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jayWednesday night... it's adult ice skating night at our local rink. I'm getting ready for freestyle 1 class starting in December, so I need practice and went after dinner. Watching the beginners struggle with forward stroking and crossovers... I remember being there. And I just wanted to say "keep going! it gets smoother and better as you go!" to them. Figure skating depends on physical ability, sure, and practice... and confidence. Especially when trying new things. It appeals to me on several levels.
My friends in martial arts might recognize those aspects -- as well as that there will always be someone further advanced than oneself, and someone less skilled. And a slight amount of personal risk.
I apparently made the night's spectacle... after a Zamboni run, everyone reverses direction and goes clockwise for awhile. I decided to use the opportunity to practice my mohawks and backwards crossovers in that direction (usually we skate counter-clockwise). No problem... until I came around and there was a tall woman, an advanced skater, sprawled. She had pulled up on a jump to avoid a slow-moving clump of beginners -- who had stopped. I was about to skate into her... so I used one of my usual avoidance moves, a pivot and slight jump to the side, resulting in my back pressed flat against the backboard and feet out of the way. Or so I expected.
However... I was in front of the glass door into the rink. Normally, no problem, it has firm hinges and would have held me up. Unbeknownst to me, someone had it wide open and was leaning on it, chatting with the girl at the front desk. I flew backwards through the opening, out of the rink, striking my head on the door's edge and then bouncing off of the rubber-mat-covered floor. I'm no small child -- it must have looked strange to see a middle-aged bearded guy flying backwards through the door! Afterward, I collected my wits, rubbed my head, turned down the offered icepack and headed back out on to the rink for another half hour. I'm still slightly dizzy.
My friends in martial arts might recognize those aspects -- as well as that there will always be someone further advanced than oneself, and someone less skilled. And a slight amount of personal risk.
I apparently made the night's spectacle... after a Zamboni run, everyone reverses direction and goes clockwise for awhile. I decided to use the opportunity to practice my mohawks and backwards crossovers in that direction (usually we skate counter-clockwise). No problem... until I came around and there was a tall woman, an advanced skater, sprawled. She had pulled up on a jump to avoid a slow-moving clump of beginners -- who had stopped. I was about to skate into her... so I used one of my usual avoidance moves, a pivot and slight jump to the side, resulting in my back pressed flat against the backboard and feet out of the way. Or so I expected.
However... I was in front of the glass door into the rink. Normally, no problem, it has firm hinges and would have held me up. Unbeknownst to me, someone had it wide open and was leaning on it, chatting with the girl at the front desk. I flew backwards through the opening, out of the rink, striking my head on the door's edge and then bouncing off of the rubber-mat-covered floor. I'm no small child -- it must have looked strange to see a middle-aged bearded guy flying backwards through the door! Afterward, I collected my wits, rubbed my head, turned down the offered icepack and headed back out on to the rink for another half hour. I'm still slightly dizzy.
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Date: 2003-10-30 06:07 pm (UTC)