OMG! Very close call! | Page 2 | Golden Skate

OMG! Very close call!

Kitt

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Country
United-States
It does get scary when hockey people are on the ice. One time a hockey player plowed right into me and then tried to break my fall by picking me up! haha now that I think of it, it's funny, but it wasn't at the time!
 

tietzd83

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2012
Forget about the 40 year old man learning how to skate.

Ouch... that would be me....

The club that I have just joined has contract ice for use by only those who have passed Basic 4, and have strict rules on who can be doing what and where. They also stress to parents and skaters proper ice etiquette. I wonder if part of the problem is that people are unaware of such guidelines- especially in an open skate situation.

Still, as a 40 something year old man learning to skate, I am handing over a decent sum of money for every lesson I take and deserve my practice time on the ice. Although I may not be skating shows, I do intend to compete in USFSA adult events down the road. Since I am currently barred from the contracted ice sessions, open skate is all that is left for me to practice. Luckily I skate in a small town and the open skate sessions are usually not well attended. :)
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Basic 4 is the minimum for contract ice? Very generous of the club to extend that far down. Typically it's FS1 and up because they can/should be able to move out of the way of skaters in program/lessons while working on their things. Below the basic FS levels, it's typically VERY miss (very little hit) in skaters' abilities to recognize patterns (jump set ups, programs, dances) and move with the flow of traffic. Sorry, but YOU would be a danger to others on contract ice and consequently to yourself until you can get further along than forward and backward swizzles and one foot glides for the reasons mentioned above. I know I am WAY more cautious on FS sessions populated by Prepre and Adult Prebronze and Bronze FS skaters than I am on sessions populated by Intermediate/Novice/Junior/Senior FS because I am less likely to suddenly be bearing down on someone for a jump who is either completely oblivous our can't get out of the way or can't recognize where I am headed. I am not saying I am a jerk on FS sessions (far far from the case), I just need to get my practice in and there's plenty of room out there for everyone, but when you expect someone to vacate an area during the time you are setting up from the other end of the rink and they're still there, it gets frustrating. I get "yelled" at for aborting more things on sessions populated by lower level skaters because they tend to be more oblivous (adults too) and don't recognize where another skater is/is going.
 

tietzd83

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2012
I see your point. I can understand how my ignorance can cause all kinds of trouble and certainly do not want to be a danger or detract from other's learning. The problem I have is that between contract figure skating and hockey there is little opportunities for adults like me to get time to practice. The open skate sessions around here are almost exclusively during the day when the majority of adults are at work. Okay, that leaves weekends right? Well, I consider myself to be highly motivated and need more than 90 minutes a week to practice. As a flight instructor, once I solo a pilot I expect them to go out on their own and practice. It is cheaper for them, wastes less time, and much easier on my patience because they will hopefully have improved by the next time I fly with them. If we had to wait until all the big jets were safely on the ground before letting them venture out, there would very few newly minted pilots in the world. Just like the 40 year old want-to-be pilot that walks through the door with a goal to reach- more than likely NOT one of becoming a commercial pilot, there is me on the ice. I have a goal I want achieve and am willing to fork out a fairly decent sum of money to do it. This is money being spent in the local skating club, ice rink, and pro shop. Money being used to further promote the sport! I should not be made to feel like I am not important or have a place on the ice because of my age. Everyone had to start somewhere. Do I wish I would have started as a kid?? Certainly! But I am just as, if not more, excited and determined to succeed to the highest level possible as anyone else. To accomplish this, however, I need my fair share of practice time. Maybe I am wrong, but I think the USFSA has embraced the importance of adult skaters and has proven it through the development of its adult programs and competition.

Forgive me if I sound confrontational and/or a bit "stand-offish," but I was really disheartened by the forget the 40 year old comment...

Dave
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I object to the age comment as well. There are plenty of older skaters who still maintain higher skill levels and belong on freestyle sessions, not public sessions.

It's beginners who don't belong on freestyle sessions. The skater needs to have enough skill to be able to get out of the way when necessary and enough awareness of surroundings to know when it's necessary. Adults are probably more aware than kids of the same skill level and in most cases are used to predicting and avoiding traffic while driving, which is a skill that translates to the ice as well even though the traffic patterns, all the specifics really, are different.

And it is necessary understand the need for that awareness and not to get so focused on one's own practice as to look down at the ice all the time and not pay attention to the other skaters.

Still, at the very least, a skater who can't yet do forward crossovers or skate backward at all does not belong on a freestyle session unattended. Many rinks allow beginners on freestyle sessions with a coach for lessons at lower levels than for unsupervised practice. If you're taking private lessons, you might see if you can schedule those for the contract sessions that you're not ready to skate on alone yet and save the practices on your own for the public/open sessions.

Are the contracts with the rink directly or through a skating club?
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
I think valiant was referencing himself on the 40 year old beginner comment, not taking a jab at anyone or trying to make an age-related comment (meaning, pay no mind to the 40 year old (himself) learning how to skate). I made no age reference - I am typically more cautious on sessions populated with Prepre, Prebronze, and Bronze skaters (no matter if they age) because they tend to be less aware and/or less able to flow with traffic/understand patterns than high level skaters. I prefer sessions populated with higher level skaters but I am also a full grown adult working on Novice Moves and Intermediate FS.

My point was also beginners don't belong on a FS as it's dangerous for everyone (it also depends on the coach, but I think there are some beginners in a lesson that STILL don't really belong on a FS session when that is allowed because there are basic level coaches who are rude/clueless/lack awareness as well as their basic skater - then there becomes two obstacles to avoid instead of one).
 

sarahspins

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
I object to the age comment as well. There are plenty of older skaters who still maintain higher skill levels and belong on freestyle sessions, not public sessions.

Well I don't disagree with that at all, I think the point was that any "beginner" level skater at any age doesn't belong on freestyle ice - it's dangerous. You can't mix skaters learning crossovers with skaters doing doubles and triples... and it's not the high level skaters that create the risk, it's the low level skaters who don't know how to yield (because they don't know the patterns or jump set ups) or just generally freak out when they see a skater coming at them quickly.

I skate on an "adult" session which is technically a public session and consists of some beginning adults, low to mid level freestylers, some dancers, a few hockey skaters, and there is sometimes a guy working on his senior moves... the guy working on his senior isn't truly a danger to the rest of the skaters (he is more than capable of altering patterns as needed, always watches where he is going), but the rest of the lower level skaters who "freak out" because he's skating fast towards them become a huge risk to him and others skaters - because they aren't predictable in how they try to move away at all (if they'd just stop and stay where they are or keep doing what they were doing it would be fine). I've watched countless near collisions that didn't directly involve him, but someone reacting him him (needlessly) and I sometimes want to yell at the other skaters to just chill out.
 

tietzd83

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2012
I think valiant was referencing himself on the 40 year old beginner comment, not taking a jab at anyone or trying to make an age-related comment (meaning, pay no mind to the 40 year old (himself) learning how to skate).

I apologize for my misinterpretation and my obvious naiveté on the subject. I guess I am just hypersensitive because I feel so out of place whenever I step out on the ice. It's just a shame that there aren’t more hours in a day or more ice to be had so everyone can get some quality practice time. :)

If anything, this conversation has encouraged me to get through the basic stages as efficiently as possible.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
My comment was a skater learning swizzles and one foot glides does not belong on a FS session and is a danger and that a club that drops the requirement all the way down to B4 is VERY generous in their allowance for FS sessions.

Sarah - I agree and I initially mentioned Prepre, Prebronze, and Bronze in my comment that I (personally) am more cautious sharing sessions with. Yes, I bumped the adult level up "higher" than the standard track level, but, in my experience, an Adult Bronze typically has the same awareness level and ability to recognize patterns and go with the flow as a competitive Prepre skater (and I've had more of the freak out/near collisions with closer to test level older Bronze skaters than with competitive Prepre skaters). One of my major issues is that I jump and spin CW which seems to confuse less experienced skaters (especially ones who like to set up camp in a spot).
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
It depends, though. I'm a bronze-level skater who was Preliminary as a teenager and who has 20+ years of experience skating on freestyle sessions as a kid as well as an adult.

Suppose you have a chubby 5'3" skater who has passed the pre-pre FS and prelim moves tests (as well as prelim figures) and is working on prejuvenile (and/or adult silver) moves and preliminary FS. That's my skill level. I daresay I have better awareness and comparable speed at 51 to a skater of similar ability who is 15.

Other bronze-level skaters -- especially skaters who have not actually passed any of the bronze tests but are currently working on them -- who started as adults may be more cautious and slower. And others in my age group might be fitter and faster even if they started more recently. In either case they would probably be less experienced in anticipating traffic patterns. But probably more aware than a 7-year-old with similar skills.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
I am only speaking of my experience in my area (hence I said in my experience). When I skate on one of the only adult FS sessions in our area, there are a couple much older Bronze skaters who I would describe as closer to test level (I would describe them as very tentative and more like a Prebronze level skater) who seem to be in their own little world and like to set up camp in small areas at a time. I know where they are and based on what they are doing can predict where they are headed but when I get within 5-10 feet of them while going by (setting up a jump, skating a program, etc) these skaters tend to freak out or change direction into my path as if they had no idea I was on the ice until I am approaching their current campgrounds. Competitive pre-pres have a different skill set than adult Bronzes (versus test level pre-pres who are typically much more unpredictable in terms of reaction/ability to trend the traffic than lower level adults). As I said, many of the lower level skaters I've been on sessions with (children and adults alike) seem to be confused by the person spinning and jumping in the other direction and whose patterns for jump practice are completely opposite what they usually see. I make it a point to avoid sessions which I know are dominated by these skaters as much as possible as I don't like spending my time being distracted by where they are. There are the returning skaters or people from other sports who take up skating later in life (gymnasts, dancers, roller skaters) who aren't as tentative as the folks I've described above and who have previous experience either as a skater or in that other activity that give them good spatial awareness and ability to focus inwardly (what am I doing) and outwardly (what are the people around me doing and who's program is that) at the same time.
 

Dreaswi

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
I really disagree with most of the comments about where certain levels should be. I'm an adult pre-bronze skater and I skate almost always with the few elite teenagers. It was agreed between me, my coach, and the skating director that I am more of a danger to the higher level kids than I am to the elite teens. I outweigh the kids by about 150pounds. It is not a pretty sight to see me collide with a 9 year old because she is so short that when I look over my shoulder she is in my blind spot. A parent threw a fit because I was on the ice with smaller kids. I am more comfortable being on the ice with people my size. I know when I see one of them flying down the ice I better get to the boards and fast.
 

treesprite

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
I am a CW skater and I am 100% aware at all times that the other skaters probably think I'm about to jump when I'm about to spin. I think the people who see me a lot do a better job of sharing space with me than the skaters who aren't used to me. One of the first things I do when someone I don't recognize shows up is to observe the person's habits before trying to negotiate space simply by way of movement.

The other day I was overjoyed when I heard an instructor tell her child student who was skating backwards around the center circle, to watch where she was going so she wouldn't run into the lady. That was the first time ever that I heard an instructor telling a student to watch behind them. I felt like going after her lesson was over and thanking her, but she left when I wasn't paying attention.
 
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