80’s flash back
I picked up my nieces from school today and after our traditional trip to Starbucks for some treats I didn’t feel like taking them home just yet. My mom and sister-in-law were out of town for a few hours and I knew hanging out bored at my mom’s house was not going to be all that fun. So I decided I’d take them to my old skating rink. The same one I used to skate on weekly when I was eleven.
I’ve been thinking about being eleven a lot lately because Rapunzel is turning eleven next Thursday. I can hardly believe it. It seems like yesterday she was three just like Bug is now. How can she be growing up so much already?!! I just want to hold her down and say, Stop growing kid!
Just like I hoped, Rapunzel loved skating. She’d never been before so her first few laps were a little shaky. She caught on quickly though and before I knew it she was following the wall around faster and faster. We had the rink almost entirely to ourselves which is great when you are learning.
Back when I was a kid the skating rink was the hottest date in town. It was always so crowded. I don’t know how many times I ate it on the wood floor because some older boy clipped me with his skates from behind. Not this time though. We had all the space we could ever want and it was wonderful!
However, my niece SuperChic and Bug did NOT like skating. They took off their skates after one lap and spent the rest of the time running around the rink or holding my hand. I turned in SuperChic’s skates and got a pair for myself. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. All these flashbacks to the 80’s and I was eleven again. The music, the smell, the sound of old ball-bearings…it was just like being a kid again.
Well, except for the little kids who wanted to hold my hand and keep me from going around too fast. Silly kids. Bug kept saying, “I’ll keep you from falling, Mama.” When really all I wanted to do was soar around the rink with the wind in my hair. But it was fun being held back by them. It was fun to see them have fun too.
The guy behind the skate rental counter said the skates we were renting were the exact same skates they rented when I was a kid. They haven’t been upgraded since 1983. They are pretty much antiques, just like me.
I was actually a little afraid to skate at first. I know I’m not ancient or anything but I kept calculating how much more I weigh now and how much less rubber-like my bones are. My dad broke his arm roller-skating when I was a baby and the last thing I need right now is a broken arm. BUT! I did not fall. Not even once. I could even do my little spin-around circle trick still that I was so proud of back in the day. I never could skate backwards, so no ground lost there.
I really enjoyed myself. The big room was sort of stinky and hot (I don’t think the air conditioner has been fixed since 1983 either) but once I got up some speed, it was actually very pleasant. I could seriously see myself doing this once a week for a work out. It might get a little expensive but it sure was fun. Rapunzel says she’s up for it.
18 Comments
Jennifer
I am so jealous. I miss the skate rink days. My BFF and I would go skating every week. Good times. I still play all skate music every now and then on m blog. haha
K
That looks like a blast. I used to frequent my skating rink weekly back in the day too.. I even had my own skates.
(another) bethany
what fun! and i love that they have the very same skates :). i have bad rink memories, last time i was a sunday school teacher and took my class there for a treat, one girl fractured her arm … ouch! i hope you do go again, and that rapunzel really gets into it. btw, eleven???? wow. i really want the ‘pause’ button too sometimes.
beyond
i have never been to a skate rink. love the photos, they really capture the atmosphere…
nicole
fun…i could never handle roller rinks…as a kid/teen I would always get a migraine and my mom would have to come pick me up…after a couple times I didn’t go anymore but I think my kids would like to go now. What about joining a roller derby league? In your free time of course!
patti
How fun! My daughter had her birthday at an “old school rink” last month. In fact, it was the same roller rink that I went to as a kid. My friends and I would pretend we were Roller Derby Queens! Fun!
Lori
i just went skating a few months ago and i didn’t get my mad skills back as fast as you did! after a few hours i could coast back and forth and that was it. it really did bring back the sense memories, though! if only i’d had my goody comb to stick in my back pocket…
Becky
Wow! Rapunzel will be eleven? How did she grow up so fast? She was about 3 at our wedding. My goodness. :-)
Lady in a Smalltown
My old skating rink is now a radio station and a school of Budo. I miss those days.
Becca
Some friends had bday parties there last year and I got to introduce the kids to skating – they are still learning and we haven’t gotten back. I also used to go skating once a week with friends as a kids and would go SOOO fast and backwards and spin around, and do the limbo…Now I just go forwards and not too fast – I have become extremely clutzy and don’t need much help hurting myself.
Victoria
I used to love roller skating!
spandrel studios
Oh, what memories you’re bringing back! For my 12th birthday, my mom threw me a surprise party with a few of my closest girlfriends, and after hours of party games and cake, we ended the night at the school skating party. That day was so jam-packed full of fun, it was like a dream!
BeachMama
That is so amazing that your old rink is still open. The building that housed the one here has long since been turned into an office. But, I still have my old skates! My Dad had kept them all these years and my Mother forced me to remove them from her garage three summers ago. Ever now and then I take them out and give them a spin, much to the amusement of the younger kids on the street. They all wonder what on earth I have on my feet.
mamalang
We have a skating rink literally around the corner, and my hubby used to figure skate there. We’ve taken the kidlins a few times, but the last time we went I sprained my ankle. Just from the pressure of skating. Stupid weak ankles.
Kerri Anne
I’m convinced that you can’t not smile while roller skating. It’s just too much teenage fun!
Wordly
Just looking at pictures of rollerskating makes me nervous! I got a terrible break in my lower leg when I was 11 on Christmas day rollerskating.
Kuky
I remember I used to love skating when I was little. Especially around the block and down a hill that seemed so much steeper when I was small. Well a few years ago, maybe before Isabelle, I got a pair of skates/shoes. And when I tried skating again it was scary. I was thinking the same thoughts, about being older and more breakable. And I’m even older now. :-D Just the thought makes me shake in my boots.
Gayle
That looks like so much fun! Love your photos. The last one is so cool!