Skating on Friendly Ice : Teamwork: The Fabulous Forties pull together to execute winning precision moves.
They practice long hours on the ice, sometimes at the crack of dawn, whirling and skating in time with songs such as “In the Mood,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and “Chattanooga Choo-Choo.” They are as skilled as professional ice skaters, yet they retain amateur status, paying their own transportation, hotel and costume expenses for the more than 12 national competitions they participate in annually.
They are The Fabulous Forties, a women’s precision ice skating team formed five years ago at Pickwick Ice Skating Arena in Burbank.
“A precision ice skating team means we’re all doing it together,” said coach Margie Jones, 50, of Fountain Valley. “Everyone does the same step--at the same time--to music while in formation.”
The group collided--figuratively--into existence when several of the Forties skaters kept meeting one another at the Burbank rink. After a while, they decided to officially organize, recruit a coach and set up routines. The two dozen women who now make up the team range from 24 years old to, well, let’s just say well past retirement age. They practice three times a week, including the dreaded 5 a.m. Sunday slot that is one of the few times the ice space is available.
“We originally just wanted to have fun,” said Caroline Wyman, 57, of Studio City. “We wanted to do something besides skating in circles and going around the rink.”
Long hours and hard work have paid off for the precision team that derives its name from the ‘40s music they use for their elegant routines. Since 1985, The Fabulous Forties have placed first in three separate national competitions. Their latest victory was in February.
“There is a commitment,” said Ann Robertson, 42, a teacher with the Long Beach Unified School District. “And for those of us who have that commitment, we thrive on it.”
“It’s part camaraderie and part challenge,” said June Hughes, 73, of Arcadia about the close-knit amateur team. Although Hughes no longer skates competitively, she still puts on a pair of blades just for the fun of it. “It’s hard work and frustrating, but we have each other for help. When someone gets frustrated, there’s someone else alongside to cheer them on.”
Indeed, frustration is no stranger to The Fabulous Forties, Robertson said. During the 1989 Precision Nationals at Providence, R.I., the team was executing an elaborate routine to “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” that required members to skate in one direction while looking in another. But, said Robertson, the last skater in the formation fell. And like so many dominoes, so did everyone else.
“But we got up just as fast as we went down,” said Robertson, “and we kept on skating. Nothing can keep us from skating.”
Camaraderie and a positive attitude aren’t confined to the rink, however. There are some who come to rehearsals to silently rally the troops forward. One such cheerleader is Pat Oates, 48, of Sherman Oaks. She sits on the sidelines, bundled in a warm jacket, and watches her 25-year-old daughter, Melissa, work out.
“She just wants to be on the ice,” said Oates about her daughter, who has been an ice skater since her youth and now is a member of the Screen Extras Guild. “It’s part of her life. I think she’s a happier person when she’s skating.”
“It’s friendship and hard work out here,” said Dolores Schaeffer, a 33-year-old banker from Redondo Beach. “I work out all the stress I’ve built up at the office and come here to forget about it.”