skating has given me... [Archive]

sue123

03-12-2005, 09:57 AM

After countless times hearing myself say "oh, that's from skating" i've decided to compile a list. feel free to add on if you wish.

confidence
a resesmblance of a butt
countless bruises
a sorely depleted bank account
a bigger first aid kid
aching feet
so many cuts from the blade
something to talk about in school
a tighter tummy
stronger muscles
a reason to get up at 6 am
many latenesses to class
happiness
freedom
a better immune system (when everyone else is sick, i don't catch it because i'm always at hte rink. now that's a system)

Skate@Delaware

03-12-2005, 03:01 PM

40 pounds lost and counting of reasons to go skate :D

another bunion

a way to be in an ice show and wear cool (and sometimes not so cool costumes) and maybe be on TV one day (still hoping for a blip on the entertainment section of the local news)

new friends

a sport that a geeky woman like me can finally do

MannyisHOT

03-12-2005, 03:22 PM

an activity to keep me occupied
a possibility of being in Stars on Ice
my parents a whole in their bank account
New friends
Nice people
the teaching of how to have fun!
a time to show off my stuff!

jazzpants

03-12-2005, 05:58 PM

My list:

A bad back (well, it could also be from the high impact aerobics too...)
A depleting bank account
Some bruises
A callous on the ball of the right foot (my forward spinning foot.)
Lots of clothes made out of cotton and lycra!!! (Wait! I had that before I skated...) :P
An activity to keep me out of trouble
Another fun way of keeping physically fit besides the gym...
A GREAT group of new friends! :mrgreen:
Something interesting in my life that a lot of my coworkers would love to brag about.
A creative outlet (or at least a break from being a computer geek.)
A place to relieve stress when times are tough
Something to show "Hey! Jazzpants *IS* really a WOMAN and not just a tomboy!!!" (but only at competitions and test sessions!) :P (I have a rep for not being girly... until I have to wear a dress...then I'm REALLY girly...)
And most of all...MY SANITY!!! :P

coskater64

03-12-2005, 07:49 PM

List of what skating has given me:

12 lbs of good muscle
constantly being mistaken for an ultra marathoner
an ability to count to 4 and 6 w/o bouncing my head
to make others feel short-er
an incredible amount of active wear
the ability to wear velvet
a very large sneaker collection
muscles everywhere 8O
a much better sense of humor about life in general
the ability to fall in a relaxed manner

la

Chico

03-12-2005, 09:17 PM

Here are a few that pop to mind at the moment.

* a greater awareness of my body
* that I'm stronger than I would have believed
* made special friends
* found muscles that I didn't know I have
* bruises at ALL times somewhere
* a forever challenge in my life
* the ability to laugh at myself on a regular basis
* a place that I can actually think...no kids, dog, .....
* something that is just for ME
* something that gives me a high on a pretty regular basis

Chico

Figureskates

03-13-2005, 07:24 AM

It keeps my arthritis in my lower back and neck under control.
Keeps my weight at 174 lbs...considering I'll be 59 in 9 days.
keeps my blood pressure down.
Keeps my cholesterol down below 180.
Boosts my immune system...far fewer colds than my half my age overweight coworkers.
Makes sitting in front of three computers for 10 hours shifts more bearable.
Having one h#ll of a lot of fun!

samba

03-13-2005, 11:57 AM

My list:

• Ugly feet with bumps all over them
• An ankle that is held together with metal
• A black eye
• A much depleted bank account

• A lower cholesterol level
• Lots of posh frocks
• Self esteem
• New friends
• An hour or two when I can be me, not a wife/mother/grandmother (not that there's anything wrong with that)
• A reason to get up early in the morning

MannyisHOT

03-13-2005, 01:30 PM

• An ankle that is held together with metal
• A black eye

What happened to your eye and your ankle? I hope they are feeling better whatever happened to them!

nerd_on_ice

03-13-2005, 04:11 PM

Smaller thighs
New friends
Something to obsess about besides grad school
Financial discipline (and they said it couldn't be done!)
A way to learn about myself
A Magical Gravity-Defying Bum™
Pure concentration while I'm on the ice
An easy way to avoid allergies and sunburn (I swear this is the perfect sport for me)
Ego-stroking from non-skating friends who say "That is SO COOL." (note: most of these friends have never actually seen me skate!)

russiet

03-14-2005, 06:05 AM

Numb areas around my shin & ankles
Larger bunions
New heights of obsession
Visions of the future
Several new friends, all of them women

samba

03-14-2005, 12:02 PM

What happened to your eye and your ankle? I hope they are feeling better whatever happened to them!
Hi ManysHOT, two separate occassions, the most recent one was this year when I got on the ice with my guards on, next thing I'm on the floor with a very sore head and a black eye to follow (my poor husband wouldnt be seen out with me). The other was a few years back, a pair skating accident when a lift went wrong, but hey I was back on the ice in no time and at the ripe old age of 55 I am still going as strong as I can, thanks for your concern.

MannyisHOT

03-14-2005, 02:30 PM

Hi ManysHOT, two separate occassions, the most recent one was this year when I got on the ice with my guards on, next thing I'm on the floor with a very sore head and a black eye to follow (my poor husband wouldnt be seen out with me). The other was a few years back, a pair skating accident when a lift went wrong, but hey I was back on the ice in no time and at the ripe old age of 55 I am still going as strong as I can, thanks for your concern.

Don't feel bad about the skate guard thing. I have gone on the ice with one skate guard. Like I took one off and completely forgot about the other one and my guy friend from skating was laughing at me while he was helping me up because I couldn't get up!

samba

03-14-2005, 03:15 PM

Don't feel bad about the skate guard thing. I have gone on the ice with one skate guard. Like I took one off and completely forgot about the other one and my guy friend from skating was laughing at me while he was helping me up because I couldn't get up!
That's so true, there is no way you can move in the darn things, if you don't fall your legs just part company and I must admit it does look funny although now I have a ritual and check my blades 3 or 4 times before stepping on the ice.

Melzorina

03-14-2005, 05:03 PM

Skating has given me...

A lovely sprained wrist.
Sore muscles I didn't know I had.
Lovely friends.
The best instructor EVER!
A reason to see the world at 5.30am.
An empty purse.
Something to obsess over.
Something I can do that my friends can "wow" at.
An opportunity to help weenie beans learn how to skate.
An activity to get me out of the house for 10 hours on a saturday.
The ability to go out in a t-shirt in the snow and not feel the coldness, while my friends shiver all wrapped up in coats and scarves.

samba

03-15-2005, 12:49 AM

10 hours in one day!!!

Mrs Redboots

03-15-2005, 05:51 AM

Skating has given me:

Friends all over the world, of all ages, from at least 10 different countries!
An unexpected ability to be entertaining
A husband who will actually dance - we were married for nearly 26 years before I got him on a dance floor and him stone-cold sober!
A reason for our marriage to continue after we were empty-nesters
A fantastic way of spending all our holidays and money!
Exercise, and a reason to lose weight
And it's enabled me to give a lot of other people a good laugh at my antics..... I'm no skater, but oh, it is fun trying. And who knows:
"Gotta happen sometime/maybe this time/I'll win!"

slusher

03-15-2005, 10:54 AM

Skating has given me:

The best legs I've ever had - way better than skiier's legs!
My best friend
A rink full of friends, and kids from learn to skate who hug me on the street
A thinner middle
A part time job (making skating costumes, who knew there was such a market!)
The ability to count in 3's and 8's
Tolerance for bad arena food and skanky dressing rooms

It also gave me a concussion, badly bruised back, hip, knee, ankle elbow, wrist (all at various times, did I miss any other parts?)
More skating tights than pantyhose in my lingerie drawer
Heh, that special "no bounce when jumping" bra that looks like a torture device
A large overdraft
Too many miles on the car

Most of all, skating is my stress reliever in life and has given me the biggest boost to my confidence than I've ever had.

SDFanatic

03-23-2005, 09:43 PM

Loosing fifty pounds (but gained ten back being stupid)
Many enemies
Poverty living (but not from coaching fees)
Legs that all the girls want
Countless friends
Knowing bigotry
Extra bumbs on my feet
Balance
Wish to help others
Meeting crazy people
Learned to hate politics even more
Being me
Never to dream small (course I had this before skating)
Something that annoyes me more then my annoying others
Gloves with more then one hole
Inventions
Many hills and valleys
Endless dreams

Steven

tidesong

03-24-2005, 05:30 AM

Skating has given me something to be passionate about
Better balance
Allows the show person in me to have time in the spotlight
Loads of money trouble ( coz I have to ask my parents for the cash )
A badly twisted ankle experience
More aware of myself physically
Increased flexibility
Many friends at the rink
Alot of crazy dreams, night ones and day ones too
Many bruises... but it also proves to me that I can take falls... I was never an athletic type before skating.
I can do SPORTS.
Hours of random entertainment by jumping around the house
And spinning in my socks
It lets me fly! ( on an empty rink day with good ice only though lol )

bladebabe69

03-24-2005, 02:40 PM

My list:
*Bumpy ugly feet
*bad wrists
*bad knees
*bad back
*a scar on my chin
*awareness of my body
*something to do
*great friends
*no money in my parents bank account
*a life
*concusion
*chance to meet new people
*a place to get my anger out
*a place where i can be myself
*determination
*a place to have fun

starskate6.0

03-24-2005, 04:59 PM

Learned to travel on a budget.
How to get through 10hrs of rehusal every day.
How to split the end of my boots with an exacto knife ( swollen toes).
Learned that duct tape can be painted black.
Learned i don't look good in white
skated in 38 countries
done more ice shows than I can count.
Met wonderful people from all over the world.
Learn to skate like a real skater, ( edges and stops)
Learn to skate 3ft off the ice.. :lol:
Still in touch with great friends.
Learned that enjoying the moment is more important than winning. :D
12 years after all that I discovered Adult skating and loving it.
:mrgreen:

icecatepairs

03-24-2005, 10:42 PM

In the last 7 years skating has given me:

Two broken ankles
special braces to wear that no onwe else in the world has cause they were invented for me...
2 broken ribs
several stitches
5 shots of cortizone
5 stress fractures
lots of broken toes

a reason to get up at 4:15 am

a body none of my non skating friends has

the ability to do things i never thought i could do

5 trips to adult nationals

the blessing of several trips to the podium at adult nationals

3 gold medals at adult nationals

a new calender, different than roman,,the world revolves around april, not january and christmas.

a reason to need a second job.

the ability to teach skating as a second job

frequent flyer miles at the orthopedic and physical therapist.

the ability to understand small phrases in russian.

a closet full of beaded dresses that i will never outgrow and never wear again.

best of all endless memories in the friends that have become my family through skating.

in the last 7 months pairs skating has given me:

way cooler stuff that i never thought i would ever do...throw axles and death spirals.

more bruises that i ever thought i could count

the ability to fly like peter pan in over the head lifts.

an awesome partner

more tape than i ever thought i could buy to tape my body together
still more skating clothes and bills

a reason to need a third job

more fun than i have ever had in my life.

icenut84

03-26-2005, 02:00 PM

Skating has given me, over the last few years:

* Something extra in my life when I really needed it
* An outlet to be creative and graceful - I'd love to be a dancer, but don't take any lessons, and skating lets me try
* Something that sets me apart from everyone I know (apart from those I know at the rink, obviously :) )
* Something I can do that other people I know can't do
* Some really nice memories
* A feeling of happiness and contentment when I'm gliding across the ice
* A place to go where I don't have to think about any problem I might be having
* Bumps on my feet from rental skates years ago and from my own first badly-fitting skates
* A permanently affected toenail - it got bashed and bruised a few years ago one day from hitting the front of the boot, and hasn't been the same since
* Several bruises
* Funny falls, embarrassing falls and painful falls
* The chance to try to live out a childhood dream
* The chance to meet new people
* Increased flexibility, and a reason to try to increase it! I want that 180 degree spiral! lol. Not very likely really, but I guess I have to be optimistic...
* A lot of frustration at times
* Nicer legs and bum ;)
* More confidence
* A much better sense of balance
* A hobby I'm really into and that gives me something extra in my life
* A big video collection!
* Membership to three different skating message boards
* A place to have a big workout, or to concentrate on a small skill, or to have fun, or to feel like I'm flying, all in the same place
* Less money
* Uncertainty about the full health of my left knee and left calf muscle
* Goals to aim for
* A reason to get up at sillyAM and/or to drive silly distances and/or to travel on trains a lot during the holidays because my home doesn't have a local rink!
* The chance to watch someone on TV and say "I can do that!" :D

Terri C

03-26-2005, 02:16 PM

Skating has given me.....
Something else to do in life besides go to bars, and worry about dating and mating!
Alternative to spend my paycheck besides clothes and makeup
Two frequent stay hotel accounts
A HUGE balance on my credit card.
Incentive to spend my money carefully
Reason to eat healthy
Friends that I don't get to see often, but when I do, it's great
The potential to make a difference in this world, albeit small ( there's been talk that I may be elected club president next year)

NoVa Sk8r

03-26-2005, 02:23 PM

Skating has given me.....
Something else to do in life besides go to bars, and worry about dating and mating!Haha .... How 'bout: "something to do in life between going to bars!" :D

Terri C

03-26-2005, 02:59 PM

Haha .... How 'bout: "something to do in life between going to bars!" :D

Um, NoVa, you forgot to answer the question. What has skating give you besides 7 (or is is 8 now?) back injuries and a love for vodka??

Tessie

03-26-2005, 04:27 PM

skating has given me

new friends
better posture
great cross overs
almost a scratch spin
almost a back spin
almost a salchow
almost back inside edges
better appreciation for any one who skates in front of an audiance - television or viewers watchig a free style session
a broken wrist

MannyisHOT

03-26-2005, 05:15 PM

one thing I forgot to add to my list!

A BUTT!

you gotta laugh at this one!

Kit kat

03-26-2005, 06:47 PM

skating has given me....

good posture and balance
a pump bump
more flexibility
a little exercise during my week!! :lol:
an excuse to buy nice skating dresses
patience
a reason to jump around my house
new friends
a thing to look forward to everyday

NoVa Sk8r

03-26-2005, 07:14 PM

Um, NoVa, you forgot to answer the question. What has skating give you besides 7 (or is is 8 now?) back injuries and a love for vodka??It's at least 7 ... yeah, having a stress fracture in the lower back--not fun. :(
I had a love of vodka long before I started skating! :D

OK, skating has given me:
-A black hole in which to throw my disposable income :P
-An excuse for coming into work late
-Headaches, heartaches, and back aches! :??
-A sense of passion, focus, and discipline that I had yet to find in any other area of life
-An excuse for emoting (OK; over-emoting) and acting like a complete freak and claiming that it is for boosting my presentation mark! :)
-A place to showcase my flexibility
-A more toned body, or rather an out-of-proportion, body
-An outlet for serving others, by being a coach for Special Olympics, for example
-A bunch of intersting stories and anecdotes to regale my frinds and coworkers with.

Hmm, maybe those injuries have been worth it <<Steve ponders ...>>

jazzpants

03-26-2005, 07:42 PM

one thing I forgot to add to my list!

A BUTT!

you gotta laugh at this one!Forgot to put that on my list too... and that rap song "Baby Got Back" is certainly appropriate for me. :twisted: :lol: :P

sk8joyful

03-26-2005, 09:09 PM

1st. time posting in this group -

Some years ago,
1st coach, male, insisted: "Adults, never skated as kids, belong OFF ice!" =
wrongly mounted blades in wrong boots caused 100's of falls.
:cry:
2nd coach, male, during 4th lesson: "Undoubtedly you will learn to skate, but with a different teacher.
You're far too positive, different-thinking, determined & hopeful".
:??
3rd coach agrees: "the main objective on the ice here is to have Fun".
Lesson:
harming no one, *Do & pursue what you Love :D *...

sk8joyful

03-26-2005, 11:52 PM

OK, skating has given me:

(amidst other wonderful benefits)

-An outlet for serving others, by being a coach for Special Olympics, for example
Hello Steve,

Would you, please, share about your coaching for "Special Olympics". and are they sponsored in every state?, and I am also wondering if web-forums have been created for such skaters.

numerous Forums/groups abound for 'non-skating fans, plus traditional skaters, including competitors' - but what about Forums/groups for skaters (besides common fear-challenge), surmounting additional challenges? Do web-forums exist to continue encouraging such skaters as well?

Thank you for kind helpful info you can share...

skatingmozzie

03-27-2005, 12:41 AM

My List

*great friends :D
*A good coach :D
*A life
*bruises to last a life time :cry:
*blisters
* funny looking things called muscles
*something to do
*loads of leotards gives Mum something to do with the sewing machine :)
*more bruises :cry:
*blisters
*posture

Mostly the same as every body else. By the way, did I mention blisters and bruises?!.
Skatingmozzie

NoVa Sk8r

03-27-2005, 01:02 AM

Hello Steve,

Would you, please, share about your coaching for "Special Olympics". and are they sponsored in every state?, and I am also wondering if web-forums have been created for such skaters. As far as I know, there is a Special Olympics (http://www.specialolympics.org) program in every state, but I don't know how many are dedicated to skating.

I'm approaching my 4th year as a coach. It is such a rewarding experience: Not only do you get to share your knowledge and skills with other skaters, but you get a sense of awe at how these Special Olympians deal with their struggles and accomplishments. Sometimes we adult skaters (can't speak for the kiddies) take ourselves too seriously or get down on our skating. Well, my perspective on this changed after I started coaching.

I help the kids with basic skills (like swizzles, snowplows, spirals, and lunges), as well as help develop thier choreography. One of my special moments was when I taught a skater how to do a 2-foot spin with her arms extended over her head and when she incorporated it at the end of a program that I choreographed. The judges loved it, and she won her event! I was almost in tears. Since I try to get the skaters to focus on the fundamentals--like bending the knees, keeping arms steady, etc--this has helped me out a little as well.

I don't know about any web forums ... perhaps other members can touch on that?

NCSkater02

03-27-2005, 01:01 PM

What Skating has given me:

*Three concussions
*one broken ankle
*multiple bruises and aches

*a great form of exercise
*weight loss (35+pounds)
*something none of my coworkers or (non-skating) friends have
*lots of new friends--at the rinks and online, even the kids talk to me
*lots of new clothes with spandex--and short skirts
*great legs--still working on the rest of the body
*two great coaches, one which shares my birthday and is half my age
*a reason to get up most mornings and go to work
*and, as others said, somewhere to spend lots of money

sk8joyful

03-27-2005, 09:22 PM

1. Skating-videos of the quality we, in our family, appreciate !

2. Believing I can learn some skills I see others skate, and
then in tiny steps, one at a time realizing them :D

3. another healthy-obsession to passionately enjoy learning, with best friends.

4. Some time-managment: being "Late for work" is only excused briefly.

5. countless bruises/owies (truthfully explanable at my work - as "oh, but what Fun I had getting them, lol").

6. Excellent motivation for growing bones more resilient, muscles stronger; and regaining some flexibility, for ose's

7. Along the way, one of this world's best-est friends, who wants to learn with me to skate... together :D .

8. An even more compelling urge to find honest, alternative ways of paying for ice-play.

9. in an increasingly morbid destructive world, my Sanity
.

vintagefreak

03-29-2005, 03:05 PM

Oh.so much! I think the top of my list would be that I also love being able to do something fun and healthy with my kids on a regular basis and not be an embarrassment out there on the ice. It is so great to skate with them! My goal is to some day do a duet in a show with my daughter. I don't think there would be anything more fulfilling than that.

Next on my list is freedom. Freedom to express myself and be creative and freedom from some pain that had been bogging me down in the past. Its weird, but I have had back pain on and off since college but since getting back to skating again, the back pain has amazingly vanished for the most part! I couldn't begin to speculate why, but it is a miracle in my eyes. I think overall my joints and back are stronger now than when I was in my 20s.

I also love the sense of accomplishment I've been getting with skating. I never thought I'd have achieved so much on the ice at this stage in my life. When I quit skating for a long time, I'd have dreams about it anyway. I'd dream I could jump and spin like the pros and wake up with a terrible sense of longing, but doubting I'd ever step out there again. Skating was something I "used to do" but never something that would be so important to me as it is now. Now I can do things I never learned or did well as a kid (no where near pro quality, but just the fact I can do all my single jumps and spin pretty darn fast is mind blowing to me and my kids think its pretty cool, too).

Cactus Bill

04-01-2005, 10:18 PM

Skating, actually my return to skating that is :D , has given me (well...besides a VERY depleted checkbook...but that's another story) something to look forward to.

First of all, I grew up in a place where this white stuff actually fell from the sky in the winter time. We had outdoor rinks (and at least one boy I knew had a rink in his back yard...my parents wouldn't allow such a thing for me so I got used to the standard outdoor kind) to skate on, and even some canoe trails in a local park were skateable. My mother bought me my first skates which were figure skates (I wanted hockey skates like all the other boys had...but I never got to play hockey...thankfully). Later on we moved to southern Arizona and I forgot about winter. For a while...

About 5 years ago I decided to try skating again...this time it would be figure skating. Signed up at the new rink (just had been built...the previous one died an ugly death) for lessons and it went well...then decided to buy a new pair of skates. Well, to make a long story not so long, they hurt my feet so bad (more so than they should have) I gave it up again.

I decided AGAIN to try it again...and went up to a specialty shop up in the Center Of The Universe (just ask anyone who lives in Phoenix...they'll tell you :P ) and mentioning this to the owner he decided to measure my feet. He announced that I had two different size feet (half size difference, which I knew) AND that my left foot was bigger around than my right one (which I didn't know). He felt my best option was a pair of custom boots (YIKES!!!) (he recommended Harlicks as being the best fit for me) as well as a pair of Coronation Ace blades (double YIKES!!!) So, they are on order for me (and I'm saving my pennies...these babies AIN'T CHEAP...but you all know that!)

Be that as it may...I really am looking forward to this...it will give me something more exciting than sitting on my butt in front of a hot computer terminal for 8 or so hours a day, a reason to get up early in the morning (I tend to wake up around 5 anyways... so I might as well do something constructive!) I guess it will also give me all sorts of aches and pains in places I have forgotten that were capable of generating aches and pains, bumps and bruises, some lacerations (comes with the package), a return to reasonable level of fittness, some direction and purpose to my life. What more can a guy ask for?

doubletoe

04-02-2005, 11:57 AM

Skating has given me. . .

* a reason to get up at 5:00am for the first time in my life
* incentive to wear tight-fitting jeans
* a new skill: gluing crystals! (good for decorating those jeans, too, LOL)
* an answer foactually knowing what it feels like to jump up in the air and spin around twice before coming down!
* an escape from anything that depresses me
* a great substitute for psychotherapy
* a perpetually sprained left thumb from falling
* ugly feet
* completely depleted savings
* a reason not to have kids
* something to live for!