Home Again

ELLENTON — A blast of cold air greets Rob Smith as he slowly glides onto the ice.

Smith glances toward the stands in appreciation and lets the feeling wash over him.

For the first time in 13-and-a-half years, Smith is home again.

Standing alone in the center of the ice, Smith visualizes his dramatic program one final time before giving way to his emotions as the sounds of “Come What May,” from the musical “Moulin Rouge,” filter through the sound system.

In a flurry of emotional and artistic excellence, The Gallery Salon owner put together a performance that left him and the audience breathless and earned Smith a second-place finish in the dramatic program at the 2014 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championship last month in Cape Cod, Mass.

Smith dedicated the program to his partner, Eric Oglesby, whom he married in Massachusetts during the championship weekend.

“It was the most special time on the ice,” says Smith, who trains at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. “I delivered an amazing program that came from the heart. I don’t consider myself that good. I’m doing this because I like doing it.”

Smith followed up his performance with a second-place finish in the free skate program, as well, posting his highest combined score (32.38) in two years.

The free skate is based solely on technical ability. It is, in Smith’s opinion, the more challenging and, if done well, the more rewarding of the two programs.

“To finish second at 50 years old, competing with a lot of younger skaters, just blew me away,” Smith says. “All of the emotion I had inside — it was one of the most special skates of my career.

“A lot of people are about medals,” Smith says. “For me, it’s all about how well I skate. The memories never fade. When I close my eyes, I still remember how I felt on the ice because it’s who I am. It’s what I love to do.”

A native of Massachusetts, Smith began skating when he was about 5 years old after watching a handful of skaters jump and spin across the ice.

Like most skaters, Smith, who had been playing soccer at the time, began taking group lessons. Smith quickly developed a passion and progressed through the ranks. Before long, his coaches told him it was time to either think about getting serious by taking private lessons or hanging up his skates entirely.
Smith began taking private lessons shortly thereafter and skated competitively until he was 18 years old.

“I just have this natural ability where I can just watch and then be able to do something,” Smith says. “I loved how fast skating was. It’s the freedom of movement between the ice and yourself. When the cold wind blasts your face and you get to experience yourself in such an amazing way ... it’s special in every way for me.”

He then went on to skate at Cypress Gardens near Winter Haven and with Disney on Ice before turning his attention to coaching.

But even after life took him down a new career path, Smith continued to skate until a fall on the ice 13-and-a-half years ago kept him away from the sport he loved. It took Smith a few months after the fall to realize the extent of his injury. An MRI revealed he ruptured three discs in his neck.

He put away his skates until two years ago, when he decided to step back out onto the ice.

Smith was a little shaky at first. But, within a month, he was back jumping and spinning with ease.

“It was like finally coming home again,” Smith says. “It’s who I am. It’s my whole life. When I’m on the ice, I feel the most calm and at peace. It’s my protection. Without it, I’m not fully complete as a person.”

Today, Smith trains six hours a week under the coaching guidance of Kelly Paige. In addition, Smith also works out four times a week at the gym.

With a pair of silver medals to his credit, Smith now is preparing a new free skate program, which he will debut at the Peach Classic Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, in Atlanta.

“I still have that same burning desire,” Smith says. “I like the challenge of every time getting better and better. I’m always learning something new. Eric always tells me, ‘You do it because you love it, and you’re a better person because of it.’ I feel like a whole person again.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he says. “It’s short-lived. I won’t be able to do this (forever), so I just want to make the most of the years I have left on the ice.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].