Still Skating

After the summer hiatus, I stepped back into the rink for the first time last Wednesday. Needless to say, my chops have become rusty. I went back to the basics and tried my loop and flip jumps. I still need a lot of practice, but I am just taking my time. I am not in any rush. As long as I don’t lose interest like my kids, I’ll just keep going.

Aggressive skating is going well for me. I hit the skatepark everyday. I haven’t done anything too crazy, just learning to stall on the quarter pipe and to grind a bit. The progression is slow, but I am enjoying it. Aggressive skating is a good exercise for an old man like me. The skatepark is always free and if I come at the right time, I get the whole part to myself. My sons joined me sometimes, but their hearts aren’t in it like they used to. My second son is such a natural skater. Even though he doesn’t practice everyday like me, he surpasses me. He can just skate with effortlessness.

I can’t wait for the winter to come so we can hit the slopes. Fortunately my sons are still interested in skiing and snowboarding. We already bought the Epic pass for the three old kids and myself. My youngest is still free and he will be reusing his skis from last year. Xuân is all set with brand new boots and a pair of twin-tip skis. We’re still searching for a snowboard for Đán and a pair of twin-tip skis for Đạo. My wife isn’t sure what she wants to do yet.

For me, I bought a new pair of ski boots, Lance RX 120, to replace an old pair of Lance for junior I bought last year for $40. I’ve worn them out already. I also bought a pair of Head XENON Xi 5.0 for $50. I didn’t know what the heck I was purchasing. It turned out to be such a fantastic pair of skis. I went from green to double black diamonds in them. I only started to do some research yesterday and this pair was made in 2008. It is still in great shape after 14 years.

Over the summer, I bought a pair of K2 Apache Sabre (119-72-103) for $75, which came with poles and a bag. I thought it was a good deal. It turned out this pair was also made in 2008. As much as I love my Head skis, I wanted to let my wife use it to learn on the bunny. It might be a bit too long for her. I tuned up both my K2 and Head skis; therefore, they will be ready to hit the slope in the winter.

Two months ago, I picked up a used Burton White Collection snowboard for $35 for my second son, but it is a bit too big and heavy for him. I am thinking of giving snowboarding another try. I didn’t do too well last season, but I gave up after I bruised my thumb when I stuck my hand in the magic belt. Đán, my second son, took the lessons together with me, but he advanced so quickly. He went from the bunny slope to double black diamonds in a month or so. My hope is to get to the blue slopes on snowboarding.