Like being a kid again
As a kid, I was a little deprived. Sure, I had a roof over my head, all the food I wanted to eat, a loving family, and an environment in which my piano career could thrive. But when it came to anything other than piano, school & church, I was deprived. No sports or extracurricular activities, especially those that would jeopardize my piano fingers. (I know, I know, I have nothing to complain about. I'm just trying to set the stage for this post...)
So when I left home to go to university, I decided that I would pursue my longtime ambition to learn sports. I've always had a decent sense of balance and physical ability; I just wanted to develop that desire for physical fitness. So I joined intramural teams, played soccer in the snow, and took physical education classes. Taking university classes (at BYU in Provo) to learn the basics about various sports turned out to be the best way for me to learn because I was with other people my age who were at the same level. Since leaving home, I have participated in lessons/teams/clubs for soccer, tennis, hockey, flag football, ping-pong, and golf, just to name a few.
After moving back to Winnipeg, we decided to put Alena & Reasor into skating lessons so that they could learn how to stay on their feet on ice. I had taken some basic skating lessons when I was a kid, then improved on those abilities in my hockey class at BYU. I'd always wanted to take a hockey class, but outside of BYU, I couldn't find a class for adults who wanted to learn how to play. Either you were an adult and wanted to play in a league or you were a beginner - but a kid. I learned through a friend that Winnipeg has a hockey class for adults, which looked to be reasonably priced and would work in my schedule. I was disappointed to find out, though, that the class required full hockey equipment - and that's not an insignificant investment for someone who just wants to learn the basics. Then, when I looked again at the leisure guide that listed the skating lessons for kids, I noticed that the power skating lessons are open to adults as well as children. So I signed up.
Yesterday was my first lesson of the "Pre-Junior Power Skating" class, which happened to be at the same arena where I took skating lessons many years ago. I approached the check-in desk and told the person that I was checking in for myself. "Kevin?" the lady asked. It turned out that I was the only adult signed up in any of the classes (not just in my class of 10), so she knew right away who I was. The next oldest kid in my class was...12. A little apprehensively, I laced on my skates and went onto the ice when class was about to start. I found my class and we were instructed to do some warm ups across the width of the rink. The ages of the others in the class ranged from 9-12, and I could sense the eyes on me, wondering things like, "What's that guy doing here?" and "How old is he?" Sure, I look young for my age, but in the eyes of a 12 year-old, I'm still a grown-up. I didn't talk to any of the others, because there's this thing in society today that looks down on adults (especially men) talking to children. And I knew that all of the parents were watching, so I didn't want to look like some sort of creep. Luckily I was able to do pretty much all of the skills requested by the instructor, so at least I didn't embarrass myself in front of my peers (and their parents).
Near the end of the class, we combined with a couple other classes to play a game called British Bulldog. That's the game where you line up on one side of the rink (or half rink, in our case) and try to get to the other side without being tagged by one of the bulldogs. That's when I really felt like I was back in elementary school, since we played games like that all the time. I was definitely the oldest one there (I'm pretty sure I was older than all of the instructors too), and though I am a decent skater, I got tripped up a couple times when I tried to chase one of the instructors. Don't get me wrong, being around elementary-aged kids is fun, even I'm old enough to be a dad to most of them (I know, saying that makes me sound really old). I still love playing games like that, because I feel like a kid again. And you know what's the best part in all of this? For the first time in my life, I'm the tallest kid at school.
So when I left home to go to university, I decided that I would pursue my longtime ambition to learn sports. I've always had a decent sense of balance and physical ability; I just wanted to develop that desire for physical fitness. So I joined intramural teams, played soccer in the snow, and took physical education classes. Taking university classes (at BYU in Provo) to learn the basics about various sports turned out to be the best way for me to learn because I was with other people my age who were at the same level. Since leaving home, I have participated in lessons/teams/clubs for soccer, tennis, hockey, flag football, ping-pong, and golf, just to name a few.
After moving back to Winnipeg, we decided to put Alena & Reasor into skating lessons so that they could learn how to stay on their feet on ice. I had taken some basic skating lessons when I was a kid, then improved on those abilities in my hockey class at BYU. I'd always wanted to take a hockey class, but outside of BYU, I couldn't find a class for adults who wanted to learn how to play. Either you were an adult and wanted to play in a league or you were a beginner - but a kid. I learned through a friend that Winnipeg has a hockey class for adults, which looked to be reasonably priced and would work in my schedule. I was disappointed to find out, though, that the class required full hockey equipment - and that's not an insignificant investment for someone who just wants to learn the basics. Then, when I looked again at the leisure guide that listed the skating lessons for kids, I noticed that the power skating lessons are open to adults as well as children. So I signed up.
Yesterday was my first lesson of the "Pre-Junior Power Skating" class, which happened to be at the same arena where I took skating lessons many years ago. I approached the check-in desk and told the person that I was checking in for myself. "Kevin?" the lady asked. It turned out that I was the only adult signed up in any of the classes (not just in my class of 10), so she knew right away who I was. The next oldest kid in my class was...12. A little apprehensively, I laced on my skates and went onto the ice when class was about to start. I found my class and we were instructed to do some warm ups across the width of the rink. The ages of the others in the class ranged from 9-12, and I could sense the eyes on me, wondering things like, "What's that guy doing here?" and "How old is he?" Sure, I look young for my age, but in the eyes of a 12 year-old, I'm still a grown-up. I didn't talk to any of the others, because there's this thing in society today that looks down on adults (especially men) talking to children. And I knew that all of the parents were watching, so I didn't want to look like some sort of creep. Luckily I was able to do pretty much all of the skills requested by the instructor, so at least I didn't embarrass myself in front of my peers (and their parents).
Near the end of the class, we combined with a couple other classes to play a game called British Bulldog. That's the game where you line up on one side of the rink (or half rink, in our case) and try to get to the other side without being tagged by one of the bulldogs. That's when I really felt like I was back in elementary school, since we played games like that all the time. I was definitely the oldest one there (I'm pretty sure I was older than all of the instructors too), and though I am a decent skater, I got tripped up a couple times when I tried to chase one of the instructors. Don't get me wrong, being around elementary-aged kids is fun, even I'm old enough to be a dad to most of them (I know, saying that makes me sound really old). I still love playing games like that, because I feel like a kid again. And you know what's the best part in all of this? For the first time in my life, I'm the tallest kid at school.