I Heart Roller Skating!!

So....one of my secrets is I was a roller skater....like figure skater but on roller skates?? It is stupidly called artistic roller skating, but when you tell someone that, they look at you like you have 2 heads. So, I usually say the "like figure skating but on wheels" thing, which sounds just as stupid anyway. So I competed and everything until after I got married...way back in 1996. I still have a picture from regionals or nationals, I can't remember. I'll find it and scan it to show the world.

My oh so wonderful hubby bitched and moaned about my skating so often, my practice yada yada, too much time blah blah blah, that I quit since I was tired of listening to him. You see, that was back when I wanted to do whatever he wanted me to do....now, I'm not so much into that. Now, I could give a crap. I have regreted it ever since because I was an athlete in great shape with a cute rear, now I'm totally out of shape and have a huge rear...and hate it.

So.....I still have one pair of my skates, but they aren't very comfortable now that my once muscle legs are flabby - they rub blisters on my ankles. I originally had 3 pairs before I quit, one for figures (trace circles with skates - really hard), one for dancing, and speed skates for playing around at sessions, but I got rid of 2 when I stopped. My kids love to pull out my old pair and skate around the kitchen, which is dangerous since they are figure skates and have no toe stops.

My mom talked me into getting them some skates this past weekend and tonight was our first officially skating rink session. I bought skates for me and both kidlets at Academy Sports (and if you want skates, they have several to choose from that are inexpensive) - mine and Ms Em's are like the picture - cheapie $60 skates and they do feel cheapie when you are used to $300-$500 skates, lol. Em took to it really quick but she had a year of ice skating lessons already. Mr E was holding onto the wall, but by the end of the first hour at the session, he was doing pretty good and no longer holding onto the wall. They both love it, and Mr E is going on Saturday to take lessons. He is thrilled! Ms Em wears hers 24/7, I even have to take them off her when she goes to bed at night, lol.

It took me about 30 minutes to acclimate back into skates, but by the end I was back to doing 3 turns and backward crossovers easily. I was too chicken to attempt any jumps or spins, lol, but we'll be back next week for the spring break sessions so maybe I'll get my nerve up.

I'm seriously considering going back to it simply for the great exercise. Tonight made me realize how much I miss it. And these are the skates I want!! These are the popular brand of typical artistic skates -- about $300, but now they come in custom colors and I can get wide width for my fat feet, lol. How cool is that? They can match my hair!