Ice Skate

Mission Level
Success

Ever ice skate? I never did. Not until December 22, 2012! Now, if you are going to try ice skating for the first time, you are going to want to pick an awesome spot. How about the James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink in Lake Placid?

This would be the rink used in both the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. Eric Heiden won five gold medals and set a world record on this ice. I'm on the ice of champions. Up to this point, ice was what I used to keep my vodka chilled.

And how about we do this all in a blizzard?

Go ice!

This is a huge ring which is refrigerated and super-well taken care of. Actual speed-skaters train here but they have public skating a few hours a day. Tickets are pretty cheap, actually, and the money goes to keeping this rink up and running so you can't feel bad about throwing down a couple bucks for a couple hours of skating.

Then again, I didn't pay for the tickets.

The ring

My awesome and super-fantastic man-friend had his own skates, I rented mine for a staggering $3. I was expecting a thin, sharp blade - stiff, heavy leather boots. The blade was not as sharp as I thought - hey, I never even handled skates before.

Fashion is my bag

Preconceived Notions
I use to rollerblade when I was a teenager. I never learned how to stop other than running into things like walls and cars or running on the grass until I could stop moving. Someone once said that rollerblading was like ice skating and if you could do one you could do the other. This is. . .accurateish..

It is easier to move on the ice both forward and back. I think it is easier to fall, too. I found I could stop myself by turning and using angles. I think if I used my toe pick I could stop and probably fall over. I think trying to run on the ground with ice skates would be a baaaad idea. I did not try this.

On the Ice
Being on the ice was actually really great. At first, I was pretty unsteady. I had a lot to worry about - falling, other people, other people falling, looking cool - you know, important things.

Looking cool

Skating is fluid and smooth and once I got my confidence up a little, I got into the gliding groove. There is some magical about ice skating. It's ice and metal. I'm on frozen water with a strip of metal attached to a boot. Yet, every effort and twist of the body produces motion. In a conceptual way, it is like swimming where a couple strokes produce far more motion than the body is use to.

Trust me, though, you use some muscles to keep going and I like going fast at a lot of things. I did hit a couple patches where I almost took a tumble, but, I recovered.

Skate, scream, bobble, skate, bobble, scream, triple lutz.

I did have to stop before I wanted to. My knee was bothering me and it's a type of bother that told me to take a break. I love the cold but enough of it somehow can get into my core and fare up my neuropathy.

True story: The first time the neuropathy started, it was numbness so I started clawing and poking at my skin to get some feeling back. Then it turned into heat - burning like hot oil rippling over my skin. I went outside and laid in the snow to try to stop it. Hypothermia does not cure neuropathy. Then my doctor called and got me back inside, explained it all and I found heat works a lot better. Funny nerves.

I did enjoy watching people skate. The kid were fun because they grew up doing this and they were pretty amazing. They also fell a couple times which was more humorous than painful - don't worry, everyone popped right up.

I did get back on the ice to try to lap my guy - he was having a blast zooming around - but I never caught up to him. I blame the blizzard wind which caught me in the face and brought me to a complete stop.

Yeah - stupid nature!

Kidding, nature is cool. (get it?!)

Future Plans
I would totally go ice skating again. I suggest anyone who has not tried it to give it a shot. There is something liberating about slipping around.

I will also mention I fell twice this day just when walking and hitting a patch of ice. I'm that cool.

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.