I’m a beginner, so I signed up for a course for beginners. There’s a small butterfly fluttering in my stomach as I approach the sports center where the training takes place. Our instructor tells us to grab a scooter.

“You’ll simply do as I say. Every exercise has a purpose.” I keep a close watch on her hands and feet as she shows us the first basics – how to step on and off, how to do this with one leg crossed behind you, and how to step off with a turn. Then we start to scoot, the difficulty increasing with each exercise. I quickly discover the part that’s most fun for me – right foot on the scooter and pushing with my left. I’m careful to scoot in short bursts of speed, braking cautiously.

Within minutes most of us take off our jackets and continue to work up a sweat on the football field sized training ground. “Yes, yes, it’s exercise!” our calls instructor encouragingly. Jump on and off the scooter, holding for a few seconds – check. Scoot gathering speed, one, two, three, both feet on the scooter and hold as long as you can – check. Ride around a circle on the ground, one foot in, scooter stays outside of the circle – half check. That one was harder. Ride around small coloured circles laid out in a line on the ground, swaying the handlebar – mostly check. I look back expecting to see a mess, but the circles are still there. Push your scooter along a curvy line two times, making sure first the front and then the back wheels follow it. Scoot around in small and large circles – check. At least it felt like a circle. Gather speed, both feet on, squat once (more if you can, but I’m saving up my ambition) – check. Wow! And then the same, only standing on tiptoe instead of squatting – check.

Ride around in larger circles, not looking down, but around. Check!

Main impressions – I did not fall off, coordinating my feet around the scooter took some time, as did finding a good grip for the handlebar. “You’ll feel your leg muscles tonight”, says our instructor by the end. Oh, yes.