SUZANNE TATE:‘Real Men’ Love To Go Ice Skating; Hot Chocolate Helps, Too

They begged and pleaded and begged some more. “Speedway in Fights,” as some might have called the backseat skirmishes that happened Saturday before we ate lunch near the Bristol Motor Speedway, became “Speedway in Contrite Children Who Promised to Behave and Needed to Go Ice Skating.”

My 11-year-old son had gotten a taste for ice skating a week earlier when my husband took him to the ice rink at McArthur Center in downtown Norfolk. There were cute girls there. And ice. And you could go fast. Well, if you are 11 and agile and have strong ankles.

Simply put, he was hooked. He didn’t care about seeing the ornate Christmas light show at Speedway in Lights. That’s for babies, Mom. Real men are going ice skating. Yeah, ice skating, echoed his 7-year-old brother, who earlier claimed he wanted to go see the lights, but now was professing a dying need to go balance on two metal blades and slide around on frozen water.

My husband was willing to take the lead on skating instruction – good for them because they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere but hurt with me. Years ago I loved to skate and spent many teenage nights at the roller skating rink near Wards Corner in Norfolk, sometimes even “couples skating” to songs like “Reunited” by Peaches and Herb. Now that was fun.

But the thought of me on ice skates now is beyond comical. The arthritis in my knees works against me to walk around the office most days.

The Johnson Controls Ice Rink is housed in a large white tent beside Bristol Motor Speedway. It was frigid a week ago Saturday and the cold cut us when we got out of the car. The complaints started when we saw the line was easily 50 people deep, wide, long or whatever word you want to describe the amoeba-like mass of people that stood before us, in no particular order and not moving.

It took several minutes of pondering, and prompts from the initiated in the crowd for us to realize the obvious – you can’t let everyone who wants to skate onto the ice at the same time. As people leave the ice and turn in their skates, a few more people are allowed to get their skates and go in. The flow is helped by the fact that you pay seven bucks to skate for an hour – five for the time and two for the skate rental.

Most people are happy with an hour on the ice and cycle through. So after 25 minutes of waiting in line, punctuated by some loud protests about the cold from my youngest, they finally got their skates, colored bracelets and were able to go in. Whew.

I helped lace-up Miles’ skates, remembering that ice skating is hard on your ankles, more so if your skates are not snug. Rented ice skates are uglier than bowling shoes (my husband’s were powder blue) but soon they were snug, laced and ready to skate. And soon the crying began.

Miles’ feet shot out in two directions when he set foot on the ice. My husband guided him along the railing, but this ice skating was a conspiracy, period. The ice was out to get him. The skates were out to get him. The other people who were skating were out to get him.

When I saw my son’s face after 10 feet on the ice, I said to immediately bring him off. But my husband has patience beyond most mortals. He was willing to make one pass around the rink and Miles said he wanted to keep trying, so away they went.

Nelson, my older son, took off and literally skated circles around them both. He is agile and strong and a natural at skating. I watched from the theater-style seating with the other parents and friends who didn’t brave the ice. We sat in a sea of strangers’ shoes that spilled out around us.

Our family members and friends were strutting, sliding and grooving around the ice at various skill levels. There were experts and novices and plenty of people barely making it around the ice, hanging on to the rails.
And then there was Miles. It took more than 30 minutes, but he finally made his way back to the opening. He was tired and frustrated and eager to get out of his skates.
“You don’t think ice skating is for you?” I asked.

“No, Mom,” he said. “Hot chocolate is for me.”

He had seen a small vending trailer outside the rink and just wanted to get warm. We turned in his skates and got two cups of steaming cocoa, then settled back in our seats to watch the others make a few more passes before their time was up.

For proficient skaters, I’m sure the hour passed in a moment. For my husband, I’m sure it seemed a bit longer. Nelson circled countless times and finished the hour with rosy cheeks and a huge smile. Despite a rough time on the ice, even Miles left happy thanks to the hot cocoa.

Ice skating was tremendously popular the night we went – among teens, families, even older couples. You’ve got until Jan. 11 to take advantage of the ice rink, and for $7 it’s a good bargain for a bit of fun and exercise. In fact, we got so absorbed in the skating, we missed seeing the lights. Both events close at 10 p.m., so budget some extra time to do both, or plan to come back multiple nights.

SUZANNE TATE is the opinion page editor at the Bristol Herald Courier and can be reached at (276) 645-2534 or .