I started those ice skating lessons a couple of weeks ago.  The first week I was scheduled for the intermediate class after talking to the director.  Sure, I grew up skating on a lake in Illinois.  Sure I know how to ice skate.  Sounded like the right placement.

I arrived for that lesson to find other adult women – all much younger than I – tentatively twirling and putting one leg up in the air for more than two seconds and skating backwards quite gracefully.  Uh oh.

I talked to the sweet young instructor – about 22 or so?  We agreed I should just skate around that night and start the beginning class the following week.  This delighted the woman who got me started on all this, Esther, who was still on a trip to Michigan that first night.  As it happens, if I hadn’t switched, they would have cancelled the beginner class.  We have a semi-private lesson happening here!

The first beginner class was when I realized I don’t know how to ice skate.  Our instructor, Natalie, took a look at my form  it turns out I have much work to do.  When she showed me how to actually ice skate I felt like a little kid.  Arms out.  Knees bent.  Kick back instead of to side.  But with toes pointed out to the side.  What?  As a physical therapist I know this is called external rotation and hip extension.  Guess what, not a lot of external rotation in this old body.  My left leg is weaker than my right.  Oh man,  This is going to be more of a challenge than I thought.

I was delighted, Esther got her ice legs and off we went until next week.

After work on Friday I popped in to public skate session (free with classes!) to practice.  As I laced my skates I saw her: an old woman in tights and skating outfit twirling and skating backwards and sideways and doing little jumps.  Older than I.  Fitter than I.  Skating like I want to skate.  I assumed she was a young skater turned old and continuing.

I stopped to talk to Hannah, and it turns out she started when she was 50.  I turn 59 this month.  Like me she skated as a child but had to learn to do it correctly to do anything but skate in a circle.  She was pure inspiration for me.   Natalie was on site and I told her I wanted to skate like that.  She said “Hey, I’m up for the challenge.”

Hannah willingly gave me her age and told me she is in much better shape than most of her contemporaries because of the balance involved in things like doing a little tiny single axel.  Are you ready?

She’s 76.

I will send you videos when I do my first twirly jumpy thing…