Skating Lessons: Session One
I woke up this morning bruised, sore, and stiff. A painful morning, but a good feeling that I haven’t had in a while. My first skating lesson on Sunday kicked my ass. The good news is I’ve remembered most of my basic fundamentals. My instructor said my stride was good, but gave me tips to get more power: bend my knees more, pump my legs, and make sure I fully extend my leg out. Unfortunately my balance and ability to stop were NOT as good.
This led to some hilarious falls and a nice stiff back and neck this morning. At one point, the program manager skated over saying “I’ve heard some big falls over here, are you OK?” I was, and honestly felt like a kid out there having fun. I owe most of this confidence to the fact that I am wearing a helmet. If you decide you too want to learn to skate, get a helmet!
The class is great. It’s mostly children, but they break off into their groups and take up about two thirds of the ice. The four adults in this session have the rest. The instructor got to work with each of us individually, focusing on our goals. For one woman, it was basically her first day on skates ever. She was terrified. Two other women were decent skaters and they were practicing some figure skating fundamentals. I was able to explain that my goal is to get my fundamentals solid so that I’m ready for a beginners hockey clinic.
The best part of these classes is certainly having the open ice to move around. The instructor gets my goals and I think I’ll have at least the instruction I need to make progress, I’m looking forward to my next class. I really just need to find some time to practice. Public skates aren’t the most opportune time to practice but maybe we’ll get another cold snap and I can find a frozen pond. That would be nice.
