You don't need to start skating at age 5...

[RealtorGal]

I thought this article was very interesting. The young man in this pairs team began skating just TWO YEARS AGO! Now they're headed to Junior Nationals.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20041127-9999-2m27skate.html

 

[Lotta]

The same with Johnny Weir. He started skating at 12 and now he's the National Champion.

 

[thisthingcalledlove]

That was beautiful, Realtorgal! I'm so glad our town is producing such talent!

Have you thought about taking up adult skating?

 

[Vash01]

Svetlana Lapina of USSR, who was Gorsha Sur's ice dance partner at Skate America in 1988 or 1989, did not start skating until she was 15....! They won the silver at that time, so she must have been pretty good, even though she started skating late.

IIRC Miki Ando started skating at age 9, which sounds rather late. At age 14 she became the first lady to land a quad jump in a competition.

Vash

 

[Ladskater]

Interesting. That may be true now, but when figures counted, one did need to start skating at the age of five.

 

[Vash01]

Interesting. That may be true now, but when figures counted, one did need to start skating at the age of five.

There were no figures in ice dancing.

 

[thisthingcalledlove]

There were no figures in ice dancing.

But those godawful compulsory dances are almost tantamount to school figures

Didn't Ye Bin Mok start at 12?

 

[Vash01]

But those godawful compulsory dances are almost tantamount to school figures

Didn't Ye Bin Mok start at 12?

I LOVE compulsory dances. I don't care to watch figures (never did).

 

[millyskate]

Ludivine Furnon the gymnast only started at 12 and became european champion on floor. Without taking away from the work/practice requirements, genetics play a bigger part than people are ready to admit.

 

[SingAlto]

I believe Renee Roca and Kurt Browning were close to their teens when they started, too.

 

[icy fresh]

a shoutout to thisthingcalledlove, i read an article this past year in a SKATING magazine about a paris skater named Eden Delphey and about how her house was devastated in flames from the forest fire. If I remember correctly, they said she was from Scripps Ranch. Isn't that where you're from?

 

[katherine2001]

If I remember correctly, Dorothy Hamill (sp?) didn't start skating until she was either 8 or 9. I think that in the "old" days, a lot of skaters didn't start until they were a little older.

 

[katherine2001]

Brian Boitano didn't start skating until about the same age either, and both of these skaters had to skate figures.

 

[nthuz]

There were only four teams competing at SW Pacific regionals. Brett and Amy placed third. Top four go to JNs, so they all go.