Memories of Girlhood: Ice Skating Sundays

There are many moments I can draw out of the childhood memory box, but I will choose the few, though special, times at the ice skating rink. It was not a frequent pastime, rather an occasional stroll along with my father and sister before the Sunday lunch was ready. Ice skating isn’t that popular in Greece and my acquaintance with the sport per se began soon after that. The skating rink was near our district in southern Athens, so it was a close getaway to both the seafront of the city and the ice marvel place.

The feeling of sliding on ice was so unique and the atmosphere of the rink so transcendent that it ranked these visits on the top of my girlhood experiences. I will have to check with my dad, but I am sure that most of the time my sister and I carried a horrified look, like the one of the girl in the picture above. Even so, the thrill of being the dancing queen on ice was an amazing feeling. It makes me sad that we don’t have any photographic testaments from all these attempts and falls, but maybe this is why they become more precious.

I remember vividly one time, just before our skating time was over, when there was an announcement on the speakers that we should leave the rink in a while because a couple of professional skaters needed the space to rehearse for an upcoming athletic event. As I was taking my skating shoes off, I got a glimpse of their majestic moves and their exceptional elegance on ice. I also realized instantly that, no matter my remarkable efforts so far, I was way down the amateur level. Since then, I’ve always enjoyed watching figure skating competitions at the European, International, and Olympic levels and I admire even more the girls that make ice skating look so soothing and serene despite the struggles needed to compete for a championship. Maybe it’s time to put my skating shoes back on! How about your ice skating experiences?

-Magda Repouskou

Girl Museum Inc.