Are you enjoying your winter vacation in Ontario? If you are a bit tired of downhill skiing and sleigh rides, why not go out there with your family and have fun at an ice rink?All you need is a pair of skates, a worm hat and gloves, a helmet for the little Tommy and off you go!
Skating can be enjoyed by young and old. Most families can skate together. Even Mom's can do it.
At the bottom of this Dad's will usually zoom by fast on theirhockey skates, spraying ice bits on everyone in their way.
Children will laugh with joy, teenagers will roll their eyes... but in the end, everyone will have great time together.
You can find skating rinks in all Canadian cities, big or small.
There are big skating arenas with their overbooked schedules where it's almost impossible to get in, and then there are small, intimate, free skating rinks made by city workers on behalf of local city halls. Then, if you are lucky, you may even come across a neighborhood rink made by young area fathers eager to teach their kids to play the greatest game of all...
No matter where you go skating with your family this year, be sure to keep everyone safe.
If you are not so sure about you own skating skills, please wear a helmet. Hockey helmet is best, but even a bicycle helmet is better than no helmet at all.
Little children should never step on ice without one. In a split second you may be not having any fun at all.
When at the rink, be sure to "go with the floow", if everyone else is skating in the counter-clock-wise direction, please go that way too.
Not every one is skilled enough to stop on a dime or go around you, and falling on ice... will leave a mark, believe me.
If you are in the Barrie area, enjoying your winter vacation, be sure to visit the Mariposa School of Skating bring your kids, so they can see what others can do on ice. It's quite impressive, those kids in the picture are Baily Carroll (13) and Peter Gerber (15). They have been skating together for 6 years now... and still love it!
If you come in to watch, be sure to bring a blanket to cover up, since the heating is not always on.
No matter if you choose to get on the ice and skate with your family, or sit and watch others work their magic on ice, skating can be a lot of fun.
