Step 1. Learn how to put on skates. That’s easy – no problem
Step 2. Learn how to stand up with skates on. A little harder, but I think we have that licked!
Step 3. Learn how to balance by standing and walking on grass. Yes! Done that.
Step 4. Find a gentle slope and get used to the sensation of rolling down it. Use the brake to slow or stop.
And this dear reader is the point at which my pride, my bum, my wrist and my elbow all got damaged! It was all going swimmingly – I had my knees bent to keep my centre of gravity lower. All that stuff. I even managed to use the brake once or twice to slow me down, but I was actually hardly moving anyway. All of a sudden, my feet vanished from under me and I was on my bum.
Well, expect failures along the way… pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. The crash this time was harder! Fortunately I was wearing wrist protectors – they got quite scratched in the fall. Stupidly, I had left my watch on under the wrist protector, so as I fell, the watch strap was forced into my wrist. Ouch! The skating forum online was split over the question of whether elbow pads are essential. Well, I did scrape my elbow too, so I should have been wearing them. (I did have knee pads on though!)
Picked myself up, dusted myself off and walked back to base with the promise of a nice cool beer when I arrived.
It may be a few days before I am brave (or stupid) enough to try again! It’s a shame – I really want it to work. I love the sensation of being on wheels and a couple of inches taller (perhaps I should buy some platform shoes instead?) but somehow I just seem to lose my balance once I start rolling.