Gold (2014) and attending the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston (2016), it’s always nice to hear from those I used to work with regularly.

For me, attending the event was a combination of stepping back in time and stepping into the future. When I lived in New York City in the late 1980s I was introduced to the Ice Theatre of New York from a colleague and soon found myself volunteering to coordinate one of their annual events. As it was the first major “anything” I did in the sport, I will always have fond memories of that evening. Of course, the passage of time has made my memories reflective through rose-colored glasses! One thing I do remember from that evening is when the building switched entrances at the last minute. In those days Sky Rink sat at the top of an office building and something happened to the lobby elevators. Let’s just say we all had to think quickly on our feet…or should I say ice? Sorry, for the digress!

The new Skating Club of Boston is truly a wonder. A modern three-sheet facility, with one being a 2,500-seat performance arena (Tenley E. Albright Performance Center), ample free parking, and easy access off the highway, is a welcome departure from their previous, albeit historic, location. I remember my late business partner Tom McGinnis telling me how the skating club was looking for a new home. My sincere congratulations to Executive Director Doug Zeghibe and his team for turning a dream into a reality.

Walking into the performance arena, it didn’t take long for me to see so many familiar faces. For some moments, it felt like I never left the sport. Perhaps I never really have. All those years of skating and coaching plus just over ten years publishing International Figure Skating, have left enduring memories of times I will never forget.

The evening was a true celebration of artistic skating that I was first introduced to by the Ice Theatre of New York. In addition to Ice Theatre, the evening was populated with outstanding creative performances by The Next Ice Age, Ice Dance International, and others.

In the new era of competitive figure skating that puts priority on jumps, spins, and other athletic maneuvers, one critical component of what makes figure skating such a beautiful sport is the artistic creative element. That element alone, in my humble view, is not only what binds the sport together as an attraction for both athlete and spectator but gives it the legacy it so richly deserves.

Thank you, Dick Button and Tenley Albright.