I finally went SKATING!!
Since it wasn't too cold last Friday night, Steve decided to take me skating. He knows I've never been and I've been dying to go for a really long time now so after work, he suggested that we head home, grab our skates and go downtown for dinner. I didn't own a pair of skates so his sister let me borrow hers instead (there's only about an inch or so difference between our foot size).
Nathan Phillips Square, downtown, has a rink that's free and open to the public. They have skate rentals too for those that down have one. We decided to have dinner at the Korean BBQ Grill nearby which is a really cool place to eat because you get an all-you-can-eat dinner for less than $15, the food is great and you get to cook it yourself. It was packed by the time we got there but since it was near the rink and we really didn't feel like going some place else (not to mention that we already paid for parking) we decided to wait for a table.
After dinner, we walked to the rink and Steve helped me put on my skates (those things are heavy!) and he made sure they were tight but comfortable enough to move with. After helping me with mine and putting his on, it was time to get on the ice. He went in first and told me to wait until he got a feel for it (he hasn't been skating for quite sometime so he wanted to make sure he was comfortable enough to help me). He made a lap around the rink, came back for me and slowly helped me get on the rink. I have to tell you, watching other people skate seemed easy but as soon as I stepped on the rink, I yelped and grabbed Steve for support. It was so darn slippery that I was scared to even move a little.
He kept telling me that it was ok, he wasn't going to let me fall and that we should take baby steps towards the center of the rink. It was HARD! I almost fell so MANY times and each time one of my legs slipped from under me, I'd scream and grab him. We were laughing so hard and I told him I felt a little embarrassed because everyone else seemed to know how to skate and I was the only one in the center, yelping with arms flailing. I asked him if we could move to the sides of the rink where it wasn't so obvious that I was a beginner. He looked at me and said, "Honey, beginners always skate in the middle so we don't get in the way of those people going around the rink and moving really fast..." I looked around and said, "I really hate all the people in this rink right now who make it seem so easy!"
Steve said that with enough practice, I will eventually get the hang of it and that I was doing really well for a first-time skater (maybe knowing how to roller blade helped noh?). Towards the end of the evening, I was much better although I still cannot let go of his arm. I had fallen twice on my bum and after the second fall, we called it a night. My arms were sore and I was sure I had a huge bruise forming at the part that hit the ice.
We were skating for an entire hour and although it was a bit painful, I had so much fun. Steve asked me whether I would want to go again... Of course I would!
Here are some pictures Steve and I took with my phone camera but the lighting wasn't very good so the pictures came out a little blurred.
2 comments:
Looks like you had fun. I've never been a fan of skating. We used to have to go when in grade school and although I can make it around the rink without falling I don't think I'll ever look half as graceful as everyone else seems to.
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. My arms are still sore today from all that effort and my bum still hurts big time. I'm actually surprised I didn't get a visible bruise.
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