What is it like to be a Freestyle Skater?

[FSWer]

Ok my fellow Skaters. I've asked you what it is like to transition to Freestyle,and what a Freestyle Session is like...NOW I want to hear from you in your own words...what it's like to BE a Freestyler.

[drskater]

Ha ha--the most accurate answer to your question is to look at all the posts on this board!! Collectively the skaters here paint a vivid picture of all the various experiences a "freestylers" have, from practices, to tests, to ice shows and competitions.:lol:

[icestalker]

Pros:
-You can skate fast.
-Public skaters stop and watch you.
-Jumping and spinning is fun.
-Doing programs in competition/exhibition.
-Empty freestyle sessions where you can rebel and do the lutz in the middle, cause nobody is watching.
-You catch up to the girls you've always admired.
-You get to have shiny blades. (I'm serious. Freestyle blades are shinier than recreational blades.)
-You always have plenty of things to work on (low level skaters tend to run out of things to work on in a 2 hour public session.)
-You get to wear leggings without standing out.

Cons:
-You fall a lot.
-You're embarrassed if you fall doing backwards crossovers or you catch a toepick and splat going into a waltz jumps, because those are silly falls.
-You fall a lot.
-It cost a lot.
-Testing is stressful.
-You fall a lot.
-Little kids are so enraptured by you, they just have to stand six inches away when you're spinning or about to jump.
-If you're not flexible, you stick out like a sore thumb.
-You sometimes end up with so many bruises, you have to wear jeans so nobody thinks your parents abused you.
-Ice hurts when you slide on it, because as a freestyle skater, you wear tank tops and take your jacket off 10 minutes into the session.
-You fall. A lot. Did I mention that?

Also, to put it in a nutshell, lots of hard work and pain, but all worth it for those five seconds of joy when you get a spin or jump (and promptly lose it.)