What Would YOU Do If You Weren't a Skater?

[SynchroSk8r114]

After watching Kristi Yamaguchi (who looks great, BTW) on Dancing With The Stars, I have to wonder: what would you do if you weren't committed to skating? Is there something you've always wanted to try but haven't had the guts, money, or opportunity to do because of skating?

Personally, I'd love to learn to surf. I don't live near a beach and I'm not really fond of sharks, but it looks like so much fun! Although for now, surfing is something that I definitely wouldn't want to risk my skating career for (injury-wise, that is).

I'd also like to learn to ballroom dance. I'm working on my gold dances in skating, so I think learning the regular, off-ice versions would be interesting and a totally new challenge. Plus, I think the glamour of the whole sport and seeing someone like Kristi do it so well on Dancing With The Stars makes me wonder if I, as a fellow skater, would be equally as talented with it...how well I could transfer my on-ice abilities to the dance floor...

[Sessy]

Without sports of some sort, I get totally demotivated as far as everything is concerned, the place becomes a mess, I gain weight and eat cookies all day... So if I weren't skating, I'd say I'd get really into fighting sports of some kind.

[jazzpants]

Well, I have two routes to go...

If I choose the active route, I would take up dancing. However, I would consider more the "hip hop" or "modern jazz" or "show jazz" route than the ballroom dancing route... just b/c I'm married and I'm not sure DH would like me pairing up with another guy that isn't...ummm...himself!!! (And, God bless his soul for being a kind wonderful person, but DH just *doesn't* have the moves at ALL!!! 8O Last time we've tried to do ballroom dancing at a company party, I wanted to follow what the instructor was doing, but HE wanted to "do his own dance." :oops: I was like http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/images/smilies/yikes.gif and http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/images/smilies/panik1.gif...)

If I go the non-active role, I would go back and do my voice training, but get another voice coach from the one I dropped for skating (or do piano...)

[Pandora]

Don't laugh.....fencing. :lol: (Yeah, with swords.) Always thought it was kind of cool....8-) Not flexible enough for gymnastics. (sigh) :(

[dbny]

Downhill skiing! I would do it now except that I have too far to travel and it's too expensive. I figure when I'm too old to skate, I might do cross country skiing.

[doubletoe]

I'd say some sort of martial art like Karate, Tae Kwon Do or Kung Fu. Just like skating, you develop strength, coordination and flexibility, but you also develop some great skills at the same time!

[patatty]

I would love to take up tennis again. I played a lot as a kid and now only play about once a year. Just when I get my swing back, vacation is over and the racquet goes away for another year. With a job and two kids though, I only have time for one hobby, and skating wins out over everything. I hope to be doing this well into old age.

[RinkRat321]

I'd still be doing gymnastics. I miss it terribly.

[tidesong]

Gymnastics! If not that then some kind of dance. I want to learn how to fly an airplane or helicopter too though... (but i don't have the money or guts to try the latter even if I didnt skate :P )

[Isk8NYC]

RinkRat - I love your siggy.

Great thread!

If I wasn't a skater, I would probably take Tai Chi.

[R D Lite]

I'd be riding again.

I actually took up skating six months ago after my horse died. I was a pretty serious dressage rider, and skating seemed like good cross-training. (It is, but I've found myself becoming addicted to skating for it's own sake!)

I'll definitely go back to riding when circumstances allow, but as committed as I am to dressage, I think it would be fun to try reining or working cow horse just for the heck of it!

[vesperholly]

1. Have a lot more spending money.

2. Use said money to travel the world.

[looplover]

I'd get back into theatre/take acting classes again - the exact reason I'm not is because money goes toward skating...I'd also go to one more fiction writing workshop per year (I already go to one in January).

If I win the lottery (if I play the lottery) my life will consist of skating, theatre, getting back to writing my novel, and working with dogs in some fashion that pays next to nothing but is very gratifying!

(For now, I keep toiling away at my desk):twisted:

[kayskate]

I would definitely be roller skating b/c that is what I did as a child.
I'd probably be more involved in running and total fitness. I need to start running again when the weather gets warmer.
I like kick boxing, so maybe karate or other martial arts.

Kay

[onlyhappyonice]

Comedy acting :)

But then I'm meant to be starting a drama course at Birmingham School of Acting in september so maybe that will be happening anyway :P

[airyfairy76]

Oooh, so many things.

I did karate for two years (stopped about a year before I started skating) and used to take it very seriously, training about 4 hours a week. I even did my first competition - I would love to go back to it, but I can't afford to at the moment. I used to have bruises everywhere from fighting, but it was a great stress reliever!

Going back to ballet possibly - skating has filled the void that stopping ballet training left.

And horse riding! I used to ride when I was small, and my best friend started riding about six months ago. She rides at the stables next door (at Lee Valley) whilst I skate and I do love going to see the horses afterwards. Though one of them was trying to eat my skates at the weekend . . .

[jcookie1982]

Probably horseback riding. I took lessons for a awhile as a kid and loved it.

[SynchroSk8r114]

Probably horseback riding. I took lessons for a awhile as a kid and loved it.

Same! My parents wanted me to switch to a different sport when they thought horseback riding was becoming too expensive, so they suggested skating. Hahahaha...less expensive...yeah, right! :roll:

[Morgail]

Wow. I don't know.

I never really liked any other kind of sports. Gymnastics would be fun, but I can't even do a cartwheel. Cross-country skiing is fun, but I'd have to relocate somewhere where it snows more than 3 times a year.

Honestly, I would probably revert to what I did before skating again - trying to drag myself to the gym (unsuccessfully). Then I would gain weight because all my other hobbies - writing, reading, movies, doing puzzles, genealogy - don't require activity. With all the money I saved though, maybe I'd travel more.

[Mrs Redboots]

I'd be a fat couch potato, probably due for a fatal heart attack any minute.

[CanAmSk8ter]

Wow- that's a really good question!

I started skating in sixth grade, and in seventh or eighth a bunch of my friends from school got into field hockey. I might have done that with them; the problem was that at that age I was so tiny I don't know how successful I would have been- my friends were all in the 5'4"-5'7" range, while I didn't hit 5' until I was almost 14. The only other sport I was at all interested in was, believe it or not, basketball:lol: I've always wanted to try snowboarding or downhill skiing. Maybe I would have joined the ski club in middle school.

As for right now... I have no idea, lol. I did about a year of horseback riding as a kid, which I wouldn't mind trying again. I'd probably be more into running, maybe doing 3K's and stuff. I really like to run, but it's too hard on my knees to do much of it while I'm on the ice to teach and/or play hockey five days a week.

[montanarose]

Unfortunately this is a very timely question for me. I haven't skated much for going-on-two years. A broken wrist, followed a year later by a broken ankle, coupled with various middle-aged life energy drains (aging parents, sibling meltdowns and other assorted family dramas, volunteer commitments, preparing for my husband's retirement this summer, etc.) -- and the first thing I know I've turned into that couch potato Mrs. Redboots described above 8O !

But because I've kept telling (aka fooling) myself that it's only a matter of time before I get back on the ice, I haven't really gotten serious about what to do next. I guess it's hard to face the fact that I may not actually be a skater anymore, even though I still think of myself as one -- despite all evidence to the contrary :oops:

It's time for me to get serious about what to do next, though . . . I'll report back if & when I do.


Ellen

[Bunny Hop]

Don't laugh.....fencing. :lol: (Yeah, with swords.) Always thought it was kind of cool....8-) Not flexible enough for gymnastics. (sigh) :(

I won't laugh, as I used to be a fencer (in fact, that's how I met my husband). Now there's another money-sucking sport. The proper protective gear (and you DO want the proper gear) costs an arm and a leg, then there are special jackets and other associated equipment for electric fencing, and then once you've managed to accumulate all that stuff, you find that fencing blades have a habit of breaking, so need replacing semi-regularly (also at some expense, though you can buy cheaper blades - relatively speaking - if you aren't doing competitions). On the other hand, it is another sport you can take up at any age. Yes, you need to be reasonably agile, but it's also partly a mind game, so you have to be good at strategy.

But even though I still have all my fencing gear lurking under the spare bed, I think if I wasn't skating I might take up horse riding. Guess I'm just attracted to expensive sports! Don't have the time or money to do both though.

[icedancer2]

I would take up riding again - but I know that has gotten really expensive!

But I could probably afford to buy and board a horse with the money I spent on skating.

I would also dance and would always take some sort of exercise/yoga/pilates/dance classes.

[smelltheice]

I would go back to horses as an event rider. I have already been a showjumper but always wanted to event and have worked with horses most of my adult life

[Bill_S]

I have no problem finding things to pursue. The problem is finding the time & money to do everything I want. Most recently I've been spending time in the woodshop making hi-fidelity loudspeakers.

However in the past, I have:
Flown airplanes (pilot's license obtained in 1971. Checked out in Piper Cherokees, Cessna 150 and 172 airplanes. No longer current.)
Flew a helicopter once - too much like balancing on a beach ball for me, and my flight instructor crashed the helicopter shortly after that. He lived, the helicopter didn't.)
Raced motorcycles (probably what I did best - lots of trophies)
Target shooting with precision airguns
Astronomy - still have two telescopes.
Did aerobics seriously for a bunch of years in the 80's.
Roller skated (still do inlines at the roller rink once/week)
Photography (still have a darkroom, still make contact prints from 8x10 negatives sometimes, as well as teach it as a day-job here at the university.)

That's a lot, and there are good things I've taken away from each activity.

I actually see this as a pattern - I undertake something for 10 years or so, then move on. I'm a bit concerned that I'm going to abandon ice skating if that pattern holds true in the future.

Oh, yes ... this one little edit. I wouldn't ride horses though. Never appealed to me much. To each their own.

[smelltheice]

Horses have always been my mainstay from long before I skated but I have flown too in the airforce cadets, along with kayaking, sailing, climbing and ski ing, fencing and I think that is it!!

[Skate@Delaware]

Wow! Everyone has done a lot!!!

lets see: since high school, and I'm counting high school too:
barrel racing, trick horse riding, roller skating, scuba diving, deep sea fishing (loved it except I get seasick), hiking, cliff climbing, boar hunting (with pistols), was on a competitive pistol team, surfing, aerobics (you know-lycra & spandex), weight lifting & teaching weight lifting to a 50+ group, acting, karaoke (poorly done I must say), deer hunting, more shooting of pistols (recreationally), 3-d archery (where you shoot at foam animals), boogie boarding (not as hazardous as surfing), ballroom dancing, kayaking & canoeing, geocaching, umm I know there is more but I have been sidelined lately.

It's a toss-up between the pistols, archery, and ballroom dancing (been at that off and on for 3 years).

[SynchroSk8r114]

Wow! Everyone has done a lot!!!

lets see: since high school, and I'm counting high school too:
barrel racing, trick horse riding, roller skating, scuba diving, deep sea fishing (loved it except I get seasick), hiking, cliff climbing, boar hunting (with pistols), was on a competitive pistol team, surfing, aerobics (you know-lycra & spandex), weight lifting & teaching weight lifting to a 50+ group, acting, karaoke (poorly done I must say), deer hunting, more shooting of pistols (recreationally), 3-d archery (where you shoot at foam animals), boogie boarding (not as hazardous as surfing), ballroom dancing, kayaking & canoeing, geocaching, umm I know there is more but I have been sidelined lately.

It's a toss-up between the pistols, archery, and ballroom dancing (been at that off and on for 3 years).

Wow! I think you win the award for most activities! You've got quite a variety going.

[Skate@Delaware]

Wow! I think you win the award for most activities! You've got quite a variety going.
Well, it beats sitting on the couch!!

I'm trying to get it all in before i die, and since I'm not sure when that is, I'm going for it!!!!

[Scarlett]

I would definitely go back to riding. I was a jumper and still miss that feeling. That and the smell of horse barn (seriously.)

[momsk8er]

I would probably ride, or go back to sailing or martial arts. But learning to ride as an adult is a lot like learning to skate as an adult (which I did not, so I'm assuming). Scary. I love it but I hate it kind of scary. My dd rides, so I've taken a few lessons. Can't bring myself to go above a trot. Even trotting scares me half to death. And of course the horse knows. At least skates don't try to trick you or make you fall.

[onlyhappyonice]

I'd love to get back into doing more out-doorsy kind of things as I did in my youth, canoeing was always excellent :)

[Mel On Ice]

for one, I'd have lots more $ in the bank!

Thinking to what I did before I started skating, I did step and water aerobics, and considered taking up amateur boxing after thoroughly enjoying Michigan Golden Gloves competition - I was there for the first ever contested bout for women. Then I remembered I don't like pain.

I was a fencer at the same time I started skating synchro, and dropped it when the team started to travel. I've entertained getting back into that.

Hm. Probably ride the bike trails near my house. Spend more time on the boat soaking in the sun. My house would be cleaner. Go on vacations that didn't involve packing skates, tights, dresses, throwies.

[CanAmSk8ter]

I loved canoeing and kayaking when I was younger. I learned at Girl Scout camp when I was about 10, and my family used to go camping at a place where you could rent them and paddle around the lake. There's plenty of places to go boating on the (very tame) river around here- that's something I could definitely see myself spending some extra money on if I had it.

[Kim to the Max]

Sheesh...I don't know what I would do....there were a number of years when I didn't skate, but that was mainly because of school...and the last 2 years, while I didn't skate and was out of school, I spent so much time working at my job, I wouldn't have been able to do anything else....

But, I would probably get back to the actual gym, even though I dislike it so much...I would read more, knit, cook and bake, maybe take some jewelry making classes or something artistic....

I would probably also end up, unfortunately, working more....my job tends to suck up any leisure time I have....which is why it is better to keep busy and away from the e-mail :)

[Lisa_C]

I'd love to try horseback riding or ballroom dancing. I rode horses a few times as a child and I loved it and I've always loved to dance. However, I really do love anything to do with the water. I love boating, snorkeling, water skiing, and body boarding. I might even try surfing since my balance is so much better now. I tried it once as a teenager and couldn't even stand on the board. Or maybe I'd take scuba diving classes. Oh the choices... :roll:

[PhysicistOnIce]

I'm another ex-fencer and that is what I would probably return to if for some reason I no longer lived near a rink (yeah, like that is going to happen!).

I sailed and did Judo and Karate as a child.

Apart from skating, my other expensive hobbies are currently photography and flying.

Like Bill I am also interested in Astronomy, but haven't had much opportunity in recent times having moved from country Australia to the light polluted south of England.

[Skate@Delaware]

I'd love to try horseback riding or ballroom dancing. I rode horses a few times as a child and I loved it and I've always loved to dance. However, I really do love anything to do with the water. I love boating, snorkeling, water skiing, and body boarding. I might even try surfing since my balance is so much better now. I tried it once as a teenager and couldn't even stand on the board. Or maybe I'd take scuba diving classes. Oh the choices... :roll:
hehehe-and you live in freakin' FLORIDA!!!! :D I think you would love ballroom dancing, you should try a class, it really helps with skating posture!
I'm another ex-fencer and that is what I would probably return to if for some reason I no longer lived near a rink (yeah, like that is going to happen!).

I sailed and did Judo and Karate as a child.

Apart from skating, my other expensive hobbies are currently photography and flying.

Like Bill I am also interested in Astronomy, but haven't had much opportunity in recent times having moved from country Australia to the light polluted south of England.
Light contamination is getting bad here as well, too many people from the city moving to the country. you can't find too many places darker than spades to set up anymore....everyone has their security lights, porch lights, etc....:evil:
But i remember how beautiful the sky was when I lived in Arizona, the stars were light diamonds and you could almost reach out and touch them they were so bright and there were so many!!!!

[kander]

Male underwear model :)

After that I think flying would be fun and lot more expensive than skating.

[kayskate]

I drove past a horse farm yesterday and someone was riding a beautiful white horse. I was captivated. I watched for a minute. I would like to ride, but it is probably the 1 sport more $ than ice skating.

Kay

[black]

Wow all these fencers!! I did fencing too for a time.

If I wasn't skating I'd be staying up ridiculously late solving computer problems...

[PhysicistOnIce]

If I wasn't skating I'd be staying up ridiculously late solving computer problems...

That's what I do to pay for the skating.