Pairs Skating

[Sk8pdx]

I have such an affinity for skating pairs and wanted to start a thread on this favorite skating discipline of mine. So, here is a thread about anything and everything pairs. I am inspired by some of the pairs teams that post here (Team Arthritis -- love your sense of humor, NoVa and Loops, Lovepairs...and others :bow: ).

The objective here is to share pairs stories, share challenges, successes, give sound advice, and for no other reason, than to simply enjoy pairs. -- (and of course, this thread is for everyone, one doesn't have to be in a pairs team to post).

:)
~sk8pdx

[lovepairs]

Sk8pdx,

Do you pair skate? Do you want to try? Have you visited:
www.adultpairskating.com

I found out something very interesting today, and that is that they have Pair competitions at the Special Olympics. I think I'm going to try to head out to Johnstown, PA in February to the Special Olympics Winter Games and see what these fantastic kids are doing! Another thing that I found out is that Special Olympics has a Worlds competition that includes Figure Skating. These folks are way ahead of the Adult Figure Skating community who don't have an "official" World Figure Skating Competition. Bravo to the organizers of the Special Olympics for providing so broadly for their community of skaters! Very impressive!

[Sk8pdx]

Do you pair skate? Do you want to try? Have you visited:
www.adultpairskating.com

Hi Lovepairs,
Of course, you were helpful in introducing me to my pairs friends in Seattle. (namely, ahem.. Casey)ummmm... Are you feeling ok?:oops: ...perhaps just a little blonde moment. It is ok, I get those from time to time. :halo: ;)

Good news about the special olympics. Let us know how it goes after your visit to Johnstown.:)

[lovepairs]

Oh, hi! I'm good at remembering names, but not so good at remembering skater's handles...sorry sweetie. Do you still want to skate pairs? Currently looking for a partner? Let me know if I can be of more help...you know where to find me.

Okay, a pairs story: Pairsman2 and I are looking high and low for the perfect red buttons for our new outfits. So, we go to this notions store, which is full of buttons from floor to ceiling, but they don't have what we want. Then we walk by this counter where there is the jacket laid on it with the exact buttons that we want! So, we say to the sales lady that we'll take those!!! She said, "we don't sell those, they came with the jacket, and the lady who ownes the jacket wants new buttons! We see the lady and her husband and ask her if they will sell the buttons to us, since she is discarding them anyway. These people were so nice and wouldn't hear of taking money from us after hearing that we wanted to use them for our pairskating outfits. So, in exchange for the buttons, we did a back-press lift for them out in the street! They were delighted, we were delighted, and now we have the "magic" buttons!

[Team Arthritis]

We wanted to look good for our programs this weekend so my wife wore my daughter's 8 yo Bat Mitzvah dress and I wore one of my son's sparkly high school party shirts. The kids, all grown up now yet they are STILL being embarrased by their parents:!: http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/musik/a020.gif
Lyle

[Casey]

Do you still want to skate pairs? Currently looking for a partner?
Why are you trying to steal my beloved pairs partner away from me?!? Don't think I won't remember this... ;) :twisted:

We're currently sorting out coaching and schedules and planning to start being a lot more serious about pairs goals in mid-January. The distance between Portland and Seattle makes things challenging, but not impossible.

I think my favorite pairs skating experience was working on pivot back spirals (or whatever they're called). Pairs spins were fun too but it seems we've forgotten how to do them. :giveup:

[Sk8pdx]

Oh, hi! I'm good at remembering names, but not so good at remembering skater's handles...sorry sweetie. Do you still want to skate pairs? Currently looking for a partner? Let me know if I can be of more help...you know where to find me.

No worries, lovepairs. Yes! I still want to skate pairs. It is my passion :D. No need to seek further for a partner. Sounds like I am already spoken for: :halo: ;) 8-)

Why are you trying to steal my beloved pairs partner away from me?!? Don't think I won't remember this...
...and yes, we are in the primary stages of training more intently on a steadier basis.

Okay, a pairs story: Pairsman2 and I are looking high and low for the perfect red buttons for our new outfits. ...So, in exchange for the buttons, we did a back-press lift for them out in the street! They were delighted, we were delighted, and now we have the "magic" buttons!

You must have meant "pairs magic" buttons. ;) what a great story.

[Sk8pdx]

We wanted to look good for our programs this weekend so my wife wore my daughter's 8 yo Bat Mitzvah dress and I wore one of my son's sparkly high school party shirts. The kids, all grown up now yet they are STILL being embarrased by their parents:!: http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/musik/a020.gif
Lyle

Oooo do share photos if you have any. :P By the way, how are those Pull-throughs coming along? :)

[lovepairs]

Well Casey and Mary...it would have been nice if someone gave me the "Good News!" The last I heard you two were no longer a team, and my heart was totally broken, since I gave birth to you in the first place! LOL!!! Just like kids, never to tell their parents what's goin on! LOL!!!

Great to hear you got it back together, and can't wait to see you two on the ice. Okay, now that you two are getting serious, can you say "yes" to having an "Athlete's Profile" page on the Adult Pair Skating Website?

Kisses,
Andrea :P

[pairman2]

Mary and Casey

.....Yes, it would be awlsome to snap a photo of both of you together and post on www.adultpairskating.com !!!!!!! Can't wait to meet you!!!

pairman2

[Skate@Delaware]

I don't have hubby convinced to go the pairs track instead of ice dance...I said we could get a coach over the summer up north and work on stuff. I think the fear factor has him leaning towards dance. (I think he just figured out the $$$ of another coach, ice time, and gas and that has him balking).

Our primary coach said she won't help us on pairs, she is not qualified. So for now we are just doing dance stuff.

[Team Arthritis]

Oooo do share photos if you have any. :P By the way, how are those Pull-throughs coming along? :)

I hope to get some photos soon, of course then I have to see how we really looked not how I imagine we looked 8O

My wife screamed on the pullthrough in each show and the audiance loved it :P I started laughing each time which helped us keep loose. Boy those spot lights are blinding and intimidating!

Off pairs for a while - I just got back from taking my wife for her arthroscopic surgery for her bad meniscus, sheesh it was really bad, she's made of tough stuff!

My knee is only going to hurt less if I lose this weight! http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/nahrung/k075.gif
Lyle

[Mrs Redboots]

Pivot spirals are the only pairs move (as opposed to dance move) that I'll willingly do! We don't practice them often, as we don't normally put them in our free dances.

One move we do which is fun is we are holding hands, he's going backwards and I'm going forwards, he's in a teapot (shoot the duck) and I'm in a spiral, then without changing feet or anything, we change position so he's doing a back spiral and I'm doing a teapot.

[Sk8pdx]

Pivot spirals are the only pairs move (as opposed to dance move) that I'll willingly do! We don't practice them often, as we don't normally put them in our free dances.

One move we do which is fun is we are holding hands, he's going backwards and I'm going forwards, he's in a teapot (shoot the duck) and I'm in a spiral, then without changing feet or anything, we change position so he's doing a back spiral and I'm doing a teapot.

Oooo what a neat move. That sounds simple and fun to try. You dancers out there have lots to contribute to partnering in skating. It amazes me how you are so dangerously close enough to trip over one another and yet still make it all look so effortless. :)

[Sk8pdx]

:bow: Way to go "Mrs. Team Arthritis" :bow: what an inspiration for strength and resilience!

Lovepairs and Pairman2, Thanks for the encouragements. ..will send an update through another venue. 8-)

Oh, here's a few questions for anyone in pairs...In addition to on-ice practice and actual lesson times, How often does pair team practice off-ice? How many hours are needed (minimum)? Thanks!:)

[lovepairs]

Pairsman2 and I practice together twice a week, for two hours on the ice each time, and about a 1/2 hour of off-ice each time. It's not enough, and I'm hoping that changes in the future.

Otherwise, I skate by myself two additional days per week (1 hour each time), and I think Pairsman2 actually hits the ice by himself three extra days per week. We both have lifting and cross-training regiments going on, too, that we do individually.

Then with the time left over we both try to earn a living--so, that we can get back on the ice! Gerbals in tread mills!!!

[Team Arthritis]

we have a hard time getting a freestyle empty enough to do the bigger things like just plain old stroking and pairs spins. One of the things we are having a hard time with, believe it or not, is simple BXO 8's through the center: My wife hates to lean, I like it, so the BO edge glide through the middle is a disaster as she won't hit an edge and goes flat through and I'm arcing away unable to tell as shes behind me and I'm looking ahead (imagine me on the BO edge waving my hand franticly trying to find her :roll: ) coach just smiles and says don't worry, she'll get it! http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/sportlich/a010.gif So most of the time we had only 2 30min intervals where we could really work our pairs stuff.

We both like to workout off ice and I love practicing our little lifts in the gym. We also do footwork (here's me doing footwork http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/tiere/r040.gif ) off ice about once a week. So most of the time we are doing parallel play but We hope to get more pairs time when her knee heals.

Lyle (diet day number 4)

[NoVa Sk8r]

I find that doing pairs stroking is the hardest thing to do--not because I feel like I am going to trip, fall, and have partner's blade gouge me, but because there simply is no room to get enough speed, coverage, and extension when there are more than 4 skaters on the ice.

'Tis a shame; it's a very crucial part of pairs training.

[Team Arthritis]

'Tis a shame; it's a very crucial part of pairs training.

yeh and I like holding her hand while we skate :oops:
Lyle

[TimDavidSkate]

any guys out ther who would like to try out with me? I would love to get thrown and lifted :halo:

[Team Arthritis]

any guys out ther who would like to try out with me? I would love to get thrown and lifted :halo:

Good luck, that would be too cool to watch! Saw a great show with Scotty Hamilton being lifted and thrown once and it was a huge success.

I'm already claimed, LOL.
Lyle

[Skate@Delaware]

any guys out ther who would like to try out with me? I would love to get thrown and lifted :halo:
Yeah, that would be cool! I'm still trying to get hubby to the gym for weight-lifting....he keeps putting it off. It isn't that I'm heavy (I weigh 130-135) or that we are going to do anything complicated, just last time we tried an off ice manuever, he kept dropping me!!! He has a weak grip.

What we were doing: He skates backwards and I'm forward, then I go into a position where my one leg is wrapped around his and (we are holding on with both hands) I lean back. Then he drops me :x accidentally...luckily, we havent done this on ice (I refuse until we get it right off ice). We are supposed to be cantilevered but we don't get that far.....oh well.

[flo]

We've use to rent private ice to practice. One of our rinks had a great discount for 4 and fewer skaters. We'd have the ice at 6:45 am for an hour. Me and my partner, Scott Smith and another little kid. Then we'd often take the kids to school. It worked out well. Now the prices for this ice have doubled.

Our key to skating pairs on fs sessions was to be in control of ourselves, and not expect others to yield all the time. We actually got quite a bit accomplished. Stroking at full speed was not doable on these sessions but was when we skated with Calla and Rocky!

A favorite pair skating memory is skating at Rockefeller Center. For a few years we were invited to do shows. The rink is pretty small, and a throw or overhead would start at one end and end at the other. When they landed at the resturaunt end we could see the people dining, and them see a skater come flying towards them.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Unfortunately, few of the rinks here have any level requirements for skating on the freestyle sessions. So you have to dodge kids wearing helmets and rental skates (or playing *tag* in the middle of the rink like 2 were last Sunday :!: ).

And only one rink has a "mixed" or "couples" session--and those are populated by *several* ice dance teams (do I even need to mention that pairs and ice dance teams are immiscible like oil and water?).

Flo, are you still skating pairs?

[Team Arthritis]

What we were doing: He skates backwards and I'm forward, then I go into a position where my one leg is wrapped around his and (we are holding on with both hands) I lean back. Then he drops me :x accidentally...luckily, we havent done this on ice (I refuse until we get it right off ice). We are supposed to be cantilevered but we don't get that far.....oh well.

oops, well if it makes you feel any better, I've done similar things time or 3. Only thing I can do is yell "DOWN" just before the grip goes. (don't know why but this is the only thing my mouth will say in an emergency drop)
http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/tiere/c010.gif
Lyle

[flo]

Skate@del...
Perhaps the forward motion on the ice would help???? Sounds interesting. Like learning death spirals, you won't have far to fall.

[Skate@Delaware]

Skate@del...
Perhaps the forward motion on the ice would help???? Sounds interesting. Like learning death spirals, you won't have far to fall.
Thanks Flo! I'd wear a helmet the first few times (my son's hockey helmet fits nicely) because I'm arched and my head is lower than my back....but it's a cool manuever to do (another girl and I can do it) he just needs to strengthen his grip (he has a paper-pushing job). And not be so hesitant. We still have the issue of him not letting go when he starts to go down-I told him he needs to fall a few more times to realize that he won't be severely damaged :lol: and he is so padded...

Now that he is getting to be a better skater, I am sure there will be more things he might be willing to do (as long as he doesn't drop me).

[Sk8pdx]

any guys out ther who would like to try out with me? I would love to get thrown and lifted :halo:

Good luck, that would be too cool to watch! Saw a great show with Scotty Hamilton being lifted and thrown once and it was a huge success.

I'm already claimed, LOL.
Lyle

Actually, this made me think of the time Casey and I have had a little fun discussing the infrastructure of the death spiral. I don't think there is anything in the rule book that says the lady couldn't be doing the back pivot while he does the spiral. ??? :?? :P

yeh and I like holding her hand while we skate
Lyle
Aawww :halo: :) how very sweet.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Actually, this made me think of the time Casey and I have had a little fun discussing the infrastructure of the death spiral. I don't think there is anything in the rule book that says the lady couldn't be doing the back pivot while he does the spiral. ??? :?? :P Actually, LoopLoops and I were exploring this (well, the pivot spiral) because I absolutely HATE the death spiral. I was doing a version where I was in an inside spread eagle to avoid doing the pivot, which pulls on my left hip AND midback muscle. Unfortunately, at the gold level and higher, the pivot is required. A few judges have dinged us on this. :??

I believe the ISU is strict about who does what in pairs--I think the man has to perform the pivot spiral and the lady has to do the, er, "death" part. (In ice dance, "reverse" moves are allowed--like the French team did, when Anissina would lift up Peizerat.)
Not sure how the USFS interprets this rule.

[Casey]

Actually, this made me think of the time Casey and I have had a little fun discussing the infrastructure of the death spiral. I don't think there is anything in the rule book that says the lady couldn't be doing the back pivot while he does the spiral. ??? :?? :P
Just remember, if you want to reverse roles on that then you'll have to reverse roles on the lifts and twists too, and I don't think you want to do that! :P

[Thin-Ice]

yeh and I like holding her hand while we skate :oops:
Lyle

OOOOHHHHHHH!!! That's sooooo romantic and sweet! Mrs. Team A is soooo lucky!

[Sk8pdx]

Just remember, if you want to reverse roles on that then you'll have to reverse roles on the lifts and twists too, and I don't think you want to do that! :P

You make a good point.:) I don't think I could hurl you up in the air enough for a split triple twist. :lol:.