Disco Skating and Bad Dates

Our ward's winter opening social was this week, and quite honestly it was the last thing I wanted to do. This was primarily because of the nature of the activity. Our ward had rented out a skating rink for the evening, and had announced an eighties theme. Last year it was disco skating, and I didn't have any desire to attend that activity, either. In fact, last year I didn't attend the activity, and although my roommates insisted that I should have come (if only because a certain boy had inquired about my whereabouts), I don't really regret missing it.

I have had some bad experiences with disco skating in the past (and I couldn't imagine 80's skating would be any better). I never found it fun in the first place - all you do is skate around in circles to loud music, and there's not much chance to interact with people, and what's the point in being social of you're not going to socialize? My opinion on the matter was solidified by a bad date a couple years back. It was a set-up, and my roommate had talked me up to her co-worker for weeks before she finally got him to commit to a date. "My Fridays have been pretty busy," he had complained. "And I can't take her out on Saturdays because I go disco skating." Apparently he went every week without fail, and couldn't stand the thought of missing it even once.

"Well, why don't you take her disco skating?" she suggested, and that was that. He called me, arranged a time to come pick me up at my apartment, and informed me that I didn't have to dress up if I didn't want to (thank goodness!).

The entire way to the rink we engaged in conversation about him. I asked all the standard questions, and then some, and not once did he turn the questions back to me, which I have always understood is the polite thing to do, at the very least. I found out all about where he was from, what he was doing with his life, what his interests were, and so on, but I don't think he had any clue who I was (other than his co-worker's roommate) by the time we reached Classic Skating fifteen minutes later.

We rented skates and put them on and I stumbled out onto the rink right by his side. Almost immediately he spotted someone he knew (another regular, like himself) and that was the last I saw of him for the next hour and a half. Or I should say, that was the last time he acknowledged my presence for the next hour and a half. I skated around half-heartedly for a little while, while he showed off his moves and chatted it up with his disco-skating friends, and then I got bored and sat down at a booth and waited for him to notice that his date had retreated (it took awhile). He finally tore himself away from the music and the people to take me home, and I got to enjoy another fifteen-minute car ride listening to him tell stories. By that time I was almost hoping he would hold out to the end without asking me so much as my major, just because I was beginning to realize that this might make a great story. He didn't fail me - by the time we reached my house, even my occasional interjections of opinion and personal experience seemed to have gone completely over his head, and I was suprised he even remembered my name when we parted company. Maybe this is unfair, but the experience has colored my perception of roller skating ever since.

So I guess there's no real point to this story, except that I did end up going to the activity last night, only because neither of my roommates planned to stay any longer than I did. We scrounged up enough eighties garb to dress up one person (not me), and took pictures, and piled into the car and made the trek into Orem. At first I stubbornly refused to even put on skates, believing that I had done enough just coming in the first place. But somehow being around friends and bonding over memories of our eighties childhoods, and watching people stumble around on the rink while thinking "I'm sure I can do better than that!" did something to my attitude, and I finally made it onto the rink. I was encouraged when I got the hang of it rather quickly. In fact, I actually had fun and stayed right till the end, much to my surprise.

So I will swallow my pride and admit that it wasn't as bad as I was expeciting, and I'm glad I went this year. I will still stand by my assertion that I can't stand disco skating, but I will no longer say I have never had a good experience at the skating rink...It just takes good company.