Boots of Life

When I was a kid one thing made me happy around this time of year. I would check the mailbox every time I went to my grandparents in hope that the Sears Christmas Catalog had arrived. With a pad of paper in hand I would thumb through the pages and mark what I wanted Santa Claus to bring me for Christmas.  Granted, I would receive much fewer items than what I had listed but I would systematically plot out section by section what I hoped I would get on Christmas morning.  Many of the items were geared toward winter weather fun in the catalog like sleds and ice skates. I never gravitated toward those for obvious reasons.

My first pair of ice skates I am not sure exactly where my parents got them but they were double runners that strapped onto shoes. The story was that I was around three years old.  I don't really remember my first experience but I am told I showed little fear.

By the time I was a little older  around six or seven I had my first pair of recreational skates that had the blades already on the vinyl boots. These are fine for beginners but at that point I really wanted to move up to skates that would allow me to do more. Each time I grew out of skates I would move up to the next level of skating boot.

My first pair of custom made boots I saved for and bought myself. I remember going to see Howard Craker who worked out of a small rink across from the Van Nuys Courthouse. The skates and blades got me through my early times competing. I was so proud that I was able to come up with the money to buy them. Back then basic custom boots cost about $200 and blades were around $125.

The last custom pair I still have. Harlick was always my boot of choice. They were a little more expensive but not near what I recently noticed while checking the Internet.   Instead  of the catalog you can go to Amazon or order directly through the many companies now that make figure skates.

SP-Teri, Harlick and Riedell are still major producers. Some of the newer manufacturer's are Jackson Skates developed by Donald Jackson, a former Canadian and World Champion skater and the futuristic looking skates from Edea out of Italy. Prices range from still under $100 for basic skates and blades to in the one thousand dollars and up for top of the line. You can have your name engraved on them and extra amounts of plush padding inside you might even forget your wearing skates.

I did check the Sears website for what they now offer.  They are definitely not the skates of the old Christmas catalog days but I guess they make any youngster of today ready to still make that list for Santa Claus.

Skating is and will always be a very expensive sport to participate in. Sometimes hard to be a spectator and not a regular participant. The sport still has the allure of beauty, grace and poise.

Boots of Life

Tanned, creased with age and wear
The skates lay still for now
What once glided with grace and speed
Now scratched and a little dull
The memories they stir within my soul
Will continue on through the rest of my life

The Random Ways Skating Comes Into My Life

When I hear the words figure skating usually my head pops up like a tiny puppy hearing the words "want a treat". No matter what I am doing, my heart skips a quick beat for a moment. Over the many years its brought me laughter, pain, stability, inspiration and a multitude of emotions. It gave me strength when I had little,  No matter how I have tried over the years by trying to substitute it with other things, nothing has come close to the feelings and joy the sport brought me.

This past week several different stories popped up in the media. Skating like everything else in the world has went through changes. Some good, some not so good.

A former skating coach was sentenced to 98 years for child molestation.  Something you hate to hear no matter what or where. The rink should always be a safe haven,

Rockefeller Center Ice Rink opened this past week.  The light bulb went off in my mind to my trip with the team when we got to skate there. A once in a lifetime experience.

Crown Center Skating Rink in Kansas City opened this week also. Last year we took our oldest granddaughter there for her first skating experience. Watching her, fearlessly stride off was a highlight. Maybe a trip back will help curb my fever.

The official announcement that Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir were officially commentary duos for figure skating. Move over Dick Button, Scott Hamilton and other's who have come before them. Ready or not here they are. For me the jury is still out on this one.

If not for social media I probably would be fairly lost about what's going on in the skating world. Although I do try and catch some skating on television, who is actually competing sometimes I have no clue who they are. It has been long enough now that most of the skaters who skated when I did or were just starting when I retired, so to speak are now retiring themselves. Many of the coaches are not coaching anymore or on a limited basis. Now the students of the infamous coaches are teaching a new chapter of figure skaters.

I recently started following on Tai Babilonia on Facebook. Together with Randy Gardner, they won the 1979 World Pair Championships and were five-time National Pair Champions. During and after her skating career has been an interesting and hard road. She now co-hosts a show with Ken Boxer called, The Ken Boxer, Live Show out of Santa Barbara, CA. Check it out on YouTube.

A conversation this past week with one of my friends some how got diverted to clothing and of course skating outfits of which I had a few. From a hobo costume, to Fred Astaire tux/tails and top hat, to a evening gown with Richard Dwyer (Google him),  spandex by the yards and numerous pairs of tights.  Businesses around the rinks in any area were not surprised to see you enter there business with a tiny skirt and not think a second thought. So I guess I really shouldn't be shocked now when I walk into my Walmart and see some interesting outfits. A sign of the times and a glimpse of where I live. A figure skating outfit would be totally out of place in Sedalia, MO.

My boots may not be laced, or my blades as sharp, not a rink nearby nor a beaded costume in my future but I will take the random ways skating peeks its way in my life, keep it coming.