The Old Fashioned Skating Party hosted by the Town at the Okotoks Recreation Centre on Sunday brought back memories of skating parties in Edmonton with my family as a kid.
I watched the happy faces of parents and youngsters. Some were zipping along like seasoned vets on the ice. I snapped a few photos of parents gingerly helping their children along, helping them get their balance and learning how to gracefully glide along the frozen surface.
I smiled, remembering the days when I was struggling to stand upright on the ice.
I’m not talking about being a kid, I mean as a grown adult.
You see, I can’t skate.
My parents often took my sister and I out to Hawrelak Park in Edmonton to skate on the large pond at the park when we were young. I skated and (tried to) play hockey on the outdoor rink across from my elementary and junior high school.
It never took, no matter how many times I ventured out on the ice.
I still can’t skate to this day. The last time I tried was a couple years ago with friends at Bowness Park in Calgary.
There’s few other more Canadian experiences than grabbing your coat and mittens, lacing up your skates and heading out for a leisurely time on the ice, or maybe a hockey game, right?
I’ve occasionally wondered if I missed out. I still ski and go sledding. I’ll plop down and make snow angels with my young niece and nephew.
It’s been a couple years since the last time I tried to skate. I guess it’s time to try it again.
How’s this for a quintessential Canadian experience, skating on the Rideau Canal while enjoying a beaver tail and hot chocolate?
That settles it, I’m going to do it - not well though – when I go out to Ottawa later this winter to pack up my girlfriend’s apartment and move her back home once she’s done grad school.
And, when we’re back, we’re going to join the rest of the skaters on the ice at the rec centre.
I guess it’s time I finally learned to skate. Maybe I’ll be able to join in at next year’s old fashioned skating party.
