Our own Olympic experience

We rounded up the troops and headed to KEARNS (it's about as exciting as Delta) to try ice skating at the Olympic Oval. The kids were excited to try their hand (foot) at this Olympic sport. I'm pretty sure we'll all be making the Olympic Team in 4 years.

In case you didn't know what ice skates look like, I took a picture. At the skate rental place you have your choice of figure skates or hockey skates. I asked the 13-year old who was behind the desk what the difference between figure skates and hockey skates was. He said that figure skates were easier. So naturally we chose those....

Cass was not too excited about the limited choice of colors they came in. She doesn't really do black and gray.

The Olympic Oval is truly amazing. It was neat to be there and think that in 2002 the Olympic athletes competed there. Supposedly it still holds the record for the fastest ice in history.  Too bad it took us 8 years to actually visit it. Unlike the ice, we're a little slow.

Garrett was amazing, especially for his first time. He started out clinging to me but after just a few minutes wanted to do it all by himself. He fell, slid, crashed, skidded and caused minor injuries to other skaters but HE GOT UP EACH AND EVERY TIME and wanted to keep going. He wins the NEVER GIVE UP award.

 Cassidy picked it up pretty quickly as well. The first few times around the ice there was me, pro-skater that I am, flanked by these two, slipping and sliding and skating backwards and sideways around the rink. Fun times for all. But it didn't take long for everyone to get up close and personal with the ice and start having fun. Ben, of course, was a natural, leaving the rest of us amateurs in the dust. Maybe I should have gotten him hockey skates...

 

I took this shot just after Rich landed his triple lutz. I hate it when I don't have the camera ready in time!

 Can you feel the love? Actually, we skated a lot of the time just like this! I'm not sure if she held me up or I held her up... 

 

Even Sam had fun.

I will have huge arsenals of black-mail photos when a certain someone starts dating.....

This was one of those (me yelling) "GET OVER THERE AND STAND UNDERNEATH THE OLYMPIC SIGN AND SMILE SO I CAN TAKE A PICTURE" moments. We have lots of those.

P.S. If you have never skated at the Olympic Oval, I highly recommend it as a family activity. Their prices are very reasonable and they are open year round.  Although we didn't know it at the time, you can actually take strollers and push them on the ice! We can't wait to go back.