Red Nails, Black Skates

In her forties, Erica Rand bought a pair of figure skates to vary her workout routine. Within a few years, the college professor was immersed in adult figure skating. Here, in short, incisive essays, she describes the pleasures to be found in the rink and the exclusionary practices that make those pleasures more accessible to some than to others. Throughout the book, Rand situates herself as a queer femme, describing her mixed feelings about participating in a sport with heterosexual storylines and rigid standards about gender appropriate costumes and moves. She chronicles her experiences competing in the Gay Games and U.S. Figure Skating's annual competition "Adult Nationals." Aided by her comparative study of roller derby and women's hockey, including a brief attempt to play hockey, she addresses matters such as skate color conventions, judging systems, racial and sexual norms, transgender issues in sports, and the economics of athletic participation and risk-taking. Mixing sharp critique with genuine appreciation and delight, Rand suggests ways to make figure skating more inclusive, while portraying the unlikely friendships facilitated by sports and the sheer elation of gliding on ice.

Erica Rand is Professor of Art and Visual Culture and of Women and Gender Studies at Bates College. She is the author of The Ellis Island Snow Globe and Barbie's Queer Accessories, both also published by Duke University Press.