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168--California: The Ice-Ladies Cometh @ CherieSpotting     Dec 29 2003 - 14:50 PST cherie writes: I’m convinced that whoever made up the sport of ice-skating was a certifiable nut. What was the psycho thinking? Let’s put sharp blades on people’s shoes and let them slip around on a slab of ice. It’s probably the same person who invented darts. Is it really a good idea to give a sloppy drunk a baby-ice-pick (with feathers on the back) and let him throw it around the bar? “Try to avoid the other drunks, please!” Anyway, this lunatic who invented ice-skating did something even crazier! He (or she?) decided that the best place to put this chunk of frozen water is on the beach. That’s right. Now “Surf City” AKA Huntington Beach, has its own outdoor ice-skating rink. (It’s Southern California’s way of letting its residents know it is winter.) Karem, Chris, Sherry and I (all ladies in our thirties) sauntered down to the beach for a stroll on the sand and a glide across the ice. I haven’t ice-skated since I could brag about my age with my fingers. And except for the falling, it looked like fun. So we laced up our rented ice-skates (which cost $3.50 at the local beach-hut rental place.) Normally the hut rents surfboards, now they’re renting ice-skates. Then we joined all the kids (and their parents) and clomped onto the ice. The $10 bucks we each shelled out was worth every penny. If I made a movie, I would have called it: The Ice-Ladies Cometh. Chris thought we should entertain the spectators, who where photographing their tots wobbling around the rink and hugging cups of coffee. Naturally, she started backwards skating—which was a big “hit” in many ways. The thing about skating backwards is that you can’t see where you are going. Luckily Chris didn’t run into anyone, which I think she erroneously attributes to her ice-skating expertise. Everyone else knew that Karem was playing interference—shooing the kids out of the way before the lady-with-the-purple-scarf clobbered them. No wonder children have nightmares about purple monsters chasing them! The ice-skating rink was blasting disco tunes as we slipped around the ice. We boogied down, skated hand-in-hand and even made a human train that choo-chooed around the rink. I can’t think of a better way to have a “ladies night out.” *For more information about skating at the Pier Plaza Ice Rink in Huntington Beach, California click on www.meetmeattheicerink.com or call 800-975-1885. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (1) | write comment| views: 8434    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Hop on the human-train, or stay out of the way! Sherry, Chris and Cherie head to Huntington Beach to ice-skate (on the sand?) Chris and Cherie, friends since age 15. All four ladies--Cherie, Chris, Sherry and Karem. Sherry and Chris. The ladies ready to ice-skate. Who says you can't have an ice-skating rink on the beach? Karem and Chris. Ice-skating in "Surf City." The sun sets in Huntington Beach. The Huntington Beach Pier beings to glow. Let's put our ice-skates on! (Blades attached to our shoes--good idea or bad idea?) These seem a bit dangerous, do you have health insurance? Slip-sliding skating ladies. Are we having fun, or not? Look, Karem can do a trick! Disco skater--John Travolta watch out! Don't try this at home. You had to be there to appreciate this "move". You can't look cool if you hold onto the rail the whole time! Imagine holding these complicated poses on ice-skates. Cherie is slower than a speeding bullet. This is the next yoga move after "downward dog." The ladies head home a little sore. But only from too much laughing.