Sunday Skate - Exhaustion Reward Development

Today, an abbreviated skate at the Ice Arena with B and A (aged 9 and 4 respectively).  B has been doing his 'learn to skate' classes religiously and not missed the chance for a Sunday skate while A has been pushing hard for a skate for awhile now (vague memories of his first skate at 3).

They both seem keen to play ice hockey (they are quite specific about this lol).  Gotta get A skating on his own first, though :) he's within sight now.  B, meanwhile, is coming ahead leaps and bounds from week to week and looked quite natural with his casual skating today (I watched him a reasonable amount of time while doing laps of the small rink with A in hand).  B will soon be able to do the introduction to ice hockey 'Ice Blast' program at its next showing without embarassing himself or learning how to skate at the same time, and see if he really does enjoy the game as much as he thinks he will.  For what it's worth, I reckon he will.

A's reward for working his way around the edge of the small rink under his own steam was for me to take him for a couple laps of the big ice just before closing time.  To his credit, he did it, and enjoyed his 'ride' on the big ice.   B, on the other hand, was more than happy with recognition, praise, and the occasional demonstration of my hockey stop for him.

For me, I'm assuming the time on ice, limited as it was almost entirely to slow laps with a four year old on the small ice, was sufficient for me to stay in touch with my 'ice feet'. This is becoming doubly important now as I'm about to put in a final push to get inline stick and puck training hours under the belt while daylight savings and the light remain.

I'm starting to put a bit of thought into winter season training regimes in the absence of actual daily skating opportunities.  A weekly skate with one or more of the kids, inline training and a game, upto once a fortnight at ice academy (and it only takes attendance at three sessions and using up all the free public session passes to come out ahead financially, which is important), and now Jess wants me to start a gym program once or twice a week.  Throw in a shinny or two a month and things look pretty busy, now that I think of it.  Maybe I won't need to take up running afterall!

Exhausting, rewarding - that's what introducing kids to the ice is.  Like most things skate'n'puck related, the relationship between the two is directly proportional.

So, maybe I'll do it anyway!