Holiday Ice Skating

Posted on Dec 1 2014 - 7:50am by Aubrey

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I had an opportunity to ice skate on opening day at MacArthur on Ice…the local mall’s outdoor holiday ice rink, so I made it a family outing! I started ice skating at the age of four, so the idea of taking my boys skating was pretty exciting and I couldn’t wait to see how they took to the ice. And — what better way to get into the holiday spirit, than lacing up some ice skates and enjoying all the outdoor (icy) elements. HA!

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The really nice thing about the MacArthur on Ice rink is that they have a kiddie rink, which is pretty much a small box maybe 10 x 10, where the side rails are lower – for smaller kids, and they can practice and not feel intimidated by better skaters or much “bigger” non-skaters possible falling on or near them! Raef took to skating immediately and eagerly let me lace him up. Isaiah was pretty excited too, but since his toddler feet are only a size 6, they didn’t have skates his size..never the less, he loved the atmosphere and bravely stepped into the kiddie rink sans skates!

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I was able to assist Raef in getting around the “big kid” rink. He did really well…I would either hold his hands and help move him forward with my swizzles, or I would come in front of him and skate backwards, kid of pulling him along. To our credit, we did not fall AT ALL! I also was able to sneak a round on the ice with Isaiah (with his sneakers0 between my legs, letting him glide on the ice…you know, to get the experience! Shh..don’t tell!! 🙂

And for me, ice skating felt like “riding a bike!” Yes, I started when I was four and kept it up until about 8 years of age, then got tired of it, before starting up again between ages 11-12. The last time I had actually been skating had to have been in college when I took Ice Skating Phys Ed classes at San Jose State – yes they offered ice skating and I needed the elective credits!

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All in all, I would certainly recommend doing a holiday ice skating outing with your family and kids are so fearless and resilient, you have nothing to worry about…they will love it, even if they fall. I wasn’t sure how my boys would react, but they enjoyed it so much, I would definitely consider taking them again… They also loved watching the “Phantom of the Opera” themed zamboni clean the ice. When I skated as a child, seeing the zamboni on the ice and watching as it rotated perfectly to cover every inch of the rink was always a treat, so it was really special for me to do that with my family.  Good times for sure!