Friday activity time at the high school was just the perfect amount of time for skate lessons. This is the jr high sister of one of my older students who found out I’m starting to skate. She’s a legend at her local rink. We worked on backward turns and backward skating. She was a great teacher ! We had quite the audience.

Anyone ever just sit down and write out a little bit about all the different rhythm skate styles? I did 😂 I will put some here and please join in and add things that I have missed! NY/NY - seems based in house music. Lots of pivots, trains and trios, figure 8’s, footwork on the 2,4,6 and 8 beat. Chicago- JB or James Brown. Footwork. Four corners, Big Wheel, Buckey Walk. ATL - real swaggy, ryding. Leg crossing, claps and stomps on the beat. Seems faster than the other rhythm styles except for …. Philly - Fast backwards looking over their left shoulder is their claim to fame. Cleveland - jumps! Stomping on beat (literally mesmerizing), group skating. Striding. Detroit - high kicks, intricate footwork using their toe stops, group formations. Cali - LA based. Sliding on fibers. Smooth. I like how they customize dress shoes into skates. St Louis - couple and ballroom skating. G slide DMV area - snappin. 180 degree pivots on one leg. Footwork. Like how there is someone else skating with them to support the “snap”. What’s your favorite style???

Got to the rink today to finally put miles on my new skates. Even got my sister to drive 2 and a half hours to go. We had a blast. What a difference good skates make. I don’t know what you call it but for the first time in my life I was able to do the kinda bouncy leg cross one leg and heel half moon thing. I’m sure it has a name. I wasn’t very fast but I was able to bop around to the music. We had a blast and even though we are in our forties we did engage in a highly competitive tag which brought us back to our elementary school skate days. And as competitive siblings I must mention there was one fall and it wasn’t me!!!!!! She was trying to jump over a painted line to one up me and she one downed herself. Thank you to everyone who has helped me so far. I have to make the journey to Pittsburgh Monday and hoping to hit up Wicked skatewear for some outdoor wheels.

I walked the route (1.5 miles) to check for sticks, stones and other debris on the country road. Then, I adorned all protective gear, except the elbow pads (I forgot them) and hit the road. The downhill, half-mile slope made me gain way TOO much speed, even though I carved. Then, the uphill skate tested my conditioning. Happily, I'm in better shape than I thought. 😁 I did this hill twice. Would have completed it more times, but a dog decided to join me and was nipping at my skates. 😳

I was so excited to get home from work today to have my new sure grip skates oxfords waiting for me. I bought two sizes 8 and 9. The8 was right length but I had so much room in ball of foot and I had the ankle portion laced to touching and still loose.. I am a new skater who used to skate in the 80s. I m looking for a women’s narrow skate but not cheapies but not a thousand dollars either. Please help.