Just Skating By

I remember, do you?  I remember those days in my pre-teen phase, going skating.  It was an escape of sorts.  A time to feel…different. 

I remember feeling awkward, a little uncoordinated and unsure of myself.  Those were the days in which my body was changing, my hormones were increasing and social relationships were changing.  Add to all that moving to a new neighborhood and a new school.  It was all strange to me in my strange new body and my strange new emotions.  

We've all been there, it’s a rite of passage, a phase we all must pass through on our journey to adulthood.  How did we cope?  What did we do?  We went SKATING!

It was those couple of hours every week that we went to the local Skate Rink with our friends.  Those few hours, we felt the breeze through our hair and felt like we could fly; we were free.  We were in control of our body, sure and graceful.  We weren't gangly, uncoordinated and strange; we were perfect.  

With our friends, we felt accepted and more sure of ourselves than anywhere else.  These few hours each week, we weren't little kids, we weren't emerging adults, we were "US", just us; no other expectations.

Now, don't get me wrong.  There were definitely social issues present.  I give you the intensely awkward "Couples Skate" as an example.  There was the pressure of having someone to skate with. Did you hold hands?  Were your friends going to jump to any conclusions like, "couple skating means you're going steady".

Don't forget when the DJ decided to change things up like:  Speed Skate, Backward Skate, Reverse Skate, etc.  If you weren't a confident skater, these were the times those insecurities crept into this Utopian night.  I was not a FAST skater, so Speed Skate turned me into a wallflower.  I stood along the wall and watched others speed by, the wind whipping past.  I could backward skate just fine, but I had some friends that struggled with that.  Reverse skate just felt weird, a little disorienting; like the world decided to spin the other way.

Fear of these moments had us practicing daily on our driveways or in someone's basement.  The driveway was somewhat of a challenge with the section cracks.  It was a rough skate, but improved balance and coordination.  We practiced skills like cross overs so we'd look cool going around the corners at the rink.  We practiced backward skating and other fun moves like squatting, shoot the duck, etc.  Basement skating was SMOOTH.  My wheels were quiet and glided along the concrete floor.  I could skate faster in a basement.  Then, I'd grab a support pole and spin around it, my hair flying from my head and that adrenaline rush.

We’d return to the skating rink each Friday evening, ready to show off our new skills.  One of my favorite things to do, get with a friend in the middle of the rink.  You know, just under the disco ball.  During a song, with the lights spinning all around, spin with a friend.  We’d connect arms, lean back, throw our heads back, close our eyes and SPIN!  WOW!  Freedom from the world, from all our pre-teen craziness.  An escape to nothingness for just a moment.

Do you think the Pre-Teen Skate Night experience has changed much?  I wonder how the 10 – 14 year old kids feel about “skate nights” today?  Do they still find that utopian escape?  I wonder as I remember.  Do you?