Year after move to Halifax, six-year-old girl discovers passion for skating

She will be an expert. 

An expert skater, that is.  Six-year-old Raksha Krishnan predicted this on Christmas Day – her very first time on skates.  On that warm, sunny afternoon she and her dad showed up at the Halifax oval. She rented herself a helmet and skates and took to the ice with dad watching from the sidelines.

Krishnan knew it wasn’t going to be easy. She slipped and fell more than a few times. It took her about a half hour to do one-and-a-half laps of the oval.

Undeterred, she was back for more in less than 24 hours. She was one of about 400 people who made it to the oval on Boxing Day. 

“I want to learn to be really fast because that will mean I will be an expert,” said Krishnan.

She still had a bad case of Bambi legs and staying upright proved a challenge. But Krishan was making progress and that’s all that mattered to her.

“My skates feel better and I’m not slipping as much,” said Krishnan. 

“Yesterday wasn’t so great because I was scared, and it was really slippery.”

Krishnan and her family arrived in Halifax from India a year ago. Soon after her interest in skating was kindled during city bus rides with her dad. They’d often pass by the popular outdoor rink that borders Cogswell Street and each time Krishnan would be amazed by all the talented skaters. 

“She saw all these kids skating so fast and so well and she really wanted to be one of those kids,” said her father, Krishnan Ramanathan. “She loves the outdoors, and she has no fear about these things.”

He said his daughter has quickly adapted to Halifax winters.  She tried roller skating at the oval last summer and was a natural. She’s been looking forward to lacing up a pair of skates, ever since, said her dad. For the past few weeks she’s been scouring YouTube for skating tutorials. She’s got some skating lessons coming up later this week.

Krishnan’s determined to roar around the oval someday, but she knows she must be patient. She’s got confidence on her side, especially with a few days of experience under her belt. 

“I’m not afraid anymore,” said Krishnan. “I haven’t been afraid since I came to Canada for the first time.”

Her dad’s not so keen about taking up his daughter’s new-found hobby. At least not yet. As much as Krishnan wants to share the ice with her dad, she’s willing to cut him some slack.

At least for now.  

“He’s very scared but I know why,” said Krishnan. “He didn’t learn when he was a little kid like me.”