he stepped out onto the ice and turned to her. He extended his hand again. “Hold on to me, and put your left foot on the ice.”
She hesitated, but took his hand. Then, moving a little unsteadily, she put her left skate on the ice.
“Good. Now the other.”
Still unsteady, she moved the second skate onto the ice. She almost slipped, but she kept hold of his arm, and he didn’t waver at all.
“Why can’t I do this?” she asked.
“It’s okay. You’re still finding your footing.” He put his other hand on her shoulder, helping to steady her. “Keep your core tight.” He patted his stomach before resting his hand on her shoulder again. “Bring your knees in just a little so you’re on your inside edges, and—good. That’s right. Bend your knees a touch. Little more. Not that much. Perfect.” He looked at her. “How’s your balance now?”
She stood for a moment. Slowly, she released his arm. Then he let go of her shoulder.
“You good?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“It’s okay if you’re not. You’ve never done this before. You don’t want to lean on me too much because then you won’t find your balance, but you can take as long as you need to make sure you’re solid on your skates. We won’t move until you’re ready.”
Dallas nodded slowly, as if she were afraid a sudden movement would throw off her precarious balance. “Is this… Are my knees right?”
He looked down and nodded. “Yep. Keep them almost over your toes.”
She glanced down too, and adjusted her stance a little.
“How do you feel?”
“Better.”
“You want to try moving?”
She considered it, then nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay, we’re going to keep it pretty basic. You’re just learning how to move and keep your balance right now. Nothing fancy.”
Dallas nodded again, swallowing nervously.
“So the first thing you want to do is watch me.” He skated away from her and made a small circle before stopping, facing her. “This is how you’re going to move forward.” He gestured at his skates. “I want to go straight with my right skate first. So I’m going to keep my right skate just like this—straightforward. And then with my left foot…” He pushed off with the other skate, sending him forward in a perfectly straight line.
“Why do I bet this looks easier than it is?” Dallas asked dubiously.
Jase smiled as he came back. “It takes practice, but you’ll be fine. And I’ll help you stay up.” His expression turned serious. “Fair warning, though, I am going to let you fall sometimes. You need to fall when you’re moving this slow so you learn how to land. If the first time you fall is when you’re skating as fast as I do, you’re probably going to break something.”
Dallas nodded.
Jase glanced at me, suddenly a little nervous with is that okay? written all over his face.
“You’re the coach,” I said with a shrug. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Dallas falling on the ice, but he was right—it was better she learn what it felt like to fall while she was still taking baby steps than when she was zooming around at high speeds. It brought to mind some of the bruises she’d gotten from crawling into the coffee table or a doorframe when she was little—it hurt, and it was heartbreaking, but it meant she was more cautious of the hard corners and sharp edges once she was walking and running.
“Okay.” Jase skated backwards a few feet. “You’re going to do like I did a minute ago—use your other skate to push off. Keep your eyes on me, not your feet. That’s it. Right skate pointed at me, left foot—good! That’s good!”
With a little squeal of delight and maybe some fear, Dallas glided forward.
“Nice!” I said, pretending my stomach wasn’t doing somersaults as I watched my kid on ice skates.
“Good job.” Jase skated backwards a little more. “Try again.”
She steadied herself, then tried again, pointing her skate at Jase and pushing off with the other. This time, though, she wobbled a little, flailed her arms, and then toppled onto the ice. I jumped up off the bench as my heart jumped into my throat, but Jase crouched beside her and offered his hand. With his help, she got back up, and she held on to his arm as she brushed off her pants.
“You okay?” I called out.
Dallas gave me a thumbs up. “I’m good.”
I nodded and relaxed onto the bench again.
They continued their lesson, and as he carefully and patiently helped