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1

In upstate new your you also had the ability to skate on ponds that were frozen in the winter.

If you were in the suburbs there were also plenty skating rinks where the majority of kids socialized, played formalized little league Hockey, etc...

In seattle, the little rink you skated on is more than likely the only ice a huge majority of the kids in this city will ever have an opportunity to skate.

Posted by Master of the obvious | December 24, 2006 6:02 PM
2

Yeah, I noticed that last week when we went down there to play our Winterfest show. Seems pretty silly to me. Learning to fall down is an important part of growing up, whether you're learning to skate, riding a bike, or playing soccer. I'll bet they're just trying to avoid getting sued... did the parents have to sign a hold harmless agreement for their kids?

Posted by Hans Brinker | December 24, 2006 6:04 PM
3

When I was growing up in HOUSTON, we had one ice-skating rink in a mall downtown. That was probably the only rink in at least a 150-mile radius (till you got to Dallas, which probably also had only one). And we didn't have walkers despite our obvious ice-skating impairment. (In fact, I landed on my head once. And survived.)

This don't-let-them-fail-no-matter-what thing is relatively new... past 15 years max. And it sucks donkey balls and is producing some pretty overly-indulged bratty-ass snots. (me = school teacher)

end rant

Posted by L | December 24, 2006 6:25 PM
4

The only time I ever went to Winterfest, I don't recall the walkers for kids, but considering how crowded it was, anything to keep the little anklebiters from getting underfoot (underskate) seems ok to me. I believe those walkers have been used for quite a while in skating lessons, too.

When I was there, half the rink was melting faster than the other. I do recall a zamboni break, but one half of the rink was totally slushy, and the other half was fine.

I suggest going to the Highline Ice Arena up on Aurora on Friday or Saturday nights for a better skating experience. Seeing all the high schoolers there on dates is pretty funny.

Posted by genevieve | December 24, 2006 6:39 PM
5

There's an outdoor skating rink in Seattle??

Posted by BD | December 24, 2006 8:59 PM
6

no snow and no ice in upstate ny right now, tho...

Posted by charles | December 24, 2006 10:25 PM
7


Ditto on the Highland Ice Arena. It's very cute, those kids. And it's fun to skate there, even if one of the kids happens to hit on you. (True college story.)

Posted by ice, ice, baby | December 24, 2006 11:55 PM
8

When you say, "In my day, we kids blah blah blah" you mean North American's right? Because the rest of the world, they're sorta scrappy. You know, getting arms blown off kicking a ball around a minefield and sneaking a bowl of rice when no one's looking.

So is this concern for the future of North America? Do we need to breed less wusses? Is that it?

Why? Aren't wusses what this paper demands everyone evolve into ultimately?

Lately I feel the new left has decided that we're all (conditionally) equal (some of us however are victims who demand some handicapping), we're all in need of a higher authority to protect us from red meat and cigarettes. We need the options of motor cars and highways eliminated because Henry Ford's vision isn't to be improved upon for the masses, it's to be restricted to the priveleged and wealthy. Bikes and crosswalks are for the working poor.

I'm just asking because I agree with you. I see the same exact thing happening, the neutralization of audacity and tenacity in our youngsters,. Shit, it's coming from an already neautralized generation of sleepy, overweight entertaiment driven consumers that went ahead and started rasing kids in their shadows of fear.

So why worry about the little cumstains down at that poor excuse for a skating rink going about it all wrong? Those are your future subscribers, barring backlash.

It's pretty simple.

Yes, it's stupid, this whole overprotective lording over everything a child can do. No matter that Westlakes once yearly carny quality ice rink is not where anyone with any common sense would force their kids to learn to skate. The OP herself said the fucking thing looked like a snow cone. I wouldn't skate out there. That fucking slushpuppy looks dangerous and it's obviously more intended to rake in some Holiday duckets than it is to serve as a public outlet.

Now, havng lambasted that shitty P.T. Barnum quality rink I think I should mention that damned near every quality piece of ice in the West now stocks the oldman walkers for noobs. More often than not it's grown folks asking to use them for themselves than for their kids. Regardless, I'm sure that shit along with the waivers you siogn to play there are another symptom of the Safety Casino making policy for the rest of us.

You know, you don't have to call bullshit on everything. You already know what it is. So does anyone else paying attention.

Posted by What Ever Happened To Paying Attention Anyway? | December 25, 2006 1:14 AM
9

I smell a libertarian above!

I think the walkers are ridiculous. Let's rememeber, however, another important stepping stone of youth - watching your 6th grade friend, Adam, accidently run over the hand of a five-year old when she fell in front of him, and then watching the girl's dad yell at Adam until he cried in front of everyone.

A run-on sentence, sure, but ah! the memories.

Posted by Brie | December 25, 2006 7:46 AM

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