Fear of Falling and the Joy of Almost Flying

 

This is not a new article (February 19th) but somehow it caught my eye for the first time this morning as I scanned the Howard County stories on the Baltimore Banner website. 

Columbia’s figure skating pioneer is 86 and not about to quit, Lillian Reed, Baltimore Banner

With a stellar photo by Kaitlin Newman:

Pat Muth, 86, skates on the ice at Columbia Ice Rink. Murth has been skating since she was a child and now teaches young kids how to be confident on the ice. (Kaitlin Newman/The Banner)

This sentence about Muth’s connection to the Columbia Ice Rink intrigued me:

I found out there was an ice rink being built at the end of my street. 

So that means that she lived in Oakland Mills, which automatically makes her story more interesting to me.  The rink was built in 1970. The quadplex community where we live was built in 1972. So the rink predates our house. I wonder what Oakland Mills looked like back then?

Yes, I’m digressing a bit. (But don’t come at me with your accusations of Columbia privilege, okay?)

Some people reading this may never have skated before. Can you describe for them what it feels like?

Terrifying for most people, especially adults. Kids, they get on the ice, fall down, and it’s fine. That was my goal, though, to get more adults. You can tell when you have somebody who’s terrified. I think nowadays everybody has a helmet when you’re learning to figure skate. We have these bands now that you wear around your head. They’re steel and they look like a headband. You can get these shorts, and they’re padded. Why get hurt when you don’t have to?

Why get hurt when you don’t have to? I like that. 

One of the big changes I noticed when I turned 65 was that every doctor’s appointment begins with the following question:

“Have you had a fall within the last year?”

There are extremely good reasons for asking that question but it has felt like an unexpected indignity to me. One day I was a capable adult and the next my ability to walk across the room was in question.

Muth, who is 86, has a personal perspective of falling that comes from a lifetime of coaching people on the ice. Many folks who are that age are grappling with things around their own homes that are suddenly safety hazards to them - - not wobbly skates or slippery ice but decorative throw rugs or edges of furniture.

Ask me how I know. 

I tried ice skating once but it was not for me. (Wimpy ankles.) I love watching other folks doing it, though.* My daughter and I attended the Columbia Figure Skating Club’s “Nutcracker” some years ago and really enjoyed it. If you haven’t ever done that, it’s good to know that tickets sell out early each year. Also: dress warmly and bring blankets! It’s cold in there.

At the end of the article this exchange felt significant.

Every once in a while I’m reminded of my novice status because I’ve been humbled by the ice. Do you ever fall?

My best friend, she said, “Pat, I don’t want you out there. You’re going to fall.” She wants me to quit teaching.

I said, “No, not yet.”

She doesn’t exactly answer the question. We don’t know if she ever falls. We just learn that she’s not ready to quit. 

Interestingly enough, ice skating improves muscle strength and balance. It also supports joints and bones. 

Long may she skate.

Village Green/Town² Comments

*I find it especially enjoyable when there are no sports announcers blathering on in the background.

**To access this article through the HCLS website, see my directions here.