Winter has officially begun and New Yorkers have been enjoying the weather since November. Ice skating rinks have popped throughout the city – a sweet consolation while New Yorkers are waiting for the real snow.
There are different locations where you can either ice skate or watch the skaters, like in Central Park, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, and plenty of others. I am Moroccan, so I am not used to this sport, but I decided to be courageous and try it. Like all firsts, I will never forget it!
First, you feel excited. Am I really doing this? Is it rational? It’s a mix of excitement, fear, and joy. Fortunately, my friends were there to support me (and pick me up when I inevitably fall). Everyone around me was surprisingly helpful and supportive. An agent working there came up to me, and told me I have to tighten my skates to make my legs more stable. He was right!
Observing my fellow skaters, I felt a surge of confidence. It didn’t seem too terrible. I thought of skaters on television or in the movies, and the grace they had in moving across the ice. I would glide elegantly on the ice, and be able to slide smoothly, and even be capable of spinning in circles in the middle while everybody would be applauding. Then, the reality came back, but in a funny way. People were assuredly clapping and attentive to my moves, but not for the same reason. One by one in our group we started entering the rink. When my turn arrived, I asked for some help, I didn’t want to find myself alone. Despite all the help and the advice people gave me, my first step on the ice ended with my rear end on the floor!
My first contact with the ice was complete. I felt it with my whole body. Miraculously, I stood up, willing it was the first and last time. I grabbed the rails with both hands, and decided they would be my best friends for the next hour. Despite the advice from a friend, my brain was completely separated to my body; I couldn’t hear what he said. I just wanted to reach the other side. A key point you have to know is that you have to do the whole circle in order to come back to your departure point (a detail people forget to tell you).
Of course, the best skaters dominate the center, but I didn’t belong with them. However, I started to be attentive to the people around me. They became all part of my life. Both people inside the rink and outside, on the park had something to say. They gave me instructions, had kind words to encourage me, take my hands to help me move. A “real expert” on ice skating came up next to me, and gave me all her attention. With her soft voice, she gave me confidence, and kept encouraging me “don’t worry, keep going, move one foot after the other, right and left, believe in me, just breathe, just smile, stay balanced with your weight in the front so you will no heart your back if you fell, keep your knees bent…” At the same time, I heard a group of people sitting in the chairs starting to clap their hands, and saying supporting words. I couldn’t see who they are (too focused on not falling) but I was sincerely thankful to them, and sorry they had to attend such horrible performance.
One thing is sure; I didn’t expect this kind of attention from everybody. A real mindset of companionship was present all over the place. Everybody from children to elderly people, professionals or amateurs, skating or not, was participating! At the end of my “journey”, I heard someone saying “in order to learn ice skating, you have first to learn how to fall.” Fortunately, I heard it at the end, otherwise I don’t think I would be able to do it. I fell, but I was not confident enough to give a try. I will maybe go back with less fear, and more confidence. Yes, I can!
By Kenza Yahrfouri
