By Kevin Park — Learned to skate at 35. Still falls sometimes. Does not care anymore.
Last updated: April 2026
I walked into the ice rink for my first adult beginner hockey class. I was 35. The other students were mostly kids. Like, actual children. Some were missing teeth. Some were holding their parents’ hands.
I was the only adult who did not know how to skate.
For the first ten minutes, I felt ridiculous. A grown man wobbling on the ice while a 10-year-old glided past me. The coach had to explain basic things to me. How to stand. How to fall. How to get back up.
The kids learned faster than me. They fell less than me. They laughed when they fell. I wanted to laugh too. But I was embarrassed.
Then something shifted. Around the third week, I stopped comparing myself to the kids. I was not competing with them. I was just learning. At my own pace. In my own time.
By the end of the session, I could skate forward without holding the wall. I could stop. Sort of. I could fall and get back up without looking around to see who noticed.
The kids were still better than me. That was fine.
What Made It Hard
Learning as an adult is different.
Kids are not afraid of falling. Their bodies are low to the ground. They bounce. I am tall. When I fall, it is a long way down. And it hurts more than it used to.
My brain got in the way.
I thought too much. Am I doing this right? Do I look stupid? Why is that 10-year-old better than me? The kids just skated. I analyzed.
I had to be bad in public.
That was the hardest part. I am used to being good at things. Or at least competent. Being bad at something in front of other people felt terrible at first. Then it felt normal. Then it felt fine.
What Helped
I stopped looking at other people.
I focused on my own feet. My own balance. My own progress. What the kids were doing did not matter.
I lowered my expectations.
I was not going to be good at this quickly. That was not failure. That was reality. I accepted it.
I celebrated small wins.
First time I skated without holding the wall. First time I stopped without falling. First time I fell and got up without looking around. Each one felt like a victory.
I reminded myself why I was there.
I was not trying out for the NHL. I just wanted to learn something new. To move my body. To have fun. That was it.
What I Learned
Being a beginner as an adult is humbling. That is a good thing.
It reminded me what it feels like to not know how to do something. That made me more patient with other beginners in other parts of my life.
Age is not an excuse.
I told myself I was too old to learn to skate. That was not true. I was just scared. The fear was the barrier, not my age.
Kids are not judging you.
I thought the kids were laughing at me. They were not. They were laughing at each other. They did not care about the old guy wobbling on the ice.
The only person who cares how you look is you.
Everyone else is focused on themselves. I learned that on the ice. Now I try to remember it everywhere else.
What I Am Not Saying
I am not saying everyone should learn to skate. Pick your own sport.
I am not saying you should ignore physical limits. If your body cannot do something, do not force it.
I am just saying: if you have wanted to try something but feel too old or too embarrassed, try it anyway. You might be bad. That is okay. The embarrassment fades. The regret of not trying might not.
The Bottom Line
I learned to skate at 35. I was terrible. Eight-year-olds were better than me. I fell. I got up. I fell again.
By the end, I could skate. Not well. But well enough to have fun.
That was the whole point. Not to be good. To try something new. To be bad at it. To keep going anyway.
I wish I had started sooner. But I am glad I started at all.
About the author: Kevin Park learned to skate at 35. He still falls sometimes. He still goes anyway.
This article reflects personal experience. Different bodies have different abilities. Start any new sport slowly and listen to your body.
