Losing the Knack

Near where we live, there’s an open field that has street lighting installed in it. At first, I thought this somewhat bizarre, until I twigged what it was – a natural ice rink. The field gets flooded, and in cold weather, becomes the local ice rink. After a week of sub-zero temperatures, this weekend it became the centre of much activity. But it was noticeable that the most accomplished skaters seemed to be people of the older generations. Most Dutch people of my age grew up when winters were almost invariably colder, and learning to skate was a natural part of growing up – just like learning to ride a bike. But the opportunities for skating on natural ice these days seem to be fewer and farther between. Hence there’s a whole generation who have never learned to skate…