I loved ice skating when I was a tween/teen. All winter long, you could find me, as often I could be there, at the ice rink at Buhl Park. We wore pompoms on our skates that matched hats & mittens, or sweaters, since we didn't wear coats. We went at night, and sometimes, we'd look up and see the stars in the ink dark sky.
I've missed a lot of family fun this winter due to responsibilities. I had steeled myself to miss this outing also since, I am as they say, up to my eyeballs. Joe was bravely going to take three children by himself. But, I loved ice skating. loved. loved. loved. I even loved the smell of wet mittens and sweaty skates that permeated the lodge. I treated myself, and to the delight of my littles, I went- it was a short trip- just a couple of hours, but that was all I needed.
After one attempt at going 'round the rink, I assumed command, ordered everyone back inside where I swapped everyone's rented, ancient, figure skates for rented hockey skates, and back out to the ice we went!
I remembered.... gliding, forwards, backwards, in circles, and was working on my figure-8s... in between coaching the big littles away from the boards. Convincing my older children to believe me that if they stayed off the wall, they would be able to skate by the time we left, was the only hard part of teaching them to skate. The older two have gone skating before, just not with me, so as soon as we stepped onto the ice, the wall hugging began. One at a time, I wheedled them away from the boards, my left hand in theirs, my right at their elbow. Glide, glide, left, right, left right, bend your knees a little, find your balance, glide, glide. Don't look around yet. Just move your feet....
By the time we left, both of my older littles could make their way around the rink, solo. I was so tickled. I can't wait to go again. Or, roller skating... my mom was a competitive roller skater, so I learned to skate early, outside on sidewalks. I can't do all the stuff I can do on ice, but I like roller skating, too! Maybe that will be next....
In college, I was one of those crazy people who took extra PE for just for fun. Once, I forgot to drop a PE class that was a single credit - I realized I just wasn't going to have time for a fun class with work and studying. The class was a half- term class and somehow, I had forgotten the dates for dropping those classes were different. So, imagine my chagrin, when I realized I was going to eat a one credit 'F' in ice dance, for goodness sakes! Now, imagine my relief, when grades came, and I earned a 'B' in a class I never attended. never. not ever. not even once. I can only guess that anyone whose name the teaching assistants recalled earned an 'A.' (I'm thanking the Universe still to this day.)
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