"I Have a Skater Here..."

...yes, this was in reference to ME. As of yesterday, I am a speedskater. Awesome. Expensive, but awesome.

I had been saying for awhile that I wanted to take up speedskating, as I miss blading and am in desperate need of a wintertime aerobic activity. Also, I live a two minute walk away from the skating oval in one direction and a two minute walk away from the skate store in the other direction.

So, I went to the store yesterday afternoon all, "I'm totally clueless here, but heard you were the guy to see." And by "the guy to see," I mean the owner, who's skated competitively for thirty years. He spent an HOUR with me trying on different skates (except the $975 Olympic model), going over the equipment, technique, what to wear, the skate hours at the Oval, and just EVERYTHING. Not only that, he had the blades sharpened and rocked in under two hours so I could skate that evening. He rocked.

So. The actual skate. I fell, of course. I have terrible technique right now, of course. But I LOVED it. I just can't wait until I feel as comfortable on skates as I do on blades. (Of course, I haven't put on my blades in years, so that doesn't help.)

Also? The people there were few, but they ROCKED. Here's to you, James, for helping me with my technique out on the Oval. And here's to you, P, for commiserating with me as a "newbie" although you had just made the upgrade to Olympic-style skates. You guys rock. And here's to the Olympic wannabe and the former Olympian for showing up just as I finished so that I wouldn't have the embarassment of sharing the ice with them.