Skating Through Life Together It’s Been Five Decades Since The Petersens Met And Fell In Love At A Roller Rink In Moscow, Idaho, And They’ve Been Rolling Along Together Ever Since
Arm in arm they glided, looking into each other’s eyes. Otis Orchards residents Loyd and Esther Petersen strolled their way through their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday during an afternoon skating party at Roller Valley.
“We wanted to celebrate the anniversary in a rink because it has so much meaning for us,” said Loyd Petersen, 70.
Hopeless romantics, they smooched and hugged and held hands most the afternoon, recounting the day they met a little more than 50 years ago. She, now 69, was a ticket taker in a Moscow, Idaho, roller rink. He was an avid skater. It was love at first sight then and it’s been love on skates ever since.
They married on Feb. 16, 1947, in Pullman, where Loyd’s family lived.
On Sunday, the couple dazzled the friends and family members who had come to celebrate their anniversary. Among those in attendance were the Petersens’ two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.
While many whipped by them as they circled the rink, the Petersens just flowed with the music - whether Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” or Alanis Morissette’s “Head Over Feet.” Surrounded by tripping tykes falling on their rumps, the Petersens never flinched, never fell.
The rink was theirs when the D.J. asked skaters to clear the floor. He introduced the couple, dimmed the lights and their song - “Waltz 138” - began.
Loyd kept his right arm snug around Esther’s waist and cradled her left hand in his as they rolled around the rink. In synch, their feet crossed over and back, gliding and flowing, over and back. They couldn’t take their eyes off each other. And neither could anyone in the crowd. Some women, dabbing tears, rubbed their wedding bands. Others held tightly to their children.
“She’s a pretty good little lady,” said Loyd, landing a kiss on Esther’s lips after the dance.
“We do harder dances than that one, but that’s about my favorite,” said Esther, snug in Loyd’s arms. “I like it because of the flow.”
The couple’s sons tried their hand at skating Sunday. Gary and Duane said they were proud to have parents who were so active and so in love.
And oh, the stories they told.
Gary, 47, who traveled from Midland, Texas, for the event, had plenty to say about his mom.
“When we were in high school, we were among the elite few who had a mother who could skateboard,” he said.
Duane, 45, told of the time he came home from school to find Esther skating down the street as she grasped a rope tied to a bike ridden by one of the Petersens’ neighbors.
“She was doing a slalom course around pop bottles,” said Duane. He said his mother would sometimes skate in a house dress with clip-on skates in the family’s garage.
The couple skated often before their children were born, but put the hobby aside for decades while raising the kids, said Esther. Eight years ago, they picked it up again and now skate two to three times a week. They even take lessons from skate dancing instructor Joan Whittaker, who also attended the party.
“When they came to me, they could skate, but they didn’t know any of the finer things,” said Whittaker. Turns are tough for the Petersens and “they haven’t got to a three-turn dance yet,” she said, with a daring hint.
Esther chides back, “By the end of the summer, we will be doing that.”
Right now, the diligent skate dancers are perfecting three waltzes: the swing, southward and chase. The Petersens, who are considered bronze-ranked skaters, are working toward completing the skating tests for silver ranking. Then, they’ll reach for the gold - though after 50 years of marriage they already have reached their most treasured golden milestone.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 color)