Roller Skatin’

Ah, those wonderful shoes with four wheels from my youth. Skating around in a circle for hours at a time. While it wasn’t completely easy, I don’t remember it taking too long to figure out the basics. I do remember having an awesome bruise and goose-egg on my right knee from falling so much. Maybe not so easy after all.

So after a … oh, maybe 25 to 30 year hiatus, I tried out my roller skating skills again. My ultimate goal is to be rolling all over St. Pete. But I figured I’d better get some basic safety down before hitting the streets.

Astro Skate in Pinellas Park has lessons at 9 a.m. on Saturday. I decided to go and break in my skates. The next oldest person in the class was maybe 13. Nearly all of the adults were watching their kids or watching their phones. (Trying not to be too judgy, but I thought that was highly tragic. Why not get out there and do it with your kid?!)

So I put my pride aside and did some of the exercises with the kids. I paid my $8 for the lesson after all!! Sometimes I went and did my own thing, when the lesson felt a little too “kiddie.” The learning activities were helpful. Mostly I learned the same things via YouTube, but it was nice to see them teaching the same techniques. I’ve got a ways to go on balancing on one foot, which feeds into turning and other things.

When I was doing my own thing, an intern who was maybe 10 years old helped me out a lot when I was on my own. She let me know my wheels weren’t adjusted correctly. She showed me another way to turn. She watched me while I skated and gave me some awesome tips. It was such a good lesson that we all have something to teach each other. It doesn’t matter she’s 30 years younger than me, she knows more about skating! None of the labels we give ourselves matters all that much, depending on the circumstance.

I fell. A lot. I scared myself a bit. If I go to the rink next week, I’m going to wear my wrist guards. I skinned my knee. My left ass cheek hurts. But I didn’t seriously injure myself. And I got up and kept going. Challenging my limits, but also listening to them.

I did realize that skating is literally physically more difficult for me now than when I was 13. I’m taller and I weigh more! My center of gravity is higher.

I’m glad to be challenging myself with this new thing. In my head it was going to be easier to pick this back up. It’s not quite like learning to ride a bike. There are some things that I am replicating from my youth, but somethings are coming harder. Probably because of the physics issue.

But I did skate backwards today. That is something I’ve always wanted to be able to do that was inaccessible to me. The exercises broke it down enough that I can do it. Slowly, of course, but I can do it!

I have a parking lot next to my apartment complex, so that might provide a good place to practice before I truly take to the streets. I need to make sure I can stop quickly and turn reliably before that. I don’t think it will take me too long to be “good enough.”

And, I’ll be able to rock my leopard-print safety gear… It’s the little things that count!

I get a supreme sense of satisfaction when I think about roller skating. Even though I was in class … not of my peers, I had such a good time. And I was out on that rink for about an hour-and-a-half. So fun rolling around!

Looking forward to rolling this into my fitness regime. (hah! You see what I did there? Pun completely intended!