Skating as a boy

Hey there I am Soelie

I had a few questions and also wanted a discussion about the following.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport

This thread is going to be moved to the correct forum so just FYI.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Yes. Do you not watch skating? There are many men that skate.

Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
Depends what you mean by common. There are a lot of men/boys that skate at my rink, but other rinks don't have as many.

I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
See pinned thread in The Lutz Corner. This question is asked daily. No you're not too old to start skating. How much time and effort you put into it is going to determine how you progress. You will most likely never be a skater on TV but you can get to a point where you skate well as long as you put the practice time in and learn from a dedicated professional (aka a coach) and not try to teach yourself to skate.

Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport
Why is this even a concern to you?

Soelie said:

Hey there I am Soelie

I had a few questions and also wanted a discussion about the following.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport

Click to expand...

Welcome to GS

Yes
Yes
Yes imo
Does it matter?

He's 14. I get it.

No, figure skating is not a gay sport. Yes, there are gay skaters, just like gay people are involved in all sports and professions.

But there are straight men skaters, too.

Figure skating doesn't make you gay. If you think this is an activity you would enjoy, then I hope you'll give it a try.

14 is not too late to become good enough to really enjoy the skating.

PS. Now a word of advice from an old geezer...

A skating date is a way to do something different and fun with a young lady. In my younger days, I found that enjoying an activity was a great way to dispense with awkwardness and first-date jitters. When you're laughing and having fun, first dates go better than dinner and a movie. Plus, it gives you a chance to hold her hand, just to steady her, you understand. :cool14:

Soelie said:

Hey there I am Soelie

I had a few questions and also wanted a discussion about the following.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport

Click to expand...

Yes, it is possible to figure skate as a boy lol. I skated from age 5-13 as a boy and there were a few other boys my age at the rink I went too aswell.

Men skating is of course not as common as women, but you will still find a few men skating at a typical rink. Really depends on what rink you go to. The rink I go to now is a smaller one and there are only 3-4 guys that skate. My old rink when I was little had 10+ men/boys skating at different times.

To go to the Olympics in the sport of figure skating you need the perfect mix of natural talent, work ethic, time, desire, and proper coaching. Unfortunately starting at 15 puts you at a significant disadvantage. The skaters you see on ESPN have spent their entire lives since they were ~5 years old dedicated to skating. Their entire life has revolved around the sport. You could become a very accomplished skater by starting at 15, but I think the Olympics are probably out of your grasp. Sorry. The only well known male skater I know who started later was Johnny Weir. He started when he was 12 years old.

Is figure skating a "gay" sport? All I'll say is that men skate with many different styles. Some more feminine and some more masculine. Your style is entirely up to you.

Soelie said:

Hey there I am Soelie

I had a few questions and also wanted a discussion about the following.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport

Click to expand...

1. Yes. Almost half the skaters competing are male...... (Men's single, pair, ice dance, syncro)
2. Depends on where you are and what you mean by common.
3. Yes and No. You can learn to figure skate at any age. And it depends on what your definition of good is/your goals. Like what you see on TV, those competing as the Worlds best? No.
4. I don't understand what a "gay sport" means. I hope no one is telling you there are "gay sports" and "hetro sports" because there is no such thing. :noshake:

Skating has nothing to do with a skaters sexuality. You can be a hetero skater, a bi skater, a gay skater, lesbian skater, a pansexual skater, etc. Why would it matter?

*comes into thread hoping for an intelligent question*

I...

No. If I can't say it without rolling my eyes, it's probably best I don't answer.

I'll leave this on my way out.


Max Aaron


Joshua Farris

Brendan Kerry

Seriously, do you watch figure skating AT ALL?

Perhaps English is not their first language but I am seriously wondering if the poster is asking some of these questions because they are transgender.

sandraskates said:

Perhaps English is not their first language but I am seriously wondering if the poster is asking some of these questions because they are transgender.

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I don't think so. I taught kids this age. He's in that difficult transition from boy to young teen. His body is doing weird stuff, his emotions are ragged, he is terrified of being isolated and ridiculed by his peers. It's a horrible age, and all boys have to go through it.

I hope we cut him some slack.

Soelie said:

Hey there I am Soelie

I had a few questions and also wanted a discussion about the following.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport

Click to expand...

"Is it possible to figure skate as a boy" Yes.

"Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate" I don't have any statistics (haven't searched for any either). From personal observation over the decades at various rinks, however, I would say that females (girls and women) far outnumber males (boys and men). I skate during public sessions, and I'm either the only male figure skater or one of a few male figure skaters. I also frequently observe freestyle sessions (before or after my session). Very few males (often none; but none of the rinks I've gone to are elite training centers). Also, at pro shops that do carry inventory, the selection of white skates for females far outnumber the selection of black skates for males. Skate techs tell me the vast majority of their customers are female. Also at college I took freestyle and ice dance classes; there were far more females than males. Again, these are limited personal observations, and I'm talking about the more general population of figure skaters and not the elite competitive population of figure skaters (as another poster commented, in the competitions shown on TV, half the skaters are male).

"I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro" Addressed in other concurrent threads. Depends a lot on your criteria for "good/pro", your athletic ability, how hard you're willing to work, how many hours you can devote, access to good ice and good coaches, and how much money you or your parents have.

"Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport" I don't know whether there are any statistics comparing the percentage of gays among male figure skaters with the percentage of gays among the general male population (haven't searched for these statistics either). I don't know the rationale behind this question. I'll take a stab and offer these comments. My initial reaction was similar to TontoK's. You are at a vulnerable age in which you are dealing with difficult issues of self-esteem, peer acceptance, and sexuality. There has been much social progress over the decades in eliminating "male" and "female" labels from specific activities, but biases and prejudices remain (depends heavily on your local community and individuals; and I don't know what country you're from). Generally I would say that most people do not consider figure skating as a macho sport, and certainly there are people who think that real men play hockey, not figure skate. At work, I always got funny looks when I said, "I ice skate", and co-workers asked, "Oh, you play hockey?", and I answered, "No, I figure skate." There are few rink facilities dedicated to figure skating. At most rink facilities, the figure skating crowd will intermingle with the hockey crowd to some extent. And, yes, as a male figure skater, I've had to deal with some crude and cruel comments from macho hockey players, and their equally macho coaches and parents (including moms). Fortunately, they've been rare. But don't be surprised if you do hear them. Just dismiss them, and continue with the joy of figure skating [I know, not easy at your age].

Within the US, I would estimate that approximately 15% of the figure skaters I see at local rinks or who compete at regionals and large club competitions or adult competitions are male. The distribution would vary by location. At a training center especially one that specializes in pairs or dance, the numbers of boys/men will be higher. At a small rink in an isolated location, there may be very few figure skaters in total, and all of them young girls.

At competitions that skaters have to qualify for (e.g., US sectionals and Nationals, or the championship events at Adult Nationals), the numbers of males and females will be more similar because only a limited number of skaters in each discipline can make the cut -- a lot higher percentage of girls and women get left home.

I don't have a sense of what the numbers are like in other countries. It would be interesting to know.

TontoK said:

I don't think so. I taught kids this age. He's in that difficult transition from boy to young teen. His body is doing weird stuff, his emotions are ragged, he is terrified of being isolated and ridiculed by his peers. It's a horrible age, and all boys have to go through it.

I hope we cut him some slack.

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No malice was intended in my comment. I only posed it because of the "skating as a boy" verbiage; I've had at least 2 transgender skaters in my classes.

sandraskates said:

No malice was intended in my comment. I only posed it because of the "skating as a boy" verbiage; I've had at least 2 transgender skaters in my classes.

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Nor was any malice intended in my reply. The "cutting slack" was an afterthought, not really meant in reply to your very reasonable guess about the situation.

He could be transgender... my reply was mostly intended to plead for some leniency on his behalf about what adults would consider a clumsy gay stereotype.

TontoK said:

Nor was any malice intended in my reply. The "cutting slack" was an afterthought, not really meant in reply to your very reasonable guess about the situation.

He could be transgender... my reply was mostly intended to plead for some leniency on his behalf about what adults would consider a clumsy gay stereotype.

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:agree: Cool beans TontoK. Nice chatting with you!

I have a lot of teenage coworkers male and female at the ice rink... believe me, at least where I live, using the term "gay" as an adjective or adverb is very typical of that age group, regardless of biological sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Soelie said:

Hey there I am Soelie

I had a few questions and also wanted a discussion about the following.

Is it possible to figure skate as a boy
Is it common do a lot of boys/men figure skate
I am almost 15 am I to late to figure skate and become good/pro
Last but not least (this may hurt but I don't mean it to) is it a gay sport

Click to expand...

Yes, OP it's possible and common for boys/men to figure skate and become quite good at it. If it is something you are passionate about I say go for it.
I have been skating since I was a small child and have skated in the company of many males (I am female). A good number of them also made it very far in the figure skating world, but you have to understand that they also started as children.
As far as your asking about it being a gay sport. Many sports have people who identify as gay in it, not just figure skating and it doesn't make them any less of an athlete or it of a sport.
People are cruel in this world and if they are going to call someone gay for doing something they love, they're just going to do it and not care. It doesn't matter the sport really and you should know it could happen regardless and you should just keep pursuing the sport if you love it. Most everyone I have met in my years of figure skating have been very accepting and understanding of others no matter how they identify.

In conclusion what I am saying is simple: If you love figure skating and want to do it then do not let anything get in your way.

Hi Soelie...

There are lots of male/boy skaters out there....but I suspect that not every skating club is a great one to be a boy at...

If you are lucky enough to live in an area with several clubs, try to get down to some of the sessions of mid level skaters to see if there are a good proportion of boys/men or not. Our kids skate at a club that's known to have a lot of boys, and a good proportion of the coaches are male too. From what I see, the boys train a lot together and don't seem to feel exceptional.

However, when we go to competitions in our region we see that most of the boys competing are from just a couple of the clubs, including ours. So, it seems that boys feel more comfortable and are more successful on average in clubs that have a more balanced gender ratio...

One thing that has been noted is that being in a skating club is a great place to have make good solid friendships with both genders, whatever your orientation. It's one of the very few sports where boys and girls, and men and women team up together to compete...

And, I should note that if you are interested in a partnered discipline, as a male you will find it easier to find a partner just because males are less common. [Remember 3 out of 4 main disciplines require a male skater.]

You may not be become a skater on TV, but there is lots of opportunity to grow in skating at your age. I certainly know of folks who make a living as coaches who started much later than you.

Lastly, in the words of one blogging parent [Skatersdad.com], if he'd only knew that being a teenaged boy would mean being in a club with lot of beautiful and fit teenaged girls, he wouldn't have waited until his daughters were skaters to learn figure skating himself. Suggest you take a look at some of his Qs&As, and share the site with your parents if they have doubts about whether skating is for you....