Saturday, August 25, 2007

Battered Skates


Crooning on my STEREO:
4 In The Morning by GWEN STEFANI

Figure skating is a bloody good sport; it tones your butt, it doesn't make you sweat like a pig and it puts your friends in awe of you. It is hardly dangerous (except when you FALL and another skater happens to skid through your fingers), it is socially condusive (chances is that you wont meet pervs within the ice area) and it trains you to be empathetic. (ie, feel sorry for the poor souls who stumble around you.)

I was once a figure skater during medieval times. Before you choke on your coffee, I am reminiscing approximately 7 years ago when I used to camp around different ice rinks and lugged my 5kg ice skates to various countries abroad. To prove it:- here's a stale photo I took on the frozen lake in front of Hampton Palace.

My supremity on the ice meant that I ended up giving free twirling lessons to fellow stumbling skaters. The kids worshipped me and the chavs fancied me. Glory.

I admit, if I had lived in the United States and began ice training when I was three, I would've made it to Salt Lake by last year. I would have participated in the Winter Olympics. I would have a hotter bod.

But of course, my existence was destined for another mundane purpose. Oh well...

I was at a competitve stage before I retired from this sport. 7 years ago, I was training religiously at the Nottingham Ice Arena. I was preparing for an exam where I have to compete against 12 year old pre-teen rival. (yes, I know: skaters are getting younger.) I had come to a level where I could jump effortlessly and spin without throwing up gas.

One fine day, I discovered binge drinking. I discovered clubbing. I found greater solace in getting myself highly intoxicated at parties than locking myself up in a refrigerator. Thats when I stopped turning up at ice trainings. And I did not renew my lessons. And I got fat, which obviously had its lasting impression on me.

My ice skates lay battered til today. I had ferried them from London, Spain and now, back home. And I hadn't put them on since Nottingham. If I were to stick my feet back in, I wouldn't remember the professional basics of lacing them up properly.


I used to think that my ice skates were so pretty. I even had my name engraved on them, and I even personalised my ice shields with different colours.

But why had I abandoned them so suddenly? Why can't the same kind of love be rekindled after its loss? I don't know if I will bring them with me when I move abroad next year.

My life is a slippery skating vacation; I have been so lucky not to have my fingers sliced up by the oncoming skaters.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow! ice skating..i went ice skating the other day for the 2nd time in my life and i swear, it must have taken out another 5 mins of my life! i even feel twice too!

gosh, is there something u haven't done yet?! LOL..

anyway, u moving abroad? aww! where? take care anyway! :)

Rt Hon Sir Cipan Nougat-Tenuk said...

A bunch of us first-timers went on an ice hockey rink in Finland and spent a few hours learning not to fall over.

Of course we wanted to have a group pic taken of everyone on the ice.

As everyone started to say cheese, one fella slowly began drifting forward, automatically and he dint know how to stop.

We grabbed him back to his place and started again but again it happened.

The whole group fell over laughing their heads off at the sight of his face.

Simple American said...

You know ice hockey and drinking go hand in hand. And there is a lot more satisfaction in jumping and knocking some one on their bum versus jumping and landing on your own bum. I miss lacing up my CCMs.

But a beer tastes great after hockey. *burp*

Anonymous said...

Gee Lyn... I dreamt that I'm skating that night after I had read your blog... lol... I'm awake now...

Take care!

xoxo
Sab

......... said...

You know what?... I like you

......... said...

You know what?...
I like you

mistipurple said...

wow. *admires in awe* *bows*

Yng Lyn said...

pikseen: hey dear! I fely the same way when I went skating the 2nd time in my life too!! but dont worry.. its practise that makes perfect! i think there's an olympic sized rink in Melbourne? xx

sir cipan: It's so sweet though, strangely when I read what you wrote I felt so nostalgic. Life can be also tbe the simple joy of falling over :) You have the photo?
FINLAND!!

kor kor: no no.. alcohol is dangerous on the ice!!! no no!!!!! but you are american ;)

sabrina: thats so cute..... let's go to pyramid one of these days!!! you're on hols right?

abdex: why, thank you!

misti: no no...... those were my glories in the past..... :( miss ya.

Rt Hon Sir Cipan Nougat-Tenuk said...

No, but I think I know where to get it. Thanks for reminding me.

Yeah, Finland. The ice-rink is actually in a bomb shelter about 8 stories underground.

When we arrived at the topside, we went "Where's the ice-rink complex?" cos there's only this dinky jamban kampung structure standing in the middle of a snow-covered parking lot.

That jamban was the elevator ... lol.

And they have great bars with, can u believe it, great American jazz.

Go figure ... :P

Yng Lyn said...

finland is hell of a fascinating country. hahaha.... I can imagine that its snow covered everywhere tha you don't need a prpoer rink management.