Three week hiatus

I haven't been to skating for three weeks. I'm afraid I'm going to fall on my butt when I next step on the ice! We did go to the rink for a friend's birthday last week but the rink was like skating on tram tracks during the public sessions. You'd catch a groove and travel in that direction! I found my muscles were so much more sore trying to skate on that surface as it was twice as much work getting out of potholes and over bumps and piles of ice shavings.

I tried to practice basics there though and I think I'm getting better at my crossovers - when I say, getting better, I mean, I don't trip on the toe pick and break my fall with my face anymore! There are a few kids at the rink though that had been skating for a while, evidently, and played hockey who were particularly aggressive on the ice and almost caused accidents to themselves and to others. They even went as far as to yell out at you and disorientate skaters just because they could. Once again, why is it that the SOS staff don't care about these things?! You'd think for business reasons that they would make it the safest, most pleasant atmosphere possible to get people to continue to come along. Instead, they don't stop these people from speed skating, skating clockwise and acting like idiots and they swept the ice once in the whole time we were there. And even that time, before we were allowed on, they let speed skaters and sled racing go first so by the time we were allowed on for a general skate, the ice was corrugated again! I really wish we could skate on a clean surface. I think if i practiced on a smoother surface, I would get the hang of this set of motor functions much quicker!

On a lighter note, I had the most gorgeous blue bruise, about 2 inches long and 1.5inches wide on my arm near my elbow, arising from jamming it between the sled and the rink barrier at top speed! It was hilarious (especially since we were coming last at the time and skidding all over the place) but geez, it hurt. It's still there, a bit faint. I might start posting pictures of my bruises here soon!

Until next time!