Is it ok?

[sue123]

Is it ok to every now and then go skating and not worry about working on new things or things that are going badly? Say that one day, your LFI 3 is just not cooperating. Is it ok to say, forget it? I'm not going to bother today? Or when your toe loop disintegrated into nothingness, to just leave it where it is and come back another day? And then you only do those elements that you can do confidently adn enjoy skating nicely and figure you'll sort out all the other stuff next time? Because that is exactly what I did the other day, and now I feel guilty about it, like I should have kept working on that blasted LFI 3 which usually is fine, but it didn't feel like working that day. So tell me it's perfectly normal.

And one more thing. Is it ok to be more excited about finally getting my skates sharpened tomorrow than I am about the interview I'm going on tomorrow? See my skates, they desperatly need a sharpening. And the med school is not that far away from where I can get my skates sharpened. So I'm excited to finally get them done. But everyone else thinks I should be more excited about the interview. I told them they just don't understand what it's like trying to skate on dull blades.

[Raye]

You sound perfectly normal to me!!

[Petlover]

It's absolutely okay! There are days when my spin won't work and my coach tells me put it aside for today, do visualization tonight, and try it again tomorrow - and she's always right!

[Isk8NYC]

If your skates are dull, turns and other things are often unmanageable.

Don't worry about taking a day off on one thing or another; give it five tries and call it a day if it doesn't work out.

[Mel On Ice]

yes. I usually "rest on my laurels" right after taking a test or a competition. Use that time to take a breather and relish the simple joy of skating.

[TashaKat]

It's more than ok :)

Very often if you're brave enough to take a break you come back better than you were before. I'm totally guilty of nagging away at something until it falls to pieces before me, I just find it really difficult to call a halt. Doing that never helped me one little bit. What did help was having a 'time out' whether it be for a session, an hour or a day.

My coach used to point out to me that it was completely pointless practising my mistakes .... they were 'good' enough already :lol:

[jazzpants]

yes. I usually "rest on my laurels" right after taking a test or a competition. Use that time to take a breather and relish the simple joy of skating.Geez, then I should have taken a breather last week... Ooops!!! :halo: :P :lol: (I am enjoying my skating a lot more now though. I'm having fun learning a LOT of NEW stuff...)

Don't worry! I will HAVE to take a breather come the holidays anyway... well, not that much of a breather. I will at least skate in the meeting up and maybe one more time at the new Aviator rink. It's also possible I may skate at Central Park, but I'm likely to try and take as many lesson as possible with my NYC coach and Moves Guru.

[TimDavidSkate]

very normal :halo: I go at least 2 times a week on times I dont train...
I would go at least 3 weeks not doing jumps or 2 months without spinning, so it is more than normal :D

[sue123]

Good. Glad to know I'm normal. So I don't feel guilty anymore. Thanks guys!

[doubletoe]

Oh my gosh, you could be ME!
After my unsuccessful test last Thursday, I was tired and unmotivated and took Friday off. I was also sick of skating on dull blades so I got my blades sharpened on Friday, LOL!
I was still down on skating when Saturday morning rolled around, so I gave myself a very unusual set of rules for Saturday's skate: I must have fun and play, I can only do things I feel like doing, NO practicing things just because I "should" practice them, and no getting frustrated or upset, no matter what!

I think I would have been in serious trouble if I hadn't done that, because I had reached the point where I was not enjoying skating anymore, just pressuring myself. So I think it's really smart to just go and play on the ice sometimes!

[looplover]

But everyone else thinks I should be more excited about the interview. I told them they just don't understand what it's like trying to skate on dull blades.

People just don't understand adult onset skating syndrome!!! Of COURSE you are more excited about the sharper blades, lol!

(Good luck on the interview!)

[Sk8pdx]

I have gone some mornings and thought to myself, "yup, this is a 'spin day' " or "oops, my toe-loop slept in today", I often leave my salchow in my skate bag and come and get it later on in the session. As most everyone here now knows, my loop and flip are still on back order from the supplier. So I guess I will work on getting my free leg higher on spirals today....

Sue123, yes, it is OK. Thanks for reminding me too that I am normal.
Keep us posted on how the interview goes.:)

[TashaKat]

So you're and adult and have never skated, or skated a bit as a kid. But the sight of the skaters on TV gets something going in the pit of your stomach so you get some skates and take a few lessons. Next thing you know you're hooked!

Some of the symptoms of this disease are:

1) You start dreaming about sit-spins and double jumps.

2) You find yourself practicing spread-eagles while waiting for the
bus.

3) The major factor in choosing an apartment/vacation destination is a
nearby rink. Corollary: You know the day/hour of every skating session
within 50 miles.

4) You start planning your work and family life around your skating
sessions. Corollary: Your dog fetches your skates on command.

5) You put off buying clothes to pay for more coaching. Corollary: The
clothes you DO buy are made of Lycra and sequins.

6) You break in your skates by wearing them at work and slip on the
way to the printer, suffering a black eye.

7) You forget to take work clothes to the rink and end up spending
your work day in your skating costume. None of your colleagues seems
surprised.

8) You hype your Alpha test so much at work that your co-workers think
it's a qualifying event for Nationals.

If you notice any of these symptoms in yourself, you are suffering
from AOSS my friend!

[frvanilla]

sue123,

Absolutely! It is absolutely okay to say "forget it, I'll save it for next time."
Your muscle memory will remember the BAD if you keep trying too many times on an element that doesn't work. And next time when you come back to it, you will keep doing the wrong thing because your muscle remembers.

[Mrs Redboots]

The thing is, Sue, that at our level, skating is just for fitness and fun. Sure, some of us test and compete, and most of us, I suspect, want to be the absolute best skaters we can be, but we know that, realistically, that's never going to be very good!

So the whole idea of going out to the rink to train is to have fun! Okay, if we're working really hard for the next test or the next competition it can be a bit stressy, but there's always the fun moves, the fun dance, the things one really enjoys to finish up with. And even at competition, as my Husband says (and he, deep down, is even more competitive than I am, he just disguises it better): "It's only a game!".

[Thin-Ice]

Not to mention, sometimes having a "just for fun" day is sometimes what keeps the joy in skating -- which in the long run is what makes us better skaters -- and keeps us going back to the rink to get even better!

Good luck with the interview!

[sue123]

Interview went well, only by the time I got into the interview, I was starving. Didn't eat much for breakfast because I hate eating so early in the morning, and I forgot to take a granola bar with me to munch on while I waited. My interviewer looked like Mick Jagger. He was very.... interesting. Told me he hated the questions they told him to ask, and we got off track a couple times, and i told him about my study abroad that I did. One of the questions asked about unique educational experiences. He reads hte questions, then answers himself with study abroad being unique enough. Strange guy.

After the interview day, I got my skates sharpened! They're nice and sharp now, and I can't wait to test them out, but I'm not sure when that will be. Tomorrow I'm working, and the weekends are too crowded. But I'll test them eventually, and maybe my toe loop will come out of hiding, along with my LFI 3. For some reason, the other edges were fine. Just hte one that didn't want to work.