(Older) Adult Motivation

[Rusty Blades]

My motivation seems to have evaporated this winter and I am struggling to get it back. :cry:

When I first started skating (Jan 2006) it was supposed to be "for fun and exercise" but within a few months the target changed to doing an Interpretive at the (Canadian) Adult Nationals the following year. That was good motivation and a good source of drive for 2006/07 and kept me pushing hard. Goal attained.

Then the goal shifted to doing a Bronze Free at CAN the next year - another source of motivation for the 2007/08 season. Goal attained - plus a National Bronze.

With the decision to skip CAN this year for financial reasons, I am finding my ambition and drive evaporating. It is hard getting up at 4 a.m. to skate or to make up time for skating when I really don't feel like I am going anywhere.

Sure, I want to compete my Freeskate again next year, in 2010, and do it a LOT better but that is a LONG way off. And where am I going with this 'adult skating' thing? I can never afford to go to Mountain Cup or Obersdorff (even if I was good enough). Best I could realistically hope for is a Silver at CAN (if the field remains unchanged). I don't know if I will EVER find the courage to really throw myself into the air the way I need to to start getting good points on my jumps (which would be necessary to get Silver) - but I find myself asking "What's the point?"

The youngsters have goals - Regionals, Sectionals, maybe even Nationals if they work hard enough and have some talent. But what keeps the older skaters going? Competing seems to be the only thing that really turns my crank but, realistically, it ain't gonna get any better.

So, for those of you over 45 or 50, what keeps you going?

[NCSkater02]

I'm just getting back on the ice after taking most of the last year off (work/school/bf with cancer/pets/etc.....) I find that I missed the hard work. I found skating to be relaxing and theraputic. I doesn't matter how bad the day has been, I feel 100% better when I get off the ice.

Besides, I haven't met my goal yet--adult Nationals before I turn 50. I have both pre-bronze and bronze testing to go, so I better get busy. I only have a little over four years to go now.

[phoenix]

My goals have more to do w/ testing than competing. I know your test structures are different than ours---is the first test something that you could realistically aim for?

[coskater64]

Well I am turning 45 this year so I would be at the low end agewise. I skate to build my skills, build my muscles and work on coordination (arms and legs). As a child I was very uncoordinated and lacked a lot of grace, I push myself to learn how to do things well. As someone who didn't exercise for 20+ years it is nice to actually have muscles, strength and stamina. I am making my new hip work and at this point I don't skate to win I skate because I enjoy my friends and I enjoy the process. If I skated to win I would have quit in 2005 when my hip became an issue. At this point it is only a true love of the sport that keeps me going, I like the challenge and I like doing something that keeps me healthy and fit. Plus all my good friends skate.8O:halo::twisted:

[fsk8r]

My motivation is the tests but also to get the next skill / trick. To get a better spin / jump. But I'm also motivated to have nice edges and do all the turns nicely, so it's not all about landing an axel.
I've an older friend skating who has lovely jumps and spins and is another aim of mine. I want to be as good as her. I don't know what keeps her motivated as she doesn't test or compete but still works hard. I know she's trying for her axel and that keeps her motivated but she also works at learning all the other skills. I think she's just motivated with the goal of being better.

[Mrs Redboots]

I do it for the exercise - I'm already overweight, and would be even worse if I didn't skate. And it keeps me motivated to lose weight, and to do things with my body that, for the first 40+ years of its life, it had no idea were possible! I am not, and never will be, an athlete - I'm a clunky old adult skater - but it's still fun!

[hanca]

Here in UK we have quite a lot of tests, so I have been motivating myself by setting targets through tests. Of course I don't skate because of tests, but it is something that is measurable, that proves you that you are progressing. So when I need motivation, I just think "I bet I can do level 2 program by June" (or level 2 elemets by March, or level 4 Field Moves by September). That motivates me the same way as you did it to yourself with competitions.

I am also quite competitive. Not in a bad way, but I push myself because I want to be better and improve quickly and so I tell myself that I want to catch up on ... adult skater (fill out any name and choose on purpose someone better than you are, but not too far away from you.) What about target of beating 2 people who placed before you in the last nationals? (Well, unless you won it!) That's long term target. :)

Or you could find some competitions that you will be able to go to. If Mountain Cup is too far and too expensive, I think there was some adult competition in Georgia (USA)- Peach Classic; wouldn't that be affordable?

If it isn't, maybe get some skating dress (doesn't have to be expensive one, the Chinese make them cheaply) and then motivate yourself by looking at the dress and thinking how well you are going to do in 2010 in that dress. I know it is too far away, but if you regularly look at the dress, it may motivate you. You don't want to let the dress down, do you! :lol:

[icedancer2]

I'm thinking that maybe you need to try to change the time that you are skating -- unless you like getting up at 4am - is there any way you can change your skating schedule to the evening or late afternoon or weekends?

I find that my skating is as much about who I will see at the rink than anything... I have made some great friends - other adults - by skating in the mid-mornings - and it took years for me to work out my work schedule in order to do that... plus I didn't like getting up so early to go to skate... too much like a job.

Good luck. I feel your pain (at 54) - I truly do.

[jskater49]

I'm one that needs goals - competitions and tests that help motivate me. Well there's no competitions coming up (and I really need to cut back costs for that sort of thing) and my next moves test is Silver and I am YEARS away from that....and I don't have the money to travel and take extra dance lessons ...and dance is more likely what I could test in a few months if I could take lessons.

BUt I find my power and moves class very motivating....I had my coach put together a moves program with music that motivates me....she put together a structured practice program for me that I posted and that has just really really helped me keep skating.

And I have a feature role as "Auntie Em" in our spring show -an ice theatre of the Wizard of Oz...:-)

j

[Bunny Hop]

I'm a little younger than Rusty's target age group at 38, but as I have no goals at all, I may qualify to offer an opinion.

Because I am only able to skate once a week, I don't disappoint myself by setting goals (apart from a vague, "at some point I would like to test"). Fortunately I am totally non-competitive, so it doesn't matter that I'm not a candidate for competition, nor do I feel the need to compare myself with other adult skaters. Without this mindset I'd probably have given up by now.

As for motivation, this is basically just to improve. It's a two steps forward one step back thing at best, and after three years I'm still not back at the stage I was when I stopped skating in my teens, but when we move onto something new in lessons, I feel a sense of achievement because clearly the coach wouldn't be teaching new stuff if I wasn't capable of it. So the small steps of maybe skating faster, or being able to do three turns away from the barrier keep me going every week.

[flo]

My motivation is the fun and simple joy of skating. If you don't want to compete, don't. How about shows? Think about what you really enjoy the skills, learning, the choreography, music, costuming? I'd have a rough time being motivated at 4am! Also know that your motivations and goals for skating will change and evolve as you do. I've been skating for quite a while now and my goals and feelings of skating are different than when I started.

[jazzpants]

Ummm... I guess I'm too young to respond to this thread!!! I'm only 41!!! :P :lol:

[slusher]

The 4am thing would kill my motivation pretty quick.

[kander]

I skate for the fun of it. Competing is a negative for me (too much stress). On the few occasions I don't feel like skating I go anyway because it's good excercise and it sure beats the gym.

I think your problem is skating so early in the morning. Do you have a job where you can skate at decent hours?

[singerskates]

Everyone hits a time in their skating where they don't seem to improve in their skating in their own eyes. Don't let your judgment of your own skating be the deciding factor whether or not your skating has been going in a forward direction. Ask your coach to asses your skating monthly. I know that if I pick on my skating, I really can't tell if I'm improving or not unless it's something like learning a totally new variation of a spin or landing a clean jump that I've not landed clean for at least a year. Other than that, I'm too close to myself to tell the difference. It's the same when you are loosing weight. If you keep looking in the mirror, you don't notice the change in your appearance because you see yourself all the time. But if I friend doesn't see you for a few weeks, they see a difference in your appearance right away.

Enjoy skating for skating. Everything else is gravy. Don't get too serious about aquiring elements. Instead enjoy the persuit of obtaining the elements and/or a clean program.

I may still be having trouble getting a full 2 rotations on a back spin, but I make the best of it in the attempt. Plus, I make sure to give myself play time on the ice just fooling around doing anything but what my coach wants me to work on. If I'm on Tecumseh Arena's ice, I even bring my hockey stick and a puck to mess around for a few minutes in between working on my programs, stroking, spins, turns, spirals and jumps. The idea is to enjoy myself no matter if I'm getting anywhere or not.

Sometimes it also helps to go guest skate somewhere where there are other adult skaters just to socialize.

My motivation seems to have evaporated this winter and I am struggling to get it back. :cry:

When I first started skating (Jan 2006) it was supposed to be "for fun and exercise" but within a few months the target changed to doing an Interpretive at the (Canadian) Adult Nationals the following year. That was good motivation and a good source of drive for 2006/07 and kept me pushing hard. Goal attained.

Then the goal shifted to doing a Bronze Free at CAN the next year - another source of motivation for the 2007/08 season. Goal attained - plus a National Bronze.

With the decision to skip CAN this year for financial reasons, I am finding my ambition and drive evaporating. It is hard getting up at 4 a.m. to skate or to make up time for skating when I really don't feel like I am going anywhere.

Sure, I want to compete my Freeskate again next year, in 2010, and do it a LOT better but that is a LONG way off. And where am I going with this 'adult skating' thing? I can never afford to go to Mountain Cup or Obersdorff (even if I was good enough). Best I could realistically hope for is a Silver at CAN (if the field remains unchanged). I don't know if I will EVER find the courage to really throw myself into the air the way I need to to start getting good points on my jumps (which would be necessary to get Silver) - but I find myself asking "What's the point?"

The youngsters have goals - Regionals, Sectionals, maybe even Nationals if they work hard enough and have some talent. But what keeps the older skaters going? Competing seems to be the only thing that really turns my crank but, realistically, it ain't gonna get any better.

So, for those of you over 45 or 50, what keeps you going?

[katz in boots]

I feel your pain too. I suspect as others have said, the 4am start is a killer, but also your not competing CAN this year.

I have been slogging at regaining the same elements for 3 years, and at times really suffer lack of motivation. (Honestly, if I don't get to start axels and doubles this year.......:frus:)

For me, loss of motivation comes when I feel I'm not making progress. I wonder what is the point. But then I might suddenly 'get' something I didn't before, and I'm fired up again.

This year I have set myself a fairly ambitious schedule for comps and tests in an effort to stay focussed and motivated. That may change at any point during the year (when I get a reality check), but it helps me stay motivated.

I hope you recover your motivation. But honestly, 4am?

[Thin-Ice]

I am motivated by several things. The first is the desire not to lose anything I've worked so hard to gain. It has taken me forever to get to the point where I am now. When I started I NEVER would have imagined I would have a camel spin or back three turns. I've worked very hard to get those.. and I'll be darned if I'm going to have to go through all that work to get them back... so I keep skating so I don't lose any of what I can currently do.

I'm inspired to work by testing and competition and to see what else I can achieve.

But skating is also a social activity for me. I work weird hours, live quite a way from where most of my friends are and the only place I see most of the people I really like is at the rink, either practicing or at competitions/tests.

It also doesn't hurt that skating is good exercise without feeling like real exercise. I would hate to run (I think it's boring and it hurts my knees) to keep off the weight skating manages to keep off so much more easily.

It's a good conversational topic in terms of co-workers or family saying "YOU skate? On ice? REALLY?".

Plus there's the artistry of the music and the costumes. Who knew I would feel comfortable in a very short skirt, in a bright color and being the only one out there bringing movement to jazz, Broadway show tunes, country music, Frank Sinatra ballads and even classical music?

There are the challenges and the triumphs of this sport. The first really bad bunny hop. The first spin that is an entire revolution. The first time I actually managed to do a bracket!

I never felt graceful, I never felt fast, I never felt coordinated, I never felt balanced, I never felt I was even physical. I was the nerdy kid with my nose in a book. I was the family klutz growing up.. and now here I am: involved in the most athletic endeavour of any of my relatives. Even knowing I go to a NATIONAL competition most years is so much more than anyone else in the family does. Yes, all it takes is the desire and sending in the forms and checks on time to qualify for AN... but I do that because I've worked hard all year to get to the point where I don't think I'm going to completely embarass myself out there.

For me all of those things are little victories in my life.. and I can use all positives I can find for any reason. I don't want to be cranky and negative and skating helps me see the good things I have: a body that can skate, a mind that takes on new challenges, a spirit that can capture (at least sometimes) the mood of a piece of music.

I would suggest making a list of all the things YOU get out of skating. Then decide which one applies to today's skating to get you out there. If none of them apply, maybe today is a "no skate" day. I think everyone has those once in a while.

I had to really limit my ice time right after AN last year. I tore cartilage in my knee.. and my doctor said I could only skate 15 minutes twice a week. but no spinning, jumping or even working on three-turns, since it could torque the knee and cause the tear to expand. The only way I managed to get through the physical therapy and boring exercises was to remind myself how the rink smells, how blades sound in a well-centered spin, what it feels like to leap off the ice. I missed skating so much that getting back on even for that 15 minutes was a big thrill. Now on those "I don't want to go to the rink" days, I remind myself of that feeling. As my husband who is a pilot says "You never know when your last day of flying will be, when you won't be able to do it again for whatever reason. Make sure you get in all the flying days you're going to need for the rest of your life when you're given the opportunity". Obviously in this case I substitute the word "skating" for his "flying"... but the logic still applies. What if the last time you skated was actually the FINAL time you'll ever skate? Would that be enough for you? Could you gracefully say "Yep, that's all I ever wanted out of skating and I'll never need to do that again"???

We all go through the lack of motivation from time to time. I hope yours is a short lull and you feel re-energized very soon!

Thin-Ice

[Rusty Blades]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I am probably just going through my "mid-winter blahs" and need to push through it.

I really do love competitive and have LOTS that needs improvement. Competitive gives me my goals, objectives, and a deadline - all of which are good for me.

But, at my age, things come slowly and so do improvements so, at the low point of the year (the dead of winter) it's hard to keep going - but I will! Until they take the skate blades off my walker LOL!

[doubletoe]

Something else to consider is that you can't stay "ON" for the entire year. Nobody can. You need to allow yourself to change gears a little so that you can get motivated again once you need to.
Make a calendar that counts down to your next big goal (I'm assuming 2010 nationals?) and where you need to be one month before, two months before, etc. You'll end up with a question mark for the first few months of 2009 that you will need to fill in thoughtfully--maybe some moves-in-the-field, new choreography or fun stuff that will help you reach your long-term goal without burning you out?

[Mrs Redboots]

I find scheduling at least one break into my skating year works well; now we are just back from a break, I'm raring to go again! And between the coaches' holidays and our holidays, there are enough short breaks during the year to give one down-time.

[dooobedooo]

I'd try something new ...

- ice dance, especially if there is a good male partnering coach in your area.

- a completely new program with new music, perhaps choreographed by a different coach. This program can include some showy moves which you don't already do, such as backward drags etc.

- learn a new step sequence with some steps which are new to you (brackets, counters or whatever).

- school figures.

- take a kid skating and/or do kid things, "playing" with your skating eg. sliding along on your bottom etc.

- add a fitness class to your schedule; eg. pilates, yoga, gym, ballet

- take a "holiday break" from skating, or reduce the time you currently spend on the ice (until you are "desperate" to skate again!)

- buy a new skating outfit and pencil in an occasion to show it off ....

[Hannahclear]

Motivation definitely comes and goes. I think it's ok to listen your natural cycles and follow them. If you want to ease up for awhile, then do so. It's often more productive then trying to force something you're not that into.

Goal setting is one of those obvious tools. Short term goals, like skating my program clean at competitions provide the day to day motivation, especially when it comes to run-throughs!

Before I have my first baby, I want to have passed Silver FS, have a non-cheated version of axel and pass the three preliminary dances. More and more, I practice with an eye towards these long term goals, in addition to more immediate ones.

Finally, let me recommend Body Mind Mastery by Dan Millman. I got more mental strength from that book than I ever thought was possible.

[hanca]

I'd try something new ...

- ... do kid things, "playing" with your skating eg. sliding along on your bottom etc.....

I love this suggestion!!!




- buy a new skating outfit and pencil in an occasion to show it off

and this one too :D