First Night of Skating

Heidi started skating lessons last night at the New Hope Ice Arena. This is her second session but she has not been in her skates since last February so we expected her to be a bit rusty. Not so! She picked up right where she left off last year.

She started out wanting to wear the knee pads that came with the helmet. But once she stood up she quickly changed her mind. They must have been to hard to bend her legs in.

Last year, when purchasing her skates, we found a pair of recreational skates at Dave's Sports Shop. Recreational skates are more like a Rollerblade - very warm and supportive.

They were pink and super cute but cost about $60. Then we came across these used ones, same skate, just in boy colors. We got them for $20 and this is her second season using them! I think that forgives the fact they are not pink.

She was so excited to get to her lesson she could not stop moving for the picture.
She finally stopped for two seconds just to make me happy!
They had to line up and wait to be let on the ice.
They do two very simple tests at the beginning to determine which class they will be in. In her group there are 4 classes.
1. Can't stand up, can't skate.
2. Can stand up, can get off the ice after falling, can shuffle across the ice.
3. Can glide across the ice a little bit
4. Can glide across the ice and are ready to move around freely
When the kids first enter the ice they are asked if they have skated before. If they fall as soon as they hit the ice they are carried over to group 1. If they can move the are sent to the wall to determine which group the end up in.
Last session Heidi was in group 1 but made marked improvement through the year.
Not only was she able to stand when put on the ice, she got her self over to the other kids without help. Pretty good since she hadn't been skating in the better part of a year!
But then she plopped her self down in group 1 because that's where she was last year. She has a great memory and follows directions to a T. When no directions are given she will default to her comfort zone. This means, last night, she was in group 1.
And spent the 30 minutes learning how to stand. Something she is very good at.
And she was the first one across the ice every time.
This is not because she is an awesome skater (though she is already better than me). It is because the teacher did not say "Heidi, please go to group 2."
Next week she wants to go to Group 2 so we will ask them to move her up. Her goal is to skate circles around Shawn. I think that is a good goal!