Removing skates on ice upon retirement?

[yuumagical]

Since it's the offseason, I figured I would start a discussion about something that has been a minor mystery to me.

For some reason, when I was still new to watching skating, I had thought it was tradition for skaters to remove their boots on the ice immediately after they had skated in their last competition. I believe I saw a man sometime in the 2000's doing this after the commentators mentioned that it was his last competition. Unfortunately, I don't remember which competition this was or even which country he was from. I'm not sure how it even got into my head that this was some sort of tradition. Imagine me over the years as I kept wondering why retiring skaters weren't immediately taking off their boots after their last skate...

Has this ever been an actual tradition, or am I completely misremembering things? Do you recall any similar incidents of people taking off their boots on the ice immediately after competing? Any information or call-outs to my stupidity would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Since it's the offseason, I figured I would start a discussion about something that has been a minor mystery to me.

For some reason, when I was still new to watching skating, I had thought it was tradition for skaters to remove their boots on the ice immediately after they had skated in their last competition. I believe I saw a man sometime in the 2000's doing this after the commentators mentioned that it was his last competition. Unfortunately, I don't remember which competition this was or even which country he was from. I'm not sure how it even got into my head that this was some sort of tradition. Imagine me over the years as I kept wondering why retiring skaters weren't immediately taking off their boots after their last skate...

Has this ever been an actual tradition, or am I completely misremembering things? Do you recall any similar incidents of people taking off their boots on the ice immediately after competing? Any information or call-outs to my stupidity would be greatly appreciated.

Not stupid at all. Lots of skaters have little rituals that they happen to share with others, but they're just personal quirks. A favourite one is which skate you put on first, left or right. (Or which you lace up first, or step onto the ice with first.) Probably a coincidence between what the commentator said, unheard by the skater in the K&C, and the skater taking his skates off as some like to do as soon as they get off the ice. I always kept mine on, but never asked the "strippers" why they removed theirs. Sweaty feet? Feet swelled during the program and tight laces now cutting off circulation? No idea, just one of those quirks or habits. Most skaters leaving the ice seem to put on at least one guard before stepping off and then putting on the other guard. I get right off the ice and then pick up my guards and put them on, which is probably risking getting grit on the blade, but it's what I've always done and I see others who do the same thing.

But I haven't heard of any ritual associated with finishing your last competition.

 

[yuumagical]

Probably a coincidence between what the commentator said, unheard by the skater in the K&C, and the skater taking his skates off as some like to do as soon as they get off the ice. I always kept mine on, but never asked the "strippers" why they removed theirs. Sweaty feet? Feet swelled during the program and tight laces now cutting off circulation? No idea, just one of those quirks or habits. Most skaters leaving the ice seem to put on at least one guard before stepping off and then putting on the other guard. I get right off the ice and then pick up my guards and put them on, which is probably risking getting grit on the blade, but it's what I've always done and I see others who do the same thing.

But I haven't heard of any ritual associated with finishing your last competition.

I meant like taking one's skates off before the customary bows to the crowd, then leaving the ice. (Did they put their skates back on before leaving the ice? Not sure.)

I think I've seen some skaters kissing or touching the ice immediately after their last competition, but that sometimes happens after particularly amazing competitions as well.

 

[Magill]

I have never seen neither heard of such a tradition that OP mentions. Taking off your shoes before the final bows? Nah.
Yet I do think a lot recently, in particular when watching how other sports are able to cherish their greats when they end their competitive careers, that there is something lacking in FS in this department. I understand the problem might be that you never know for sure at a comp if a skater is going to go on or not, and these decisions are not really final for some time, and are often announced in off seasons anyway.
Yet as much as I love tennis or soccer celebrating their retiring stars, I really miss this kind of celebrations by ISU... No thank you, no farewell, just moving on and the less we talk about those retired greats, the better...

 

[Mathman]

I think that wrestling is the only sport where it is a time-honored tradition to leave your shoes behind in the center of the mat when you retire. I always thought of oi as sort of, "who was that masked man who rode ito save the day, them vanished into smoke, leaving only his shoes to testify that it wasn't just a dream" -- gesture.

 

[yuumagical]

I have never seen neither heard of such a tradition that OP mentions. Taking off your shoes before the final bows? Nah.
Yet I do think a lot recently, in particular when watching how other sports are able to cherish their greats when they end their competitive careers, that there is something lacking in FS in this department. I understand the problem might be that you never know for sure at a comp if a skater is going to go on or not, and these decisions are not really final for some time, and are often announced in off seasons anyway.
Yet as much as I love tennis or soccer celebrating their retiring stars, I really miss this kind of celebrations by ISU... No thank you, no farewell, just moving on and the less we talk about those retired greats, the better...

Well, there might be an article on the ISU website if the skater is famous enough, but I get the sentiment. ☹ There's no official retirement ceremonies (other than by sponsors or national federations), no numbers to retire (lol), no ISU Hall of Fame... Now that I think about it, a hall of fame would really be great for giving some deserved recognition to retired skaters!

 

[Magill]

I think that wrestling is the only sport where it is a time-honored tradition to leave your shoes behind in the center of the mat when you retire. I always thought of oi as sort of, "who was that masked man who rode ito save the day, them vanished into smoke, leaving only his shoes to testify that it wasn't just a dream" -- gesture.

But you have to admit that celebrating the retiring/retired greats is a tradition of many big sports. Sadly, not FS, not these days...

 

[yuumagical]

I think that wrestling is the only sport where it is a time-honored tradition to leave your shoes behind in the center of the mat when you retire. I always thought of oi as sort of, "who was that masked man who rode ito save the day, them vanished into smoke, leaving only his shoes to testify that it wasn't just a dream" -- gesture.

I clearly must have gotten my Olympic sports mixed up, lol.

 

[Magill]

Well, there might be an article on the ISU website if the skater is famous enough, but I get the sentiment. ☹ There's no official retirement ceremonies (other than by sponsors or national federations), no numbers to retire (lol), no ISU Hall of Fame... Now that I think about it, a hall of fame would really be great for giving some deserved recognition to retired skaters!

Have you seen ATP or WTA celebrating tennis great stars retiring./retired?
Have you seen football teams doing the same?
It is not an article on a website, it is so much more than that...
IMHO, it is so petty on the part os ISU not to do that (and so bad PR, really). (or rather the lack of it).

 

[Mathman]

...no ISU Hall of Fame...

There is a World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, sort of. But it is owned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association, not the ISU. It is housed in Colorado Springs. USA.

They don't seem to be much interested in maintaining it, though. The last set of inductees was in 2019.

I think that one of the problems is that skaters often don't make an official decision and announcement. They just take a break from cpmetitionm leaving their options open, but then never come back.

 

[yuumagical]

There is a World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, sort of. But it is owned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association, not the ISU. It is housed in Colorado Springs. USA.

They don't seem to be much interested in maintaining it, though. The last set of inductees was in 2019.

I think that one of the problems is that skaters often don't make an official decision and announcement. Often they just take a break from cpmetitionm leaving their options open, but then never come back.

This is the facility also known as the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame, right? I knew there was a figure skating museum run by USFS in Colorado Springs, but I didn't realize it was an international hall of fame as well!

There's surprisingly little information out there about it as well; I only noticed a less than objective Wikipedia article and some Colorado tourist websites. I tried to click on the official website link at http://www.worldskatingmuseum.org/ but it doesn't seem to work on my phone and the website might be dead... Seriously? A dead website for a museum honoring the greatest skaters in skating?!?

 

[Mathman]

This is the facility also known as the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame, right?

Yeah, I think the USFSA has kind of lost interest in this facility. I don't think that it is much of a "museum," either. The U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame seems to be a little more interesting because it has honorees like cartoonist Charles Schulz, engineer Frank Zamboni. touring show impresario Eddie Slipshad, and others whose contribution to the sport was other than as athletes themselves.

 

[ladyjane]

There used to quite some buzz about the World Figure skating Hall of Fame wth Inductees every year (I recall many greats getting inducted, some but definitely not all posthumously, from all over the World}. There was a legends category to honour people who were active before the 60s. Then Covid arrived in 2020, the nominating of skaters, choreographers and others stopped, and it never came back.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I meant like taking one's skates off before the customary bows to the crowd, then leaving the ice. (Did they put their skates back on before leaving the ice? Not sure.)

I think I've seen some skaters kissing or touching the ice immediately after their last competition, but that sometimes happens after particularly amazing competitions as well.

That would be a pretty awkward gesture to make, I should think. Take your skates off (which takes longer to do than just shucking off a pair of shoes) and then standing there on the cold ice in your bare tootsies? And then slithering off, trying not to do an undignified pratfall, while clutching your skates? Putting them back on and lacing them up would involve sitting down on the ice, or you'd lose your balance, and would get a bit tedious for the audience who have clapped and now wish you'd get off and let the next skater start.

I can see why a gesture like that wouldn't catch on in skating, unlike other sports. Besides, that decision is usually made in the off-season, or is tentative, or is meant at the time but then the skater recovers from what seemed to be a career-ending injury, or just has a change of heart. I remember chatting with Charles Snelling at a then-CFSA function about how he made a comeback at 29 after leaving the sport to concentrate on medical school. He'd been Canadian men's champion in the mid-1950s, left the sport completely to study, and then came back and competed in the 1964 Olympics after thinking he'd never put skates on again.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

There is a World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, sort of. But it is owned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association, not the ISU. It is housed un Colorado Springs. USA.

They don't seem to be much interested in maintaining it, though. The last set of inductees was in 2019.

I think that one of the problems is that skaters often don't make an official decision and announcement. Often they just take a break from cpmetitionm leaving their options open, but then never come back.

Yeah, I think the USFSA has kind of lost interest in this facility. I don't think that it is much of a "museum," either. The U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame seems to be a little more interesting because it has honorees like cartoonist Charles Schulz, engineer Frank Zamboni. touring show impresario Eddie Slipshad, and others whose contribution to the sport was other than as athletes themselves.

You mean Eddie Shipstad?

 

[Mathman]

You mean Eddie Shipstad?

Oh... yes. Sorry.

Is the skater/producer of the Vail Skating shows his grandson?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Oh... yes. Sorry.

Is the skater/producer of the Vail Skating shows his grandson?

Yes. He also coaches at World Arena in Colorado Springs.