Skater Questionnaire

[ouijaouija]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
2) What do you like the most about skating
3) What do you hate the most?

1) I wanna get better than the cocky hockey kids that act like hooligans and show off
2) Skating on fresh cut ice, and feeling of the wind
3) Getting wet!

[Rusty Blades]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

Insanity

2) What do you like the most about skating

Being cold, stiff, and tired all the time

3) What do you hate the most?

Skaters who don't look for "traffic" before they launch out from the boards. Having to leave the rink when it's 95 degrees outside!

[mintypoppet]

1) What motivates you in skating?
The moment when a move works exactly as it should

2) What do you like the most about skating
The challenge of constantly improving my control and technique

3) What do you hate the most?
Badly surfaced ice

[Skate@Delaware]

1) What motivates you in skating?
Knowing that I can do this, eventually.....someday....by golly, I will get this!!! And when I do....that feeling is golden!!!

2) What do you like the most about skating
Besides the sharp "instruments of death" strapped to my feet? How they can be transformed into an instrument of art, and thereby transforming me into an artist (sounds good, huh?). That, and the look on people's faces when I tell them what I do for fun!

3) What do you hate the most?
The fact that if I want an element, I have to earn it by trying it 50 kajillion times before it happens, my coach never sees the first time, and when I finally show her she only gives me 5 seconds of glory before nit-picking it to death (c'mon! I just got it!)

[kateskate]

1)What motivates you in skating?
Always having something else to learn and perfect. Sometimes I say it would be fun to be a beginner again and have all that stuff to learn again but people usually think I'm crazy when I say that. But I quite like that there is always something I can do, even if its not the big jumps, there is always another move to learn or perfect so I have years of happy skating ahead of me!

2) What do you like the most about skating?
My absolute favourite is the whoosy sound the blade makes when you spin. I LOVE that.
But I actually do love everything about skating.Everything. The feeling when you go fast, the cold of the ice rink, the smell of the ice, being the first on a newly resurfaced rink, landing a new jump, skating to music, the feeling you get when you do something 'right', falling over (! - yes I even like the falling!), that I'm always slightly in pain or aching from my last skate, bruised knees, spinning and not getting dizzy, seeing my tracings on the ice, when you are walking to the rink for an early morning session, noone else is around and I always feel quite cool that I am up and ready to go skating! (my friend once said she wondered if people knew about this whole other world that goes on in ice rinks from 5am to 9am. Do people know that there are mad skaters awake and training?) skating with someone good in the dance interval, finally managing to do a move you just couldn't get when your coach first showed you, preparing for competitions and tests, laughing at myself and the weird positions I find myself in trying to learn something new, that the ice rink is the ONLY place where people don't think I'm crazy for skating 4 times a week when its only a hobby, watching other people learning new things, watching good people skate, feeling like you are flying, the fact that when you skate nothing else matters at all...............

I know that wasn't one thing but really its not fair to make me pick what I love the most........

3) What do you hate the most?
Tough one since I don't really hate anything. Frustration I guess. The fact that I love it so much that when it doesn't work I get really upset. Sometimes to the point of tears.
That and falling in a huge puddle! :lol: Although I'd still stay on the ice. And I guess ice rink polictics. But I even love that a bit - makes it fun.
Oh and that my hair goes mental and frizzy after skating.
Actually, the fact that I can't skate every day and for longer is what I hate the most

[doubletoe]

1) What motivates you in skating?
- All of that fruit that is hanging just out of reach but looks so delicious, whether it's landing a clean double in competition, getting a consistent flying camel combination spin, or mastering a spiral sequence that makes people go 8O
- Wanting to look like the teenagers who started at 5 years old, or at least the adults who look more like them than I do
- Wanting to someday have a video of me skating a perfectly clean program, LOL!

2) What do you like the most about skating
- The feeling of a big spiral or spread eagle on freshy zammed ice. Ahhh!
- The opportunity to create a program that never existed before, from the music cut to the dress to the choreography
- The feeling of completing a new element for the first time, especially a new jump (I literally squealed when I landed my first double toeloop, LOL!)

3) What do you hate the most?
- Having to skate at 6:30am on hard ice, when I have no energy to skate my program or attempt intimidating jumps
- Having to leave after an hour to go to work, just as I'm finally getting warmed up!
- People who don't bother to get out of your way when you're skating your program (and you have to abort the element you've been warming up for the past half hour!)

[Hannahclear]

1) What motivates you in skating?

~Skating good competitive programs that go over well with the judges. Passing tests and receiving the approval of the judges.

2) What do you like the most about skating

~The sensation of flying across the ice. The precision. The challenge of doing good quality elements.

3) What do you hate the most?

~Clueless people who don't get out of the way when I have the right of way during my program.

[beachbabe]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

seeing people who are way better than me

2) What do you like the most about skating

landing a new jump that you've been working on forever

3) What do you hate the most?

the bruises and pitying looks from people who think you have an abusive relationship with your parents. lol

[looplover]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
2) What do you like the most about skating
3) What do you hate the most?


1) I know I can do better and age isn't stopping me yet
2) The hang time in a huge waltz jump (someday to be a huge axel, yeah!)
3) My odd fear of doing flips.

[Hannah]

1) What motivates you in skating?
2) What do you like the most about skating
3) What do you hate the most?


1. It is making me stronger, more graceful, more balanced (I can stand indefinately on one foot now!). Right now, that's the motivation.

2. It is rocking good fun! I enjoy almost every minute of it. The feeling of accomplishing something that originally I thought would be impossible for me.

3. Falling. Backward.

[DallasSkater]

1) What motivates you in skating:

Watching others that have skills that I only dream about tends to inspire me to try harder. Occasionally, I am motivated by my non nurturing coach who will slip a positive comment about something I have improved upon from a week ago.

2) What do you like the most about skating:

I love the euphoria associated with learning a new skill. I love the feeling of being so fortunate to have the entire rink to myself when they leave the lights slightly dimmed and the only sound in the universe is of my blades cutting the ice. I love the pride I take when I accomplish a new skill that I was certain was impossible only a week or so ago.

3) What do you hate the most?

I dislike when I cannot find a decent place on the ice to practice during paid freestyle sessions. I dislike the narcissism this sport can breed especially when I see it fostered from the older skaters to the younger ones or the open disrespect between coaches. I dislike the times that I was excited to go practice and discovered that the session was canceled after I drove there or the rink is packed with birthday parties and I am time limited.

[kittyskate]

1) What motivates you in skating?

Everytime I have a lesson or practice I accomplish something new I had trouble with previously. The small successes keep me going back to the rink. Growing up I was terrible at sports, or at least I let myself feel that way and never tried harder at it, so the fact that I am actually being active and enjoying it and doing pretty good for my level is a pretty strong motivator.

2) What do you like the most about skating?

Right now I just love the way it feels to move across the ice. I also think it's a beautiful sport to watch and I know there's a lot for me to look forward to (though I know it won't always be beautiful and graceful but a lot of hard work and falling and frustration! But I'm used to that..)

3) What do you hate the most?

I hate that I can only practice during crowded public skate sessions in the middle of the day. Lately they've been making the public sessions free (they do this whenever the temperature tops 100 degrees F) which brings even MORE people in. I should be glad that many different people are getting the experience of skating, but really I can't wait until I'm at the level where I can practice on freestyle sessions!

[TimDavidSkate]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
Competition

2) What do you like the most about skating?
The speed/flow

3) What do you hate the most?
The cold

[slusher]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

I'm having a hard time to get motivated these days, so lets say it's the fear of gaining 50 lbs sitting on my deck and drinking margaritas which is what I've been doing. Nice tan tho'

but usually it's trying to master something in a singleminded obsessive fashion

2) What do you like the most about skating

The feel of the blade on the ice and the flow and going fast.

3) What do you hate the most?

being injured and being ordered off the ice (see #1 above)

that goes along with the thought of possibly not being able to skate forever.

[Mrs Redboots]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

You are never bored - there's always something new to learn.

2) What do you like the most about skating

You are never bored - there's always something new to learn.

3) What do you hate the most?

As soon as you can do something, they make you take it up a level, so you still can't do it!

[Scarlett]

1. What motivates you in skating?
The desire to do a skill and do it well. I have never been one to acknowledge failure as an option.
The utter joy I get with progressing and having formally "impossible" things to be like second nature.
2. What do you like most about skating?
See above. That and the combination of beauty and athleticism.

3. What do you hate the most?
The fact that I let fear dictate my ability to learn a new skill.

[fmh]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
everything...when i do well i want to do it again, and when i have a bad day i want to make it better
2) What do you like the most about skating
the feeling of a perfect jump or spin, when your beat out at the end of a session and know you worked your ### off :)
3) What do you hate the most?
when theres a day i cant do something i know i can do

[Raye]

1) What motivates you in skating?

I love skating, I love competition, I love travelling to all those fabulous places for competitions. I love the glitzy little costumes, and above all else, I love all the wonderful friends I have made over the past two and a half years.:bow: :bow: Here's to all my friends :bow: :bow:

2) What do you like the most about skating

Living out my childhood dream... The perfect salchow is out there somewhere and if I work hard enough I WILL FIND IT!!! This also applies to loops, flips, lutzes, various spins, moves, spirals, footwork sequences and dances.... maybe even an axel someday... (I can dream, can't I?:roll: )

3) What do you hate the most?

The only thing I hate is an arena with NO ICE aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh:frus: :frus:

[Emberchyld]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
2) What do you like the most about skating
3) What do you hate the most?

1)It's hard. And I like challenges.

2) The support from all of the other adults, no matter how "sucky" I can be compared to them-- the advice and guidance is invaluable! Learning a new move. Gliding (almost) effortlessly across the ice. Having something where the only person that I compete against is me. Feeling my skills from ballet finally kick in and help instead of hinder!

And realizing (whenever I do something new and "harder") that last year I couldn't even walk (on solid ground) and now I'm soaring... that's an incredible feeling

3) It's EXPENSIVE, you can't just practice anywhere, you're dependent on rinks (where ice time is seriously unreliable), and mini hockey goons (Again, I have become reformed about hockey adults, not counting those dads who actually encourage their kids to be skating goons) in public skating who think the ice is a) a place to make snowballs, b) a place to play baseball cap football, and c)a place to spit out their gum, drop candy wrappers, and use as a trashcan *sigh*

[sunskater]

1) What motivates you in skating?
Those really rare moments when I skate a really satisfying and near-perfect program and I feel on fire and want to stay on the ice forever and never get off.
And being so close to getting a new element that I just "have" to keep coming back to the rink and practice until I get it. Then once I get it, Im motivated to always try a new, more difficult element. It's an endless cycle.

2) What do you like the most about skating
Early morning practices, when Im on the 1st one on the ice for a few minutes and I can just stroke around on freshly cut ice and hear my edges dig into the ice and see the patterns I am creating with my blades. It's a great way to start a day.


3) What do you hate the most?
Gossip, politics, rumors; all the unnecessary baggage that comes with the skating world. Getting caught at a plateau for a awhile. Feeling like I've failed myself when I do poorly on a test or at a competition.

[SDFanatic]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

It's one of the harderst and most frustrating things I have tried.

2) What do you like the most about skating

I like the individuality about it, it's not a team sport or relies on others to win or lose.

3) What do you hate the most?

That I'm such a high level skater that there are no coaches able to teach me.

[CFP]

motivation;
to kick russiet's butt! [ yeah, with the blades!]:P

like the most;
hands up, hair-a-flyin', hip shakin', twirling, theatrics,... GROOVIN!!
...and i like the cold.

hate the most;
finagling with the arches of my boot!

[jcookie1982]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
Seeing really good skaters that are doing things that I would love to do, and knowing that if I keep it up, I can be one of those skaters.

2) What do you like the most about skating
I love the feeling of accomplishing something new, that I never thought I'd be doing

3) What do you hate the most?
Spinning. I suck at it.

[VegasGirl]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

Hm, right now not all too much... am still in a rut... :(

2) What do you like the most about skating

That I can do something new that not very many at my age would even attempt. :halo:

3) What do you hate the most?

Not having a coach any more and not having an ISI chapter at my rink!

[rf3ray]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
I Know I can do the same stuff that the younger kids can do, and its all in about attitude.
2) What do you like the most about skating
The Axels, Double Jumps
3) What do you hate the most?
Having a s*** day that might last for a week


[8/11/2006 Isk8NYC - Edited for language. Let's keep it "G" rated, people!]

[Sonic]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?

The thrill of mastering a new move.
Watching really accomplished skaters who make it look so easy.
Having a fairly unusual hobby


2) What do you like the most about skating
Feeling of freedom, doing a great big spiral round the rink


3) What do you hate the most?
Badly surfaced ice - especially when its soaking wet.


S xxx

[VegasGirl]

P.S. Almost forgot one other thing I absolutely hate about skating:

SPINS :x

[ouijaouija]

yeh, I get dizzy very easily, that goes for transport, and roller coasters etc, spinning is a nightmare, even so, I can only do 4 rotations right now tops!

[Clare]

1) What motivates you in skating?

That lovely feeling when something that was impossible last week suddenly falls into place.

2) What do you like the most about skating?

The fact that I forget all the other boring life stuff when I'm on the ice, the excitement of learning something new in my early thirties that a lot of people wouldn't even attempt :)

3) What do you hate the most?

The days when everything is the absolute opposite of Q1 and the times when the public sessions are so full of teenagers hurling ice at each other that you wonder why you bothered at all :roll:

Clare

[Hollow Ground]

1) What motivates you in skating?

Improving. I'm a perfectionist - if you're goin to do something, you might as well do it properly. It requires practice, but at least it's better than those public session skaters who just go around, and around, and around, poorly.

I'm a little too old to get to an elite level, but I have a career that I am happy enough with, anyway.


2) What do you like the most about skating?

It's so different! People respect a good skater because being efficient is so damn hard!

I also like the fact that even after a bad practice session where I feel demoralized, I'm soon eager to go back to the rink. With skating, I just never quit.

I also like the fact that skating is very international. You can skate anywhere, unlike most sports, some of which are very nationalistic - like gridiron or baseball outside the US.


3) What do you hate the most? My slow progress!

[Sonic]

3) What do you hate the most? My slow progress!

Yeah - tell me about it! It's also frustrating when you just start to feel as if you're getting somewhere then - boom! Injury!:frus:

S xxx

[ic3ang3l]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) What motivates you in skating?

-the fact that NO ONE can do everything perfectly
-being able to express myself
-performing

2) What do you like the most about skating?

ditto. and spread eagles

3) What do you hate the most?

fear of...
-getting injured
-smooshing little 3 year olds
-cheating :P

[WannabeS8r]

1) WHat motivates you in skating?
Speed and challenge. Risk. Performance. Music. Grace. Competition.

2) What do you like the most about skating?
The thrill and beauty of it.
People at the public rink gazing with respect and awe as you do your quad axel. (lmao only kidding)

3) What do you hate the most?
When I fail to do an element correctly.
That some little 7-year-olds skate better than me!! GR.

[xofivebyfive]

3) What do you hate the most?
When I fail to do an element correctly.
That some little 7-year-olds skate better than me!! GR.


I feel your pain.. especially when I'm *trying* to do a single Flip and then I can't make it all the way around.. and a 6 year old will see and go and do it themselves. If only I was ten years younger..

[Sonic]

I feel your pain.. especially when I'm *trying* to do a single Flip and then I can't make it all the way around.. and a 6 year old will see and go and do it themselves. If only I was ten years younger..

Yeah, tell me about it...:frus:

How is it with skating - you think you've got an element nailed, then next session it's as if you never even started it! I had a sit spin two weeks ago, (if not a very low one lol!), now I have maybe two pathetic revolutions that I step out of with an Australian accent*!

S xx

in other words, it travels, geddit?:roll:

[xofivebyfive]

Yeah, tell me about it...:frus:

How is it with skating - you think you've got an element nailed, then next session it's as if you never even started it! I had a sit spin two weeks ago, (if not a very low one lol!), now I have maybe two pathetic revolutions that I step out of with an Australian accent*!

S xx

in other words, it travels, geddit?:roll:
Exactly. I had a very nice sitspin a couple days ago, and today? Nothing.:frus:

[Axelchick]

1) What motivates you in skating?

- The feeling I get when i've landed a new jump or done well in a competition

2) What do you like the most about skating?

-How free I feel on the ice and how much fun I have


3) What do you hate the most?

-MY NERVES!!! competing is so hard when you get a bad case of nerves! And it always happens!

[Chico]

1. motivates- Learning new skills and mastering old.

2. like most - challenge (I like nothing better when someone says I can't or won't and DO.) I agree with axelchick, how I feel when I skate.

3. hate most- rink politics and skaters with bigger than life attitudes.

Chico

[Black Sheep]

1. The kids I skate with who can do Biellmann spins.

2. Not having to go to the gym to get exercise.

3. Falling on my knee and having it puff up like an orange! ;)

[WannabeS8r]

I feel your pain.. especially when I'm *trying* to do a single Flip and then I can't make it all the way around.. and a 6 year old will see and go and do it themselves. If only I was ten years younger..

Lol yes.. I was trying to do a Biellmann spin, held it like for two revolutions. And then...8O 8O 8O see a little 9-year-old in the perfect position!!! *wahhhhhhh*