Your smallest/proudest achievement

[FallDownGoBoom]

Maybe you've finally perfected forward crossovers after a year of struggle.

Maybe it's the two-foot spin. Or skating backwards. Or perfectly following the hockey circle.

What's that small bit of skating on which you've labored the hardest? The one you thought you'd never master? The one that -- no matter how many axels nailed, no matter how many tests passed -- you treasure above all the rest?

[miraclegro]

Well, this year has been mydream: my layback accomplishment - at 47 yrs old! and brackets!

[Skittl1321]

When people ask me the coolest thing about skating- I always say spinning. I really do LOVE spinning.

But you know what my absolute FAVORITE skating move to do is- back outside three turns. Obviously, I can't tell that to a non-skater. They wouldn't get it at all. It's a 'nothing' move. But it was SO hard to learn- especially if I trace it back to the beginning. Everytime I do that I remember group lessons tracing 3s on the ice and skating them over and over, putting my foot down and getting so frustrated- going forward. One day, I finally got it, and then I had to learn to do INSIDE forward threes. And now, I can effortlessly glide backwards, rotate and turn forwards. Still can't do them fast, but the feeling of a BFO3 is the best ever.


Now I just got to get the inside downs- I have them "sometimes"

[icedancer2]

Blues Chocktaw.

I thought I'd never get it and worked on it for about 6 months - now it is by far my best move!!!

[double3s]

The thing I'm most proud of is meeting my very first first skating goal - which was to be able to skate for a full hour - I could only manage about 45 mintues before becoming so exhausted I was literally shaking. I now usually skate 2-3 hours at a time, 3x/wk.

[tidesong]

Some time back I just "got" the left forward outside double three turn... it went from very uncomfortable to... hey I can actually do this thing, even if its still not all that amazing. But I was very pleased with that.

[SynchroSk8r114]

I have no problem landing double salchows or axels. In fact, my axels are very consistent and my double salchows are slowly getting there.

Yet despite the fact that I can land my double salchows clean, my proudest and smallest achievement came about two weeks ago when I finally was able to cross my feet in the air! :lol: I've been crossing on the axel for about a year, but I could never transfer that feeling to the double sal. Suddenly, it just clicked after a few exercises with my coach. It was the weirdest feeling, but a good feeling.

[sk8_4fun]

for me it would have to be a forward upright spin. I tried for months and months and when I finally 'found' the right bit of the blade I was so suprised I shrieked 'Oh My God!' I was so suprised I nearly fell over. Once I could do it more often than not I was so happy. :D

[Sessy]

1-foot-spin: 1,5 years it took, and all my 3 major injuries (elbow, shoulder and broken ankle, all requiring physiotherapy and taking several months to heal) occurred practicing it and I seriously thought I'd never get it.
It's approaching getting centered now though.

Spirals: Sure I can do a bielman, but that's coming out of my back. My leg flexibility is miserable. I now barely get my leg over the horizontal mark, but my spirals otherwise get a lot of complements nonetheless, more than anybody else's in our group and the group coach tends to ask me to skate first when we practice spirals. I guess the *really* solid edges and well stretched through knees are what makes them look good - those came from endless practice.
Although some bad days I still can't get my leg even to horizontal, let alone over horizontal.

[Morgail]

The backspin took me a LONG time - counting the 2 years or so I practiced it as a teenager, and then another 6 months or so as an adult. I was SO happy when I finally got a real outside edge revolution out of that thing.

Also, getting my left foot spiral to a decent height without turning my body out to the side. That was so difficult for me. I could get the right leg up, but I had to twist my torso to the right. When I started camels, I had a really hard time because I couldn't get my leg up without turning out. Lots and lots of time with the MaxiFlex, and just standing facing forward with my leg behind me, and lots of hamstring stretches...and finally I could do a left foot spiral without twisting out. It's still not as high or easy as my right foot spiral, but I'm proud of it;)

I imagine that when I finally get a decently consistent camel, that will be added to this list too:)

[Mel On Ice]

my first learn to skate session was 6 weeks long and I had set the goal in my head that if I couldn't figure out how to go backwards in that time, I would chalk it up to experience and at least I tried. Week 5, I got to the widest part of a back swizzle... and pulled it in. Then another then another...

I was estatic, went upstairs and signed up for another 6 weeks and haven't been off the ice since except for a minor injury siesta in 2003.

[cherriee]

Smallest achievement: Skating the very first time when I was like 15 and managed to not fall once. At the end of the session, I "skated" around the rink without holding on to anything. But you don't call that skating, I must have been "walking on ice". Pretty ugly. :lol:

The most memorable moment: 10 years ago I landed my axel.

[doubletoe]

This is not technically a skating achievement, but since I did it to benefit my skating, I'll count it anyway: Finally being able to do the splits for the first time at 42. I had been trying since I was about 8!

[peanutskates]

waltz jump

I was in UK grade 6 at the time. We don't learn waltz jumps until Bronze (or, Grade 11). I thought I was so good :lol:

on the other hand, I can only confidently say that I have a really good waltz jump, now... 10 months after starting skating. It's like the only jump I am most proud of... let's hope that the other jumps follow!

[Rusty Blades]

After skating for a few years as a teen, I hadn't skated for 36 years when I bought a pair of skates in January 2006. When I first stepped on to the ice, I COULDN'T STAND UP!, but I kept trying!

I thought I would skate recreationaly, maybe once a week, but some crazy Canadian adults talked me in to competing in the Adult Championships in the spring of 2007 and I found myself skating at least 3 times a week. After skating a mere 14 months - I DID IT, I skated a Pre-Introductory Interpretive at the Canadian Adult Championships!

I never thought I would ever jump again, not at my age (58) but I am working on the Waltz jump and Toe Loop. Also have an Upright spin cooking up nicely and an almost-Sit spin and aiming at a Bronze Freeskate in competition next month.

When I look back at the last (almost) two years, I see so much that I have accomplished that I would never have dreamed possible! I am so proud of each accomplishment but the most important by far was after the first time I stepped on to the ice and realized I couldn't skate - it was getting back on the ice the SECOND time!

Thanks coach Melody! I couldn't have done it without you {{{HUG}}}

[icedancer2]

This is not technically a skating achievement, but since I did it to benefit my skating, I'll count it anyway: Finally being able to do the splits for the first time at 42. I had been trying since I was about 8!

This is great! I was thinking about this thread in my yoga class this morning that I am finally able to do some of the yoga poses that had always evaded me - it shows that persistence (and lots of physical therapy) really pays off!!:yum:

[cecealias]

Overall skating related proudest: Having the guts to come back to skating after breaking my ankle in LTS classes in 1999!! And sticking with the sport for so many years - something i've never done in any other sport. And to continue skating every week at the level I'm at these days is an amazing accomplishment I would never EVER have dreamed of!! Axel off a previously broken ankle? Never!! I never thought i'd jump again!

My smallest proudest achievement was : centering a forward scratch spin. I thought at one point I'd never be able to center a spin ever!!

Spins these days are so easy it's not even funny how hard they were for me in the past. Somedays i'm just blown away that I can nail on the first try : flying camel or sit, kick-### camel-chg-camels, sit pancakes, laybacks, any number of various combinations spins!!

[Mrs Redboots]

Proudest skating achievement: Winning a class (so okay, only Interp, but even still) in front of my parents. And yes, you do still want parental approval even when you are as old as I am and your parents are older than most people's grandparents.....

Or was it beating our dear friends and greatest rivals for the first time, quite unexpectedly? Actually not, I think, because they skated badly, which was a shame for them, and we can't beat them when they skate well.

Perhaps it was the first time a judge gave us a first-place ordinal. We still ended up last in that competition, but were certainly not last in everything.

Smallest: Actually jumping in a competition - my 3-jump actually left the ice. I was so surprised - and pleased - that I dropped right out of character!

[GordonSk8erBoi]

This is a neat question... for me it's a tossup:

* Finally landing a waltz jump after working on it for a YEAR. My coach was SOO patient and encouraging!

* Finally getting over my mind-block on the LFI3 this year, after probably 3 years of working on it (thank you Sonya!!)

* Finally getting a REAL underpush on my FXOs (thank you AGAIN Sonya!).

[doubletoe]

This is great! I was thinking about this thread in my yoga class this morning that I am finally able to do some of the yoga poses that had always evaded me - it shows that persistence (and lots of physical therapy) really pays off!!:yum:

Amen, sista! :D

[Kim to the Max]

I remember when I was first skating, when I landed my first flip jump...that was major!

Then, when I landed my first lutz during a competition :) I have the video to prove how big that one was.

And now, I think the thing that I am most proud of is the fact that I'm back on the ice.

[jazzpants]

Smallest/proudest was definitely finally starting to land my loops more consistently clean after heaven knows how many years. Flips are about right up there as well on the smallest/proudest moments.

Of course, this is followed by an even smaller one... my secondary coach finally recognized that my FI mohawks are "nice" now. Of course, I now have the "dreaded FO" mohawks to slay...

Proudest (but definitely not smallest) is still by far passing Bronze Moves after 4 years!!! Once that was done, the Bronze FS goal was only a matter of time. :mrgreen:

[Caris]

Actually getting on the ice after a loooooooong (8 year) illness has kept me from all activity. I started this year, I'm still not back to full health by anymeans, but I'm climbing up slowly. Whenever I get tired for a couple of days after skating, I remind myself of the months and months over the years I couldn't even get to the bathroom from my bed without holding onto the wall.

No matter what I learn on the rink, my proundest achievement is getting there, and it has made me so happy! :D :D :D

[looplover]

My smallest/proudest one was probably competing at all last year, cuz I was terrified to do so!

Finally getting the flip was the proudest one for sure (though I wouldn't consider that a small one) - backspin will be the next (or, more than 3 revs on a backspin) - if/when I land an axel I'll probably fall over from shock.

I'd be ecstatic if I had a RBI three turn as good as my LBI three turn. I fractured my shoulder on the LBI one so perhaps I need to break something to learn to do it well!??!:frus:

[mikawendy]

Landing a loop on one foot took me forever to get (and this was in group lessons, so I got to repeat until I did this). The first time I did it, I probably left the ice all of 3 inches and hopped around, but it took me so LONG to get that jump without putting my free foot down.

Also, I remember when I finally "got" back crossovers earlier in group lessons. My instructor at the time was standing in front of me facing me while I was struggling to go backwards. She pulled on my wrist as I pushed off and a light bulb went off in my head. I was pretty happy with that.

[Ice Dancer]

Probably forwards crossovers to a standard that both me and my coach were happy with at the same time! First she was, then I was, then I lost them for about a month! Now they are fantastic so it was worth the wait.

[blackmanskating]

I think my proudest "small" acheivement would be doing my first Counter. Brackets came a little easier to me than I thought but I struggle with counters and rockers. I always want to change edges when I change direction. Staying on the same edge always seems to trip me up . . .literally.:frus:

BlackManSkating

[SkatingOnClouds]

Right now I would have to say coming second in an Artistic competition a couple of weeks ago. Having had a fairly major attack of nerves just beforehand, getting out there and skating was pretty big for me.

Element-wise, I think my greatest sense of achievement was when I did my first jump after 20+ years of not skating. It was a tiny waltz jump, done in a quiet corner, from a standing start, but I did actually jump up off the ice, and it was such a thrill to jump again !!! So I had to try a few more. And then I had to try toe-loops. Salchows came next session, I think.

And before I knew it, here I am, hooked again. Love to jump !!!

[peanutskates]

landing a CCW waltz jump when my normal jumps are CW!!!

[kateskate]

Back inside 3s. The first time I tried them (especially on my right foot) I thought there would be no way I would ever do them

And RFI choctaws. Again first time I tried I didn't even know how it would work!