Yesterday we went to the "Raleigh on Ice" outdoor ice skating rink. In case you hadn't noticed, it is usually above freezing in NC, so a rink either has to be indoors or have massive refrigeration. Except in this case, it is made of "green" plastic (no huge energy expenditure for freezing it, so I guess it's green...)
Eleanor was completely convinced that the whole experience would be horrible, before we even set out. I had a hard time convincing her that while it might be horrible, we had to try it first. It turns out that she was more right than wrong. Skating on a plastic sheet is more slippery than ice, so your feet slide out from under you. It is also bumpy, since the "rink" is made by 3x5 (or so) sheets of plastic. These combined made for some spectacular falls.
Luke actually did fine, despite having boots that were 2 sizes too big for him. He gamely walked ans slid around the outside of the rink. I was supposed to have skates on, but the person running the rink kindly let me walk around on my shoes (against the rules) which made it more possible for me to stand up and hold Luke at the same time.
Amanda's skates were also 2 sizes too big (she has the same size feet as Luke, except her left foot is bigger than her right, while Luke's right foot is bigger). She had more success, venturing out from the edge sometimes. Whenever she fell, she erupted into gales of laughter. It was quite amusing.
Eleanor tried skating across the middle, but because of the problems noted above, she actually fell quite often, probably more often than she was used to. Every time she fell she was convinced that she had broken something, and that she wouldn't be able to get up and walk to the edge of the rink. She bounced between wanting to go home and thinking that this was the most fun thing ever! I wouldn't go do it again, but it was quite fun for a morning out.
Eleanor was completely convinced that the whole experience would be horrible, before we even set out. I had a hard time convincing her that while it might be horrible, we had to try it first. It turns out that she was more right than wrong. Skating on a plastic sheet is more slippery than ice, so your feet slide out from under you. It is also bumpy, since the "rink" is made by 3x5 (or so) sheets of plastic. These combined made for some spectacular falls.
Luke actually did fine, despite having boots that were 2 sizes too big for him. He gamely walked ans slid around the outside of the rink. I was supposed to have skates on, but the person running the rink kindly let me walk around on my shoes (against the rules) which made it more possible for me to stand up and hold Luke at the same time.
Amanda's skates were also 2 sizes too big (she has the same size feet as Luke, except her left foot is bigger than her right, while Luke's right foot is bigger). She had more success, venturing out from the edge sometimes. Whenever she fell, she erupted into gales of laughter. It was quite amusing.
Eleanor tried skating across the middle, but because of the problems noted above, she actually fell quite often, probably more often than she was used to. Every time she fell she was convinced that she had broken something, and that she wouldn't be able to get up and walk to the edge of the rink. She bounced between wanting to go home and thinking that this was the most fun thing ever! I wouldn't go do it again, but it was quite fun for a morning out.
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