ice skating update

MM in her ice skating class, Feb 3

Feb 4, we went skating with Lucas and Lily. Keven and Lily skating

Ming Ming, Anna, and Lucas

Feb 12, skating with many neighbors: Nourit, Avi, Oscar (his first time on ice), Lucas, and Anissa.

Oscar is a natural; he ran around like he already knew how to do it.

Antoine challenging Avi for a race... this was his second time skating (he stayed on his skating shoes for two minutes the last time we came here).

Antoine leading, not that it was anything glorious to beat a four year old.

Ming Ming had a very good start with ice skating at her first class. We had the luck to see Liz and the girls there, she got really excited and got on the ice with them, and then she joined her class and was very active and happy participating. I was pleasantly surprised by her enthusiasm.
On retrospective, this first experience is probably an exception rather than MM's usual way of approaching a new sport. She got more and more reluctant going on the ice since then. I really want her to learn ice skating (I would really like to do it myself but don't think that it would ever be possible). As she does not want to participate in her class, I arrange for her to go with our neighbors. Anna kept telling me that MM has a very good sense of balance but did not have the confidence to move around on her own. I feel a little bit bad. If she has inherited Antoine's skills (I hope so), she must have inherited my lack of courage. I was like this with every sport when I was growing up, and still, it has been three years since I got my driver's licence, and I still dare not get on the highway in Chicago. how pathetic!
At the end of this section, I got on the ice (no skating shoes), and rewarded MM for every meter she walked on her own with a M&M chocolate. She walked around the rink on her own and finished up a tiny bag of M&Ms.