A Figure Skating Story

Skates

Lizzy couldn't wait to go skating again. When it was time for Friday's lesson, Terry and Lizzy drove to the rink, and Lizzy immediately plopped down on the bench. She could barely hold still while her mom put her skates on, and kept telling her mom, "Hurry hurry hurry!" even though there was plenty of time. Her mom would reply, "Hold still, Liz...put your foot down...stop turning around...Lizzy pay attention...do you want to skate or not?" The last one got her attention. She tried to force herself to sit still, although she wasn't managing it very well. After her skates were on, Lizzy rushed to the door, waiting with Lauren for their lesson to start.

And this was how it was every Friday. It became a routine. Lizzy learned to sit still, but her excitement never dwindled. She passed through the Pre-Alpha, Alpha, and Beta levels with ease. Each session was twelve weeks, so it had been nine months since Lizzy started skating. Lizzy had turned six seven months ago. After her last Beta lesson, the coach asked Lizzy to meet her mom. Lizzy brought the coach, Sam, to her mom, then went to play with Lauren and her other friends she had made in the Learn To Skate group lessons.

"Hi, are you Lizzy's mom?" Sam questioned.

"Yes, I'm Terry."

"I'm Sam, the Beta coach for this last Learn To Skate session." Sam smiled and extended her hand to Terry.

Terry reached out to meet Sam's hand in a handshake. "Oh, nice to meet you. Lizzy talks a lot about you."

"Aw, she's such a sweet kid. What is she, six years old?"

"Ya." Terry smiled

"When's her birthday?"

"In five months. September 16. She's already planning her next birthday party. She wants a skating party."

"She's a great skater. Fearless on the ice." She smiled, and paused, then said, "I was thinking she would do better in Gamma with her own pair of skates. Equipment is very important in skating. Rental skates are okay for beginners, but at a certain point a skater really needs her own pair."

"I was thinking about that, but I really don't know anything about skates." Terry admitted, scrunching up her nose.

"Oh, that's okay." Sam said cheerfully while she waved her hand dramatically. "I actually help out in the pro shop, so if you're free, we can go check it out right now."

Terry raised her eyebrows in surprise, and replied, "Wow, ya definitely! Lizzy, sweetie, come here!" Lizzy turned her head from her friends and scampered over to her mom. "Hey, how about getting your own pair of skates?"

Lizzy's eyes widened, "You mean like the big girls have?"

Terry laughed, "Ya, like the big girls have." Lizzy squealed and jumped up and down as they headed to the pro shop. She couldn't believe it. Her very own pair of white skates, with white laces. She could put sparkles on them and decorate them like she saw some of the big girls do. She could compete with them and do shows with them like the big girls do. Then, in that moment, she decided she would BE one of the big girls one day. She promised herself that as she pranced into the pro shop, about to get her very own skates.