Heck on Wheels!

I used to love going skating when I was a little kid. I still remember when I was very little and my family had just moved to Federal Way, WA back in early 1975, we used to frequently go roller skating at an Old-School Federal Way Icon that has long since vanished, the Bavarian themed Federal Way Skate Center...

Unfortunately that was back in the days either before everything was dangerous or people cared about inconveniences like personal safety. Eventually time caught up with the place and someone recognized that idea of having a skating rink on the second floor of a building was fire hazard. Even though there was a possibility of a potentially hilarious fire, the building had to be closed and was eventually demolished.

The next skating rink to spring up in Federal Way was Pattison’s West. I’m not sure exactly when that came to be but that place has been there at least since I was in Junior High School and remains in place today. That was all a long time ago but was I still remember heading there with friends occasionally on a Friday or Saturday night and having a blast either skating or playing Pole Position which, with skates on was no easy task.

It is possible (however unlikely) that I am out of touch but to me it seems that skating since then has kind of gone in an X-Games/In-line direction since then and doing laps in rink is one of those activities like bowling that seems to have faded away somewhat for the kids today (those darned whippersnappers!). There seem to be less and less places to do this.

On occasion however, while visiting the army base to the south of us, Ft. Lewis, with my sister’s family, we will drive past the skating rink that still exists on base there. Last time we were in the area, the kids always looking to get out of shopping, asked if we might take them skating sometime and we promised that we would “next time” we were on base.

That brings us to this past Saturday, when another shopping outing was planned to Ft. Lewis and the kids remembered this promise and asked me to take them to the skating rink while mom went looking at shoes and clothes with the rest of the ladies.

Taking the kids skating was a wonderful idea. The kids had a fantastic time zipping in laps around in circles and good old-fashioned 4-wheel rental skates. Sweet! Then even had skates that fit little Ben and no sooner was the Velcro fastened on his skates then he too took off onto the skate floor.

The skates that Ben used were I guess specially for toddlers since the wheels barely turned or didn’t turn at all. Still though, he happily stomped off in his skates walking like a happy little Herman Munster trying to keep up with his brother, sister and beloved cousin, Michelle. He was so cute in those tiny little skates…

Awwwww!

This was all great right up to the point where I decided to put on some skates myself. I figured it had been what, only like 20 years since I have skated but I could surely still school my own kids.

I quickly learned that the years have been unkind to me. Gravity, like global warming seems to have gotten to be a more serious problem than when I was little. I used to go skating, fall to the floor now while trying some nifty trick or another and spring right back up to take back off again. Now when I fall, it is like someone has cut down a mighty redwood as I come crashing to the ground branches breaking all around.

While kids zip over and all around me, I would lie on the ground doing a damage assessment for several minutes and only get up when I’m sure nothing has broken or dislocated. It was while lying on the floor at one point that I looked around and discovered that I was just about the only one skating over the age of 18. Most parents were content to sit on the benches around the edges of the rink and read books (yawn). Surely I’m not one of them yet.

Momentum also seems to have been a problem for me. I used to be able to stop on a dime. Now I stop when I hit a wall.

The kids too had their share of slips and falls but of course they didn’t care. They just laughed, got up and went around again.

It was really fun to watch the kids living the good life and maybe even live a little vicariously through them as they requested songs from the rink DJ, ate sugary snacks and did the hokey pokey just like it used to be when I was their ages. I know that they had a great time too since when we got home, both Sarah and Joshua requested that their next birthday parties be at the skating rink.

Maybe we will have to consider taking the kids skating a little more often. I’m still not bringing a book though.