Hi! I've been wanting to get more into ice skating and this year's Olympics have definitely motivated me to try and know about more than JUST the Olympics. Do you have any suggestions for how to get more engaged in the community or watch more events?
I don't know where in the world you're located but here's a few suggestions I have:
1. Check out skating fan blogs. There are a lot of great blogs dedicated to skating, both here on tumblr and on other sites/forums. Most of these blogs are more active than I am (I watch where I can, but my creative endeavors/my unwillingness to pay for cable tv here in America, limits my ability to follow the entire season). I've found many are very welcoming communities. And, if they're not, move on, there will be another online group happy to welcome a new fan!
2. Follow the skating competitive season! The main season begins with the Grand Prix Series, starting with the Qualifiers, then the GPF finals, then Four Continents, Europeans, each country's Nationals, the World Championships, and then the World Team Trophy. In America (where I live), most of the qualifiers are shown on the Olympic Network, or NBC affiliates. Only major competitions are shown on network TV or aired on Peacock. However, there are livestreams you can watch (if you don't mind the commentary maybe not being in your language. It should be relatively easy to search for Skating TV listings in your home country or streaming apps that are showing the events! Also, it's not really something we do in the USA, but other countries will hold watch parties in their local rinks sometimes.
3. If you find a way to watch, invite friends! Whether you're watching with online friends (I'm always happy to watch, if I can), or inviting your own friends over to watch an event with you (I have converted many a friend this way), skating is more fun to watch together!
4. If you can't watch, follow along through the news. Skating has a wide following worldwide (it's actually a MUCH bigger sport outside of the USA). There are several magazines, include the aptly named Skating (which are available in digital), the official ISU websites. If you want to learn more about this history of the sport, there are also a lot of great and really interesting books!
5. Go take a skating lesson or two. A lot of rinks offer Learn to Skate classes for beginners of all ages. You're sure to find likeminded soon-to-be friends if you take a class or two.
I hope my suggestions help. Most importantly, whatever you choose, have fun!