Skating the Loop

It’s January 15th. We are halfway through the first month of 2025 and nearly a full month into winter, though you would never say it by the weather we have been having here in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The temperature has barely dipped below zero celsius and then only on a hand full of days since the season began, and we may have had five centimeters of snow; two that fell on Christmas Eve and were gone again by the day after Boxing Day, and three that fell yesterday and last night. Not being much of a fan of winter, I am not complaining.

In spite of these unseasonably mild temperatures the city crew responsible for Bannerman Park has managed to create and maintain the ice surface that goes down over the walking path for a few months each winter, to become the Bannerman Park Skating Loop.

Each year I promised myself that I was going to skate the Loop, even putting it on my “Things to do Before I Die” list, https://lifelunchliterature.com/2023/04/03/things-to-do-before-i-die/ but for some reason I never got around to it. Last year my oldest son even gave me a pair of skates, a size 10 that he probably outgrew when he was twelve, and still I never managed to get on the ice. So I promised myself that this year would be the year.

That is why today, hand-me-down skates in hand, I left my office at lunch time and headed for Bannerman Park. The sun was shining, the temperature was a crisp, pleasant -1, and there was hardly a breath of wind. I was nervous when I sat on the bench to don my skates, as I hadn’t had a pair on my feet in more than thirty years, but I laced them up and stepped out on the Loop.

I got off to a bit of a shaky start, almost falling as soon as my first skate hit the ice, but I recovered my balance and managed to stand upright with both blades beneath me. Moving was another thing. I had forgotten how to do it. I watched a couple of other skaters go by, seeing how they pushed with one foot and glided on the other, back and forth; push with the right, glide on the left; push with the left, glide on the right.

I gathered my courage and pushed off with my right foot. My left foot turned sideways, and I spun in a circle, arms windmilling as I struggled to stay on my feet. I tripped and I stumbled but I did not fall. Perhaps I needed to start with a slightly less aggressive push. I tried a much gentler motion, almost walking, gradually increasing the length of my stride and my speed. By the end of one full lap of the Loop I was doing pretty well. After about fifteen minutes I was gliding along, truly enjoying myself.

It didn’t take long to realize that I was working some muscle groups that I hadn’t really worked hard in a long time; my shins were burning, the backs of my thighs were aching and whatever the muscles are that support the ankles were groaning in protest. However, I managed to skate for 45 minutes (not wanting to leave the ice even then but I had to get back to work) and covering, according to the “Map my Run” app on my phone, a distance just shy of 6.5 Km. Fresh air and exercise while taking part in a very enjoyable activity, not a bad way to spend a lunch break.

While removing my skates I saw something that I had previously failed to notice, perhaps because I was so nervous about going skating again after all this time, I was carrying my skates in a liquor store bag and the extra pair of warm socks that I put on were a promotional pair for Landshark beer.

I’m not sure what this says about me, but I don’t think I’ll give it too much thought.

Cheers!

Stephen