Stepping Back in Time

One year ago when I went on a visit to California I stopped by one of the skating rinks I spent many hours at during my childhood. I had heard it had been closed for awhile due to new ownership and renovations taking place. The building I knew was older, the windows were tapped with black plastic someday to reveal a new dynamic rink. This picture shows how it was that day I stopped by to see my old homestead of sorts.

This past month I again thought I would stop by and see if any progress had been made and to my surprise the sign read OPEN in big black letters on the marquee. A few cars in the parking lot so I thought what the heck I'll stop in and see what it looked like.

I have to say when I pulled in the parking lot I stopped for a brief moment and sat behind the wheel of the car. I rush went over me. One because it had been at least 25 years since I had stepped foot in this particular rink. Alot of great memories but also alot of sad one's too. When I stepped through the door I briefly told the young man in the office that I used to skate at the rink as a kid and I just wanted to see all the new work they had done. "No problem, Mame go ahead". That in itself was strange to me because the last time I had set foot on the ice there I was in my early 20's. As I canvased the new renovations. That rink smell was still there. That large patch of white had a couple single skaters and a couple coaches but other than that it was just as I had remembered. Now equipped with surveillance cameras at 6 different sights (that seems to be the think in most areas of California sadly) most things in the inside were still the same.

Although all new coaches pictures graced the wall, I didn't strangely recognize several from my days of gracing the ice. The only major difference was that the old fire pit that proudly stood in the middle of the off ice area was now just black rubber. A little sad as I spent many a time sitting there warming my hands and other wet spots on the body from falling down on the ice.

Many hours of my early lifetime was spent at this establishment. That brief few minutes standing there at taking a 360 degree look around was a little daunting for me but I am extremely happy that it did get purchased by someone who loved it for what it was a special place for many people who have come through those doors. Either for recreational or professional hopes of becoming another Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi or whoever the current queen of ice might be.

It provided a wonderful haven for me, I met some wonderful people and had some of the best times of my life in that place.