I was ready to skate after years of psyching myself out of it. I knew I had the worst balance out of everybody on the rink, but I decided that I wasn’t going to let my insecurities affect me anymore. There were many people who couldn’t skate as well as me, but we had all come here to have fun. As soon as my blade touched the ice, I quickly grasped the side bar for support and didn’t let go until I was standing across the big red Cornell sign in the center. I saw some of my friends already gliding across the ice. They looked so free and happy. When I was I going to feel like that?

Soon the skating lesson started, and we were introduced to the history of the famous Lynah Rink. I was surprised that this 50-year-old rink still holds the record for the most packed games for every night of the hockey season. I decided that I should go to at least one hockey game during my time at Cornell just to experience the power of the crowd. Right now though, I was trying to focus on how to get up after I’d fallen on the ice. The instructor made us practice getting up on the ice a few times, and soon she was teaching us the basic skating techniques.

As we practiced gliding with two feet, I lagged behind most of the people who were reaching the opposite side of the ring, but I was comfortable with my speed. I knew that if I went any faster, I would lose control over myself. Later we practiced some stopping techniques, which I didn’t use at all considering my skating speed was lower than normal. As the time went on, I become more comfortable with my skating pace and began traveling farther distances. I noticed that I skated more confidently, when I was skating by myself rather than with other people. So, I just skated around the middle of the rink, until my feet started hurting and I forced my friends to leave the rink with me. I think I want to go back again. Only this time, I want the whole rink to myself.