Shannon Wilson, manager of Midway’s ice rink, loves her job. She sharpens rental skates, smooths out the ice with a Zamboni and helps keep the open-air rink maintained. But Wilson’s love of skating did not originate with Midway’s rink — it was fueled by her years as a professional skater wh o competed in venues worldwide.  Wilson said it was adrenaline that gave her a boost when she shared the ice with world and Olympic skaters in the 1990s. At 5:45 a.m. during a competition in Sapporo, Japan, she said the sound of all of the athletes hitting the ice to warm up at the venue was like a stampede of horses out of the starting gate.  “You want to be the fastest, you want to be the strongest, you want to be the one that’s out there, like, seizing the ice,” Wilson said.  She skated competitively from the age of 8, becoming an amateur at 20. Then, she transitioned to professional skating and competed in events like the U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships in 1997. She skated alongside the likes of Oksana Baiul — a Ukrainian competitive skater who was the 1994 Olympic champion in ladies’ singles — and was schoolmates in Portland, Oregon, with skaters like Tonya Harding.  Wilson, who appreciated fluid, elegant tricks and movements, said she was often recognized for her choreography in competitions.  “I was a highly trained dancer as well, so I skated for the artistry, the old school skating, so to speak,” Wilson said.  Also as an outstanding jumper, Wilson said she would leap as high as possible and hold a spiral for seemingly endless rotations around the ring just because she could.  “That was where I got my joy, was holding and sustaining beautiful positions. Jumps were just like punctuation marks — they weren’t the entirety of my skating,” Wilson said.  It was thanks to her coach from Portland, Bobby Pendleton, that she became a more enthusiastic skater. She was inspired to show skills that nobody else was doing. Star kicks, illusions — Wilson said she wanted to learn those kinds of unique and dynamic movements that made her stand out as a figure skater. Wilson still remembers one performance that stunned the judges. Her song of choice was from Tim Rice’s rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar.” “I finished with the pretty part, but I started with that hard, abrasive overture of electric guitar and grating, off-putting part of the Broadway musical. The judges shuddered. I remember them looking at me like, what are you doing?” Wilson said. “I love that, because I loved being edgy.” Wilson said she was thrilled to be skating to something so out of the ordinary, but her chosen finale included a spread eagle movement, gliding elegantly on both feet with toes pointed out and arms spread wide.  “The look of relief when I came by on that part was so memorable,” Wilson said. “It was like, ‘Oh, thank goodness, and I finished with that.’ And then (the judges) were all smiles, but for a minute I had them definitely questioning their life decisions.” Skating, she said, is a rigid sport. It’s controlling in what type of movements and music can be chosen for competitions, and the sport itself requires regimented training and precision.  “I learned very quickly (that) as long as you hit everything, you’ll win. If you make any mistakes, being that challenging of the system, you’re not going to place very well, but it was still worth it,” Wilson said.  She ended up becoming a coach because of the lasting impact Pendleton had on her career. She said she wanted to be that inspiring voice for other people. Wilson coached skaters in Idaho, Colorado and Utah. Then, 15 years ago, she stepped away from the sport.  Wilson said she never tired of or dreaded going to the rink, but she walked away once she started to feel that. The timing coincided with her move from Salt Lake City to Heber City — about when the city sought to open the ice rink for the first time.  “I was on the first ice rink committee for that, and that’s where I found that I could find joy and show people the positive side of skating,” Wilson said. “And make sure that everybody has the right to learn, everybody has the right to explore and express themselves on ice.” Shannon Wilson (left) smiles with William Horn and her daughter, Kiera Wilson (right). All three individuals help keep the ice rink maintained and operational. Credit: Michael Ritucci/Park Record Wilson said now she is less of a coach and more of a guide. She constantly thinks about how to help skaters reach their goals to feel accomplished and satisfied in their abilities. It’s a different perspective, she said, to watch 1 year olds go out to skate with their family. Or to watch 70 year olds do the same.  It helps that Midway’s rink is so beautiful, Wilson said. The city boasts that its 15,000-square-foot rink is the largest open-air rink in Utah. Skaters have a clear view of the Wasatch Back and Mt. Timpanogos while they zoom around the freezing, slick surface. But the fact that it’s outdoors is a challenge. “You’re at the mercy of Mother Nature, who has not been very kind this year,” Wilson said.  The rink is run at the discretion of the Midway Boosters, who formed a formal committee for the ice rink in 2017. It was then that Wilson said the city was considering its closure. That’s when she joined forces with the ice rink committee to keep it open that year and every year since. “In three weeks, we were up and running this ice rink that had gone to a bit of disrepair, and we’ve continued to build and improve it,” Wilson said. “The things that we’ve accomplished with the representation and support of the Midway Boosters have been phenomenal.” Wilson said the committee does its best to ensure the rink is “iconic” and an asset to the community. This will be ts first year hosting a three-on-three tournament for the Utah Mammoth. Wilson said it takes a village and the rink’s success is due to the “strength and dedication” of the community.  “We want it to be a Hallmark experience and have that drive to just make it better and make it so that it’s so embedded into the identity of the community that it could never reasonably go away,” Wilson said. “I want it to be a centerpiece, not an afterthought.” Wilson said every skater dreams of running their own rink. Wilson is now living her dream, but her goal is to share the love. She said the icing on the cake is to have visitors who keep coming back for more.  That’s why she keeps troubleshooting refrigeration techniques to keep the ice maintained throughout warm winters. It’s why she learned to drive a Zamboni and it’s why she took on tasks like sharpening rental skates; skills that have kept the rink operating smoothly.  “It was a need and a necessity,” Wilson said. “We don’t have the Ice Castles this season. … The resort skiing is not our best year so far, but our ice has been good and consistent. So we’ve been busy and lots of people who may have been a little disappointed about how their vacation was going have been able to come and have a good time at our ice rink.”  No matter if skaters are local or visiting, experienced or not, Wilson said she hopes that Midway’s ice rinks will attract everyone. It is, after all, Wilson’s favorite way to share her love of skating.  “It’s a lifetime activity that should be enjoyed by as many people who want to enjoy it as possible,” Wilson said. The post Shannon Wilson is preserving the artistry of ice skating at Midway’s open-air rink appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less