Tonight I went roller skating for the first time in over 15 years. When I was a kid I roller skated all the time. First I had a couple pairs of old fashioned metal skates that would clip onto your shoes with a skate key. (I haven't seen them since Irving Place, but I do hope they are in a box some where.) Then I got a pair of boot skates--white with a bit of rainbow and a red toe stop.

I used to skate round and around the dining room table or around the block. Occasionally I would go to Wisconsin Skate University for a skating party with the church/school youth group. The last time I was there...the last time I skated, was in the week before my very first week of high school. It was the freshman mixer, where I met the boy from my homeroom on whom I would have a hopeless and stupid crush for a couple of years.

This evening's skating was the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters skating party at Fast Forward. The rink was very much like what I remembered of Skate University, including the shabby decor and the loud pop music. I was there with my Little and we very gamely made our way around the rink.

I was pleased to find that my skills can back to me quite quickly, probably as a result of my yearly ice skating. My Little was a little shakier, but she did very well and gained confidence with every circuit. There was quite a range of ages and abilities on the floor and there were frequent spills, collisions, and pile-ups. Still, no one got hurt, as far as I could see, and everyone stayed civil and took it in the spirit of fun. To be true, there was some rude and aggressive skating from some of the faster skaters, but it was never frightening, just annoying.

We both had quite a bit of fun and have decided to go roller skating again sometime. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eye on the Tenney Park ice.

* bonus points for identifying the quote