Ice is Slippery

I am watching the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Currently, the pairs are competing but I am waiting patiently for the Women's Long Program portion of the coverage. The title of this post is a response Sasha Cohen gave when asked about a fall she took during a program she was performing. Sort of a "hello, have you forgotten what it is we are doing here...1/2 inch blade on ice???" My gal Sasha doesn't suffer fools gladly and she can get a bit fiesty when the criticism hits a fever pitch.

About three months after I moved to Los Angeles I went in search of an ice rink. I ended up out by the airport in a city called El Segundo. There's an amazing rink out there...2 actually - one for hockey, one for figure skating. I was checking out the schedule for classes and public skate times and wandering around in the pro shop. I was suddenly amazed to be looking directly at one of my favorite figure skaters, the lovely and diminuative Ms. Cohen. I had no idea she was so tiny. Every one looks big on screen and she's quite a commanding performer. I was flumoxed. I wanted so to be a big, goofy fan and go up to her and gush but I was overwhelmed seeing her, I was speechless, no doubt the best possible outcome. She was having her skates fiddled with by the guy in the pro shop. I decided I would hang out and possibly see her skate. I didn't get to see her skate but she did do her pre-skate stretching right near me in the cafeteria area. I was thrilled. Of all the celebrity sightings I experienced I was the most excited by this one. I have followed her career and rooted for her for years. I am hoping she has a top finish at the World Championship.

I am a novice ice skater. I do love it. It is one of those things I rediscovered in my adulthood. I had a year in my early teens where I skated at a local ice rink with a friend every weekend. Somehow, that hobby went by the wayside. Years later a new ice rink was built in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center. On a whim I went to a public skate and the enjoyment of it all came rushing back. I took lessons. I got better. I can do some fairly small elements like turns and stuff. I got to a class where we were going to learn how to jump. A simple jump known as a waltz jump, and it does look simple but for some reason I am just terrified of leaving the ice...even for a split second. I still have a waltz jump as a goal. There's a rink in South Lake Tahoe and my skates are in the car.

Here's hoping my gal Sasha has a wonderful program.

PostScript: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Sasha came in third. Dang!