Am I Too Old?

[Stephteddy]

Am I Too Old?

Hi everyone!
My name is Stephanie and I live in Pennsylvania. I am 15 years old and I am really into skating. I have wanted to start skating since I was 7, but my mom thought it was just a little phase. Now after 8 years she has realized it isn't. I plan on hiring a coach to take me from basic skills and beyond. I will be skating around 12 hours a week. I am a fast learner. I am currently a ballet student. Will that help any in my skating. My question is I want to be a competitive skater, am I too old to start? Please answer!
Stephanie

 

[Icestar]

skating

Skating is a very rewarding sport but at the same time it is very difficult, especially at the competitive level. Your ballet training will help you progress quickly and hiring a private coach will get you working on the right things.
About being competitive, at your age the lowest level at a qualifying competition you could compete in would be Intermidiate. At this level most of the skaters are doing all of their double jumps. From my experience as a coach it takes about 4 yrs to get the double jumps from when a skater finishes Basic Skills. I did have a friend that started skating late, in his teens, and medaled at novice nationals after two years. So anything is possible.

 

[RoaringSkates]

Re: skating

You may, or may not, be able to compete at the elite level. But no matter what, it will be worth it for you to start skating! In fact, there are competitions for all sorts of people, at all levels, at all ages, especially if you join ISI. Ask your new coach about it.

Skating is a wonderful sport. Enjoy!

 

[Princess Leppard 625]

Re: skating

I didn't start skating until I was 33, and I'm progressing pretty fast. I don't ever hope to compete, I don't think, but you should give it a try and let us know what happens! It's harder than you think, but when you nail something, that's a great feeling.

Good luck!

Laura

 

[DJStuCrew]

Re: skating

Lots of great skaters started late. Go for it!

 

[SkatingFantasy]

Re: skating

Princess Leppard, I think that's great that you started skating so late in life, so did I. I started skating at 31 and am now 33 too. My goal is just to learn all the single jumps, I have two of them so far. I will never be able to compete in anything serious but I did do a little homerink competition thing, It was a Basic Skills comp, where I got to do a little one minute and 40 sec. program, I was competing against little girls but I didn't care, I had fun practicing my program and I think that's the most important thing to remember when your skating, sometimes I get down about how old I am but I just have to tell myself if I'm not having fun, then I shouldn't even be out there. You might want to think about doing one of those rinky dink basic skills competitions, it's not much, but if you love skating, it's still fun to get a coach who is there just for you and to help you with a program all of your own.

To the original poster, I say go for it, you've got youth, energy and a passion for the sport, just let the sport take you as far as it can.

 

[CoCoNuTsiopatHic]

Re: Am I Too Old?

I sympathize with you since the only thing I've ever wanted in life is to be the Olympic Figure Skating Champ, but living in the middle of rinkless West Texas, my dream has gone forsaken. I fear it is too late. I'd have to begin at 18 when I graduated high school and moved to college, and I seriously doubt I could get my 7 triples and 2 quads for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. I'd be 23 and 27, respectively.

I already have years of my figure skating programs choreographed.

Craig

 

[Princess Leppard 625]

Re: Am I Too Old?

Coco, don't give up. I have so much fun ice skating, even though I'll never be great.

So when you start applying to colleges, look for one near a rink...

Cheers,

Laura

 

[katiaskatingprincess]

Re: Am I Too Old?

Hi Stephanie!!!!!!!!!! I'm Katia!!!!

I also started late!! i only started skating 5 months ago but had years of expierience and im now landing so far 2 jumps and thats the waltz and single toe loop and now learning single salchow. but before skating i started of with ballet dance on the young age of 4!!!!! I also do gymnastics and trampoline and ive been doing it for the past 2 and a half years!!!! since you do ballet It would definately help you believe me ballet, gymnastics and trampoline definately helps me a lot by keeping my body flexible thats why im able to do spirals like sasha cohen!!!!!!!

Also im 14 and i definately started late. I doesnt matter what age you start skating as long as your having fun!!!!!!!! and believe me ballet with definately help you for skating!!!!!!!

Luv Katia

 

[CoCoNuTsiopatHic]

Re: Am I Too Old?

My skating goals could only be satisfied with an Olympic Gold medal--if I can't have a good shot at that, I don't know if I even want to try.

I've skated once--I was 7--I was pretty good at it considering I had no instruction, it was my first time, and I was 7. I wouldn't get off cause I knew it'd be the last time I'd be on the ice. Finally after just skating around the rink for hours, I had to leave. I was so happy because I got to skate, but so sad at the same time because I knew that skating is the only thing that could ever make me happy, and I'd never get to see it again.

Oh well.

Craig

 

[dlksk8fan]

Re: Am I Too Old?

Craig-
Considering that only one person at a time (every 4 yrs) can win an olympic gold medal I find your comment rather narrow thinking.
First of all you have to love the sport that you are doing. If your only goal is to win an olympic gold medal then you will have a lot of dissapointments. As I stated before, only a handful of people achieve that goal.

If you really love skating do it! But don't do it for the medals. Do it because you can Everything else could fall into place.

 

[CoCoNuTsiopatHic]

Re: Am I Too Old?

My style of artistic impression would be so intense that it would only be appropriate at the elite level. I'm sure that if I showed up to some ISI competition for 30 year olds with my programs, it'd look really funny.

I wouldn't be happy until I was at the top of it all. That's just me.

Craig

 

[Lanechka]

Re: Am I Too Old?

I'm new here... but decided to post on this topic because I started skating about three and a half months ago. Someone I met at my rink (I go where Danielle Kahle and Beatrisa Liang skate...kind of daunting! LOL.) who has been skating for three years asked me how long I'd been skating and I said that and she said, "Really? I thought a year or so at least!" I started at 16 and I just turned 17 and I did gymnastics for years. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll do nothing competitively, but it's nice to dream about. I'd like to do competitive stuff, but I think I'm too old also. So don't give up.. do it because it's fun! That's why I'm skating.

 

[KwanFan1212]

Re: Am I Too Old?

Hi guys!

It is so great to hear about so many people taking up skating in general. You are never too old to try anything. Don't let anyone try to tell you what to do or get you down or anything. If you love to skate, then you should be skating and letting that joy shine through. Just have fun with it. Have a great time and I wish the best of luck to you all! I am in my twenties and I think about starting skating too sometime too, but that requires money that I don't have to spare right now. I will just stick to recreational skating for now!

 

[Sk8Harvest]

Too Old???

Craig - if your only skating goal is to win an olympic gold medal, then it doesn't matter how old you are when you start, the odds are stacked against you. Just ask Michelle Kwan, Todd Eldridge or Evgeny Plushenko, all of whom have won World Championship titles but never won Olympic gold. There are so many top skaters who have never won a gold medal at the Olympics.

But if you want to learn to skate, and skate well, you can definitely accomplish this goal. I started skating two years ago at age 40. I picked up the waltz, toe and salchow jumps within a few months of starting, took longer to learn the loop, and am now working on the flip and lutz. My husband, who is younger but started when I did, is landing his axel and double loop right now. I am sure that at age 18 you could learn much faster than either of us. Regarding being 23 at the 2010 Olys, well, you will be 23 in 2010 whether you are skating or not, so why not give it a shot?

Lanechka, if you skate where Bebe Liang and Danielle Kahle skate, then you are skating at the rink where I skate too...small world.

 

[Lanechka]

Re: Too Old???

<em>Lanechka, if you skate where Bebe Liang and Danielle Kahle skate, then you are skating at the rink where I skate too...small world.</em>

Wow, really? I know this is OT but I wanted to send you a PM but they're disabled. Maybe we could skate together sometime. (Or maybe I've already seen you before, who knows!)

 

[AdultSkater]

Too old? Never!

Craig---

I learned to do a legitimate axel of decent height, distance and flow at the age of 40. I have learned sit spins, camel spins, flying camels, combo spins and all the singles. I have started landing 2 salcow this year (I am turning 41) as well.

This season, I also learned the brackets, choctaws and all my Adult Gold MITF.

This year, I got myself a partner and started to learn the techniques of Pairs skating, which is a blast!

I never skated as a child and began at age 33. Since that time, I have won National and International competition medals, a Gay Games medal (and skated on TV viewed in three countries), performed in 9 "Nutcracker On Ice" shows (8 times in a lead part), choreographed 15 programs and have stayed it terrific shape as a result of all the training.

There is a skating life for people who began late in life. Many adult competitions have a category for skaters ages 18 - 24 ("Introductory") in addition to the standard adult age groups of 25+.

If a skater begins at 18, there is an entire Adult Skating testing structure. If you pass your Gold level test, you become eligible to test at the Intermediate level, which is one level below Novice.

There are very successful Adult Skating National Champions (the medals for adults are the SAME as at Senior Nationals---I know this from personal experience) who began at 18+ years of age, and are National Champions, which is recognized by the USFSA to be as valid as any National Championship at the Senior level.

If you have any talent outside of your imagination, Craig, you could possibly learn enough between ages 18 and 23 to pass your Senior FS test and be eligible for Regional and Sectional Competition (and maybe Nationals).

Why limit yourself? What's the purpose of mentally limiting yourself? It seems to me that if you give up your "dream" of being a world class skater so quickly and with such finality without even trying----it might be that you recognize the challenges of skating as a difficult sport and are running away from the challenge.

You say you would be a great skater? I say,

"PROVE IT!!!!!!!!"

and come join us all who wake up at 430 AM to train, train through injuries, choreograph programs, go to competitions, get judged, perform in Ice Shows, make friends, enjoy the sport, have skates of our lives and etc. etc. etc. You are missing out on so much - you really have no idea what the world of Adult Skating is like, or what it has to offer you. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at what you can experience - which you won't if you limit yourself before even trying.

I challenge you to join us!!!!

AS

 

[egskater0003]

Re: Too old? Never!

As long as you believe you can accomplish something and just do it, anything is achievable. Aim your goals high and even if you fall short, you'll still be above what my may have expected to be at.

I'm 23 and I still think I can make it into Disney on Ice and I don't even have all my singles jumps let alone nice quality skating. But hey, you only live once, and I'd rather look back and say I tried my best and had fun, than the "what if's."

 

[Kayskates]

too old?

Another one for Craig:
You say your artistic style would be too intense and you would look silly in an adult competition. I am an adult skater, though I do not compete. From what I have seen and tried myself, adults w/ mature developed programs do very well. It is extremely difficult to skate a program. Doing a jump may be well w/in your abilities, but doing the same jump in context when nervous and tired can be daunting.

Don't count yourself out b/c of the type of program you want to do. I think it would take a beginning skater years to ge to the point of putting together a truly emotional program.

Get out there and start skating. it is a very rewarding sport. Also frustrating, but that's life no matter what you pursue.

Kay
<a href="http://www.skatejournal.com" target="_new">www.skatejournal.com</a>

 

[GirlWithTheHeadphones]

Re: too old?

Hello! I'm new here, I hope you don't mind my just jumping in and posting.

I've been asking the same thing, "Am I too old?" for a while now. I'm really glad I stumbled onto this board and read all the replies to this topic. I just wanted to thank those of you who responded, you seriously gave me a boost of confidence. I thought all was hopeless, ya know?

I will be 18 in May. As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to skate. I skate occasionally at the local rink for recreation, and when I was younger my Mom's best friend would give me a few little lessons here and there out at the lake. But basically, that's it. lol When I was 16, I was going to give it a shot, but I was told that I was too old and too tall (I'm 5'6) ... so I didn't pursue it any further. I realize now that, even though I would love to compete one day ... the likelihood of that happening isn't that good. But, nonetheless, I do want to learn. If I don't, I know I will regret not doing so for the rest of my life.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank ya, many of those replies gave me that much needed boost to say ... 'I probably won't ever be able to compete, but I'm going to try to become the best skater I can possibly be, for me.'

lol I don't know if that makes any sense, sorry if it doesn't. But yea, if any of yall' have advice or words of wisdom, I'd be deeply appreciative! Thanks! Have a great day!

--Sarah