November 2003
Saturday November 1, 2003
Back to Aerobics?
My aerobics membership reinitiated today. I had temporarily suspended my membership during the difficult period of adjustment to my new job and associated routine. Unfortunately, I have been sick for the last couple of days and did not feel well enough to go back to class this morning. In fact, I had to sleep most of the day to recover from my cold. I have been so worn down and bedraggled, that it was about time for me to catch something. Classes are also held Tuesday and Thursday nights, so I hope to return this coming week. I also plan to skate on Thursday, since I have a day off. I can hardly wait to be on the ice again!
My goal for now is to attend at least two aerobics classes each week and take at least one walk on the weekend. Once the new rink opens, I will try to include a minimum of one weeknight skating session. Hopefully, that night will not conflict with aerobics. Of course, skating is my first priority, but I do not want to ignore aerobics because cardiovascular exercise is important for skating stamina as well as general fitness and weight loss (or maintenance).
Week of November 2, 2003
One of My Students
I got to the rink this week, though I could only stay for a little over an hour. As I stepped on the ice for the first time in about three weeks, the ice felt strange but familiar, probably the way it feels to an adult who skated as a child and decides to return to the sport. After a few laps of stroking and crossovers, I felt basically comfortable. I spent the first half hour engaged in moves in the field followed by dance steps. Sadly, most of my cardiovascular conditioning has disintegrated. I have not attended aerobics since late September. A few sparse walks have not maintained the level of fitness necessary for rigorous skating. However, my muscles remembered what to do even if my lungs and heart balked.
My blades need to be sharpened, but aside from that disadvantage, I covered the rink decently if not expertly. I had to repeat the Canasta Tango several times to remember the steps and cadence. I forgot the end pattern of the Rhythm Blues and studied my diagram between trials. Finally, I completed a perfect round and silently cheered my success. Upon noticing a crowd entering the arena, I worked on backward steps and the Swing Dance. My backward swing rolls and chassés are not where I would like them to be, but considering my long hiatus, they would not be considered shameful.
While circling the rink in powerful change-edge swing rolls accented with the subtle flourish of style that results from confidence and experience, I heard a young voice calling me “Mrs.…!” I stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. There stood one of my students! I have been a teacher on and off for many years, though mostly on the college level. Presently, I am working in a public school. The rink is not near the community where I am employed, so I never expected to see one of my students at the session. Taken out of context, I did not look twice at this kid and probably would not have noticed her at all had she not acknowledged me. This youngster is basically a good kid, and has only been in trouble with me a couple of times. For some reason, I think this girl likes me, though her affection would not cause her to forsake her friends and follow me around the rink. This child is not a serious skater, she was just there for a birthday party.
However, I felt somewhat self-conscious and obliged to skate decently because news of my impromptu performance will certainly sweep the school. I would not want my little protégé to report that her teacher looks like a big stiff clod on a pair of ice skates. Assuredly, I do not. For a rusty adult skater, I managed to tear up the ice and center some fast spins. To a kid in rental boots, I probably looked like a pro. Of course, my concerns were for naught. After saying “hello”, the child probably did not glance in my direction again. She was too busy fooling around with her buddies and only stayed on the ice for about twenty minutes before leaving to amuse herself with a candy machine.
Week of November 2, 2003 Part Two
The Joy of Toe Point
I actually skated twice this week and am relishing the pleasant soreness of worked muscles. What a pleasure to get to the rink and build upon a previous skate! My current goals do not focus on improvement, learning new moves, or even on maintenance. Whenever I take to the ice, I only want to enjoy the experience. I do not have time in my schedule right now to skate regularly, so improvement is not realistic. However, satisfaction is. Instead of coming to the rink with a practice agenda complete with standards of achievement, I am only interested in having fun. Whatever I manage to do is fine. It does not have to be better than last time, and probably will not even be as good as the last time I skated, because that may have been weeks ago. One does not make progress skating intermittently.
Since I did skate twice this week, my warm up was easier and more comfortable. I stroked around the rink holding each extension and consciously pointing my toes. I may not be working on an axel or a flying sit spin, but at least I can skate beautifully. My moves in the field are slower than they used to be, but I concentrated on precision and edge quality. Circling in the rink in swing rolls is a true pleasure, stretching my legs and counting the proper beat. I feel proficient doing this, like a real skater. Simple dances committed to memory last fall provided another delight. How I love to skate! Getting better or adding to my arsenal has become unimportant next to the joy skating provides whenever it becomes available.
My flying camels are unfortunately rough, though they will return eventually. I can still invert and lay over like a contortionist. This may be my finest, most reliable advanced skill. Admittedly, my jumps are not as strong as they were at my peak of excellence a couple of years ago, but I was never a natural jumper. Jumps require my constant attention. Although I practiced several jumps, I was not disappointed when they did not soar over the arena. When I am able to skate more often, I might dedicate myself to their restoration. Right now, a nice lutz, taken without hesitation, is just a lot of fun, even if it is rather small. I actually tried a backward layback that might have been recognized as such. I still plan to conquer this rare move someday.
I look forward to my next trip to the rink, whenever it may be.
Saturday November 8, 2003
Back to Aerobics!
Finally! Last Saturday I was too sick to make my return, but today, I felt well enough to sweat with my aerobics class. How I have missed this exercise! Though I do not consider myself and exercise junky, I experience a certain euphoria midway through the class, when my heart is pounding and I am dancing along with the music. Aerobics is fun, and nothing is better for general fitness than a cardiovascular workout. I recommend taking up an aerobics program to any adult skater whether he or she wishes to lose weight or simply build endurance. Of course, weight will come off with regular aerobics classes two or three times per week. I dropped twenty pounds slowly and permanently over one year without suffering at all from hunger or boredom.
Now that I cannot skate as frequently, I need to maintain my conditioning so I can make the most of whatever skating opportunities present themselves. My muscles will remain toned and my stamina high. My body will always be ready to skate. I currently plan to attend at least two aerobics classes per week. Only three are available that mesh with my schedule, so I have modestly committed to two of them.
Sunday November 9, 2003
New and Exciting
Next week I have to attend a professional workshop that will leave me with a free afternoon. The facility is near a roller rink I once visited but is too far out of the way for regular skating. I thought I might use this found time to take my artistic inline skates for a spin on a smooth floor, if you will pardon the pun. Upon searching the Internet, I discovered this rink has closed. However, I found another roller rink near my father-in-law’s house that features a skating club and “world class” coaches. Although I was aware of this place (my husband skated there throughout his childhood), I did not know an artistic club and lesson opportunities existed. I dialed the number to contact a coach and made an appointment to talk to her on Sunday morning.
I have never taken a roller skating lesson in my life, though I am no stranger to this skating format. I grew up on roller skates of many types including clamp-ons, steel wheels, plastic-wheeled Roller Derby skates, tennis shoe disco boogie skates, and cheap recreational rink skates. I have also done my time in sweat-patina rentals. I roller skated in the neighbor’s driveway as a little girl, in the street, and in the three-car garage attached to our house as a teenager. Occasionally, I strutted my self-taught stuff at a roller palace. For an untrained kid, I was a pretty good little roller queen. I could do some fantastic moves on my low-budget skates including a variety of spins, some basic jumps, and an outrageous Ina Bauer that I have never duplicated on the ice. Just the promise of a roller lesson will fulfill a childhood dream, one that is deeply entangled with my love of ice skating.
As I entered the roller rink this morning, I heard dance music playing and began to feel excited. Adults circled the maple wood floor in graceful patterns. A couple of children landed doubles and worked on school figures, a discipline still alive and kicking in the roller world. I asked a mature skater if she knew Olga***, the woman with whom I made an appointment and will become my coach. Olga was a lovely, friendly lady who seemed very interested in accepting me as a student. I told her about my ice background over the telephone, and she asked me to bring the boots I want to convert to dance roller skates. When I pulled a pair of custom made Harlicks out of a terry cloth bag, she nearly fainted. I retired these boots a few years ago. By my standards, they had become too broken down for ice skating. Olga said they are ideal for roller dance. She introduced me to a couple of other people who welcomed me warmly and displayed similar fascination with my old boots.
Until I get my boots outfitted with plates and wheels, I plan to skate at this rink in my artistic inlines. Club membership is very inexpensive, the hours work with my schedule, the people seem nice, and the place is not mobbed. Lessons are also cheap compared to the ice equivalent. My immediate roller goal is to learn basic dances to supplement my ice dance experience. Over the summer, I experimented with ice dances at the outdoor roller rink in the park and found it very enjoyable. At this time, I do not intend to pursue artistic (freestyle) quad roller skating. I believe the difference in balance may confuse my muscle memory, spoiling my on-ice potential. However, I have not had a problem converting between quad dance and ice dance. In fact, these skills seem to enhance each other.
My job has settled to the point that I feel ready to participate in life again. Next weekend, I will join the roller skating club and play around on the floor with my inlines. I will also make new friends and enjoy a new challenge.
***Not her real name
Saturday November 15, 2003
That Ruled!
My husband came home from work on Friday and announced the glorious new rink is open and a freestyle session is available on Saturday morning. My daily ritual does not bring me past this rink nor have I seen a grand opening announcement in the local mailbox rag. Actually, the place is not absolutely complete; only finishing touches remain. The ice is down and people are skating.
I entered the parking lot for the first time brimming with mixed emotions. The place is beautiful, a true mecca. During the years while my schedule was flexible, this place did not exist. I had to drive forty minutes to find ice and deal with a plethora of attitude and ineptitude problems. Now that I am working fulltime, a gorgeous frozen paradise opens only a twenty-minute jaunt from my house. However, this convenient oasis will allow me to continue my passion on a regular basis. Is the glass half empty or half full? It is both. It always is. Pulling my wheeled case toward the threshold, I recalled images of numerous rinks that have decorated my life. This one is by far the most beautiful. To date, my skating fervor has endured for thirty years, in one form or another. I doubt it will ever completely vanish.
The interior smelled wonderfully new. The aroma of fresh ice harkened back to my first trip to a rink early in my youth. I will never forget that delicious scent. Only the freshest, cleanest ice has the characteristic odor. Sometimes, I experience an olfactory hallucination of that long-ago fragrance, the one I learned to associate with ice skating as a six-year-old. I stretched quickly, laced my skates, and paced anxiously until the Zamboni disappeared from the arena.
Only two other skaters and a coach joined the session. A girl skated beginning freestyle and a young adult appeared to be an apprentice coach, though she was not a very good skater. I could skate power circles around her, even in my unpracticed condition. With few people to hamper my flow, I skated continuously while my husband captured the experience on film. For as infrequently as I have skated lately, I did not stink up the place. I had good speed, nice extension, and whipped off some interesting spins. I cut a fantastic change-edge spiral across the new ice.
Unfortunately, this session lasts only an hour, but an hour of excellent skating equals two hours of mediocre skating. I will return next week, and every possible Saturday thereafter. I hope this session remains a secret for a long time. What an incredible treat! I left the building repeating to my husband: “That ruled! That really kicked ass!”
Sunday November 16, 2003
Scenes from a Roller Rink
Although my old boots have not been mounted with dance wheels yet, I went to the roller rink and skated on my rockered inlines. Although I have skated indoors on these before, I have not tried them on luxurious maple wood, the classic roller floor material. Of course, the floor had been replaced in places, probably due to water damage, and these areas were considerably less smooth than the rest of the surface. The floor creaked and yielded curiously as it accepted my weight and the pressure of my wheel stroke. After a few rounds, I became acutely aware of how much more effort each push requires compared to ice skating. My leg muscles began to accumulate lactic acid and suffered the characteristic ache. I slowed down and skated more conservatively until I became acclimated.
I have not roller skated since summer; but within a half hour, I was completing attractive patterns of dance movements. Eventually, I skated the Dutch Waltz and Cha-Cha with nice extension and flow. Inline skates force precise technique. Wheels are not as forgiving as blades and cannot skim the floor in quite the same way. Therefore every edge must be perfectly placed. A coach commented on the apparent difficulty of what I was doing on my unusual skates. She had ice skated for the first time in her life the previous day.
While I complain about the stickiness of my wheels on the maple floor, avid roller skaters can make their wheels move as readily as any ice skater. In fact, quad roller dance and freestyle wheels are apparently very hard. One advanced dancer dragged her wheels sideways creating a squeaking sound as she slowed herself. She possessed such absolute control that she could skid in a modified hockey stop on roller skates! When I own proper equipment, my mobility will be less limited.
Ice skaters may envision roller dance as a clumsy, clunky set of movements with cement-like multi-wheeled weights disturbing the slender leg line of the athletes. This could not be less accurate. Roller dance is a beautiful, graceful sport. The skaters move swiftly with exquisite flow, balletic posture, and extension rivaling any ice analogue. Their feet pass close together and create quick turns that made me envious and determined. If I become seriously involved in this sport, my goal is to dance with speed and fluidity, whether I learn basic dances or become more accomplished.
Young artistic skaters also shared the session. One of them was very good. She landed double-double jump combinations and practiced traveling camels. Her coach was trying to teach her the premiere women’s roller skating skill: the inverted backward camel. This move is different on roller skates than the version I do on the ice. Roller skaters actually turn a back outside three turn to complete the inverted phase of the element on a forward inside edge. Combined with a fully overturned position, this appears to constitute the incredible difficulty of this spin. Watching this girl sparked my curiosity about my own roller spinning potential. As a teenager, I taught myself several basic spins on quad skates, all from observing other people including ice skaters on television. However, I doubt I will pursue this interest because I do not want to corrupt my muscle memory. Whenever it is available, ice skating is still my first priority.
Week of November 16, 2003
Belle of the Public Session
After a horrendous day at work, I felt too spent to drive to the new rink for a late afternoon public session. I was depressed and frustrated. All I wanted to do was hang around the house feeling sorry for myself and bemoaning my situation. I quickly decided wallowing in misery would do more harm than good and got in my car to drive to the rink.
I arrived without expectations. If anything, I expected a mob scene and to simply skate around the perimeter with the commoners for a half hour before returning home to sulk about my job and lack of decent ice time. The first thirty minutes of the session were halfway decent. After roller skating on Sunday, stroking on the ice seemed absolutely effortless. I built speed readily and held glorious extensions with only light blades to weigh down my legs. I enjoyed this sensation probably more than I ever have in my personal skating history. Each contented stroke separated me farther and farther from the events of the day, putting my troubles into perspective and into the past.
The voices of two young boys interrupted my daydreams with calls of: “Wow! You are so good!” I was sincerely surprised. I wasn’t doing anything of consequence, at least nothing that I considered impressive. However, I was flying, and flying with the grace of a bird, as though I belonged on the ice. Finally, I cut to the center and enjoyed some spins on freshly sharpened blades. My camels centered immediately. I have know for years that camel spins are a blade sharpness barometer. As soon as blades start to dull, the camel becomes increasingly difficult to control. My two little admirers asked how long I had been skating and praised me generously. They asked me to teach them to spin, and both were quick studies. Neither child had much skating experience, but they learned a couple of basic movements readily.
I was tremendously flattered by these kids who seemed to admire my ability as though I were an elite competitor. It has been a long time since I was heralded as the belle of a public session. Although the rink became very crowded, the center remained sacred, and I spun happily and helped my little friends. I left the place feeling relaxed and satisfied. Granted, this was not the type of session that would allow serious practice, but it did provide something more precious: enjoyment. For that period of time, I had no cares and completely forgot what had bothered me a couple of hours before. Feeling better can certainly be more important than getting better.
Sunday November 23, 2003
Best Intentions
I intended to roller skate today, I really did. However, I got out of bed and did not feel like making the long drive to the roller rink so early in the morning. Although there is no traffic at that hour, I just wanted to stay home. For the first time in months, I got a reasonable dose of exercise the previous week. In that seven day period I completed the following:
- Two ice skating sessions
- Two aerobics classes
- One roller skating session.
Last weekend, I talked to someone at the rink about buying a used set of roller dance plates his daughter no longer used. However, the person never called me back with a price. I assume he sold them to someone else or decided to keep them as a spare. Now I am in the process of researching other alternatives. Before investing hundreds of dollars in plates and wheels for quad dancing, I should decide whether or not I want to go to this rink regularly. During the summer, I will certainly skate in the park on my outdoor equipment. However, I am not sure how serious a commitment I might make to roller dance now that a couple of weekly ice opportunities have materialized.
I also foresee another expense. During a freestyle ice skating session, I twisted my ankle landing a loop jump. Upon examining my skates, I realized the ankle region of the landing boot has broken down. Although I would like to squeeze the rest of this season out of this pair, the bill for another set of costly customs looms on the horizon.
Thanksgiving Weekend 2003
Back on Wheels
I went to the club roller session this weekend, partially because my husband drove me and we had lunch afterward. If I want to increase my skating hours each week, I have to roller skate. There simply is not enough decent ice time available. I attended an afternoon public session that would have been okay, but the center was closed after about twenty minutes for tiny tot lessons. I asked the skate guard if this was typical for this session. He said “no” and actually referred to the group as a private party. I did not delve deeper but assumed it was a birthday party, and the proud parent paid for a group lesson for all of the little guests. Within an hour, I became bored and frustrated and left.
Although roller skating on my artistic inline skates is good practice and excellent exercise, I want to start quad dancing and taking lessons. I believe I can pursue this sport as a new challenge and improve steadily. My preexisting skating ability and ice dance experience will give me an advantage. Roller dance is surprisingly beautiful, and watching the young athletes motivates me. I mimic some of their simpler patterns on my inlines like a shameless grown-up copycat.
During the week, I attempted to obtain information from an area skating shop about plates and wheels to mount on a retired pair of ice skating boots. I left messages, but no one called back. I find this particularly annoying. Finding someone to sell me the equipment I need to begin this new endeavor seems to be the critical stumbling block. Does this place do so much business that they can ignore my phone calls? I have decided to select a good quality recreational set of plates and wheels. As a noncompetitive skater, I do not need the most expensive gear available. For ice skating, a high quality pair of boots always served me well with a middle-of-the-road blade. I plan to take an analogous route with quad skating.
Although I am still not spinning and jumping on my inlines, basic skating and dance movements are much easier on a wooden floor than an outdoor surface. I am actually seeing improvement in my crossovers and edges. I can hardly wait to skate on a traditional wheel arrangement and learn some roller skills.
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