Watching the American women’s team skate is a revelation, getting a chance to get on the ice with one of their hardest working players is an intimidating treat. Kelly Stephens from Shoreline just chuckled as she watched my first wobbly, painful, stiff-legged, stick-figure turn around the rink on my six-dollar-a day rented skates.. But she was good-natured about it too, willing to stick around after a tough practice so we could shoot video of the two of us tossing the puck around and talking hockey.

Actually, she did most of the skating while I handled the sweating and huffing and puffing end of things, my shins and arches and thighs and hammies and back just screaming at me to stop the agony.

I did a lot of skating as a kid and in one glorious season of organized hockey played left-wing on the high-scoring Bay, Bergman and Schauffler line for the fightin’ Jets of the Portland Peewee hockey league. But that was few years ago, say forty or so and while I’ve hit the ice a few times in the interim its clear my muscle memory is shot. What are you doing to us, the bones and muscles shriek at me... we haven’t done these things in DECADES, you fool!We’re on YOUR side, moron.. STOP IT! We’re no longer built for this!

Ah well, after a while it started to feel good and the joy of skating
and hockey seeped back through the pain.

Which brings me back to how these players make what they do look so easy. It barely seems fair. Kelly Stephens seems as comfortable on the ice as on a sidewalk. She and all her teammates just radiate an easy physical presence on the rink, making the most of every stride, stopping, starting, changing directions, skating backwards and showcasing physical command and spatial awareness as they navigate a crowded, constantly changing playing area. It’s a lie of course. It’s not easy. They’ve put in thousands of hours of work to own the ice. I,
on the other hand, am delighted to make it from one end of the rink to the other without breaking my neck.

Fortunately I seem to have been born without the embarrassment gene. It appears I have no shame. Quick, how many news anchors can you name who are willing to put on a flowered swim-cap and pink trunks and tried synchronized swimming with multi-medalist Tracy Ruiz-Conforto, WITH the camera rolling, FOR BROADCAST to a huge KING 5 audience? If I can do that, skating for a few minutes with the Seattle area’s first Olympic woman hockey player shouldn’t be a problem.

And it wasn’t. It was a pleasure and an honor and it reminded me again just how far apart most of us are from the sports stars we watch. What they do daily, the physical command they take for granted, and work so hard and long to achiece, is truly amazing. Take a turn on the ice sometime, then watch these women play. You’ll see what I mean.

To my great surprise, 16 hours later my body still has not gone into full clench mode, the expected paralysis has not materialized. We’ll see what a travel day and seven or so airplane hours in those spacious, comfy, coach seats will do.

Gotta go..