S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night!

The day of derby class had arrived, and my new skates and I went down to the rink early so we could check each other out.  For anyone not familiar with Oaks Park's rink, it is this terrific old-school roller rink that is part of Oaks Amusement Park, one of the 10 oldest amusement parks in the US. The park sits on what was once a peninsula in the Willamette River. The place is fantastic. I laced up my skates and took a few laps around.  Before I knew it, my heart-rate was racing, and apparently, so was I.  One of the rink attendants told me to slow down. It was awwwwesome.  Open skate was coming to an end and derby class participants were taking the floor. I noticed that they all were wearing proper gear, while I only sported a helmet.  I skated over to the pro shop ready to drop some money for my own safety and discovered bins full of gear to borrow.  Hot dog.  Trish showed up a few minutes later, and for the next hour, the two of us worked our butts off-literally. How can you not work your butt off when you are simultaneously squatting and skating for an hour? We learned some of the basics: how to fall, how to block, how to hit.  It. Was. So. Fun.