Mid-afternoon on New Year's Eve, I joined the State College Area Rollers in helping at an event for the kids at our local rink. I got there early, and quickly decided to take the plunge. The last time I had been on skates was around 1985 -- 25+ years ago. I was in college then.
After the initial, "bambi on ice" experience, I took to the rink. Left. Right. Left. Right. I did okay. Several other adults came up to offer gentle advice. Once I was able to get out of my own head, the movements came back to me. Push, glide ... push, glide. It wasn't beautiful, but it was 'okay.'
Soon, I found myself 'sucked' into the center of the rink -- where the good skaters were. Those who were going fast. Far faster than I cared for. Oh! And the disco ball ... it was making me very dizzy. I scared a couple of young girls as I was desperately trying to get off the rink. They were headed straight for me -- I am sure that the mutual terror on our faces was priceless. There was one teeny-tiny who was using a 'skate assist' like a battering ram, that seemed to be constantly gunning for me. I skated for about 45-minutes to an hour. I managed to stay upright. I only goosed one guy in my efforts to stay erect. [Well, that's my story and I'm going to stick to it. He didn't seem to mind, but his wife/girlfriend gave me looks that would kill!]
There's a reason that I am a NON-SKATING Official with our local roller derby league; however, I do see new skates in my future. I may never get up the nerve to even try to qualify for the team, but the 'taste' was enough to remind me how much I enjoyed skating.
