FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2011
Contact: Angelica Shields
(757) 240-8782
as2@muw.edu

MUW professor makes pastime on ice

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Dr. Dorothy Berglund, associate professor of family studies at Mississippi University for Women, recently revealed that she is an avid ice skater.

Dr. Berglund is an ice skating competitor, practicing in Memphis, Tenn. Originally from New Hampshire, Berglund has skated since the age of 6 and said she took up ice skating as a hobby for the thrill of learning and executing moves on the ice.

She also is an officer with the Figure Skating Club of Memphis, a membership chair who helps to recruit new members.

The professor said she would practice for six hours a week, engaging in a two-hour solo session, followed by a 30-minute private lesson, a 30-minute group lesson and a fundamentals class, where she would practice jumps, spins and moves in the field.

However, since moving to Mississippi, she is limited to one to two hours. Having been scheduled for a pre-preliminary moves in the field test and her first ice dance tests, the move has set her back slightly. It is also a challenge having to share an ice rink with Memphis hockey teams, as it further limits her time on the ice.

Nevertheless, Berglund does not let the constraint hold her back much. She engages in training sessions at MU W, practicing yoga, weight training and cardio. She regularly attends the CHU’D UP workout sessions at Stark Recreation Center on campus.

Berglund’s ice skating colleagues, along with the Memphis Youth Hockey League, have raised money to build a year-round ice skating arena in Olive Branch. The arena, called the MidSouth Ice House, will open in August.

She said one of the fun aspects of ice skating is successfully passing various tests and performing complex moves.

Berglund is currently working on her basic skills again, practicing for an Adult 3 test under the guidance of her coach, Jenny DeAngelis-Kilmer from Memphis.

She spoke of her sessions, stating, “My favorite move from the Adult 3 level is forward consecutive edges-right and left, or, to put it in skater lingo, Basic consecutive edges, RFO, LFO, and RFI, LFI.”  

Berglund tries to convince her students and fellow MUW faculty members to try ice skating, noting that the activity is a challenging, yet fun hobby.

She is looking forward to obtaining Snow White frames, special roller blade frames to mimic the feel of figure skates, in order to practice more.