In Case you Don't Believe Me

This is a typical day at Valley these days - showing an actual hockey lesson (with stick!) on the left, a figure skating coach, two teenagers figure skating, and on the far left, some recreational skaters hanging out by the wall (at least that's what I think is going on) - add in some ice-dancers, an adult doing figures and maybe someone else doing Moves and you have a typical summer day at the Valley. Not too crowded, smooth ice, pleasant personalities, good music...

And yes, HOCKEY LESSONS (with sticks) - (can you tell this is my least favorite part?).

Valley ice

Was at Valley yesterday for 1:30 session. Forgot that over the summer there would be other people there - lots of kids for a birthday party.
anyhow, the ice was good, no more sloping - and you could actually see all the hockey marks-a great improvement.
They got new carpeting - it is certainly unique and bright.

Hope you are having a nice summer.
CHERYN

Another Skater Sighting - NYC!!

Gotcha!!

I didn't actually see him, but I saw a photograph of John Zimmerman in the window of a nearby discount shoe/clothing store modeling for something - I didn't actually notice that part...

Just for that I had to buy something there. A pair of bright orange Crocs to soothe my aching feet!

Goodbye NYC!!

Too few rinks in NYC!!

No - I didn't bring my skates. I thought about it but decided against it because 1) Chelsea Piers is having "summer skating camp" and the only sessions I could go to were early morning Dance practice sessions (hey, I'm on vacation) PLUS it was so expensive!! ($29??? Forget it!).

I am in touch with skaters from other skating boards and one NYC-skater offered to pick me up in Brooklyn and bring me to her rink (Aviator - looks like a nice facility and good prices and ice-times... but getting to Brooklyn and all of that just seemed like too much and she ended up being too busy - it was a nice offer...

And of course the famous outdoor rinks - Rockefeller Center and Wolman Rink in Central park are closed for the long, hot summer and so those were out. I did manage to walk by Rockefeller Center Plaza and look down on what would have been the ice - it is a restaurant in the summer and so that was fun. But there are no other rinks on the island - Hackensack would have been nice, but too far and I'm sure there are other rinks on LI but again... a hassle for what has essentially been a 4-day trip...

I did meet with a friend who is a skater and also a veterinarian - you better believe we have a lot to talk about - got some good tips about where to get used blades and also a little just general skating tip which I will use when I get home - it's always fun to talk about skating with people from around the country because you never know what will come up and what you can use. Plus she told me about the Hackensack Adult camp and how awesome it was working with John Zimmerman (yes, he is just as good-looking in person she assured me) and his wife Sylvia Fontana - she got some good advice from her, which was great hearing about... we went to the Natural History Museum (being essentially vets and scientists I figured this was a good choice) and had a great time walking aruond talking skating and vet med and looking at dinosaurs and dioramas...

Also glad I didn't bring my skates because after 2 days of walking in NYC (and walking, and walking and walking...) I have ginormous blisters on my foot and would not have been able to get my foot into the boot anyway... so the whole thing would have been a waste of time and energy.

I hope someday to broaden the PDX rink report to include ice rinks from all over the country (and perhaps, the world) but for now I can just dream of coming back to sweet Portland and it's abundance (compared to NYC in the summer) of sweet summer ice...

And yes, I've seen other famous people - Colin Firth anyone? (he is REALLY skinny!) And Kathleen Turner looks just as good as she does onscreen!! But no other skater sightings... sigh...

Skater Sighting in Denver Airport!!!!!!!!!!

So I'm on my way to NYC - vaction for me and work-related stuff for my husband. We had a long layover in Denver and so spent quite some time hanging out in the Denver airport.

You wouldn't think you'd see anybody famous there - after all, I was going to NYC where I was sure to run into some familiar-looking faces. I would just expect that sort of thing. No big deal.

So imagine how surprised I was to run into someone who is famous (to me, and undoubtedly to some of you) EVAN LYSACEK as I was getting off the escalator at the Denver airport.

It was kind of shocking. I looked and then looked again - "Evan!!!" - screamed in my mind. I looked again and then looked at my husband - he said, "That was Evan" (how great to have a husband who recognizes fame in the skating world!!) - I looked again as he was going down the escaltor. Should I say something? Get an autograph? The instantly shy side of me kicked in and I so I didn't do anything - I figured he needs his privacy, and as Chris pointed out to me afterward, he was on the phone at the time. It would have been quite rude.

I was wondering about that phone call. Who was it? Tanith? Frank? (Johnny? :)! )

And why Denver? Maybe he was in Colorado Springs getting some choreography from Christopher Dean... (I think this is how those rumors get started) or maybe just like me he was on his way... somewhere else...

And here in NYC? Yes, I've seen some familiar and somewhat famous faces. But it isn't really the same as when you least expect it.

Quiet Summer - Not So Much to Write About

Well, I've been thinking about this blog and I just don't have as much to write about these days - the ice is generally good, the kids are nice and the hockey lessons are just what they are... hockey lessons.

Although it was kind of funny the other day at Valley. It looked like just another normal morning - some freestyle kids, some adults, some adult ice-dancers, me doing figures and Moves and dance patterns, some lessons, some hockey lessons (with sticks)... and then this group of teenagers got on the ice - about 25 of them -- so there were basically every kind of skating going on (no speedskaters...) and the thing that struck me the most was how odd the hockey players with all of their gear and sticks and everything in that melee... it was a good session but...

Hockey lessons... Now there is an oxymoron.

So I will not be bloggig for a couple of weeks I think - I am leaving for vacation tomorrow (we are going to NYC) - and I don't think I'm going to bring my skates... haven't decided yet but it doesn't look like there are many open sessions on the area rinks and the ones that are open look kind of far away on the map... we only have 4 days. If only we were going in the winter, I could go to Rockerfeller Plaza or Central Park...

So have fun fellow skaters - stay cool and have great skating times!!!!

More Adult Bliss at the Valley

I know - Valley and Bliss in the same sentence? It must be an oxymoron!!

I got there early today so that I could warm up - I finally had a lesson (it's only been a couple of months) and I wanted to be at least semi-warmed up! That freestyle session on Tuesday morning had only the few adults it usually has during the school year, which was great!

The ice was pretty smooth and it is definitely lower than it was for most of the winter - you can see the yellow boards and they are even all around. I tend to avoid the ends and the corners but I think it is mostly habit and smaller dance patterns - I should try to lengthen them out again because I think the ice is okay as far as dipping down at the ends and the corners. Must remember for the next time.

The other thing I noticed is that there were remarkably fewer hockey lessons (thank god!) and the ones that were there were very quiet and nice and you hardly noticed them. I like that when they don't come out brandishing their sticks like they were weapons of mass destruction - that really really scares me sometimes! I mean, there they are in all of the "armor" and then there's little me in my little skirt and white skates with those delicate dance blades - no decent picks to kick them with - like I could get through all of that gear...

Digressing again..

Adult Bliss at Valley.

Tomorrow: the smooth, cool ice at Mt. View beckons me.