15 Years Old and Wanting to Skate

Hey! So I have always had a passion for anything to do on ice. For a while I had an obsession on Hockey but I never played the sport. I always wanted to figure skate, now more than ever, but I feel like I am too old to begin and to get anywhere. I am 15 and I am 5'8" (which is tall compared to those tiny figure skaters seen in media). I did dance for 7 years and I did track for a while too so I am in shape and I am pretty flexible and stuff. I know the basics of skating on ice but I feel like beginning to figure skate would be too hard for my age. Also, the only rink near me is about 30-40 minutes away and is quite expensive. The expenses is what I am worried about: my family is moving out of our house soon to a town house do to financial issues so we cannot spend a lot of money at places (this applys to me, my siblings are allowed to do dance, gymnastics, etc but my mother says figure skating is too expensive)

I dont know what to do. I really really want to skate but I doubt its possible with all these factors; which is highly upsetting.

Any advice?

I'm 5'11, started two months before I turned 15 and haven't experienced any problems so you'll probably be fine too. Obviously you won't make it to the Olympics, but that shouldn't make skating less fun. Finances are a slightly bigger issue, can you pay part of it yourself? I know some people who work at the cafeteria/skate hire to pay for lessons and I cycle to and from the rink to save money on public transport. You might not be able to afford to skate every day that way, but you might be able to show your parents how determined you are and get them to pitch in.

Your circumstances probably do not allow you to take up the sport in any serious way at this time. You're not alone -- many people who would like to skate are not able to do so because they don't live near an ice rink or don't have the money for decent skates and lessons and practice times.

Maybe at another time in your life the logistics and finances will work out better for you.

If you can get to a rink sometimes, even if only once every few months and only using rental skates, you could start to get the feeling of gliding on ice, which will help your balance in the future. To make real progress, though, you would need to go more often, use better equipment, and take real lessons (group or private).

If it's something you're really motivated to aim for, start saving money now to pay for skates and lessons in the future.

Roller skating isn't exactly the same, but if you can afford a pair of roller skates you could practice that in parks or other locations that may be more convenient and don't require entry fees.

That, plus your dance experience, will help when you do get the opportunity to skate.

If you're in the US, there are plenty of opportunities for adult figure skaters to look toward in case it will take you until you're an adult to be able to get started.

Here's one possibility you may not have considered, but that might give you something to look forward to: some colleges and universities offer inexpensive group lessons for their students. Like you, I had always wanted to skate, but I never had the opportunity...until I finally passed my Ph.D. exams at a university that offered group lessons at $25/semester for two lessons a week, with free ice time for practice afterward. I bought a pair of secondhand skates on Craigslist for $20, signed up, and was working on my waltz jump by the end of the year. Don't give up hope! As gkelly says, there are many opportunities for adult skaters, in the US and other countries, and you'll find that many posters on GS are adult skaters from around the world who participate at all levels of the sport and will be happy to share their experiences.

myarr said:

Hey! So I have always had a passion for anything to do on ice. For a while I had an obsession on Hockey but I never played the sport. I always wanted to figure skate, now more than ever, but I feel like I am too old to begin and to get anywhere. I am 15 and I am 5'8" (which is tall compared to those tiny figure skaters seen in media). I did dance for 7 years and I did track for a while too so I am in shape and I am pretty flexible and stuff. I know the basics of skating on ice but I feel like beginning to figure skate would be too hard for my age. Also, the only rink near me is about 30-40 minutes away and is quite expensive. The expenses is what I am worried about: my family is moving out of our house soon to a town house do to financial issues so we cannot spend a lot of money at places (this applys to me, my siblings are allowed to do dance, gymnastics, etc but my mother says figure skating is too expensive)

I dont know what to do. I really really want to skate but I doubt its possible with all these factors; which is highly upsetting.

Any advice?

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If your family can not afford to pay for your figure skating, get a part-time job; deliver papers, rake leaves, babysit kids near where you live and when you turn 16 get a part-time job at a fast food restaurant like McDs or something like it. If you really want to skate, you'll find a way to make the cash to do it. But whatever you do, school work comes first.

ribbit said:

Here's one possibility you may not have considered, but that might give you something to look forward to: some colleges and universities offer inexpensive group lessons for their students. Like you, I had always wanted to skate, but I never had the opportunity...until I finally passed my Ph.D. exams at a university that offered group lessons at $25/semester for two lessons a week, with free ice time for practice afterward.

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I did something similar in grad school. My university had its own rink on campus. Several levels of figure skating (including freestyle and ice dance) were offered as PE classes, which I could take as a grad student for no extra charge. Public sessions were free with student ID (covered under the university athletic fee).

ayame said:

I'm 5'11, started two months before I turned 15 and haven't experienced any problems so you'll probably be fine too. Obviously you won't make it to the Olympics, but that shouldn't make skating less fun. Finances are a slightly bigger issue, can you pay part of it yourself? I know some people who work at the cafeteria/skate hire to pay for lessons and I cycle to and from the rink to save money on public transport. You might not be able to afford to skate every day that way, but you might be able to show your parents how determined you are and get them to pitch in.

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At some of my local rinks, even part-time rink workers get to skate for free at public sessions and even at freestyle sessions (for advanced skaters). So that's a great way to earn money for lessons and gear, and get free ice time as a bonus.

Yes--get a part-time job at a rink. I skated only once a week during public sessions and added more hours when I could.

When I was a kid, we had no indoor rinks nearby. Starting at 12 yo, I walked over a mile each way to an outdoor rink at least a couple days a week, and my parents paid for group lessons for a couple years. When I was 15, an indoor rink opened where I had to take the bus for 2 hrs 45 minutes each way. My parents never transported me. I started taking private lessons which I paid for completely by myself with babysitting money, then money from making skating skirts, then money from a part time job when I was old enough.. My parents never even one single time talked to the coach or anyone at the rink, I did everything on my own. I made my own skating dresses (I was making my own clothes by 13yo). I bought my own skates. Another skater's parent took me to my first competition. My second competition was at the home rink - my mother took me, and that is the only time anyone in my family ever saw me skate since being only at the outdoor rink, before I could do freestyle. When I was in my 20s, I got a rink guard job which turned into me teaching group lessons and setting up/ directing the group lesson program for a couple winters at an outdoor rink. The indoor rink closed down, so between that and other things, I was not able to skate for very many years. I went back to skating as an older adult, after there were suddenly several indoor rinks in the same area that had none before. As an adult I have to pay bills, which was makinge skating too hard to fit in the budget, so I got a part time job at the ice rink (on top of having a full time job). I get free ice time, and the rink pay pays for lessons.

If you really want to skate as much as you say, you will find a way. I will tell you though, even some the high level teenaged skaters at my rink, admit they would quit skating if their parents stopped supporting it. Being a serious skater doesn't mean training for national and international competition, it means having so much desire and drive that you are willing to work hard for the opportunity to be skating, and use that opportunity to its fullest capacity.

treesprite said:

When I was a kid, we had no indoor rinks nearby. Starting at 12 yo, I walked over a mile each way to an outdoor rink at least a couple days a week, and my parents paid for group lessons for a couple years.

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By today's parenting standards, your parents were BAD PARENTS and could have been convicted of child neglect. And according to my daughter, I was a BAD PARENT too, by today's standards.

It's amazing how much things have changed in 30 years or so, and not always for the better. Helicopter parenting may make kids safe, but it doesn't make them resilient or independent or ready to cope with the adult world.

NanaPat said:

By today's parenting standards, your parents were BAD PARENTS and could have been convicted of child neglect. And according to my daughter, I was a BAD PARENT too, by today's standards.

It's amazing how much things have changed in 30 years or so, and not always for the better. Helicopter parenting may make kids safe, but it doesn't make them resilient or independent or ready to cope with the adult world.

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To be fair, I did not ask my parents to help me with skating after starting at the all year rink. I knew they wouldn't be able to transport me because I had 4 siblings (I was 4th of 5) who were more demanding than I was. I was the entire neighborhood's babysitter by the time I was 13, so I had my own money (we did not get an allowance). I guess I kind of prided myself on my independence and financial self reliance at a fairly early age. It separated me from my burdensome siblings and got me a good reputation among the adults around me who weren't my parents (the people I babysat for, my skating coach, teachers, the adult skaters at the rink, etc). When I was a teenager, people at the rink said that I was my coach's favorite student because all her other students were spoiled brats who didn't take skating seriously.

Getting back to the original poster:

I think it is admirable that you are aware of your parents' circumstances and are able to self-limit rather than just burden them with all kinds of requests. However, don't be afraid to bring up the subject and make suggestions to them. You could start by telling them how you feel, and asking them if they can help you come up with a plan that is doable for them and for you, including a statement of what you are willing to do yourself to make such a plan work. Maybe it will only get you an occasional ride to the rink until you are old enough to transport yourself and have money to pay for yourself, but maybe they will appreciate your approach to the subject so much that they will see some benefit to providing greater assistance. The worst thing that would happen, is that you would maintain your current situation of not being able to skate at all and having no plan at all.