In Skating Without Pads, Falling is Not an Option

Over a Christmas visit with family, I went ice skating. It gave me a better appreciation for snowboarding.

I haven’t been on ice skates in roughly 30 years, though I was on roller skates about 25 years ago. So it was a difficult, and scary event to head out on the ice. After all, sometimes when I am on skis or a snowboard, I come across some ice mixed with the snow. But by definition, a skating rink is nothing but ice.

And you thought that falling on hardpacked snow was painful.

Actually, I didn’t fall on the ice rink. Not once. Since I was not wearing my impact shorts, falling was not an option. As a result of my fear-based way of doing things, I probably didn’t skate with the greatest form. But I did manage to cover the rink both clockwise and counter-clockwise. I even managed to pull off some foot-over-foot turns. It wasn’t the slickest of moves, but it happened.

While snow sports are almost always defined by the weather, the best skating occurs in climate-controlled facilities. So maybe I’ve found a cold-related sport to practice balancing and edging on, even when the temperatures start to melt the snow.