One of my favourite reality programmes is Dancing on Ice. I love the costumes, the music, and of course Phil and Holly but what I think I like the most is that it requires a skill and one that they then perform live in front of an audience. I think what I like about this is that there is less opportunity for the production team to edit the footage and present us with a particular ideal of each celebrity, like they can in Big Brother or the I’m A Celebrity. With Dancing on Ice what you see is what you get and although you may already have a favourite from the start, it is still nice to see how everyone progresses and how daring they will get with the lifts. I also love how it is a family friendly show and one we can all watch together to end the weekend whilst we all declare our new found desire to learn to skate.
It’ s about this time every year that I start to reminisce about the time I was 7 and learnt to ice skate and the time I was 8 when I was asked to join in the Christmas show at Blackpool Pleasure Beach ice rink, bottled it, and quit skating altogether. I often wonder what would have happened if I was more confident, if I had learnt to skate with skill and finesse and taken part in the shows. Would I have chosen that as a career path and gone on to skate in the Olympics? Or perhaps I would have become a professional skater in one of my all time favourite shows, being flung around the ice in a pretty little leotard by one of my favourite 80s crushes? I doubt it. I highly doubt it but you never do know and I like to let the thoughts wander every Sunday evening and imagine what might have been, had I continued skating.
Despite not having had lessons since I was abut 8 I still enjoy skating, especially on out side rinks at Christmas time. When my mum took me to New York for my 21st one of the highlights was skating at central park and then again at Rocker fellas. There is something really festive about the ice at that time of year and although I can only skate in circles with a slight wobble and hands out to the side like a penguin, I am pretty confident when on the ice and have taken both boys a couple of times as it is one of their favourite Christmas activities.
This weekend as we watched Dancing on Ice the big’un asked when we would go sating again and I could just imagine the thoughts and fantasies of learning to skate like the professionals running through his head and have vowed to take him again soon. I think I might even see if he fancies having lessons and getting him some ice skates of his own, you have to admit they do look cute in children’s sizes and if he is going to start going, well I might just have to join him too, it’s never to late to learn to skate, right?
If you could learn a new skill, or refresh an old one what would it be?
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