Looking a little concerned, Huseni Kapasi stood in the doorway that led to the ice at in Buffalo Grove.
Small video camera in hand, he focused intently on his 4-year-old daughter, Zara, as she struggled to stand.
Although the Lake Zurich father seemed a bit worried, Zara appeared to be having fun as she skated with three other youngsters in a tot beginner class.
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“She’s doing well,” Huseni said, a smile on his face and a hint of pride in his voice.
She had reason to be. Huseni and her classmates were under the guidance of Beth Krejnik and two other instructors, who kept them balanced, gently picked them up when they fell and generally provided encouragement as they took their first tentative steps across the ice.
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Laura Kaplan, figure skating director at the rink, said for these kids, a good time is the name of the game.
“At that age, we mainly want them to have fun,” she said. “We want them to last the 30 minutes class time and not want to come off the ice. And we want them to come back the following week.”
At the same time, they are also learning.
Kaplan said the kids are getting the hang of standing up on the ice and sitting down by themselves, marching and maybe a bit of backwards skating.
“But the main thing we want from them is to love skating.”
Although there were looks of uncertainty etched into some of the young faces, they appeared to be doing just that.
