Ask any question - skater's version

Glacierskater · Aug 3, 2003

I regret not pitching a fit to skate when I was younger. I knew at the age of about 6 that I wanted to skate. I got roller skates for Christmas and was on them every day. I wanted to take lessons and be in the Olympics for roller skating...I don't even know if they had/have it. I loved the movie Roller Boogie. I think that I could have really done well in figure skating. As it was, my mom said no, andI ended up playing soccer, softball, and volleyball. It's too bad too because I grew uo in a suburb on Denver called Littleton, and would have had a plethora of skating talent at my finger tips. I so regret not pushing it...that is where I got the inspiration for my custom title.

How do you choose you music for your programs?

icenut84 · Aug 4, 2003

I've never had a programme, but I still have several pieces of music that I'd love to skate to one day. I'd choose something with (probably) a good beat, or changing rhythems/tempos, and with some crescendos etc in it. I also like music that builds as it goes on, so the ending would be really powerful.

Which skating disciplines do you do? Are there any you don't do that you'd love to try?

aly*cutie · Aug 4, 2003

i just do ladies. but I would try pairs sometime maybe.

How long have you been skating?

starshinexavier · Aug 4, 2003

Going into my 14th year in September. I can't believe I've been skating for so long, it seems like yesterday I was starting. I've also been doing dance for 9 years, did skills for 4 years before I finished them, and did Interpretives for 3 years before I finished them. Lots of skating for me for sure.

What advice would you give to yourself, if you could go back in time to when you were just starting to skate?

Yazmeen · Aug 6, 2003

I'm probably going to scare rachelstarlet with this reply, but I wouldn't have bought the used boots that I did and I would have gotten my feet checked by a professional fitter like my current pro/sharpener before buying them. They seemed good at the time, (I was in group lessons and only getting to know the coaching staff at the rink, including the coach I've now had for almost four years.). I spent 3 and one half years in boots that turned out to be too big and wrong for my feet. I've had my new skates (Klingbeil's with Coronation Aces) for 10 months and the difference in my skating has been remarkable. I realize a lot of that is me, not just the boots, but a proper fitting boot has helped a great deal, especially with edges overall.

If you could get a lesson from an elite skater or coach, who would you choose and why?

sk8er1964 · Aug 6, 2003

Karen Preston did the choreography for my last AN program. She was very nice to work with - and I got so many compliments on my choreography! I figure as a former Canadian national champion and olympian, that's elite enough for me!

Do you tape your boots?

starshinexavier · Aug 7, 2003

Yes, yes I do, and I've been doing so for 2 years now. They're taped beige, and I love having beige skates. I also have clear hockey tape around bottom of my boot where the toe is, since I do a lot of lunges. I couldn't imagine not taping my skates.

What test was your biggest nemesis, and how many times did you have to retry?

icedream · Aug 9, 2003

my biggest nemesis was ISI freestyle 1. I failed the first time and my teacher was so mean he told me I had trouble focusing and that i had no common sense. A couple other coaches told me that i should have passed. i did pass the second time, although with low marks.

why do you love skating?

sk8er1964 · Aug 9, 2003

Ooooh - do you have all day to read my answer?

. Ok, I'll try to make it short...

Because it is very fun. Because it makes me feel good about myself. Because it is a challenge . Because I feel freedom on the ice. Because I love to fly. Because I love the feeling of speed. Because when I'm on the ice there is peace in my life. Because I am a masochist :laugh:

(sorry, couldn't resist that one). There's loads more, but I'll leave it at that.

Do you ever get a chance to just skate to unstructured music - ie hear a song you like and just go with the flow doing whatever you want?

skatepixie · Aug 16, 2003

i skate on public session so I get to do this all the time.

whats your fav move to do?

Cinderella on Ice · Aug 16, 2003

I wish I could say it was something cool like a hydroblade or ina bauer, but the easiest and most consistent thing for me to do is the flip jump. Even when I had not skated for almost 30 years, after I got my "ice legs," the first thing I tried was a flip! They always make me happy and feel confident. If I've had a challenging practice where things didn't go very well, I might whip off a couple of flip jumps at the end just to make me feel like I'm a skater. I always feel powerful.

Q: Who is the person who has been most supportive of or most influenced your skating?

icenut84 · Aug 16, 2003

I guess the person who was most supportive was my mum, because for 2 years she drove me to the rink and back every Saturday morning, and sat in the cafe for a couple of hours while I skated. And she also paid for my lessons. I probably wouldn't have been able to skate if she hadn't done that, although she didn't always really want to.

Do you have short-term goals that you want to accomplish by the end of the year? I want to get a decent scratch spin, get the loop and flip as consistent as I can, at least start working on the lutz, skate more often, get into dance again with a good coach, at least start on the sit spin, make progress on the backspin...

Cinderella on Ice · Aug 16, 2003

I want to pass my Adult Gold Freestyle by January 15 so I'm eligible to compete in Adult Nationals in April in Lake Placid. This means my axel will need to be consistent, as well as "pumping up" my artistic ability during freestyle programs.

I also want to start working on doubles by the end of the year, and continue to make progress on my stretches/flexibility so that I can begin to learn spread eagles, ina bauers and laybacks, three things I was never good at when I skated as a kid.

Q: How would you describe your skating style with ONLY ONE WORD (e.g., athletic, ballet-like, powerful, graceful, determined)? And why?

skatepixie · Aug 16, 2003

graceful fire. That pretty much says it all.

What elite skater do you skate the most like? Style wise I mean.

starshinexavier · Aug 18, 2003

Since I was an elite synchro skater at one point, I skate like myself. :laugh:

Honestly, I don't skate like anyone out there, and if I did, that'd be scary. I'm all into being unique, so methinks I'd try to change my style if I did skate like someone.

What kind of music best suits your skating personality and why?

SugarCoated · Aug 18, 2003

I've always worked with slow graceful music like anastasias (sp) waltz and last competition it was a song by Celine Dion/Andrea Bochelli. But i think i would work better with something more upbeat ... maybe some punk - that would just be fun.

Whats your ultimate skating inspiration? Something that always makes you happy and/or makes you want to work harder at it.

sk8er1964 · Aug 18, 2003

My lessons. I love my lessons - and there's always things to aspire to that come from my lessons and things I can't wait to show my coach when I get to a lesson.

Do you ever get to skate alone? (I do about 1-2 times per week and sometimes I like it -- sometimes I can't wait for somebody else to come on for company :\ )

Glacierskater · Aug 19, 2003

I usually find myself on the ice alone for at least 30 minutes a couple of sessions a week. This is the time that I relax and reflect and what a joy it is to skate. I pop in Moonlight Sonata and practice edges, MIF, or something really graceful. Then I usually fall and smack something hard in the middle of my reverie. That is typical of me.

Sometimes after a hard skating practice it is fun to cut up and be silly. I go to another rink also where I have my serious lessons. They do not cut up or play on the ice. I like both, but I really love to skate alone.

Do you prefer to skate outside or inside, and why?

Lanie · Aug 19, 2003

Inside. I remember skating outside on a rink in Salt Lake City back in 1991 (family reunion; I was five) and I kept falling over ruts and whatnot. It was fun, though.

I think I'm spoiled and I'd hate skating outside now. I'd be mortified if I fell or something.

If you could have done something different with your skating (starting earlier, etc), what would you have done?

Glacierskater · Aug 19, 2003

ooooh, I have mentioned this before and it would have been to keep asking for lessons until my parents said yes. I grew up in Denver and it would have been the perfect place to be raised for skating. I think that my mom was well aware of the cost, and we could have afforded it, but I know that we would have spend tons on it! As it is, I am glad that I am an adult skater and that I have not been skating so long that I am burned out on it. I give myseld at least another 50 years of skating.
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What if anything, do you give back to the sport? Example: I volunteer occassionally at our rink (it is non-profit), and I skate the public sessions occassionally as well. This always attracts that attention of hopeful soon-to-be skaters, and I always encourage them positively. I also volunteer for skating camp, competitions (in addition to competing), and help with shows that our rink puts on.

Do you give back?

Ask any question - skater's version

Glacierskater

icenut84

aly*cutie

starshinexavier

Yazmeen

sk8er1964

starshinexavier

icedream

sk8er1964

skatepixie

Cinderella on Ice

Bless you, Fairy Godmother, I'm Having a BALL!

icenut84

Cinderella on Ice

Bless you, Fairy Godmother, I'm Having a BALL!

skatepixie

starshinexavier

SugarCoated

sk8er1964

Glacierskater

Lanie

Glacierskater

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