Great Skate #27 - Christie Pits Park

Here's what can happen if you have a Great Skate Project.

You can come across Tara, who runs a "Meet Up" group for people in Toronto who like skating. She organizes a skating night at Christie Pits Park, which is on your list of ice rinks you haven't visited yet. So you go, not quite sure what you're getting yourself into.

The skating event takes place on a clear, cold Friday night. There are about a dozen skaters on the rink. Only a few are there for Tara's meet-up.

You meet Wayan, who moved to Canada from Indonesia. This is only his fourth time on skates. He doesn't give up when he falls and soon he's more confident on the ice. He says his friends in Indonesia were puzzled when he showed them photos of people ice skating. "Why are they wearing knives on their feet?" they asked.

You meet Camille and Waleed, who are from New York. Waleed hasn't skated in 20 years. Camille seems to be more skilled at it.

The rink isn't crowded, and you enjoy skating fast loops with long strides without worrying about dodging small children. The skaters' blades sound hard and loud when they strike the ice. You enjoy yourself so much, you forget to take photographs.

You skate until you can't feel your toes, and you're secretly glad when it's time to clear the ice because the shinny players are waiting to start their game.

Ando arrives late, just in time to explain why it's called "shinny" - because the kids used to just wear shin pads for it, not the full hockey gear. So you learn something new.

You all head to a nearby Tim Horton's for hot chocolate, and laugh about what a Canadian cliche this is. You share stories about winter sports and places you've travelled to and what you like about the city you've all found yourselves in now. It's the kind of conversation that friendly strangers have when they've shared an interesting experience.

And then you all head your separate ways, each with a new story to tell.

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