Getting to know you as a Skater

[FSWer]

Say,we haven't done a "Getting to know you as a Skater" Thread in a while. So I thought we could do an update. Here are the questions...

Your Level =

Years of Skating =

Discipline(s) you do (please specify if you don't compete)=

How you got into Skating =

[flo]

Hi,
I started skating at the end of graduate school - almost 20 years ago.
I compete in gold pairs and adult interpretive.
I started skating because I wanted to do something nonacademic!

[ibreakhearts66]

I am currently tested through Juvenile, but am working on 2axels. The most appropriate level for me to compete would be Intermediate, but I am too old.

I first started skating 6 or so years ago, but had to quit for a while due to health problems. Total, I've been training about 3.5 years.

At the moment I only do freestyle, but plan to start testing my dances soon as well.

How did I get into skating? Well, when I was young, I ALWAYS wanted to be a skater. I grew up watching Michelle Kwan and idolized her. I begged and begged to skate, but my mom told me figure skaters don't have lives, don't go to school and give me a whole list of reasons I couldn't skate. Then, in 7th grade, my best friend started taking ice skating lessons. A few more months of begging and going, "But Jessie skates and she has a life!" later, I got her to sign me up for classes.

[londonicechamp]

I started skating in my early 20s.

I have to stop after 7 years of skating, due to my academic and professional exams commitments.

I have not been tested after freestyle level 1. I am now relearning some of the level 1 stuff, and progressing to some of the level 2 and level 3 elements.

I took up ice skating in my early 20s, as at that time, I was overweight, and needed some exercise to keep my body slim. After I skated for about 7 months, I lost about 8kg. I also like the freedom of skating, that I do not worry about people looking at my practice or my lesson.

londonicechamp

[sk8ryellow]

1) 11 years started at age 5 and am now 16
2) Novice
3) Singles
4) My mom took me skating one day and I fell in love with it

[rsk8d]

Level: Championship Masters JR/SR (Junior Freestyle, Senior Moves)
Years skating: 23 with some breaks for having babies!
Discipline: Freestyle singles
How I got into skating: Mom was a skater

Congrats to all of you who started late- props to your dedication!

[phoenix]

1. 14 years--started at age 27. Took about a 5 year break in the middle somewhere though.

2. compete gold solo dance

3. Level: working on testing pre-golds (2 done, next one will try end of summer), & learning/playing with some gold & internationals

3. started because I'd moved to a new state & needed to get out & make friends, get exercise, etc.

[Kim to the Max]

[Years Skating]
20 (with a few "light" years while I was in college and grad school where once every 6 months was all I got)

[Level]
Pre-Juv freestyle (coach has convinced me to try for my Juv test this summer)
Novice Moves (hopefully testing Junior in the near-ish future)

[Discipline]
Singles (the deal with coach is that we will start dance once I pass my senior moves)

[Why I started]
My mom wanted me to be involved in something and tried swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, etc. and nothing really "stuck", then she signed me up for skating lessons and that was the beginning of the end :) To this day if we are talking and I have to shell out major $$$ for skating, I blame her!

[Clarice]

Years skating: 14 - I was 37 when I started, and our rink had just opened.

Level: Adult Silver free skating, Gold Moves. I'll probably never test Adult Gold free skating, since I don't have an axel and don't anticipate getting one any more. I just recently took up dance, and have one Pre-Bronze dance. I expect to finish the level by the end of the summer.

Disciplines: I consider dance my primary discipline now, although I'll probably still do interpretive numbers. Don't know yet whether I'll compete freestyle again. I also do synchro with an Open Adult team, and play around some with figures.

How I got into skating: My daughter was taking lessons - she started when she was 5 - and I was bored sitting around in the stands, so I decided to try it, too. We're both still skating!

[PinkLaces]

Years Skating: 7 years the first time with a 25 year break. I just started up again 9 months ago.

Level: Took and passed Adult Pre-Bronze Moves and Free skate in May. Hoping to test Bronze Moves at the end of September.


Discipline: Singles. I am thinking about Dance. Got through the Dutch Waltz and Canasta Tango as a kid.

How I started: The first time - my sister, my mom, and I were in the grocery store. Our pastor's wife approached my mom and asked her if she wanted to put my sister and I in lessons. The second time - went to the ISI Worlds in Denver last year. My DD was competing. We saw lot of adult skaters and watched their programs. I was very inspired! DD's coach sealed the deal by "talking" me into lessons.

I have 2 DD's which both have started lessons. My youngest one skates on and off - mostly off. My older DD was mostly a seasonal skater until 2.5 years ago. Soccer was always her first love until she developed Exercise Induced Asthma 4 years ago. She switched to Goal Keeper and was very good, was recruited as FT GK on a team that was up an age level from her. She played HS soccer as an 8th grader. After last summer, she quit soccer to focus on skating.

When I was a kid, I loved skating more than anything. Our club was seasonal - skated 2 days/week after school. My sister and I would go to every public session we could to practice. It was $0.25 for 2 hours. We grew up in a very rural area and our club had a hard time getting good coaches. One year we were really lucky and got this great coach from Sweden. She coached only my sister and I - one of the best years of my life and cemented my love of skating. Our parents didn't have a lot of money. They let us go to skate camp for a week in the summer - where we got to learn ice dance and figures.

I would've loved all the opportunities that my DD has as a skater. I feel fortunate that I can provide them for her and now myself. It's sort of like making my own childhood dream come true.

[Skate@Delaware]

Your Level = I've tested up to ISI 2 but have been working on ISI 3/4 elements for the past 2-3 years (had a setback due to an injury).

Years of Skating = I have been skating for about 6 years now. My rink has been open for 7 years, I started a little into the first season.

Discipline(s) you do (please specify if you don't compete)= skate mostly freestyle and compete, as well as participate in shows.

How you got into Skating = I was signing up my kids for lessons (daughter-freestyle; son-hockey) and the lady mentioned that they teach ADULTS TOO!!! I thought it might be cool to learn to skate BACKWARDS!!! and that's how I got started!

I'm 47 years old now...

[Elly86]

Level: I've never tested, but I would like to start this season. I've got the Axel and am working on the double Sal.

Years: I started skating when I was eleven after my mom's friend took us to a public session. It was around the same time as the 1998 Olympics, and after watching Tara Lipinski's long program I was set on being a skater. We couldn't afford lessons so I taught myself with some help from my mom, who used to skate. I skated recreationally for about 4 years, but stopped as I got more involved in school and other sports (lacrosse). I just started again last May after about a 6 year break.

Discipline: I've never competed, but I would like to start. I'm a singles skater, but I would love to someday try pairs.

[Amandaskategirl]

Your Level = the tests I have passed include, UK level 5 field moves, level 3 elements and free, level 4 compulsory dances, level 2 free dance and a couple of synchro tests.

Years of Skating = I first started skating 9 years ago but I had a one year break which I have only just returned to casually.

Discipline(s) you do (please specify if you don't compete)= mainly field moves at the moment.

How you got into Skating = My mum used to skate every week when she was a teenager but never took lessons. She has a love for skating which I think I have inherited the genes for. I went about 5 times during my childhood. I took ballet lessons until I was about 14 when I decided I didn't like it anymore. I don't remember why, but I asked my mother if I could try ice skating. At this age I still liked some aspects of ballet but I found that the few things I still enjoyed about ballet, I could get from skating. I started off in children's classes for a while, then found myself having dance lessons (I didn't know there was a difference between dance and fs), a couple of years later I switched to free.

[kayskate]

Years: I started skating recreationally as a kid. Mostly on roller skates. Overall 35 yrs.

Level: Trained jumps and MITF through juv. Spins through senior. All as an adult.

Disciplines: FS, MITF, dance, coaching

Got into skating: watching on TV. Took LTS as a child. Continued on rollers. Got into ice FS lessons in grad school in 1992.

Kay