Aw, yeah. We got to go to Samuel's school free skate night last night - so 2 nights of free roller skating in less than 2 weeks! hip hip hooray! This is more roller skating than we have ever done in all our 12 yrs of marriage, but now I am devising strategies to go more often. If only they had like a season pass for roller skating or a punch pass or something to make it more affordable to go often. That'd be awesome.
Don't ask me why I'm developing this sudden desire to go skating. I think it might be a combination of all of these opportunities simply appearing together, and reading The Happiness Project which has had me thinking about ways to incorporate more fun into my life. And by golly, I think skating is fun. And it's pretty good exercise (if you can actually goooo without crashing into young-uns) and it's kind of like dancing, which of course is always fun, . . . and the kids like it . . . and it makes me laugh by the silliness of enjoying it so much. And those are all good things.
Here are some of my other observations from this second night of skating:
1. I am getting much too old to play wipe-out. You know, it's that game where they stop the music and say wipe-out and everyone has to fall down?? I had Michaela by the hand out on the rink and she wanted to play. At first I thought I was doing ok. But by the end I was having a hard time getting back up after wiping out. And my knee was getting sore from falling down onto it every time. Dear oh dear.
and 2. well, I really just need to talk about the scooter issue. I thought it over and decided what the problem really is and why it was driving me crazy!! And it's not just that kids on scooters are reckless and go faster on the scooter than they ever would on skates (although I still think that's a problem). The real issue is RULES. The thing is, there are certain rules and roller rink conventions that everyone must follow in order to have fun.
#1 Everyone must go in the SAME DIRECTION -always always always
#2 You do not cut straight across the rink EVER
#3 If you need to exit the rink, you move over gradually (in accordance with rules #1 and 2)
#4 You do not stop, unless you have crashed
And what I noticed is that the kids on scooters are not following these rules. At all. The reason for this, I decided, is that when you teach a kid to skate, a parent takes them by the hand (out of necessity) and kind of teaches the rules as they teach how to skate. The kids on scooters don't need to be taught how and therefore are not being taught the rules. The parents bring the kids and off they go on their scooters leaving a path of chaos and destruction in their wake, while their parents sit on the sidelines. Now, I know this is a generalization and there are some parents who might attempt to explain the rules to the kids. But frankly, 3-4 yr olds (and 5-6 yr olds, and even older) are not the best at remembering and following rules. So, I have come to the conclusion that maybe they just shouldn't be out on the rink by themselves. hahaha. :)
And lest you think I am simply a rule-fanatic - let's all try to remember that these are just like driving rules, they keep everyone safe, they allow us to be able to anticipate others' actions and navigate accordingly, and they keep everybody happy. I can't even tell you how many times I narrowly avoided crashing because some kid came out of nowhere making a beeline straight across the rink and directly into my path.
So, there's my soapbox of the day. Scooter-lovers, please don't attack me too harshly, if you please.
And for your information, Disco Night at Classic Skating from 9-midnight on Sat. - Ages 16 and Up ONLY!! Wohoo! Who wants to come?!? :)
(this pic is as we were waiting in line for the water fountain before leaving. The fog machine was on getting ready for "blackout" - yeah, I'm not too sure skating in the dark is the best idea, either. But we'll leave that for another discussion . . .) :)
1 comment:
It's been a few years since we went to school sponsored skate night and I'd forgotten about the complete lack of rules. I'll admit to being one of those moms who just let their kids out on the rink on a scooter (without even mentioning anything about rules and courtesy) so I'm totally part of the problem, but I completely agree with you about how dangerous and annoying that all is. My mom was with us from out of town and she was shocked at how lax the regulations were... she said you'd never get away with that where she lives, which I think is probably true. Anyway, my kids had a blast (even before I let them loose on the scooter, which out of decency we probably won't bring next time) and are begging to go again, so if you figure out a time that's less crowded and crazy, clue me in. Oh, and I was worried about the blackout too, but it was still really pretty bright, so I was relieved about that. The flashing lights and lasers were headache-inducing, but the blacklights were cool. Glad you had fun and got to go twice! And I hope you manage to keep going!
Post a Comment