Member-only story
Skater Girl
5 Steps to Becoming an Adult Figure Skater
1.
I skip into the den, sit cross-legged in front of the color TV set. Jeff and Scott, my brothers, plop beside me. Daddy turns the TV on to channel nine, gets comfortable in his brown leather recliner. “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport … the thrill of victory … and the agony of defeat … the human drama of athletic competition … This is ABC’s Wide World of Sports!” we recite with the announcer. This week, figure skating. The World Championships from Yugoslavia …
The skating glues us to the set while Momma sets up the TV trays for a snack. Milk, Pringles, Keebler Peanut Butter Filled cookies. The Russians dominate in pairs and ice dancing, but American Tim Wood wins the gold medal in the men’s competition. It doesn’t get any better than this at our house on Lundy Lane. After the program, Momma tells Jeff and me to go play outside ‘cause Scott has to take a nap. She likes quiet.
We grab our roller skates and head out to the carport, where we attach the metal skates to our tennis shoes, fasten the leather straps, tighten the clamps over the toes of our shoes with our treasured skate…
