I remarked to a woman who had just come off the ice that walking in skates was way easier than I thought it would be. I held my breath and steeled myself for impact as my blades touched the rink's surface. After lacing up, I carefully took my first steps around the perimeter of the rink. I arrived at Leddy excited but also scared that I would spend the rest of the day at urgent care. My freezer was stocked with ice packs and bags of frozen peas. The day before my first lesson, one of my editors sent me a link to an Onion article headlined: " Man Ice Skating for First Time Really Getting Hang of Clutching Wall." Yup, that's gonna be me, I thought to myself. Paquette Ice Arena at Burlington's Leddy Park. After a phone chat, she agreed to join me for a couple of sessions at the Gordon H. She teaches group and private lessons all over Vermont, sometimes crisscrossing multiple counties in a single day. After a quick internet search, I stumbled on coach Jennifer Lupia, who's known by the clever aptronym Jenn "Loops." A decorated figure skater and experienced coach, Loops is a six-time United States Figure Skating Association gold medalist in various categories.
If I was going to skate, I wanted to learn from an expert. The thought of smacking my head, knees, elbows and everything in between on cold ice over and over kept me on solid ground - an ice-rink virgin. Or, if I did, I didn't move more than a step or two. Maybe it was the thrill of watching high school friends zip around the hockey rink that intrigued me, or the serenity of the opening sequence in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." I have vague childhood memories of strapping on training skates, the kind with two blades, but I don't remember ever touching ice. With winter's arrival - as well as my fast-approaching 39th birthday in January - I decided to be adventurous and try a cold-weather activity that has long piqued my curiosity: ice skating. Lately, though, I've gotten more into athletics.
Thanks a lot, Mom and Dad.Īside from sledding down Mount Philo and building snow forts à la the classic Disney short "Donald's Snow Fight," the only winter sport I ever tried as a kid was downhill skiing - and I sucked at it, even after two seasons' worth of lessons in middle school. What they don't realize is that, if your parents didn't do winter sports, you probably didn't, either. At least, that's what many folks have assumed of me, a born Vermonter. If you grew up here, surely you must be an expert snowboarder, cross-country skier, ice climber, curling lead and bobsledder. Some people think that all Vermonters are nuts about winter sports.
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