Metal blades cut through the ice as people skated in a counterclockwise circle around the Frank Southern Ice Arena during the IU Indian Student Association’s annual ice skating event.
The ISA rented out the rink for nearly two hours Saturday afternoon, leaving skaters to just pay $3 to rent ice skates.
After signing a liability form, students slipped off their shoes and laced up their skates on the wooden benches in the arena lobby. They waddled over to the rink, balancing on the blades, and hopped up onto the ice. Some people clutched the wall tightly while others sped by with confidence.
“We put on a lot of social events just like this one that are separate from Indian culture, to allow people of Indian Western origin, like myself, to be well included in typical American events as well,” said Janani Venkatesan, IU junior and executive of cultural affairs for ISA.
The ISA is a student-led organization comprised of board members devoted to showcasing Indian culture and connecting students to their heritage and one another.
“ISA wants to be another family for a lot of Indian students, whether you’re international or not,” Venkatesan said. “So this organization really helps a lot of students feel at home.”
Venkatesan said they also try to reach an audience outside of the Indian community of Bloomington. She said the ISA is a very inclusive organization, which is why the event was open to everyone.
“It’s a mix of all ethnicities,” said IU freshman Pooja Pal as she took a small break from skating by grabbing hold of the rink wall.
Some skaters danced around the ice as the loud speakers blasted Ariana Grande’s “7 rings.” Figure skaters spun around in the middle of the rink while faster skaters intricately avoided the people holding onto one another’s hands to maintain balance.
“Since it’s not an individual activity, and it’s something that a lot of people are new to, I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity for people to work together and learn together,” ISA co-President Nivedha Meyyappan said.
The rink saw many wipeouts, but other skaters were always there to help up those who had fallen and were covered in ice shavings.
“Ice skating isn’t very easy,” Meyyappan said. “It can be a struggle so it’s like a great way for people to help each other out.”
This year the ISA even reached out to a number of other organizations to sponsor the event including South Asian fraternity Beta Chi Theta, Asian American Association, Korean American Student Association, HooSher Bhangra and Raas Royalty in an effort to target a wider audience.
The IU Office of International Services also partnered with the ISA to put on the event, offering the first 25 students to arrive a free skate rental.
“We wanted to encourage students to come out and mingle with other student organizations,” said Mai-Lin Poon, associate director for international student life at OIS. “It’s just a really great opportunity to see a different part of Bloomington and a different activity.”
ISA spread the word about the event through social media posts, while OIS emailed international students and scholars to encourage them to come out.
“I like ice skating, and it’s free,” said IU student Joyce Wauty, who received an email from OIS about the event. “This is so much fun especially because anyone can come.”
