Six years

My cousin Kacie and I hit the ice last Friday

It's been somewhere around six years since I've been on the ice. It was a mind boggling thought when I actually figured it out.

I started out rollerblading when I was younger and then made a smooth transition onto the ice. I spent four years skating. Once a week I hit the ice and I usually spent a half hour with my coach going over things. Running repetitive figures, or spending the entire two hour session spinning or jumping. I was motivated and had dreams of taking it somewhere. But I couldn't drive, we had limited resources and when my sis started playing softball I knew it wouldn't last much longer.

I'm glad for the break, I was able to get involved at church and find some other interests. But part of me missed it. And I didn't realize how much until I stepped on the ice again last week. First the smell of the ice, it's hard to explain but it's so distinct that it brought back lots of memories. That first initial loop around made me remember that doing forward crossovers and getting down into my knees and the ice feels like I'm flying. Finding a specific edge and listening as your blade digs into the ice. Oh how I've missed this!

Things came back to me the longer I was on the ice. What I was lacking was some balance and the ability to not get dizzy when spinning. The spinning will come back with more practice. The balance I realized, once I got back into my fundamentals, was from lack of flexibility. Definitely not as flexible as I was six years ago. But that just makes me determined to gain it all back. And then there is the wonderful feeling when you skate your butt off for an hour and you get off the ice and your legs feel like jelly. That one makes me happy, just as much as being sore the next day. Productivity. :D

Some things haven't changed though...