It’s been about 15 years since we last pulled on a pair of hired white skates and hit an ice rink, and that was back home in gloomy London, where the contrast between the cold damp air on the ice and the cold damp air in the car park outside was pretty much non-existent. Not so here. Any sport involving sub-arctic conditions is an odd hobby to try out in the desert, and it certainly felt strange to swap flip flops for boots and pull on a sweater as we left blazing sunshine outside for a frosty hall.
We were at Zayed Sports City at a rather early 8.30am to join in the ice rink ladies’ coffee morning, where Dhs90 buys you an hour’s group ice skating lesson along with a warming coffee and a natter afterwards. It’s been running just a few weeks so far, but is quickly developing a devoted core of attendees, particularly as the lesson is considerably cheaper than ZSC’s usual packaged rate. The class is open to everyone, whether it’s your first time on the ice or you’re pretty confident whizzing around on those blades.
Our group lesson began with an epic stretching session, so we hobbled on our skates over to the outside of the rink and, clinging on for dear life to the wall, stood obediently in line. We lifted our legs out behind us, to the right and then the left, like a mini troupe of wobbly, oversized ballerinas. Finally, after what seemed like an age of stretching, we were all limbered up and our two instructors finally let us on to the ice.
Time Out was placed in the absolute beginners’ group, and we wistfully watched as the more experienced skaters glided elegantly off to the other side of the rink to learn how to skate backwards and all sorts of other fancy moves – it really was like being 13 years old again. We began our lesson with the essentials – how to point your skates into a ‘V’ and move forward, then how to gather speed. More tricky was the technique of swishing the blades together into an ‘A’ shape and grinding to a halt. Oh, it sounds easy does it? Not a bit of it.
We staggered and jolted and waved our arms wildly about in a predictably slapstick fashion until, seriously concerned by our lack of balance, the instructor took us off to a corner to teach us how to fall down safely. As anyone who has ever skated before will attest, crashing down on to your tailbone or your hands really hurts, and is quite dangerous. So we got some tips on bending our knees on the inevitable way down, as well as a quick way to get back on our feet.
Half an hour later we were skating almost with ease, and feeling pretty pleased with ourselves, in spite of the schoolboys pointing and laughing hysterically from the bleachers (it crossed our mind that on our previous teenage ice skating session, this would have utterly ruined our day). The session is good exercise because keeping your balance works all your core muscles, and skating tones up your legs and improves coordination too. It’s also a great way to meet people and lots of fun, especially when the hour is up, and, aching just a little, it’s time to retreat to the warmth of the trainer’s room for hot chocolates and cappuccinos.
Ladies’ Coffee and Skate Morning, Dhs90. Every Tuesday, 8.30-9.30am. ZSC Ice Rink, Zayed Sports City (02 444 8458)
