It's Just a Game

Let me preface this post by saying the Kid and I have been skating in some form or other for four years. We've spent a lot of time in local ice rinks. What I saw today is not only rare, this is the one and only time I've seen something like this. Thankfully. 

***

I don't typically see a lot of figure skating drama. Oh sure, there's the one skate mom who always looks like she's about to throw up. And once I saw a skater burst into tears because she forgot her skate clothes and Coach Needs-More-Vodka was going to be mad at her for skating in jeans. There are ominous whispers about the scary Russian coaches. That stuff's funny because it's not terribly serious. Unfortunately, I saw something that wasn't funny.

A skate mom went off on her little boy today. He was probably around six years old. Mom yelled at him about his "awful" skating and how "lazy" he is and how his coach was "furious" with him. The little boy looked up at her sadly and asked softly, "Did I do anything good?"

"No!" she yelled at him. And she started pushing him through off-ice exercises and berating him for doing them incorrectly.

My heart was breaking. I suppose I don't really know what happened during the kid's lesson, but I was on the ice at the same time he and his coach were and we skated near each other quite a bit. I didn't see or hear anything that suggested the coach was "furious" or the skater was "lazy."  

If you're at Rockville on any given weekend you might hear me screaming, "Kid! Stop running, you'll hurt someone!" or "Watch your stick! You almost hit that woman!" or "Helmet! Mouth guard!" But I don't yell at him for wonky crossovers or bad edges or poor power turns. (He has gotten lectures about not listening to his coaches, I'll admit that.) 

These are children. These are sports. It's supposed to be fun.

The boy I saw today was too young to be yelled at like that about skating. He's not preparing for some high-stakes competition. There's no scholarship money on the line yet. His coach's career doesn't hang in the balance. This is a little boy who should be skating because he's having fun. And if his 3-turns aren't perfect...so be it. They will be.

Mom went to the ladies' room and I asked the little boy if he was okay. He shook his head yes. There was no physical violence and the mom never appeared to be going in that direction. The kid didn't seem scared, just sad. I didn't intervene. But later when the mom smiled at me, I didn't smile back.

Every skating parent (hockey and figure skating) I've met has been wonderful...tired, frazzled, stressed, broke maybe...but friendly and good-natured. What I saw today was an anomaly. I hope I never see it again.