Gam

My grandmother, aka Gam, grew up in St. Louis.  She learned to ice skate on frozen ponds in the parks near her house.  It was something that she always loved.

When my mom went back to work, I spent my summer days at my grandparents.  I started bringing my roller skates so that I would have something to do in the afternoons.  After a summer of watching me roller skate (and beg to go ice skating), Gam decided that everyone needed to go ice skating at least once.  So, she took me to the Galleria one afternoon to skate.

By this time, she'd already broken a hip, so there was no question about her joining me on the ice.  She just sat on the bleachers and watched me trying to figure out how to make the transition from 4 wheels to a blade.  It wasn't long before I was off the boards, making my way around the rink in circles.   

I don't know exactly what happened between her and my mom that evening, but I suspect there was some arm-twisting because it wasn't long after this that I got to take my first ice skating class.  Since I couldn't get to the rink to practice more than once a week, I practiced my figure skating on roller skates in her driveway every day during the summer.

For my 9th birthday, she and my grandfather gave me tickets to the Ice Capades.   Dorothy Hamill was skating with them!  I was so looking forward to seeing her in person.  I was hoping that somehow, I could get backstage to meet her.  But, the day of the performance, I was coming down with one of the worst ear infections of my life.  I fought to stay as long as I could, but after seeing Dorothy skate a few times, I asked my grandparents to take me home.  I still remember overhearing them talking with my parents:  "We knew she had to be awfully sick when she asked to leave . . ." 

When I started skating again as an adult, I could literally hear the smile on her face from 1000 miles away.  She never got to see me skate, but it was a love we shared.  Unlike my mom, who shared my love of watching skating on TV, Gam loved being on the ice.  "I never did anything fancy, like you do, but it was always fun."

Then she'd add, "And it's good exercise, too."  (That's Gam for, "You know, you really need to lose weight.")