Her First Pair of Figure Skates

I remember when I was a little girl living in Ottawa, Ontario, when my dad took me to buy my first pair of figure skates. I was about 7, and Elizabeth Manley had just won Silver in the 1988 Olympics (in figure skating). She was Canadian and trained at the Gloucester Skating Club in my hometown. I used to watch her skating on tv and imagined myself gliding on the ice in cute little outfits just like she did.

I think it was around that time that I decided I wanted to learn how to skate, and I was finally starting lessons. Did I want to become a figure skater? I honestly don't remember, but I went far enough in lessons that figure skating would have been the next step. I think we moved that year, and I lost interest in skating. But figure skating has always held a special place in my heart, and skating in general stuck with me - I never gave it up ultimately.

When I was young, my family would spend tons of time skating on Sundays throughout the winter, finding outdoor skating rinks or indoor ones. As a teenager, public skate on Friday nights at the arena during the winter months was a typical hangout.

Now that our kids are older, I'm so excited that we get to pass down the same traditions and family outings that we grew up with.

While my son has been playing hockey since he was about 5 (he's almost 10), my daughter had a tough time grasping skating. She just never got the bug. But now, at 7 (the same age I was) she's showing interest...so we took her to get her first pair of skates, and it was magical. We got her on the ice this weekend, and she's a natural...and I couldn't be more proud or happy. Without even being prompted, she said she wants to try skating lessons and then eventually figure skating.

I don't know what the future holds, and I definitely will not push her into a direction I think she should go in (they have to make their own decisions), but I can't wait to get on the ice with her and hopefully share some family memories at the rink.