How did you become a skater?

[FSWer]

Say,I'm not sure if this has ever been talked about before on this board. But I was wondering how everyone here first became a skater? I ask this,because I'm sure it must feel really good to a lot of you to be skaters,and was just wondering how you all became skaters? Also how old were you when you first became a skater?

[Rusty Blades]

I can't honestly remember the first time I was on ice skates (it was THAT long ago!) but probably around age 4 one of my cousin's stuck me in a pair of ratty old hockey skates and pushed me out on the farm pond (in winter, of course!). There wasn't much else for "winter recreation" in those days on the farm.

In Grade 7 we moved into town and the town kids hung out at the local rink - INDOORS! That was the first time I saw figure skates or someone figure skating. WOW! I wanted to do that! It became an obsession for the next 5 years, until I took a spill and wrecked my knees. Fast-forward 36 years, 2 husbands, and about 8 cities .... I was watching TV during the holidays (2005) and saw a lady land a beautiful triple (don't remember who or what jump) and thought "Why did I never go back to skating?" - because my husband didn't like the idea - well, he was history so I went out and bought a pair of skates.

Almost a year and a half later, I am still struggling to learn the basics but I have competed and that's something I never got to do as a teen. The obsession is ten times worse than when I was young but the rewards are much greater because I am "over the hill but not over the ice" - LOL!

[sk8_4fun]

I'll let you know when I become one!;)

[Rob Dean]

It does come up now and then...

I'd have to ask what you mean by "become a skater" because it's clear to me that different people are going to have different ideas about what that means...

But, in brief, I grew up in Michigan and being able to skate at least minimally seemed expected. My parents used to flood the backyard during the cold winters we had (about the time Peggy Fleming was *the* skater). I occasionally skated public sessions in college, enough that I ended up with a pair of skates. I moved to Maryland where ponds don't usually freeze, before Mt. Pleasant was built, when there used to be a seasonal rink at Memorial Stadium. I skated there once, around 1983, and the skates ended up in the closet.

Over twenty years later, my son learned rollerblading. Thinking I could skate (and having been moving the skates around the closet), we went to a local public session. I discovered that he could skate (because the rollerblade skill transferred) and I couldn't (because I'd forgotten everything I ever knew). Since he kept lobbying to go again, I decided that the only way to avoid injuring myself was to sign us both up for LTS classes. From there we progressed to private lessons, and eventually reached the present, where we are both skating about four days a week with lessons usually twice, testing, and are both signed up for our first competitions next week...

That's how. Why? At first, because I didn't like the fact that I couldn't do something that I still considered to be part of my self-image. Later I had a break in lessons and "serious" skating, and went back to it because I couldn't bear not doing it. Typical AOSS, in other words...

Rob

[xofivebyfive]

How did I become a skater. Hm. I asked my parents if I could take lessons and they said sure. and I did. :)

[blackmanskating]

I became a skater after the seeing Johnny Weir's short program at the 2006 Olympics. I thought that was the most beautiful skating I have ever seen. I talked myself into it because I was also overweight (190 pounds and I'm 5'7") so I decided to jump into it. Bought me a pair of $350 skates and was hooked. I mean AOSS completely took over.

5 months later I lost 37 pounds. 8O I am now 150 pounds so I've lost a little more. Pretty soon I had to determine if I was going to compete or not. I had no intention of competing initially. That's part of the reason why I have never taken any MITF and Freestyle tests. (That will quickly change) I was learning very quickly and I starting landing my doubles so I decided, "Why not prepare for Adult Nat's??" :halo: So, here I am today 16 months going strong with no loss of steam. I will be 25 next month. I started when I was 23. We'll see what happens next. 8-) Looking forward to it.

BlackManSkating

[jazzpants]

How did I become a skater? I just strap on my skates and VOILA!!! Instant skater!!! :twisted: :P :lol:

[starskate6.0]

I went Ice skating in Sydney for the first time when I was 23 years old. Prior to that the nearest rink for me was 600 miles away. On my first day I struggled to skate forward and could not skate backwards. A guy walked up to me and asked me to be in his Ice show... 8O . He said he was desperate to find a guy my hight and I looked OK, he said I just had to stand on the ice in a costume and present this girl while she skated.. It was a 30 by 15 ft tank... 8O the skaters in the show taught me how to skate.. The rest is a very long story..:roll: I was 23 Im now 47..and skated all over the World.. 8-)

True story...

[AdultPairSkater]

Someone bought me group lessons at a local rink for my 33rd birthday as a bit of a gag gift.

[altamaleskater]

I had wanted to skate since I was a child, but figure skating was something that "boys don't do" 30 years ago, even though there were men's figure skating events. I think boys who get involved in the sport tend to get harassed or bullied more because of narrow stereotypes as to what sports they should or should not be involved in. As an adult though, even my male co-workers don't pick on me about it, they are much more accepting than kids would be.

Adult figure skating is fairly new here in Canada; we only had our 4th Adult Nationals this year. Also, it's stronger in some provinces than others. When I was 34 I found out about adult skating & couldn't believe it existed. At that time I started trying to find a club that would take adults, but in British Columbia there are very few & one has to know where to look. It wasn't until I got a job in Alberta and moved here, where adult skating is very popular, that things took off - I found myself a very good coach & the rest is history. Skated my first freeskate program this year and am being tested for dance as well!

[Sessy]

Well, technically, I suppose I always was. As a little kid, I had these skates you strapped on under your shoes with 2 blades and I'd skate around the parquet in my grandmother's apartment on them while my great-grandmother (who was supposed to watch me but never could stay awake for long) was asleep. Well more like waggle. And nobody was particularly amused at it. I could do fancy monkey tricks though.
They tried to put me into skating class but because they didn't know that I needed very strong glasses yet, I kept skating into the boardings and they figured I was dumb or something so they booted me out.

Then at some point I was 9 or 10 or so and my mom was ice dancing and I had to have something to do while waiting at the rink for her (I wasn't allowed on the ice) so I skated around in inline skates around the rink.
Then I got real skates, about 10 years old I was. Skated for a few months (like, three or four) and I decided to quit because learning swizzles with the rest of the class when I could already do crossovers just from watching other people do them wasn't my idea of fun. And they wouldn't let me into more serious classes because they felt I was too old to ever learn... Ugh!

So from there on, I went skating like, twice a year. Till I was 15 or so, cuz I hadn't been to the ice since then.

And at 20, circumstances were such that I decided to take up skating. First just sundays on freeskate sessions without any coaching. Then 1 private lessons - once a month - and freeskate sessions and I got me new skates then. This lasted two months. Then a VERY long summer break during which I got me roller skates which I couldn't do much of anything in except crossovers and waltz jumps. Then in september 2006 I got my butt into group classes and been skating since! Need new skates... (already ordered them but the distributer guy is on holiday apparently...)

[Hannah]

I had a two-for-one coupon from my college bookstore coupon book. A friend was supposed to go skating with me (full disclosure: she dared me) and no-showed but I went anyway. That pretty much did it. :)

[Raye]

From my earliest memories I used to watch Figure Skating on "Wide World of Sports" with my Mom. I always imagined myself doing the fabulous things those skaters on TV did.. and actually tried them on the living room floor when no one was looking.

When I was 15 the town I lived in began a campaign to raise money to build an arena in our town, and the brand new facility had it's ribbon cutting ceremony on my 17th birhday. Mom went to sign me and my sister up for LTS and mom was told not to waste her money on me as I was 'too old' but she signed both of us up anyway.

I loved skating back then, I worked at learning the dances, figures, jumps and spins, but my age precluded me from competing or taking any tests, so I was my sister's biggest fan as she did both tests and competitions. I quit four years later when I learned that I was expecting my first child. I tried to go back to skating for a few months after the baby, but - like Dianne - had a husband that thought it was stupid so I eventually gave up to keep the peace. :roll:

Fast forward over 25 years to about three years ago when I signed my then-five-year-old granddaughter up for CanSkate and I decided to sign me up too!!! I found this great group of adult skaters in Coquitlam and the rest is history.......:giveup: AOSS TO THE NTH DEGREE:giveup:

My current DH of just over 10 years has been totally supportive of my skating obsession and is one of my biggest fans. He comes to all my local competitions and has even travelled with me to some of the ones I have gone to in the US and Europe.

[Mrs Redboots]

I'll let you know when I become one!;)

Rumour has it you're very good already....!

As for me, the daughter came home from school with a letter offering a course of lessons via the school very cheap as part of that year's PE requirement. "Please Mummy, may I?".... and the rest is history! She no longer skates, except occasionally recreationally on a winter rink, but we plod on.

[chowskates]

By deciding to buy my own skates...

Just before we went to college, my friends and I thought it'd be cool to try ice skating. After one session, we thought first that it was fun, and second that the rental boots were gross. We decided to find out how much new skates were...

A quick calculation told us that if we went skating 125 times, it would be worth buying skates, rather than renting. So, if we skated say 3 times a week and the skates last for a year, it would be worth it!

So, we bought skates, and signed up for lessons... and now I'm the only one who is still skating!

Cheers,
Chow

[Paulie86]

I had skated 2, maybe 3 times before a rink opened up about a 5 minute walk from my house back in around 2001. (For the record, the nearest rink to that was a 30 minute drive) When the rink opened up in my area, We went for fun one day and I saw that they were starting a skate school so I asked my parents if I could join. I was 13 or 14 and in Yr 8 at school.

I worked quickly through the different levels of skate school and competed in two of those competitions, placing 1st in one! I then started private lessons, by could only afford 1 a week because I had started my first casual job, but wasn't earning that much money. When it came to Yr 12, I had plenty of school work and work, but no time to skate. I had kinda lost a bit of interest, so I quit skating, telling my coach that I would come back after my final exams were over. It took me two years to come back! I really started to miss it. A year and a bit later, I have regained all my old skills and am working on new ones!

[Sessy]

Really? At our rinks, the quick calculation showed that about 10 times of renting makes it work to get your own already.

[JazzySkate]

Went to a company Christmas skating party in 1979 at Rockerfeller Center's ice rink, afterwards took group/private lessons, didn't listen to those who said - "skating's for kids." 27 yrs later still proud to be an adult skater.

[icedancer2]

I got interested in skating after Carol Heiss won the Olympics in 1960. I had this little doll cut-out set of her that I liked and remember asking for skates for Christmas. I got the skates (they had red laces!) and my dad took me down to the park where they had iced over a field and I skated for the first time. My dad says I fell about 50 times my first time around, but since he liked skating, he was hooked.

After a very little while, we had suddenly joined a club and I was taking group lessons. I don't remember too much since it was over 40 years ago, but the rest, as they say, is history!!

I'm sure if my dad hadn't liked skating I would never have become a skater, because I actually have very little talent. I have him to thank I guess!!:bow:

[chowskates]

Really? At our rinks, the quick calculation showed that about 10 times of renting makes it work to get your own already.

WOW! Are you serious? Then, either rental is really expensive, or new skates are really cheap where you are!

[WJLServo]

Learned to skate around age 5 (parents are in poor agreement on this; Mom sez 6, Dad sez 4....) but, were no local rinks back then, and pond ice season was no more than a dozen or so good days in a winter. Never learned to skate all that well, but, did enjoy skating.

A bit over 50, now, and have had heart troubles that dictate that I get regular exercise of some sort, to keep Mr Reaper at arm's length. Always did like skating, and, where I live now, there are plently of good ice rinks. So, back on the ice at late middle age. Transition from the hockey skates of my youth to freestyle blades was.... recent, and, still very much a "works in progress!"

[Skittl1321]

WOW! Are you serious? Then, either rental is really expensive, or new skates are really cheap where you are!

My first ice skates were from Lands End- they cost $80, the only thing that made them better than rental skates was that I didn't have to deal with other people's smelly feet in them, and I felt special for having my own. I don't think I ever actually had the blades sharpened after buying them- and I probably only wore them 7 times before I rediscovered them 10 years later and did Basic 3-6 in them.

Anyhow- for those skates it would (and in mid 90s dollars) it would have taken me 40 rentals to pay for them.

The skates I have now (and in current dollars) would take me 130 rentals to pay for! But these are much better skates- so I think the quality of them is worth it.


Edit:
Oops, forgot to answer the OP's question.
I started skating because I wanted to be Kristi Yamaguchi! I loved figure skating before her- but that really made me want to do it!

When I was a girl we had a mall at the skating rink all the way across town. It wasn't close but we would go skating for birthday parties or family outings. I LOVED it. When I was about 12 I convinced my parents to get me skates (the ones above- cheap! recreational skates) and they would drop me off at the mall while taking my sister to gymnastics where I would skate in circles and pretend to copy the figure skaters in the center- I could do a 2 foot spin. I LOVED it! and would skate on my own for hours. I did take Basic 1.

Fast forward 10-15 years. I found those skates in my closet- they still fit. I assume they must have been a bit big at the time, but even still, my feet haven't grown much. I started lessons in Ohio starting with Basic 3-4, and passed both in one session. Then I took Adult 2 (which covers 5/6ish) I would use flex time at work to skate for 2-3 hours in the morning., then I moved to Iowa, bought "real" figure skates took Delta, then Basic 7-8 (also passed both in one session). Then I moved to private lessons.

I still love skating, but in my new skates (well a year old now) can only skate for 30 minutes to an hour at a time because they are tight on my feet.

[Sessy]

WOW! Are you serious? Then, either rental is really expensive, or new skates are really cheap where you are!

Rental skates are about 4 euro's, which is around 5 dollars, per time slot (usually 2 hours). Also, they rent out these skates at ALL the rinks I know of (they come in either toepicked or untoepicked variety, light blue or dark blue). This photo is actually from our rink's website:
http://www.sportintilburg.nl/afbeeldingen/bots/1Schaatsen001klein.jpg

Now I don't know about you but I'm not putting my feet in that. Besides, those skates are sold for 25 euro at some large shoe stores, so technically, the cost of renting figure skates is one sixth of buying exact such of your own. Not to mention they don't sharpen them. Once my BF rented skates and they were so blunt, he couldn't push off. We went back and said they were blunt. We got other ones (slightly sharper) and they just gave the blunt ones to the next person.

Most our beginners start out on graf davos, Libra or ProStar. And you can get those nearly new for like around 40 euro, yeah. Usually people use them for a year or so, then get into risport rf4.

[jazzpants]

Transition from the hockey skates of my youth to freestyle blades was.... recent, and, still very much a "works in progress!"But look at those 3-TURNS you can do now on figure skates!!! :P :bow: (Well, when you're not off popping your knee back into place that is...) 8O

[southernsk8er]

Always loved watching skating on TV, but I grew up in West Texas. I believe the closest rink would have been in Dallas, which was 3 hours away. Moved to Austin and went skating for fun at the 3/4 size rink and saw all the good skaters going really fast and jumping and spinning. I decided immediately to sign up for group lessons and learn all that stuff. I bought a pair of skates because they didn't have any figure skates for rent in my size (womens 10.5), so I had to rent hockey skates. Two years later, I'm totally addicted!

[looplover]

My mom liked to skate recreationally - she was pretty good - and we used to go on ponds and lakes all the time (um back when they used to actually freeze) (skating on Lake Champlain in Vt is FUN! Except when you catch a fishing hole)

Then took group lessons in Yonkers, NY and participated in skating Halloween parade dressed in a Heinz Ketchup costume.

Much fun. Felt stupid in the costume but mom is also an artist and I was never allowed to wear a store-bought costume. :??

[herniated]

I think I became a skater the first time I skated. I was about 7 years old and my parents took me and my sister to Rockefeller Center. It was very crowded and I had these double runner skates. (They were cool:lol: ) I even got knocked over but I loved it. So... then sis and I took group lessons and I was forced to get single blades. :x Then we shared private lessons for awhile so I got my first pair of Riedells. That was it for me. They hurt too bad and my legs hurt.:frus: I left figure skating until I was 28.

I always managed to skate public sessions here and there throughout the years though and I always watched it on TV. When I was 28 I was looking for exercise other than the gym. So, I went to a local adult public skating session with my 20 yr old Riedells (which were my sister's) with one of the blades falling off.8O And, the rest is history. Now, I'm 43, at the Silver level, working on Gold MIF and couldn't imagine not skating!!

[WJLServo]

But look at those 3-TURNS you can do now on figure skates!!! :P :bow: (Well, when you're not off popping your knee back into place that is...) 8O

Eh! Will admit, do better 3's on freestyle blades than I ever could on hockey skates!

Gimp knee I don't mind so much, as long as it doesn't go out of joint. Does catch, bind, and lock a bit, but, think it bothers coach more than it bothers me! If it will just hold together well enough for me to get a little bit of "loft" on Waltz jump, I'll be a happy guy!

W Letendre

[gt20001]

I had always had an interest in skating but lived in places that didnt have rinks. The idea had left my mind for a while then i became a truck driver in 2004 and in November of 2005 we ended up with a load to sacramento california and we decided to take a week off there for thanksgiving and we were walking around downtown sacramento and i saw a small outdoor rink and i realized it was an ice rink. I had remembered how i always wanted to skate so i begged my fiance to go and he agreed but didnt want to go to the small rink so we located a rink the next day and went skating. Well that was it for me. I rented skates that day i fell and didnt know how to get back up but the skating bug had bitten hard the next day i went to a different rink and bought my first pair of skates. As soon as i got home over christmas i started public lessons then becuase it is almost impossible to skate and be an over the road truck driver i ended up staying home so i could skate more often and only drive like 4-5 months out of the year. I can deal with not skating.

[lovepairs]

My parents, plopped me down on the ice when I was 5 years old. This lady who looked like Annette Funicelio picked me up and put me down in the middle of the rink. She went to the side boards and signaled me to skate over to her...I felt like I was in the middle of the ocean...it was swim, or sink...so, I swam! She turned out to be my coach! I got caught up in all of the magic, but didn't know what to do with it...now, I'm making up for a lot of lost time :frus: I can't help letting go of the feeling that if I really did something with it as a kid that I'd have that ellucide axel by now! Oh, well...:P

Oh, I'm 50 now and not too long ago found my childhood coach, and wrote to her, and she remembered me by all of those freckles that I had when I was a kid. Can you imagine that! Life is really filled with a lot of very very nice things!

[Kim to the Max]

My mom allowed my brother and me to take different lessons and try different things and each of us eventually settled on something. I took swimming (hated it), gymnastics (eh), played volleyball and such for my school team, but my mom saw that they were offering Learn to Skate lessons at a rink close to our house, signed me up, and I was hooked. I wanted my own pair of skates soooo bad, but my parents would not buy me any until I finished Freestyle 6 (USFSA). I then started taking private lessons, competing, testing, teaching Learn to Skate, etc. I loved it! But, unfortunately, school got in the way, and I'm slowly starting to make my way back to the sport after almost 8 years away from it, but I want to eventually finish up my MITF tests (I was working on my Intermediate when I stopped) and see if I can get a few more freestyle tests under my belt.

[JazzySkate]

Wow - that was a long time ago!!

I got interested in skating after Carol Heiss won the Olympics in 1960. I had this little doll cut-out set of her that I liked and remember asking for skates for Christmas. I got the skates (they had red laces!) and my dad took me down to the park where they had iced over a field and I skated for the first time. My dad says I fell about 50 times my first time around, but since he liked skating, he was hooked.

After a very little while, we had suddenly joined a club and I was taking group lessons. I don't remember too much since it was over 40 years ago, but the rest, as they say, is history!!

I'm sure if my dad hadn't liked skating I would never have become a skater, because I actually have very little talent. I have him to thank I guess!!:bow:

Glad I never listened to those sarcastic remarks - I wouldn't be where I am today: skating for myself, teaching Groups - and having a good time doing both.

[jazzpants]

I wanted my own pair of skates soooo bad, but my parents would not buy me any until I finished Freestyle 6 (USFSA). I then started taking private lessons, competing, testing, teaching Learn to Skate, etc. I loved it! You were skating on RENTALS 'til after finishing FS 6!?!?! 8O 8O 8O (I only know one other person who did skate on rentals 'til he got his axel and, if he's reading this, he knows who he is!!! :P

But, unfortunately, school got in the way, and I'm slowly starting to make my way back to the sport after almost 8 years away from it, but I want to eventually finish up my MITF tests (I was working on my Intermediate when I stopped) and see if I can get a few more freestyle tests under my belt.Sounds like me too. School, make money, have a real life first and THEN I can go back and take up the sport! If you still with it long enough though, you'll end up skating even BETTER than when at the point you stopped skating when you were young. :D

[chowskates]

You were skating on RENTALS 'til after finishing FS 6!?!?! 8O 8O 8O (I only know one other person who did skate on rentals 'til he got his axel and, if he's reading this, he knows who he is!!! :P


Wow, I know one person who skated on rentals 'til she got the flip... and now she has some permanent growth on the back of her heels because of it!

[chowskates]

Rental skates are about 4 euro's, which is around 5 dollars, per time slot (usually 2 hours). Also, they rent out these skates at ALL the rinks I know of (they come in either toepicked or untoepicked variety, light blue or dark blue).

Most our beginners start out on graf davos, Libra or ProStar. And you can get those nearly new for like around 40 euro, yeah. Usually people use them for a year or so, then get into risport rf4.

Umm... rentals for us was (at that time) just $2 - local currency, and our new skates (i think equivalent of risport rf4) would be about $250.

[teresa]

I had a serious injury and my doctor suggested I try skating for therapy. I learned as an adult. I agree that being a skater does mean different things to different people. Saying that, I believe I'm a skater because it has become part of who I am.

teresa