“The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.” – Seth Godin, Linchpin
Cammie and Alex's Adventures at Rainbow Rinks by Olga Jaffae
My daughter has been taking figure skating lessons for some time now and has progressed to the point of needing more serious figure skates in place of the recreational-grade skates she received for Christmas two years ago. Since her interest has been consistent, unlike softball and soccer, it appears we’re committed.
After spending time online trying to figure out the purchase of better skates, I realized I needed some guidance. Buying and fitting ice skates for a little figure skater is more complex than I realized.
Leaders of the tribe (the instructors and coaches at our hometown rink) pointed me to a singular solution: a gentleman named Neal Wood whose basement skate shop is 45 minutes away from our town. Neal’s plain black and white business card doesn’t have a professionally designed logo. Neal doesn’t have a computer. He doesn’t even have a sign outside his shop. And unfortunately he doesn’t get to skate much any more, because some vertigo is setting in.
But Neal has been helping skaters with their equipment for three generations, and when you inquire, their faces light up and they mention some variation of, “We don’t know what we would do without Neal.” Skaters who move hours away still come back to Neal’s skate shop for their skates. And as final proof of this man’s very special place in his community, the book Cammie and Alex’s Adventures at Rainbow Rinks, by Lancaster Pa. author Olga Jaffae, is dedicated to Neal. I’m sure other amazing details about his role in the skating community await our discovery.
Neal’s little shop houses his blade-sharpening and boot-stretching equipment, his catalogs and sizing charts, and his impressive stock of ice skates. But it’s also a magical gathering place filled corner to corner and floor to ceiling with what seems to be the world’s greatest accumulation of antique ice skates and ice skating-related collectibles. Dolls, books, magazines, plates, paintings, figurines, music boxes –anything you can imagine that depicts this sport. In the past, Neal says, he found items for his collection from flea markets and antique sales, but now Neal’s grown son keeps the collection growing via Ebay.
After two visits and two fittings, my daughter was thrilled to be able to show up at the rink for her lessons wearing her new Neal Wood Skates. They are just what she needed, creating the perfect connection between her feet and the ice. And little did we know that this professionally-fitted-skate ritual would also give her “rink cred” – “Hey everyone, Elena has Neal Wood Skates!” The skates signify that she’s ready to proceed and wants to be part of the community.
Actually, the Neal Wood Skates are just Riedell 133 TS’s. What changes them and makes them so special is Neal. During our two scheduled visits, he spent several hours showing us various models, putting them on Elena’s feet, lacing them up, and figuring out which ones were going to give her the fit she needed as a child whose feet are still growing. He demystified the process for us, sharpened the blades, and power-stretched the boots tailored to the shape of her feet and ankle bones. He also taught her how to lace the skates properly so that they don’t “break down.”
And yet Neal charged us only his retail price for the skates – $155. He didn’t charge for his patience, his time, his passion for fitting skates, the enjoyment we felt looking around his magical shop, his specialized talent, his deep domain knowledge, or the inspiration my daughter felt getting to know him. Neal is quietly authoritative, and when you note how patient he is, he says, “I’m not going anywhere.” When you tell him he’s indispensable he says simply, “That’s why you’re here.”
There’s some kind of zen of skating going on in this skate shop — an artist doing what he loves and what makes him unique. Neal is a classic linchpin who inspires, leads, and represents an indispensable interface between the members of his community and their passion for skating.
What a great story – makes me wish I still skated!