Finding peace on ice
Skater shares love of sport

By Carrie Coppernoll

Published: December 18, 2007

At first, Dmitri Logoutine mourned what would have been.

"I stop my competitive career too early,” he said, "and for many years it hurt. But now I have peace. Everything worked out for the best.”

Now instead of competing, he's sharing his love for ice skating and health with Oklahomans. The world-class ice dancer runs the Braum's Ice Rink during Downtown in December. Logoutine hopes the outdoor rink helps children associate exercise with a good time.

"That can really plant the seed of a fun and healthy lifestyle,” he said.

Logoutine, 36, began ice skating at age 6 and eventually won the junior world championship for ice dancing in 1988. Logoutine turned professional shortly after.

Logoutine arrived in the United States from Russia in 1994, when he and more than 20 other skaters came for a nine-month, cross-country tour. The plan was to spend two weeks rehearsing in Oklahoma City before touring. But the professional tour was cancelled before the practices even ended. Investors backed out; the money evaporated.

For months after, the skaters drifted among church groups, community volunteers and others who gave them food and housing. Many left, but Logoutine stayed. He was offered a scholarship to study business at Oklahoma Christian University. The offer was thrilling, he said.

"In (the former Soviet Union), I was (a) full-time professional skater,” he said. "School was not an opportunity.”

It was at Oklahoma Christian where the idea for the downtown ice rink came to mind. Other engineering students helped him, and the design was finished in 1997.

After more development and fundraising, the Braum's Ice Rink opened in 2002. The attraction draws about 25,000 visitors each year.

At the ice rink, Logoutine handles it all, from helping skaters to driving the Zamboni. During the rest of the year, the single dad of two teaches skating lessons.

Skating for fun is something Logoutine has had to adjust to. Growing up, skating was competitive, not entertaining.

"For (the) public, it was not freely available,” he said. "It was more concentrated, focused on athletic competitions.”

But Logoutine trained through his childhood because he was focused.

"If you're competitive, you will persevere,” he said. "It will become your challenge to push through when it doesn't feel like it's fun.”

But fun is what Logoutine hopes his skaters remember.

He sees the same families come back year after year. His long-term hope is that more teachers bring their classes to try ice skating. No matter who is on the ice, Logoutine said he loves to see the sense of accomplishment on someone's face after trying to skate for the first time.

"It's so important to know and to take yourself out of your comfort zone and take up the challenge,” he said. "When there is no challenge, there is no victory.”

Comments