What's your best skating memory?

Just figured I'd toss this thread out there. What's everyone's best memory of skating? Maybe it's your biggest achievement or that fall in the middle of a competition? For me, my best memory of skating is actually from when I was little. I remember getting asked for the first time to participate in the skating carnival for the local club I was a part of. It was a solo bit and up until then I had only skated with others. I remember feeling so elated! The downside is that I never got to actually perform this solo piece. It was shortly after that I dropped out of skating for personal reasons (High school in another town etc. etc.). To this day I still regret not continuing and keeping at it.

What's your best memory?

My most striking skating memory is the one and only time (to date) I landed my Axel.

To be honest, I'm always bemused thinking about it, because up until then, my Axel dream was that it'll be powerful and elegant, strong and beautiful, landed with lots of fanfare and confetti. Instead, it was clumsy and flimsy, off-axis and clunky, wobbly edge and scratchy landing, nothing short of a fluke. Yet it was landed.

So, my "best" skating memory is that my Axel dream materialized as a fluke.

I swore I would not die happy or give up skating unless I passed my Adult Gold freestyle test. After failing 4 times, the 5th time I decided that I was NOT going to let nerves get me. And I passed it! And one of the judges actually wrote in the comments: Good Axel.
The club test chair came over with the gold certificate and little gold pin, that I wear on a vest lapel.

Aside from that I have many good (and bad) memories from competitions where I've medaled either solo, partnered in ice dancing, or as part of a precision team.

This is a really good idea for a thread!

Mine is rather simple. It's pushing my little brother around on a chair after a college hockey game (they would sometimes have open skate with the players after games). I was 13 or 14 and my little brother 4 or 5. He passed away the next year but he loved hockey and skating more than anything. No matter what I acomplish in skating nothing else will ever be as special. Even today the best memories aren't usually accomplishing one specific thing- it's feeling free and at peace on the ice or skating with good friends and just enjoying skating. That isn't to say big accomplishments aren't important too- but it's the love of skating that lasts the longest.

@ seren - that is a beautiful memory. Not sure if I can come close to anything as special.
For me it'd be the sensation of ice skating now. I can't do anything fancy but just gliding on the ice feels so good. As a kid I felt pressured to do well and keep up with my friends. I didn't enjoy it as much. Now I am just skating because it's enjoyable and because I want to. There are always only a few other people out there that seem to be regulars and it's just some peaceful time with some random people with whom I have no connection to except the enjoyment of skating.

@Cl2

From my thread on another similar site. This seems to be the most popular of memories. Landing that first Axel seems to be a special memory for many figure skaters. Why wouldn't it be? It IS an achievement after all ^_^ We always assume that our achievements are going to be fairly embellished, but just because there is no confetti and fanfare doesn't mean it wasn't just as special right? Love it <3

@Sandraskates

That sounds like it was an amazing feeling of accomplishment! Do you still have the pin and vest lapel? THat's totally awesome ^_^ I remember doing one of the few tests I did as a kid and I remember being SO happy when I passed <3 Great feeling.

@Seren

Nnngh...that's right in the feels my dear. That's a beautiful memory. It sounds like the ice and the sport are truly something special to you! Man...I should have expected the teary-eyed ones when I posted this thread <3

@Ylyzybyth

You know...quoting you is difficult dangit. I can identify with that particular sensation! The gliding and just smooth sailing on freshly groomed ice is just <3 When I first climbed on I expected it to be like my rollerblading, kind of rough and bumpy but then is was just...smooth and glidy. Gotta love the amazing feeling. It's interesting how we have a different viewpoint on skating as adults, there is less pressure. Love the memories <3

This is a tough one, as I have a few.

First: Growing up, my parents would take my sister and I to our grandma's in Chicago. When we were there, they'd take me skating at the local rink and I remember skating and loving it. We didn't have a rink close enough where I lived so I couldn't take it up until I was about 9/10 when a rink was built.

Second: My first lesson. I was unsteady on my feet, scared out of my mind, and my coach had to pry me off the wall. Now at 29 it is hard to believe that there was a point where skates on my feet didn't feel natural. I ran into my first coach about two years ago and she was so happy to see I was still skating.

And then of course any time my parents see me skate. My mom loves that I am ice dancing now and is genuinely interested in it (she never liked hearing about jumping because she didn't like that I could get hurt). And recently she said "You LOOK like a skater when you're ice dancing. You look good." For years I've fought to lose weight and last year I finally got help at a clinic for it and have so far lost 40 and managed to stay on the ice. I'm finally close to a healthy range, and picked up ice dance in November 2015 due to osteoarthritis of my knees. Her saying I looked like a skater made me happy.

@Daydream - yes I wear the pin on a fleece vest I use for skating. It's a tiny pin - probably not much more than 1/2". So I spent thousands of $$$ over the years just to get my little gold pin. And worth every $! LOL.

I now get a lot of satisfaction by teaching some lower to mid-level group lessons. It's so great to see students master a new move.

@Cl2 - I'm not sure anyone's first landed axel is a thing of beauty but it is a great accomplishment. Keep it up. You'll land another one and as you get more confident they will improve.

Mine would be passing my Novice MIF test after failing it three times. I was so convinced I would never pass it and I became so frustrated I nearly quit skating. I couldn't stop crying when my coach told me I passed!
Close second best memory would be landing my axel

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I don't remember the first time I landed an axel at 14. I must have been happy, although I know I never had a very good one. Probably the happiest memory from my childhood skating was passing my preliminary figure test.

I do remember the first time I landed the axel again at 37. Or the one day I landed some respectable (< instead of <<?) double salchows at 39.

But I haven't done either in many years and now I really don't do freestyle at all.

I guess best memories would be the few times I skated a program in competition close to the best I was capable of skating at the time. Or some random practice sessions when everything was working well and I was able to skate with more speed and security than usual.

All of these have been wonderful memories! All of them special to each of us. Hopefully as the years go by we can all create more!

I haven't been skating for very long, but the other day my best friend and I went to the rink and when we got on the ice, I saw a girl from my old school and she was practicing her jumps and we just watched her in awe the whole time (I didn't even recognize the girl and was like "omg she has to be a professional or something"), but then she came up to me and was like "Hey do you remember me?" and I was so shocked because I didn't even know this girl skated or anything! It was really cool! Then after that, me and my friend just kinda messed around and attempted to do crossovers and I fell twice and it was just really fun lol (there were maybe 6 people total in the rink during the whole thing so we had the ice practically to ourselves!)

So yeah that's one of my favorite skating memories. Every time I get on the ice it's fun though so I'm sure next time I skate I'll have another favorite memory hahaha.