Quotes and sayings that are just too wonderful for the skater.

[Chico]

I had this great idea for making my coach a Christmas gift. (I have this thing about making my Christmas gifts.) Anyhoo, I'm on the look out for sayings, qoutes, etc. that are just perfect for skaters. Got any?! Please share!

Chico Thanks everyone! =-)

[pattern99]

Chico!! couldn't help but stumble upon this thread and knew I had to respond!!! lol!!! Male or Female coach???

*patt99*

[kayskate]

This isn't exactly a quote b/c I came up w/ it myself. However, it is a good one for the adult skater.

Adult Skater's Olympic Motto:
Faster, Higher, Stronger...
than last week.

Kay

[Mrs Redboots]

Years ago, on the skaters-l mailing list (practically before the Web was thought of!), they made a "portable coach" T-shirt that skaters wore. It had printed on it things like:

"Bend your knees"
"Head up"
"Feet Together"
"Point your Toes"
etc, etc, etc.

And the kicker was that these were printed upside-down, so that ostensibly the skater could read them while skating!

I saw another T-shirt too, which listed a whole heap of skaters' excuses for not doing well from "It's the ice" through "My blades need sharpening" "I'm wearing nail-polish", etc, etc,... all the feeble excuses we come up with.....

[Yazmeen]

"Hold that edge!!!"
"Don't use so much: (Pick any one) Arms, shoulders, upper body."
"Bring the leg through"
"Extend the leg back"
"I wouldn't let you (compete/ test at this level, do an axel, whatever!!!) if I didn't think you were ready."

[JD]

Hey, I like it....

now shamelessly going to steal the idea I hope its ok.....


:D :D :D

[flo]

I told my boyfriend who's learning to skate:


Blow your nose - bend your knees.
Take a drink of water - bend your knees.
Feed the cat - bend your knees.
Put your skates on - bend your knees.
He got the idea.

[melanieuk]

Oh what are you making?
A Tshirt with a logo?

It's really hard to come up with any slogans....I don't have much of an imagination.
I relate these to my coach:



Do I LOOK happy?
If you can see this tshirt, it means I am HOT & CROSS!
My feet are killing me, so don't waste my time!
I meant a camel SPIN, not an impression!


Of course you have to come up with a suitable cartoon/caricature to go with them, I suppose....:roll:

[LoopLoop]

This is a recent exchange between my coach and me (regarding axels and my habit of checking out too early):

HIM: You need to commit to the jump. That's all you're missing, just the commitment.

ME: Maybe I should BE committed.

[Chico]

Hi,

A guy. I'm making a little home made book of coach sayings and inspirational thoughts for the skater. It took me forever to come up with an idea for my coach. Men are NEVER easy to make or buy gits for and then a coach to boot. My coach has a tough little spirit, but he is a very cool person. I wanted something special. More ideas! Thanks for all who shared. =-) I appreciate the help.

Chico

[flo]

Perhaps you can include in the book useful facts, like the freezing point of toes, rpm in a spin that causes brain damage, an explaination of how those pocket hand warmers really work (exothermic reaction), what exactly is the speed of molasses... All essential coaching information.

[skaternum]

This won't help you with the gift idea for your coach, but I have to share. I saw a very funny shirt that said: My coach can beat up your coach! I was so tempted to get it because my coach at the time was a 70+ year old man who'd already had one heart attack. I thought he might get a kick out of me wearing it.

[Blue Line]

These were all saved on my computer, but why I saved them in the first place, I cannot recall! :oops: I'm sure that there is a source somewhere out there on the 'net that I should be attributing these to, but I don't remember that either. :oops: :oops:

These are just a handful of my favorites. I have more, if they're what you're looking for!

"The sound of the blades on the ice in the morning is like smelling fresh coffee." - Tara Lipinski

"If I had never won a single medal, I'd still be skating in a rink somewhere. There wouldn't be an audience or camera flashes or autograph seekers, but I'd still be skating." - Brian Boitano

"To me, figure skating is a divine sport. It's a sport made by the gods. It inspires people to cry, it inspires people to cheer, it pulls the emotions out of people." - Frank Carroll

"We live amid surfaces, and the true art of life is to skate well on them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Without figure skating, I'm nothing." -Evgeni Plushenko

"If dancing is how the angels walk, then skating is how the angels dance." -Alan Kreigsman

"It was a good skating day and a good hair day." -Ben Ferreira

[dooobedooo]

This is quite a serious and florid quote, which I read a couple of days back in a book on NLP. It does make me think about all those sayings like "You have to enjoy the journey", and for me skating is a lot to do with challenge and learning ... (as well as sport, artistic aspects etc)

"'The best thing for being sad,' replied Merlin ... 'is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, ... you may see the world around you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then - to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you.'"

from T H White, The Once and Future King

[Chico]

You guys are so helpful! Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

JD,

If you were asking me if you could share my book idea the answer is yes. Christmas is coming and "finding" the right present can be a challenge. Your book will be special to your coach. Ditto with mine.

Chico

[icenut84]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
I saw another T-shirt too, which listed a whole heap of skaters' excuses for not doing well from "It's the ice" through "My blades need sharpening" "I'm wearing nail-polish", etc, etc,... all the feeble excuses we come up with.....

Originally posted by skaternum
This won't help you with the gift idea for your coach, but I have to share. I saw a very funny shirt that said: My coach can beat up your coach! I was so tempted to get it because my coach at the time was a 70+ year old man who'd already had one heart attack. I thought he might get a kick out of me wearing it.

:lol: :lol: Those are great! Annabel, I'd love a T Shirt like that! Lol.

[icenut84]

Another one for you:
(musings from a woman at my rink about skating.) "So much effort, so little outcome!"

[Mrs Redboots]

One of the best T-shirts I had was given me at Adult Nationals 1998 - at least, the transfer was, you had to iron it on yourself. The friend who gave it to me brought several. It won't do for Chico's coach, but someone else might like it - around the figure of a woman figure skater was printed "If more mothers skated, there'd be fewer skating mothers!"

My other favourite, for a man's T-shirt is "If figure skating were easy, they'd call it hockey"

[JD]

thanks Chico...yes, is it ever hard....I was however, just thinking of getting some of Coaches other girls to also write on something the phrases they remember and then having a friend of mine machine embroider it and then stuff it as a pillow...perhaps a skate shaped pillow????

Can't decide what to make, but the phrase idea in some form sounds pretty good...


Cheers and have fun with your gift....

[pattern99]

Ok Chico, I gotta come through on this one. Sit back and get some pop corn because this is bound to be a VERY long post!!!

My coach's inspirational thoughts to his skaters...

-"Do not measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you risked and your DREAMS!!!! and your EFFORTS!!!"

-"Who lit the fuse on your tampon??"

- "1st of all, you have to keep your eye on the 'goal'. That way minor nusances of people getting in the way, etc. shouldn't distract you from it. 2nd, don't let the "NEOPS" (Negative Influences of Other People) get you down. That means either people who say things like "this place sucks", or "this is too crowded" or "I don't like _________ person or ____ coach" or THOSE WHO AGREE WITH YOU WHEN YOU SAY THEM!! Mostly, all those people are very limited either in thinking or ability, and they love to share misery. It makes them feel more important, to themselves. It also means they have a poor self image. And that will drag YOU down. 3rd, successful people always write down their goals. Short term and long term. (How do you eat an elephant?...one mouthful at a time). It doesn't mean you can't adjust them. Ot that they're guaranteed. But it does provide a focuse. Work hard!!!"

-"Stroke now, die later!"

-"In order to grow, you must try something beyond what you have already mastered."

-"It's not enough to be good if you have the ability to be better." ~Alberta Lee Cox~

-Dare to dream, dare to try, dare to fail, dare to suceed. ~G. Kinsley Ward~

- Past victories do not guarentee future success. To become the best, you must be willing to outwork the competition on a daily basis.

- Your attitude is the key to your altitude. Keep your expectations high and you will discover the drive to master any challange.

- With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. ~Sir Thomas Buxton~

- One person with a commitment is worth more than 100 people who have only an interest. ~Mary Crowly~

- The things which hurt, instruct. ~ Benjamin Franklin~

- It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness. ~Seneca~

-A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks

- I don't trust anything that bleeds for 7 days and doesn't die!!
(Ok...so not funny!! No wonder he almost died during my PMS!!!)

- After the training and the tears it all comes down to one moment. Approach this opportunity with absolute concentration and the serenity of knowing you are ready.


Ok the rest of these are some of my general musings... or stuff from various books I read.

- We become part of what we are around

-It's not how we handle the good days that determines how we do in life. It's how we handle the bad days. ~Rich Devos~

- No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether irreclaimably bad. ~Thomas Carlyle~

- There are days when I go home and curse God for being a figure skater and having to put up with coaches, and then there are the times right after those results are posted and I find myself in the arms of the person who day after day guides me and puts up with my crap. Without that person/people, I wouldn't be where I am today. ~M.A~

- I'll tell ya, when God created coaches, he certain had a sense of humor and an addiction to early mornings and coffee!! ~M.A~

okies...there's way more but PM if ya need anymore help, Chico... or if this isn't what ur looking for..lemme know~!

Piece!
*patt99*

[Blue Line]

Chico, I found this webpage which might give you some quotes, too:

http://www.mindchallenge.com/quotes/sports.html

[Chico]

pattern 99 and Blue Line,

Thanks so very much! I appreciate this. pattern 99, I laughed until I cried at some of yours. =-) I loved the one about your coach driving you nuts one moment and wanting to hug them to pieces others. Man, this is perfect for how I feel about my coach. Some days I get so mad, and others I just want to hug him. (Pretty normal I guess.) I also like the one about the good and bad days attitude. (I agree with this.) Blue Line, I still have to go to your suggestion. I will go here next.

Chico

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
I saw another T-shirt too, which listed a whole heap of skaters' excuses for not doing well from "It's the ice" through "My blades need sharpening" "I'm wearing nail-polish", etc, etc,... all the feeble excuses we come up with.....

Mrs Redboots, my favorite excuse to use (and not just in skating situations or while outdoors) is "The sun got in my eyes" :D

[pattern99]

:-D No prob, Chico! Blueline, some great quotes on that page. Thanks for sharing!!!!

Piece,

*mary*