September 13, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Learning To Skate.

children here in Canada learn to skate almost as soon as they can walk. In the summer here in Liverpool, the ice surface is kept in the arena all year so during the summer, different groups are able to skate. Today from 1 to 2 tots and adults could skate. I am easily amused but today while walking, I also watched a young boy learning to skate. The boy was about 3 years old. Today was not his first skate because his ankles were straight but he was a beginner. During the time I watched him, he must have fallen 50 times. He quickly got up, with the use of the frame he was using. Then off he went again. His father, who was a good skater would circle around him, encouraging him all the way. The only help the child received was when the frame was returned to him when it got too far away. The child held onto the frame, which is a wonderful learning tool. After a fall, the child can easily get up, with the help of the frame. When the child tried to get up by himself he was unable to stand so would fall again but with the learning tool, he could stand all by himself. His drill was to skate a bit, fall and get up and do it again. Time after time. The child loved skating fast, at least as fast as he could move his feet. But of course, he would fall sooner when he skated fast. He would skate as fast as possible right at the other frames which were sitting at the end of the rink. He was having a wonderful time. And I had a wonderful time watching him as I walked my 10 laps. I chatted to a mother watching a hockey school, and commented on the expertise of the skating. The mother said that at this stage, the kids should be good skaters because they started skating at age 2 and have spent many hours on skates each month ever since. Ken did not learn to skate until 8 or 9 because at that time the only place to skate was on frozen ponds and for several winters the ponds and lakes did not freeze. But now, most towns have arenas so most skating is done inside, just like today. Ice skating is like swimming or bike riding. Once you can master the task, it stays with you for life. That little boy will never remember all the falling he did today but he will remember how well he skates. And I smile every time I recall him getting up, time after time. Such fun watching.