Rough night at the rink...

[Tatooed Lady]

the hubby, son and I went skating last night, as we've done for the last few weeks now. We're all doing tons better now than we started out, so I'm quite pleased. This looks like something we'll be able to continue for a long time, IF we don't have anymore "accidents". Hubby's still looking tight and nervous, but he's getting better with balance. I've been all over him to learn to heel brake, but he's stubborn (like me). Anyhow, the rink only had about 30 skaters last night, most were under 18 years old. A couple girls had played the claw machine and won stuffed animals. They proceeded to take the animals out on the floor, and no one thought anything of it at first. Then I saw them THROWING the toys around, onto the floor, at other skaters...one girl threw/dropped one in front of my hubby, and he panicked. He thought it was a CHILD that hit the floor in front of him. With the dark rink, spinning lights, trying to concentrate on balance, etc, I can understand how he thought that. Anyhow, he smashed his knee on the floor, and of COURSE it had to be the knee he's had surgery on...He wound up sitting out the rest of the session with ice on his knee. He's now understandably nervous about getting back out there, and I'm TICKED OFF that this happened!
The rink guys DID make the announcement that toys had to be taken off the floor, but that was after damage was done. The girls DID come over and apologize to my hubby, but again, damage was already done by then.
Now I have to sit and wonder if he'll be able to get past the fear of hurting himself and get back on skates...I'm ready to go back out today, but I don't want to go with him all banged up and not even able to walk without a knee brace...
My son had a blister from the first time skating that healed up, but he worked too much last night on speed, games, etc...so he's now got a blood blister. So much for family 'fun'.

[Greenetuckian]

When I go to the rink I always wear my carpenters jeans and put on my knee pads underneigth them. The loose legs on the jeans hide the pads perfectly. I don't wear any other protective gear though.

You should really see about going to matinee skates, especially while you are still pretty new. The teens don't show up until the evening skate and often you will have the floor darn near to yourself.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi TL,

Yes I too have had some difficult times with the kids and have been knocked down. Some older skaters call them the speed bumps yet I enjoy them and like showing them tricks. They are fast learners and wonderments.

My best advice for you and husband is to become quasi-floor guards and start to tell the kids how to behave on the skate floor. Most places have young kids as floor guards and they don't really admonish the kids enough so that the rink stays a safe place for all. Do it with care and most rinks won't mind and will see you as an ally.

One caution, don't holler at the kids and expect them to listen. They don't listen and it has nothing to do with them being bad. Show them or guide them on proper behavior and let them keep having fun.

One Story to make this point. It is a story about a little, I think non English speaking boy. He had a coat on wrapped around his stomach that was just wanting to fall on the floor and create hazards so I guided him off the floor with my body. Later I noticed he was still sitting out So I went on over and encouraged him back out. You see he only understood he had to leave the floor instead of understanding it was his coat that was the problem.

Our rink always has an announcement early on about things like No Gum Chewing, No Hats, , , Yet hardly anyone listens, which as a mom you should understand.

One final note: Watch for the Trouble.
I always try to get an idea of who are the spastic fallers when I skate any session. Sometimes it is just one, sometimes none or two. Always pay attention to where they are on the floor in comparison to you.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Dave

[fablemaker2]

When it comes to blisters, take the family and skates to a skate shop (higher end ice arenas are best) to get fitted for inserts so that the skate fits perfectly.

My daughter and I were actually doing the same thing with a stuffed animal yesterday, but we were only playing catch - no throwing it at others. It's a great exercise for balance, not looking down at your skates, reflexes, and such.

About the knees - kneepads. Protek has some really good ones. I've come off a 4' ledge right onto my knees and got right up without any pain at all! The pads fit under semi-loose pants, so you don't have to look like a baggy-panted skaterboi!!

[Tatooed Lady]

great advice already, thanks! First off, I'm going to have to insist that he (hubby) wear kneepads even at the rink. I need to buy some for myself as well. Can't be TOO protected from ourselves and others, IMHO.
As far as my son's blister(s), he uses rental skates at the moment, but I'd like to find some skates for him. I don't want to go broke, as he's around size 11 1/2, and still growing...he also says he prefers a lower cut boot, not the standard 100-year old style that they rent out.
The rink isn't one of the busy ones, 30 (give or take) skaters on a Saturday night is about as busy as it gets, which is one of the reasons we aren't worrying about looking for a different rink to learn. There's one a bit farther away, but I hear they're insanely busy on the weekends...no thanks!
Hopefully things will be okay from now on, and I do plan to help the guys in keeping an eye on the other skaters, trying to keep the floor safe for us all.

[Tatooed Lady]

update:
hubby's walking around fine now...I wonder if it wasn't just a big shock to his knee..it's a little swollen, but no visible bruising. Hopefully he'll rebound quickly and be willing to try skating again soon.

[roller_dudette]

Humm......what I dont understand is whats the big deal about wearing some protective gear? Shoot, nothing makes me feel dumber then being hurt. And since I like to learn new challenging moves and want to get good, that entails a lot of falling. I think being a GOOD skater makes you cool if you ask me. Hey, if having knee pads makes you feel that uncomfortable, get the volleyball pads and put them underneath baggy pants! I wear sweat pants with the volleyball pads in one of my dance classes since we do lots of knee work and upper body work. Cant tell and then I dont get bruises then. Please wear something, otherwise you will be one of many people who DONT skate and DONT get to have incredible amount of fun because you are "too old."

Yeah, I avoid the teen skates myself! The teens skates and birthday parties arent for me. I like to SKATE, not dodge kids. I really hope he feels better quickly. Skating is too much fun to let things like this knock you down.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi TL,

Originally Posted by Tatooed Lady

update:
hubby's walking around fine now...I wonder if it wasn't just a big shock to his knee..it's a little swollen, but no visible bruising. Hopefully he'll rebound quickly and be willing to try skating again soon.

Great,

I hurt my knee real bad a long time ago when being forced by my teenage son to keep playing badmitten and beating him. He was waiting for a win which he didn't get, yet he always giggles to this day that he blew out my knee.

As long as your husband is doing fine great, yet make sure. I left mine go too long and it took forever and a lot of work to fix.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Dave

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi Again TL, and knee bruised hubby,
You too RollerDudette,

One piece of advise I forgot to give was to make yourselves as friendly as possible, without intruding. Talk to the skate guards about stuff that interests them, including skating, and ask them to intervene when you see that a situation looks dangerous and outside of rink policy or safe skating.

The rink rules are usually posted on the way coming in and in most places these are the official posters of the rink owner's association.. Keep coming and you will be kind of like family.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Dave

[fablemaker2]

Actually, I find dodging kids fun! I have some serious reflexes, partly because of my biking days in SF, partly because of tennis, partly because of Saturday matinee at the rink!!

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi FableMaker,TL, RD,

We are going to scare Tatooed Lady.

Yes I enjoy skating around and through the kids and sliding sideways in the lane. I just did this a few hours ago here at Skateland(Bradford, MA). Never hurting a single child or adult yet hopefully exciting them to keep skating with spirit.

Kids are a treasure.

I hope TL and her hubbie get good with a few more outings, before their child starts speeding by them doing jumps.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Dave

[colibri]

Kids mucking around at rinks do get rather annoying last weekend two of them were trying to trip each other up one succeeded the kid fell i barely managed to keep myself from letting my skate whack him straight in the face but my poor mate didn't move quick enough slammed right into the kids stomach tripped up and broke his arm, It's not a bad break but it sucks he can't skate for 3 weeks or so the worst part of the story is the rink staff had no idea what to do and the kid didn't even come and apologize, Won't be skating their ever again thats for sure. Try and stick to adult only nights when your first learning the basics so you don't have to deal with the little missiles.

[roller_dudette]

What I do is go to the early morning skate on Sat. or weekday nights if I want to "practice." Otherwise Sat and SUn. afternoons are filled with 6 yr olds that never skated beforehand (birthday parties). THey will cross right in front of you. Now its not so bad, but I had a bad fall when I first started skating because of it. They just dont have the kinesthetic sense yet! Now, I just am weary going backwards during that time.

Fri and Sat nights? Nah! Thats roller derby for teenagers, lol.

But lil guys with wheels........they are cute! I agree, go for the quiet sessions in the beginning.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi Colibri, Roller Dudette,

Originally Posted by colibri

Kids mucking around at rinks do get rather annoying last weekend two of them were trying to trip each other up one succeeded the kid fell i barely managed to keep myself from letting my skate whack him straight in the face but my poor mate didn't move quick enough slammed right into the kids stomach tripped up and broke his arm, It's not a bad break but it sucks he can't skate for 3 weeks or so the worst part of the story is the rink staff had no idea what to do and the kid didn't even come and apologize, Won't be skating their ever again thats for sure. Try and stick to adult only nights when your first learning the basics so you don't have to deal with the little missiles.

I do agree with your summary comment that I will rewrite.
^
Find a time to skate at any rink that you feel is safe for you..

As you say in Australia "stay away from missiles" or as we say in the US States "Stay away from the speed bumps"

I don't know about your comment about not going back again. I think in depends. I do understand your frustation and anger yet your pain is part of their and your mutual experience so if you manage things correctly you and they will be a safer place to skate based on your mutual shared experience.

Make skating a safe place by YOUR presence would be my best advice.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Dave

[Tatooed Lady]

unfortunately, we wound up skipping going to the rink tonight. Work's been hectic, and after 20+ hours of overtime each, we're both pretty wiped out. We've got a schedule for the rink though, and there's a matinee skate listed, so we'll try that, if we're not busy trying to accomplish everything that's been shoved to the side in the last week.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi TL, hubbie, family,

Yes the OT is great for the money, and that might be something you have to do right now for some of your joint family objectives, yet let me ask you a simple logical question that we in IBM years ago used to say.

Do you work to live?
or
Do you live to work?

Consider working as a way of making living worthwhile.

No criticism intended for your hard work ethic, just some self talk.

Yours in Skating, Living, MA/NY Dave

[Tatooed Lady]

for last week's work, we worked our buns off to pay a double mortgage payment (winters are slow, we get really behind on a lot), so when work's available, we're all over it. This week, we've worked two days, and so far the rest have been rained out. Construction is rough this time of year, so I reckon we work to live. Give me some 50 hour weeks and I'll be good...
Anyhow, we haven't been skating since hubby clipped his knee, haven't had the time to hit the rink, and we're not upright and confident enough to skate outdoors at the parks yet. We'll get there, eventually.

[raggedjim]

Just don't give up on it. Life has a way of getting in the way of what you enjoy doing... I went from 1982 to 2006 without skating, that's too long!

But I'm back and I'm not quitting again!

Rg