Skating: A humbling experience

Not sure if skating is a summer sport or not.

Neve has been totally into skating since she did a week of skating camp.  Zelda fractured her foot on our hike to the Blue Ledges (and was an incredible trooper walking out on it). So I was called on to take two hours off from my current 12 hour/day, seven day a week work schedule to hang out during Neve's lesson and then rock the free skate session afterward.

I've only skated once since college (1981) on a perfect glass surface of 13th Lake on a snowless Christmas holiday. Still I was confident I could do it.  Man was I humbled.

I jumped out on the ice and could barely stay up. There was no edge at all on the blades and I was CONVINCED my problem was the equipment.  After my single lap I went right for the proshop and started looking at $400 pair of CCM super 'tacks. I actually asked the rink director if it was possible that I sucked that bad or if the equipment was letting me down.

When it was clear they didn't have my size I settled back down and headed back out onto the ice. I heard Neve whisper to Zelda: "daddy is a really bad skater."

Or maybe it was a combo of a crappy skater and even crappier skates.

Eventually I made it around in respectable fashion. We ended up skating for the full free skate - 1.5 hours.

Thank god that moment of insanity passed. Buying skates - what the hell was I thinking? I need that cash for ski gear.


Crappy skater (left), crappy skates and a crappy cell phone pic

Of course it was the equipment! Look at that second picture, you look fantastic! Maybe you were having difficiculty because your heels were locked down. There are free-heel skates, you know:

Rental skates are notorious for having really dull blades. The skates themselves are never great, but it's the blades that will do you in.  I'm guessing that you'll probably do a lot more skating now that Neve is into it.  I would suggest you get yourself a cheap pair of hockey skates - you can usually find some for around $100 - and keep them sharpened. You will have a much better time, and they'll pay for themselves eventually because you won't have to rent them every time.

Typical Tele skier. Blame it on the equipment!

had similar experience several years ago. played pond hockey in my youth. about 30 years later i was in lake placid with my wife for a conference and skating was one of the scheduled activities. put on really bad hockey rental skates and thought i was going to die. couldn't stop. felt like an old man on black ice in the parking lot or a fair weather skier at whiteface on a "firm" day. i guess ice skating isn't like riding a bike.

Your a great Dad Risking life and limb a month and a half before ski season. Where is your helmet.

Back again today, and kinda made a nuisance out of myself, threatening to walk away from a $3 skate rental fee if I couldn't get the blades sharpened.

Huge difference. Lots of fun.

Can definitely feel it in the hamstring.

Once again causing trouble at the rink.

Went to the rink director and asked her if we could skate (gasp!) in the other direction during free skate.

My whole life (you know back in the day) we skated every saturday - counter clockwise.  My turns, and many other skater's turn - to the left, are far better than to my right.

I noticed last week that crossing over to my right - I could feel in in my hamstring injury spot. Seems like whenever I get exercise that I can FEEL in that spot, it helps.

So anyway...

The rink director say "what a brilliant idea. It will help everyone improve!"

How can I be the first to suggest this?

It was REALLY hard getting people to go the other way.  They probably should have told everyone what was going on as they went on to the ice, but instead, one girl with "Rink Staff" jacket just started skating in the other direction, waving her arms, and yelling "we are going the other way today!"

I joined in for the fun of it and to have a legit reason to skate around and yell.

There were a ton of crashes as many people would forget and start skating the regular way. But hardly anyone went to the hospital.



Rink was pretty deserted, I guess people were hunkering down for the storm.

That's Neve in the "crease" which we decided was BASE for our ongoing game of tag.

The rink was extra smelly today. I think there was a hockey tournament earlier.

If there is ever an HR Hall of Fame, this thread will in it.