Are we NUTS??

[Rusty Blades]

(Older skaters in particular!)

I was in the kitchenette here at the office, waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave. Nobody else was around so I was doing Toe Loops while I was waiting. Then I noticed, WAY down the hall, one of my coworkers was watching me. When she saw I noticed, she shook her head, smirked, and walked away as if to say "You are completely NUTS!!!"

Of course I have also been working on choreography in the car, at a red light, and then noticed the diver of the car next to me watching with a VERY puzzled look!

Ok, fess up! How do you make yourself look foolish in front of non-skater? :oops: :mrgreen:

[Mel On Ice]

all the time. Can't give one specific example, because there are too many. Maybe flying~camel has some specifics because we are usually together, usually picking something up at Target in bulk for a group number that involves all the adult skaters. We are usually in skating clothes, bling is present somewhere on our person.

[Sessy]

Well, roller skating down the hallway of the student dorm, practicing spirals and biellmans has got to be my favourite way of putting my foot in my mouth.

It's okay, I see a few ballet school students practicing at the train station all the time too, we're not the only ones doing it.

[Helen88]

I'm actually one of the yougest on the board...but the other day I was parading round my room, in the dark, after I was meant to be in bed, trying to remember my dances. My mum walked in to see if I was asleep...needless to say I looked a bit of a nut, yes...

[Ice Dancer]

My kitchen floor is perfect for practising spins on if you are wearing socks...unfortunately the kitchen is at the front of the house and there is a sort of car park outside the window :oops:

In work they had a move around a few months ago, and there is now a massive gap by my desk. I really have to stop myself practising jumps in it. I just know that the one time I go for it, even if no one is about, someone will appear!

[Skate@Delaware]

Well, roller skating down the hallway of the student dorm, practicing spirals and biellmans has got to be my favourite way of putting my foot in my mouth.

It's okay, I see a few ballet school students practicing at the train station all the time too, we're not the only ones doing it.
Reminds me of the scene in the movie "Shall We Dance" where the male character was on the train platform practicing his dance footwork!!!

I don't care anymore what I look like in front of others. Most of the time I don't bother to explain...most of the time people don't bother asking! :roll: Maybe they figure I'm overworked and underpaid when I do stuff while standing at my counter at work.

Hey, life is tooooo short to keep from doing the stuff you love while you can still do it! So, let's kick the ice while we still can!

[sexyskates]

I like to work on my axel on a pier, because it's nice a springy on the knees and ankles, and has a little slip so I don't twist my knee on the landing. I do it when no one is around, but I'm sure I've been seen from the shore. Of course this is NY where people do Tai Chi and yoga in parks and beaches, so I doubt anyone thinks anything of it. However, stretching my legs on file cabinets and exam tables at work does get a comment or two (and I have been known to practice jumps in the waiting room if it's empty). I need all the practice I can get!

[jazzpants]

Well, I belong to a health club that obviously doesn't have many skaters (or even dancers... only a couple...) Most of them are your generic "staying in shape", corporate "movers and shakers.", etc. who just want to log in their time at the gym, do a little bit of weights, shower and go home.

Anyway, I get a lot of strange looks from a few of the guys at the gym when I practice my off ice jumps (especially when I play around trying for off ice axels.) and spirals. Sometimes I practice the spirals on one of those Reeboks core board. (http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_3557_A_CategoryID_E_234) Of course, this is after I go and do what looks like hand and dumbbell weights that are a bit too big for a small skinny gal like me. (Hey! You lift weights, I do off ice jumps and lunges. You lift more weights, I do stretches and spirals. You lift more weights... and so can I!!! :twisted: )

Of course, once they figure out that I'm training to be a figure skater, it's amazing how quickly I go from "She's NUTS!!!" to "She's AMAZING!!!" :lol:

I also do some leg stretches on my office chair while I'm talking to my coworkers about work stuff. They know about me and my AOSS, so they don't even blink when I do that now. LOL!!! :lol:

[hepcat]

My daughter and I will sometimes do a waltz jump at the same time when we're walking down the street just for fun. I know we get some looks, but when you've got a kid along people excuse it. At least I hope so!

Jazzpants, I get looks at the gym all the time. I feel like I'm the only woman in the free weight room. I use a calf roller with a weighted bar on my shoulders and imitate a stroking push (bending the leg before the pushoff onto the calf roller, then holding it with an extended leg as long as possible). Hopefully, they're thinking "cool" and not "that woman has no idea how to use a calf roller."

[myste12]

I do axels in rest area parking lots when I'm on a long road trip and need to get out of the car and move around a bit... And I walk through footwork anywhere and everywhere.

[jskater49]

Well I don't do off ice stuff. But I have been known to show up at meetings in new skates to break them in.

j

[Kim to the Max]

Sometimes as I'm walking across campus to/from meetings, I will pop off a toe loop or something, especially if I'm going skating that night. Once I did one and thought no one was around, just to find out that a former supervisor was watching and asked what the heck I was doing! oops :)

I will also do axels or whatever in our lounges or as I'm waiting for a meeting to start. I will slip off my heels and start jumping or whatever...one of our associate directors has a daughter who has started skating and so I've also been known to walk through jumps in her office to demonstrate :)

[jazzpants]

Jazzpants, I get looks at the gym all the time. I feel like I'm the only woman in the free weight room. I use a calf roller with a weighted bar on my shoulders and imitate a stroking push (bending the leg before the pushoff onto the calf roller, then holding it with an extended leg as long as possible). Hopefully, they're thinking "cool" and not "that woman has no idea how to use a calf roller."I haven't tried it with a weighted bar on my shoulders, but yesterday I was visiting a slightly posher gym (it's an affilated health club to my regular health club) and in this one small free floor area next to the free weights, I did lunges with one foot on the floor and the other on sliding into a lunge on a power slide (http://www.power-slide.net/) (with the booties on and facing a mirror so I can see that I'm staying square the whole time.) Anyway, the guys are looking at me funny again -- except for this one gym employee (I think he's a trainer) who's smiling and nodding knowingly (I think he knows what I'm doing and thought "Hmmm? That looks interesting!")

Of course, right after that I slide around on the power slide board for a couple of minutes (speed drill... I'm doing circuit training).... THEN I get the "Oh, WOW!!!" looks!!! LOL!!! :P

[Clarice]

I teach in a college music department, and have been known to try the occasional position or off-ice jump in the hallways or at the copy machine. Luckily, another faculty member is a ballet dancer, so when she comes down to my office, half the time she's standing in the doorway in attitude position or something. So at least I'm not the only one. One of the voice professors plays hockey, so he sort of understands what we're doing from having seen stuff around the rink. I would think everybody else would think we're nuts, but, hey, it's a music department - we're all kind of nutty artist types anyway.

[Kim to the Max]

I would think everybody else would think we're nuts, but, hey, it's a music department - we're all kind of nutty artist types anyway.

Clarice, I work in student affairs (residence life to be exact) at a college and we are also kinda nutty at times, which is why I don't think I get as many looks as one would think...we are always doing something a little out there!

[sue123]

In the beginning of the school year, when it was still nice out, myself and a few friends would usually eat lunch at these picnic tables towards the edge of the campus, it usually was pretty empty, you only had to fight with bees to eat your lunch. Anyway, I find the catch foot spiral to be a great way to stretch your back, and at the beginning of the year, I was stretching every day so I had some good flexibility. Anyway, one day, after sitting all morning, and then finally being freed for lunch, I just did that position without even thinking about it. Granted, it was only my friends around, but they didn't think I was nuts, they were amazed that I could stretch that far.

On another part of campus, there are these long stairs, and a platform at the top. There is still a railing there, so it's a great place to do leg stretches, which yea, I did when we started eating there to avoid the bees.

I actually go skating with another friend whenever we get out of class at 12, since then we can make it to the daytime publics, so it's not uncommon for the 2 of us to be doing off-ice positions during breaks, we got some strange looks initially, but now, the class is just used to it, and they know that whenever we're done early, we're going skating. They always ask us how our skating is coming along. I tell them if they wanted to start a fund for the 2 of us so we could afford semi-private lessons, it would be even better.

[Isk8NYC]

When my office was on the 8th floor (instead of my living room) I used to go down the stairs sideways, crossing and uncrossing my feet, "landing" at each landing with a WHUMP!

I felt very sorry for the poor international student who walked into the stairwell too quietly. I think I scared him half to death with my dismount...

[Sessy]

LOL! We had two separate ice hours on fridays last year and inbetween we had nothing much of anything (they came up with ballet after a while), so one of the coaches used to make us jump up and down the stairs to the tribunes on 1 leg.
When I had my leg in a cast this summer and jumped on 1 leg to the fourth floor without really resting, people were very impressed. :mrgreen:

I also freak out people all summer when I go down the stairs on roller skates. And back up again too. Sixth floor, no elevator...
I learned that one when I was 8 or so and mom had ice dance lessons and I skated around the rink on rollers because she had no one to leave me with during the lessons. I'd climb the tribunes and everything in them, without taking them off. So to me it's a walk in the park, but I have overheard conversations like "Is she nuts? That's just ridiculous" - "Oh if she wants to, I can't say I care" - "Teehee, what if she slips and skates right off the balcony?" etc.

[Amandaskategirl]

I do this all the time!! I am forever jumping around/ stretching/ doing backspins on the kitchen floor (dangerous and not recommended - slipped many times). I find it most concerning that my housemates now don't consider me nuts because they are so used to this.

I do try and practice when people are not looking but sometimes it is apparent that I have suddenly stopped and i am often asked 'have you been skating on ground again?'

[sue123]

I also freak out people all summer when I go down the stairs on roller skates. And back up again too. Sixth floor, no elevator...
I learned that one when I was 8 or so and mom had ice dance lessons and I skated around the rink on rollers because she had no one to leave me with during the lessons. I'd climb the tribunes and everything in them, without taking them off. So to me it's a walk in the park, but I have overheard conversations like "Is she nuts? That's just ridiculous" - "Oh if she wants to, I can't say I care" - "Teehee, what if she slips and skates right off the balcony?" etc.

Sounds like me, I used to live in my roller skates when I was a kid, I did everything in them, up stairs, down stairs, played basketball, twas fun. When I was around 12 or so, my grandparents tookme and my friend upstate, and we skated down to this park. At the park, they have this slide that has rollers on it, so you pretty much roll down. When me and my sister were little, we called it the butt massager. So I climbed up the rope ladder that led to this slide, and slid down on roller skates. When I got to the bottom, my wheels made me roll right off. My grandma was not happy when she saw how dirty my pants were :oops: One of the most fun things we learned to do was to swing and jump off with rollerskates on. So we would be on the swings, pump until we were as high as possible, and jump off, land on the wheels and roll away, usually into the gate. Now that I think about, if my parents or grandparents knew I did that, they would have been furious. But I survived my childhood with only a few small scars :mrgreen:

[Derek]

I wear steel toecapped boots at work, in a college workshop, and when nobody is there, I have been known to practice three jumps, and attempt loops too, the boots are good to simulate the weight of the skates. I also do leg bends for strengthening, and some of the students are a bit surprised to see me race up several flights of stairs, two steps at a time. I have also been known to hop up them too ! My colleagues know I skate, so they don't see it as peculiar.

[coskater64]

My students (6-8th grade) would occasionally catch me doing axels, I would teach them how to do simple 1 revolution jumps but what they liked best was when I did it in stilletos (2" usually). I always had a lot of room as I ran the library for 2 years.

:D :D

[Kim to the Max]

...when I did it in stilletos (2" usually).

That takes TALENT! :bow: Then again, I usually wear 3"-3.5" heels...would catch me dead trying to jump in those!

[Skate@Delaware]

Well I don't do off ice stuff. But I have been known to show up at meetings in new skates to break them in.

j
I'm sure they thought you got dressed in the dark.....I brought mine to work a few times and wore them at my desk!

When I was going to the gym and doing "skating stuff" the guys would ask me "are you a dancer?" I would tell them "No, I'm a figure skater" and they wouldn't know what to say after that....

[tidesong]

I usually stick to footwork in the open... but like I've done some stuff with skating friends or when i went running with uni friend then I did my skating stuff at the end and they didn't mind coz they knew thats me lol...

[liz_on_ice]

floor tiles at work are kept well waxed. waiting around for elevators, it's just too tempting. I've been spotted doing floor sals and suchlike more than once :oops:

[teresa]

I got caught by the U.P.S. guy once doing floor axels. =-0 I almost died of embarassment when I had to answer the door. I have no idea what he was thinking and I didn't ask.

teresa

[kander]

I've never been caught :)

Has anybody else ever gone as far as practicing in your sleep? Sometimes I'll lay down in bed stretched out in the rotational position with my feet crossed and arms pulled in.:mrgreen:

[ibreakhearts66]

I've never been caught :)

Has anybody else ever gone as far as practicing in your sleep? Sometimes I'll lay down in bed stretched out in the rotational position with my feet crossed and arms pulled in.:mrgreen:

i do that sometimes :)

oh man, i seem like a total madwoman. i used to practice spins at bowling alleys. i was in a bowling league with my dad, and i always used to use the empty approaches to mess around. the felt-y bottom of the bowling shoes and the wood floors make for great spins.

also, right now i do physical therapy in the pool. well, to warm up i have to walk back and forth across the pool going forwards, backwards and side to side for five minutes each. well, going forwards turned into stroking and going sideways turned into back crossovers.

and any empty spaces are an invitation for off-ice jumps. soccer fields especially.

and of course, there was the night i slept over at my other skating friends house. we ended up in her backyard at 1am practicing jumps :D :D

[chowskates]

Ok, fess up! How do you make yourself look foolish in front of non-skater? :oops: :mrgreen:

I recall once trying pairs lift on a sidewalk in paris! :oops:

[peanutskates]

the felt-y bottom of the bowling shoes and the wood floors make for great spins.


this leads nicely to my story... forgetting that some surfaces are different than others for spinning on, I found a frozen puddle... and decided to spin on it... in my shoes, of course. OUCH.

this was on holiday... I was DEPRIVED of ice...

[SkatingOnClouds]

At home I am often to be found outside on the deck, smoking a cigarette :giveup: with either my leg up on the railing stretching, or oleaning over it working on my spiral position.

Because I do that at home, it is really difficult when I'm standing in the courtyard at work smoking to restrain myself. I am often caught standing on one leg working on my scratch spin position, but also footwork stuff. On someone of my age and size, I am sure people think I am completely nuts.:oops:

But heck, the courtyard conversations about cricket and football team scores etc sound completely nuts to me.

[Rusty Blades]

Has anybody else ever gone as far as practicing in your sleep?

I do that all the time! The last thing I do before I go to sleep is run through my program a few times all nestled down snug in bed. I keep hoping it will help - LOL!

Oh yes, and out behind the office where we go to smoke. With snow on the ground and my office shoes I can almost spin :mrgreen:

[airyfairy76]

It has varied through the length of my skating life (which has only been 16 months) - normally practiced at work, whilst chatting to anybody really. Complete strangers who I have no idea of their identity ask how my skating is going :oops:

3turns, now graduated to waltz-3's.
Mohawks, now graduated to barrel rolls
Spinning around whilst kneeling on my chair, with my head in a variety of positions, to get used to spinning without getting dizzy.
The odd 3-jump (I can do a lovely 3-jump off ice, why can't I do it on ice?!)
Using the back of my chair to get a nice 90 degree spiral position - it's the perfect height!
The floor to ceiling windows are plated, and when it is dark, are the perfect place to see how my spiral position is looking!
The most contortionist stretches I can manage at home, with my flatmate looking on, bemusedly. She particuarly enjoys the splits up the wall :)

Nuts? Quite possibly, yes. Do I care? Not a bit . . . :D

[Sessy]

Has anybody else ever gone as far as practicing in your sleep? Sometimes I'll lay down in bed stretched out in the rotational position with my feet crossed and arms pulled in.:mrgreen:

Interesting you should ask, cuz I've dreamt on more than one occasion about doing footwork and exercises I was told to practice. One time I woke up on my stomach with my arms stretched over my head in ballet position. Which is even more strange because there's a wall there and I must've crawled a half a yard towards the footend of my bed to do that.

[liz_on_ice]

I recall once trying pairs lift on a sidewalk in paris! :oops:

well hey, it was paris! passerby probably thought you'd just gotten engaged :lol:

[kayskate]

Well, roller skating down the hallway of the student dorm,

I used to roller skate to school in the summer when I was a student. I'd roll into the building, the elevator then down the hall to my lab. I even did artistic moves once in a while in the large, smooth-floored lobby.

Kay

[Mrs Redboots]

I recall once trying pairs lift on a sidewalk in paris! :oops:What about the "pairs clinic" at the Sunday night party at Anita's during the Mountain Cup? Mind you, we'd all had a few by then....

I regret to say that I finally twigged how a Mohawk works when returning to my seat after Holy Communion! :oops:! :oops:

Husband practises stretching while waiting for his train of a morning, so he says. And bus-stops are other places where I've worked on Mohawks. And doesn't everybody do crossovers on the stairs?

I banned jumps in our front room (there isn't space) about ten years ago! Off-ice jumps, if done at all, are on the lawn outside - overlooked by other flats! Ah well....

[Sessy]

I used to roller skate to school in the summer when I was a student. I'd roll into the building, the elevator then down the hall to my lab. I even did artistic moves once in a while in the large, smooth-floored lobby.

Kay

You're a teacher?

[CanadianAdult]

My old workplace knew that I was skating mad and I used to practice dance steps down the long hallway. My new work doesn't really know, I'm behaving, but I had a weird conversation about the tights I was wearing the other day. "what kind of pantyhose is that". "oh something I like to wear". They're skating tights of course, they don't run and my workplace is freezing. If I'm required to wear "hose", this is it. I think they suspect that I'm of a religious sect that doesn't allow skin to show. Religion yes, just not that one!

[coskater64]

I was flipped into a platter lift by some lanky English fellow at 2 in the morning while wearing heels- again, and more than slightly tipsy. The rather drunken crowd was appreciative as we were all doing lifts in the middle of VDL.:P :P

[badaxel]

Among other things...
I had my entire 5th grade class doing spirals and waltz jumps during "Fitness Friday" last week. I also reward them every now and again with a video of their fearless leader competing!

[liz_on_ice]

I'm behaving, but I had a weird conversation about the tights I was wearing the other day. "what kind of pantyhose is that". "oh something I like to wear". They're skating tights of course, they don't run and my workplace is freezing.

I wear my skating tights at work too - usually because I didn't bother changing them in the mad rush to get skating duds off and acceptable workplace clothes on. If I'm wearing a skating skirt I'll just put a regular one on over, then slip the skating skirt down and off. Then it's shoes on and hit the street at a dead run :lol:

[Ice Dancer]

I had an email from someone I sort of work with saying she was watching skating on Sunday night and thought of me :oops:

Still can't work out if it was a good thing or not!

[stacyf419]

I've gotten busted 3 or 4 times doing a spiral in my cubicle at work - I have a large area next to my desk, and it's perfect for working on my extension. I must look like a real dork, though! :P

[Rusty Blades]

I had an email from someone I sort of work with saying she was watching skating on Sunday night and thought of me :oops:

Still can't work out if it was a good thing or not!

Yes, I have family coming to the (Canadian) Adult Championships in April write to me and say they watched the Canadian Championships last weekend on TV and are SO looking forward to April.

I keep trying to tell them that Adults isn't quite like to competitive Nationals!

[Sessy]

I was flipped into a platter lift by some lanky English fellow at 2 in the morning while wearing heels- again, and more than slightly tipsy. The rather drunken crowd was appreciative as we were all doing lifts in the middle of VDL.:P :P

LOL! At camp I'd had more than a few drinks and I laughed at somebody who was walking in curves, and he said I was drunk too, so I said that might be the case but I could stay up straight and I did something like loop-loop-loop-loop-loop-loop on the floor, LOL.

[Mrs Redboots]

I was flipped into a platter lift by some lanky English fellow at 2 in the morning while wearing heels- again, and more than slightly tipsy. The rather drunken crowd was appreciative as we were all a;;doing lifts in the middle of VDL.:P :P
"Ah yes, I remember it well....." There are photos around, I think....

Actually, what I remember most is that time Husband lifted you and said "Goodness, you're light!" which was actually very insulting to me (although totally true - you are, as you know, a great deal thinner than I am!).

[kayskate]

You're a teacher?

I did this (roller skating to school) when I was a graduate student.

Kay

[slusher]

I work in a secure facility and we're under video surveillance all the time. I've often wondered if the guys watching the video feed can understand what the heck I'm doing.

[SkatingOnClouds]

Actually, when I was at work today, I realised one of the things I have to be conscious of is expressive arm movements.

When working on programs for upcoming comps, the music is running through my head constantly. So the way I go around corners or into a room depends very much on the music in my head. You can just imagine the arm movements as I walk around the building!

Even if I can control my feet, I can't always control the rest of me.

[sk8_4fun]

most days its all I can do NOT to practise my step sequence outside school when I fetch my kids. They would KILL me! I often practise backspins on the slippy floor behind the mini-lab at work, and last saturday did a walk through of my entire programme, to music, in the stockroom during lunch. :mrgreen: