Lefty

Busy morning. I was up before dawn and packing a skate bag for a morning lesson. Coach called yesterday and said there was no ice at the home rink, can we get to That Other Rink Across Town for a lesson? Sure, why the hell not? Besides, I was curious to see what Nutso was so in love with over there.

That Other Rink is about fifteen minutes away from us. Not a big deal. We arrived well on time and put on skates in front of the inset circular fireplace in the lobby, which I thought was awesome. Stitch, surprisingly, was not whining and seemed ready to get to work. He got on the ice and warmed up with some stroking. Coach had a student before Stitch, but Stitch was free to work on whatever while he waited. Coach introduced the two kids, and then had Stitch show the young girl his galloping act. "Can you do that?" asked Coach to the little girl.

The little girl shook her head with a look of, "please don't make me try!"

Stitch skated around, doing little hops forward and back. I had him do crossovers, and while Big League skaters might flash over to the boards for water, Stitch comes over for some chocolate milk.

Half an hour later, it was Stitch's turn. Coach has now fully seen what Stitch does on public ice alone, so now she's trying some moves that aren't on any skating curriculum. Catch blade spirals, forward and back.  Footwork. Better bunny hops. One foot spins. Exiting the spin properly. Finally, that Waltz Jump. Coach held him for awhile, first with two hands, then one, and finally she told him to try it.

He did. It was once and it was small and scary, but he did it! I'm still in shock.

They worked on some odd things before the half hour was over, and then Coach and I settled business. "He's a lefty," she said. "Officially. He will spin and jump to the left."

"Uh... okay."

"You know, double, triple, quad jump, they spin. He spins to the left."

"Uhhh...."

"So we'll keep working on that."

"Uh-huh." A pair of gloves flew at my feet. "Stitch, keep your skates on. Get the guards on."

"Where are you going?"

"Ice show rehearsal. Starts in five minutes. I think we'll be fine."

We were fine and she beat me there. I'm not sure how. I laid on the benches and rested my back while the boys formed a haphazard army. Afterwards I measured some boys for their skating pants. I am now exhausted with a full day of housework ahead of me. I need a nap.