Dottie Cunningham 鈥�64 leads her Learn to Skate class at Boss Arena.
Dottie Cunningham 鈥�64 shines when she鈥檚 teaching鈥攊n the classroom or on the ice.
Dottie Cunningham 鈥�64 can鈥檛 stand still. We eat breakfast at T鈥檚 Restaurant in Narragansett, R.I. I work at a slab of French toast; Dottie nibbles her spinach and eggs. But only 30 minutes prior, she was skating around in a fur coat and snow pants at 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Boss Arena. When I ask her if she鈥檚 the kind of person who needs to be active, a small smile appears on her face and her eyes twinkle. She nods.
Cunningham is busy, and always has been. She manages a summer vacation home in Jamestown with her sister (she tries to entice this reporter to bite for the upcoming season), teaches ice-skating to the over-50 crowd, is part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at 溏心vlog免费B站, gives presentations on the Iditarod (one of her many passions), and still tutors students, even though she鈥檚 long retired from her 29-plus year position teaching at Mercymount Country Day School in Cumberland, R.I. Just this past fall, she also twirled the baton with the Ramettes at Alumni & Family Weekend鈥攁nd her daughter only recently saw the video.
鈥淢y kids have no idea what I鈥檓 doing, so when they see me, they鈥檙e like, 鈥楳om!?鈥欌�� she says, laughing.
But skating is where she really shines. Cunningham is a natural on the ice (she ran her own skating school in Franklin, Mass., for years), and each spring, she teaches an eight-week-long OLLI class for 50-and-older skaters, twice a week. 鈥淢y motto in skating鈥攚ell, in everything鈥擨 want my students to know more and to appreciate the efforts of others,鈥� she says.
Beth Leconte, executive director of OLLI, says of Cunningham, 鈥淗er enthusiasm and style are contagious, and she encourages everyone to have fun and enjoy life鈥攏o matter what your age.鈥�
A group of skaters piles onto the ice at Boss Arena just after 9 a.m., laughing, knees wobbling slightly, and Cunningham floats around鈥攁 tuft of her pink, cashmere sweater peeking out from her fur coat, framing her smile. She quips to her group, 鈥淵ou folks are about ready for a jump lesson,鈥� to which she鈥檚 met with laughter broken up by shouts of, 鈥淣o way!鈥�
Today, instead of jumps (much to the relief of her class), Cunningham plans to lead them through a routine set to 鈥淩aindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our tune,鈥� she explains. And though it is actually raining outside this Thursday morning, it鈥檚 very hard to dampen Cunningham鈥檚 enthusiasm.
Two of Cunningham’s best friends from Park View Middle School in Cranston, R.I.鈥擩anet Wilson and Marcia Gladue鈥攕tand near the penalty box, cracking jokes and watching, gleefully, as their longtime friend shines under the fluorescents. 鈥淲e all turned 80 last year,鈥� says Cunningham. 鈥淓ighty and raring to go!鈥�
Neither Wilson nor Gladue were serious skaters before her class, as far as Cunningham remembers. But throughout her years teaching鈥攚hether her students were 7 or 70鈥攕he鈥檚 always believed that if you do the work (and have fun), you can achieve a great deal.
鈥淵ou only get out of a thing what you put into it, and it doesn鈥檛 matter if you go to a big-name school or whatever 鈥� you can still make it no matter what, but it depends on you,鈥� Cunningham says. 鈥淭here is no 鈥榗an鈥檛,鈥� and I believe that because I鈥檝e witnessed it so many times before.鈥�
B.J. Thomas鈥� voice comes over the speaker, sprinkling proverbial raindrops, and the class gathers and glides up and down the rink, finishing with a little spin, arms鈥攁nd smiles鈥攚ide.
鈥淲e just keep on truckin鈥�,鈥� says Cunningham, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 fun.鈥�
鈥擥race Kelly