The mysteries and magic of skating

Here I sit, back in the arena, fingers freezing, and watching my breath as it floats up towards the heaters which are not turned on! I think I would have loved skating. Out there Flying on the ice, as if driven by some unforeseen force. It truly amazes and inspires me to watch the ice skating competitions, where the acrobatics they perform sometimes defy common sense! They are truly brave.

I think that being, or not being, a skater, is a gift you come into this world with ...

(that statement has conjured up all sorts of painful giving birth images!)

and are driven to perfect.

Sadly, I was not born with skates on! This didn’t seem to be too much of a social problem (although at 8 how many social problems can one have – Oh, okay, that’s a whole other topic to be covered at a later time) ...

Once in Canada, skating became of much more importance than anything my sister or I had yet covered… such as ballet (depicted above) and elocution! Neither of these particular skills appeared to assist us in building bonds with Canadian culture.

Anyway, it was decided that we should definitely learn to skate, and learn we did. We had lessons…you know, where all the little kids skate in a circle wobbling and falling down…the only discrepancy being that we were very tall grade 3-6 ers, and the remainder of the cute troop were in kindergarten! All humiliation aside, I was just beginning to “get it”….the flying feeling…the wind in my hair…the passion of it all…..when suddenly I fell down backwards, and the little kindergartner behind me, skated firmly into the back of my skull, the little pointy things on her skates embedding in my head...the joy left me!

I have only skated a half dozen times since….always with great anxiety, and only under duress.The absolute last time I was encouraged to skate, my friend later told me that she was afraid that I was going to "lift off" i was flapping my arms so fiercely! I thought I had done really well, but what do I know...Now I spectate!

I watch my 12 year old speed around the rink with his goodwill skates that are 2 sizes too large, and an absolute talent for staying standing up against all odds, and gravity both! I swear I have seen him accomplish a “triple sow cow” (don’t know how to spell it less do it!) triple toe loop, and multiple spins all with fearless determination and without the knowledge of the accomplishment...it's all in the art of staying vertical!