New Experience: Roller Skating!

This was a very fun new experience: for the first time in my life I tried roller skating! In this case, I'm talking about the old school roller skates: the ones that look like a skate board on your foot, as you may have seen in movies set during the 70's and 80's. In fact, my experience resembled a lot what I've seen in the movies, with the lights and everybody going around having a great time.

I had always wanted to try roller skating, and fortunately for me I found a perfect place for that: Southgate Roller Rink (by the way, it seems that their website hasn't changed since the 90's...), an old school roller skating rink in South Seattle. Honestly, the place felt like it was stuck in time in the 80's, but it was in good shape. I went there this afternoon, and I paid just sixteen dollars to enter the rink and get a pair of skates. During the afternoon the place has lots and lots of kids, and in fact there was a birthday party going on there. It made for a really fun atmosphere.

I put on my skates and... I tried to stand up. I did! And I didn't fall. Good. For some ten minutes that was basically all I did: stood up while holding on to a table. Eventually I let my hands go and... I didn't fall again. Still good! I spent some ten more minutes just doing that. After that I moved forward perhaps... a meter (three feet). No fall! I repeated that a bunch more times, just one meter at a time. OK, this was OK. Mind you, I did all that outside of the actual rink: this way I always had a table or a fence to grab if I lost my balance.

After enough baby steps, I thought I could go into the actual rink. I did! And I didn't fall! Let me emphasize that by no means I was doing like some of the patrons there, that were pretty much flying around, without a care in the world, like they were born with skates on their feet. In my case, I stayed next to the fence the entire time, which from time to time I would grab, but I covered quite some distance for my very first try in my life.

Following that, I left the rink and sat down. I was dripping sweat. But I was very happy.

Having given my baby steps with roller skates, I have to say that I loved it. With enough practice, I think I can just go around the rink and have the time of my life. So, if any of you are thinking about it... go for it, no matter what age. I saw people there of all ages, from little kids to what appeared to be white haired grandmas. Nobody cares how well or not you're doing, so you might as well give it a try and just enjoy yourself.









Location: Seattle, WA, USA

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