Snoopy's Ice Arena

Thank you, Charles Schultz, for bringing a little bit of Minnesota to Santa Rosa.  Like you, I miss the proliferation of ice skating rinks that are scattered everywhere.  I also miss shoveling off the ice on the lake to set up my own skating area.  However, I DON'T miss the dogs pissing on the ice that causes a frozen, yellow bump that catches my toe pick causing me to fall face first.  SMACK!!  It was like heaven to shovel off a nice, flat, snow-free, bump-free hunk of ice to practice our Dorthy Hamil moves on. 

Oh Charles, you would be heart broken if you went back to Minnesota now.  The warming houses that once were the neighborhood hangouts in our youth have all gone by the wayside due to budget cuts by the parks-n-rec.  Gone are the days of getting the kid with the longest scarf to give it up to play 'whip.'  Gone are the days of coming in from outside with frozen toes and everybody fighting for space on the wall heater to warm up.  Gone are the days of everybody fighting over the thing that looked like a J-hook to lace up our skates with.  Also gone are the days of everybody fighting over the boot box that had two slats of wood with about an inch of space in the middle that comfortably cradled our blade while we laced up. Also gone is the bowling alley in the basement of Apache Plaza and the little place where everybody would get their blades sharpened for about a buck.  Ahhhhhhhh........ there was nothing like newly sharpened blades on a warn-in pair of skates.  Awesome.  Hitting clean ice with sharp blades felt like butter.  So much control.  So much precision. 

I've been to Snoopy's Ice Arena a few times.  People don't stop to think that ice skating is a very dangerous sport.  Some of it is people just being unfamiliar with the sport.  I suppose it's awkward for people to skate for the very first time and getting used to the sensation of it all.  I would not know.  The first time I skated on ice was at the age of three.  It's more natural than walking for me. 

That was until I went back to Snoopy's as I was feeling lonely for ice.  I did not have my own skates available, so I rented a pair.  What shocked me was how DULL they were when I hit the ice.  Dull skates are like a dull knife -- very dangerous.  No wonder the newbies were flailing all over in the crappy, rent-a-skates. 

Moral of the story:  Ask for sharp skates.