Rice says no dice to ice

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2007

MOSCOW (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice turned down a chance Saturday to show off her ice-skating talents and warm up frosty US-Russian relations during a visit to a rink in Russia.

Rice, herself a former ice-skating champion, joked that it was 10 years since she last put on her skates and cut a figure on the ice.

"There is this theory that ice skating is like riding a bicycle: you just get back on it, you immediately know how to do it," she said, adding: "I'm not going to take that chance -- just in case it's not true!"

Rice met with around 30 young ice-skaters at the Russian Army Sports Club rink who gave the top US diplomat a demonstration of their skills before posing for photographs.

Rice was a competitive ice skater between the...