Strange Falls

[sk8er1964]

Ok - a post on the weekly lesson thread made me wonder - what strange falls have you had lately? Not the kind that you expect, like on a jump landing, but the ones that blindside you.

For me, it was falling sideways off of a spiral. No reason..I wish I could say that there was a rut in the ice or something. But no, I just lost my balance and fell on my hip. Huge bruise, the size of a coconut.

Or the time that I was skating around at an open skate session - just skating forward minding my own business. The next thing I knew I was on my knees, and almost on my nose. Ouch. Again, no real reason. Embarassing, but no permanent damage :) .

So, any good stories out there?

[Lanie]

I was doing a spiral and caught a rut in the ice and went flying chest first. That hurt badly.

The other day I was working on spins and my coach was right behind me and I fell out of it and almost toppled my poor coach over. That happens a lot with us, matter of fact.. :)

[CanAmSk8ter]

I once fell doing a swizzle. Yes, a swizzle. I was on my Pre-Silver dances at the time. :oops: I have no idea how it happened. I was just trying to do a really big swizzle, and then I was sitting on the ice. Luckily, no one saw it happen. I claimed to have been doing footwork and everyone bought it. :lol: If anyone had seen that, I would still be hearing about it.

[dbny]

Wednesday, right before my lesson, I was doing power threes and went into the LFO three totally cockeyed and just kept going like a windmill. I actually touched down with both hands and managed to flip onto my right hip (which still hurts like h*ll). In my mind it was a cartwheel. I've never fallen on a three turn before.

[mikawendy]

During an impromptu private lesson (also my first private lesson ever), I was standing next to my instructor as she was talking about 3 turns. The next thing you know, I topple over and she catches me on the way down before I hit the ice. I have NO CLUE what made me fall. I wasn't even moving!!!

[Debbie S]

I fell forward once doing a spiral and landed on my knee. Big bruise. Oh well, at least I didn't fall on my face.

I fell doing a spin - actually this happened twice, on 2 different spins. Each time, I think I may have gone up on my toe pick. One moment I was spinning, the next I found myself falling down sideways. Once it happened in the middle of group lessons, and I think I screamed out of fear as I realized I was going down almost head first. Everyone near me stopped what they were doing and looked.

[Black Sheep]

I once fell heading into a camel spin while skating in a show. It was only a group number (not my solo), but I had to finish the rest of the number in agony. :roll:

[Elsy2]

My last fall was during a camel spin. For whatever reason I've fallen out of these twice recently :roll: I remember thinking that I finally had gotten a nice position, back arched, looking up nicely...then wham I fell out and landed with all my body weight on my elbow. It was incredibly painful and I couldn't touch my elbow for 4 weeks in one spot. Doesn't hurt now, but there is still a weird lump there...

Hit my toepick during a dance recently too. My partner said, "where the heck did you go? One minute you were there, the next gone!" He's good though, he once jumped over my hand as I fell and sprawled on the ice. Quick reaction on his part!

[vesperholly]

Just the other day my coach was saying that she wished she had a video camera so she could make a bloopers tape. There are a lot of collisions on our ice...

My weirdest fall to date was when I was doing CCW forward crossovers and I had my arms stretched behind me and I got so deep on an LFO that I tripped forward and landed on my left, uh, chestal area. I skated over to my coach clutching my chest and said, "I fell on my boob!" to which she nearly died of laughter.

The most painful fall was one day when I competed in the morning, then went to a practice session later in the day. I had a run-in with a parent about ten minutes before the session, and I was so upset I went to find my friend and talk about it. I stood around in my skates for a good 25 min, so when I finally got on the ice my feet were kind of wobbly.

I was doing the spirals from the Novice moves test, going into the RFI one (my worst) and simply fell forward over my toepick and landed directly on the most bony part of both my kneecaps. That was very early May and I still have bumps, and kneeling can be difficult.

Jocelyn

[TreSk8sAZ]

Let's see.... today only:

-doing a forward progressive (I think, not entirely sure that it was actually a progressive, it may have been more of just skating forward), somehow hit my toepick, and did my impression of Superman (i.e. went face first and slid with my arms in front of me completely stretched out). I slid for a bit, got my hands under me, pushed myself up to my knees, gloves slipped on the ice, and I kind of flipped onto my side. My knees are killing me! Of course, the head skating coach and some of the other ladies saw it. My coach was on the other end of the ice putting her skates on, don't know if she saw it or not.
Edited to add: Found out tonight when I went to the doctor I actually cracked a rib. How pathetic!

-standing PERFECTLY STILL, and somehow my weight flew backward and yes, I went down. But not only did I go down, I was close enough to the boards that I hit those with my elbow and it made a loud bang. Perfect, perfect.

Those are the only funny, major falls. Other minor falls today. My body hated me today! Ha Ha!

[Schmeck]

The fall that put the fear of falling into me:

First year of group lessons, just skating backwards on one foot (Basic 3 move?) and I hit a pile of snow the little kiddies had made while they waited for their turn to skate. I managed to give myself a concussion (sp?) from that one, as I fell over backwards and hit my head on the ice.

My most spectacular fall:

Doing a bunny hop :oops: during show practice. I don't know how I fell, don't remember falling, but I do remember the sound of my knees, left hip, and right elbow hitting the ice. 8O Every adult on and off the ice stopped what they were doing, the rink got dead silent, and I had to be helped up by my skating idol, Gail, and my then 10 yr old daughter. All the coaches came over to make sure I was OK, and I managed to just skate through the practice to keep loose.

Next day, I couldn't even get out of bed, but I had to go to work in the Special Ed classroom I was assigned to. I ended up borrowing ice packs from the school nurse just to keep from stiffening up. It was fun to show off my huge purple kneecaps and broken blood vessel hip bruise, though...

Schmeck, still known at the local rink for the 'Killer Bunny Hop" :roll:

[Magz]

Originally posted by sk8er1964
For me, it was falling sideways off of a spiral. No reason..I wish I could say that there was a rut in the ice or something. But no, I just lost my balance and fell on my hip. Huge bruise, the size of a coconut.

that exact thing happened to me!!!
and then there was the time i just finished an exercise (moves) and i'm skating back to my coach and i just trip and fall right on my stomach. i keep sliding and i try to get up again (while moving) and fall again! my coach couldn't stop laughing! lol

[Figureskates]

The ole guards on the ice trick.

Did that at the Lussi Rink in Lake Placid.

I am use to rinks that have a barrier around them. This rink is a patch rink with only a 6 inch board around the ice. I was getting ready for a adult group class and ended up providing a little floor show entertainment!!

[sk8pics]

I don't fall too often, but I remember once I had just finished a figure 8 of back crossovers, and I was really excited by that and was pondering what to do next, and I just tripped over my toepicks and fell on my knees. I had to laugh because it wasn't like I was trying to do anything hard...

And I remember one time when I was just beginning and I didn't know how to stop if I was going backwards. So if I was skating backards, I'd skate near the boards and kind of curve around so I'd back into the boards and then I could stop. Not going fast, mind you. Well, one day I was in a public session in a different rink and tried to do the same thing... only there was an open door right there and I nearly fell through the doorway out of the rink! But I realized what was going on in mid-fall and sort of recovered but I ended up then falling forward in slow motion onto my knees. Then I sat on the ice and laughed hysterically; a 12 year old kid came over and asked if I was okay!:lol:

And for those of you who have bruised and swollen knees, I say, kneepads.

Pat

[tidesong]

I was trying to do an inside ina bauer and letting the leg infront three turn so its like a two footed glide and vs. somehow after doing that a few times i just fell flat onto my side. luckily it wasn't a hard fall but it was funny. i was trying it out, asking my friend what does it look like :P and which way looks better and i fell right infront of her.... :P

[Mel1977]

I have two. With both I managed to escape serious injury. The first time I was doing a catch foot spiral and fell forward and smacked the whole left side of my face on the ice.
The second one I was practicing axels in the jumping harness, and the velcro loosened and I fell out of it and landed on the back of my head.
Oh, and a third one, I was skating at an outdoor rink and it was near the end of the season and the ice was really choppy. I hit a really rough spot and fell onto onto my knees, and when I got up there was a big piece of ice piercing my knee. I had to pull it out and probably should have had stitches, but it hurt too much I didn't even want to think about that. It eventually healed by using those supersized bandages, but I still have the scar.
Thank goodness, I have never been seriously injured though.
Oh, I thought of one more. I popped my knee out (and back in) falling on a........lunge. How embarassing.

[icenut84]

One time at my old rink, I was just standing perfectly still watching someone spinning. It was time for my dance lesson (though I hadn't realised), and my coach skated over to me 100mph, and turned on the brakes in a sudden hockey stop right next to me, but it was such a surprise and shock that I started to just topple over! He caught me before I fell, but neither of us could stop laughing for a while...

I've also fallen before on a mohawk and when just skating backwards...

Oh yeah, and ages ago I was doing the prelim waltz (the easiest dance there is) on the dance interval, and I think I was skating too fast because I had to take a sharp corner, and I caught my toe pick and went flying! I landed on my backside but managed to bang my knee somehow. It was a bit :oops: at the time, lol. A few little girls stopped and asked me if I was ok. I would have been, had I not been skating in front of lots of people... lol

[CanAmSk8ter]

Originally posted by Figureskates
The ole guards on the ice trick.

Did that at the Lussi Rink in Lake Placid.

I am use to rinks that have a barrier around them. This rink is a patch rink with only a 6 inch board around the ice. I was getting ready for a adult group class and ended up providing a little floor show entertainment!!

LOL was that the first year we were there that someone did that every single day? I take my guards off before I even get off the benches in that rink. I know if I walked toward the ice with them on, I'd forget to take them off.

Now that I think of it, I'm way overdue for a guards-on-the-ice fall. I haven't done that in like two years.

[ChristianeDK]

Originally posted by CanAmSk8ter

Now that I think of it, I'm way overdue for a guards-on-the-ice fall. I haven't done that in like two years.

Me too. I've never done it and I'm scared to death since I'm convinced it must happen someday!!! 8O :oops: :D

[TreSk8sAZ]

I've yet to do the blade guard fall. I've seen one of my friends do it so many times that my coach now always asks for my blade guards before I go on the ice at a competition, and at practice if she's around. If she's not, then the friend that's done it is always muttering "blade guards off, blade guards off" before we get on, so I'm reminded!

[junkety]

Originally posted by Schmeck
The fall that put the fear of falling into me:

First year of group lessons, just skating backwards on one foot (Basic 3 move?) and I hit a pile of snow the little kiddies had made while they waited for their turn to skate. I managed to give myself a concussion (sp?) from that one, as I fell over backwards and hit my head on the ice.


It's so ironic -- I was just thinking of starting a thread on this because, Schmeck, what you describe above happened to me this week, almost exactly! :cry: I'm a total beginner, just coming to end of the pre-Alpha class, and I hadn't fallen at all to date, and then, during practice after the lesson, a few of us were practicing something at the end of rink where it was chewed up a bit and a little wet, and I must have just caught an edge in a rut or something, and BANG! over I went, down on the tailbone and then the back of my head. It happened so fast, I couldn't even get my hands up behind my head. Had to go the ER for stitches and everything. :oops:

Now I wonder how I'll feel going back. I am most certainly going to my lesson next week, headache and all, and I guess that's all you can do, like getting back on the horse that just threw you. I know falls are inevitable, and I actually expected to fall a lot, so when I didn't, I suppose maybe I got a little careless . . . I won't be now! Trust me, though, to have the very first fall be all pouring blood and drama, not just a bang on the knee! :oops:

[Figureskates]

Originally posted by CanAmSk8ter
LOL was that the first year we were there that someone did that every single day? I take my guards off before I even get off the benches in that rink. I know if I walked toward the ice with them on, I'd forget to take them off.

Now that I think of it, I'm way overdue for a guards-on-the-ice fall. I haven't done that in like two years.

Yes it was, it was last summer. I carried that bruise on my elbow and hip for at least two months. My coach marvelled at the weekly color changes to the beginning of October.

[Elsy2]

I must be a better skater than I used to be...was at a rink today I rarely go to, so trying to be careful stepping on the ice and there I was...slip sliding away with my guards on! But, I didn't fall 8-) They say you will only do this once and learn your lesson, but I'm a slow learner :P

[spiderman]

I wiped out on a flying camel and that HHUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRTTTTTTT!;) :??

[jazzpants]

Let's see... :roll: Fall on spiral to boobs (and knees in my case)... check... Fall on camel to side... check... (but not on elbow, thankfully! And it didn't hurt!) Evil toepick on back crossovers... check... (This one was on the bony part of knee! Was out skating for a couple of weeks and couldn't bend knees for at least a month!!! :( My one consolation from this injury is now I have a fear of going on my toepicks when I do back crossovers now and will ANYTHING not to go on them!!!) :lol:
Fall on knees on bunny hops... CHECK!!! (Note: I had to do them on both sides at FAST speeds during power class. Don't try this on the first shot! GRADUALLY build your speed up on this!!!) 8O
The old blade guards on ice... CHECK TWICE!!! :roll:
Only two to add: Fall on BO3's on my weaker side. That one definitely hurt my knees AND my elbows!!! YOWZA!!! 8O
Fall on right hip (spin CW) on spin entry!!! OOOWWWW!!!! THAT HURTS!!! :x (That'll teach me to go on the ice 2 weeks after recovering from sciatica! Definitely a lesson in *NOT* going back on ice before you're recovered from your injury!!!)

[Stormy]

Originally posted by vesperholly
Just the other day my coach was saying that she wished she had a video camera so she could make a bloopers tape. There are a lot of collisions on our ice...

My weirdest fall to date was when I was doing CCW forward crossovers and I had my arms stretched behind me and I got so deep on an LFO that I tripped forward and landed on my left, uh, chestal area. I skated over to my coach clutching my chest and said, "I fell on my boob!" to which she nearly died of laughter.

The most painful fall was one day when I competed in the morning, then went to a practice session later in the day. I had a run-in with a parent about ten minutes before the session, and I was so upset I went to find my friend and talk about it. I stood around in my skates for a good 25 min, so when I finally got on the ice my feet were kind of wobbly.

I was doing the spirals from the Novice moves test, going into the RFI one (my worst) and simply fell forward over my toepick and landed directly on the most bony part of both my kneecaps. That was very early May and I still have bumps, and kneeling can be difficult.

Jocelyn

LOL about the boob fall, Jocelyn!
Many many years ago when I started skating I was doing a spiral and, big surpise, tripped on my pick and landed, like Jocelyn, on the most bony part of my left kneecap. It took several weeks to really heal and to be able to kneel. To this day, when I bend my left knee, there's a funny popping sound.
I think we've all been a victim of the spiral fall!

[Lili]

This past winter I was off the ice because I hurt my knee. I was in a knee imobilizer for quite a long time after, and off the ice for a good one or two months. I think I fell back in November, right before a local competiton here. How did I do this? Well, I fell skating forwards on my way to put my tissues and water bottle on the boards. My toepick cought the ice and I went down, falling right on top of my knee. That really wasnt the worst part though. The worst part was actually FEELING the kneecap shift to the side. Thank god I didnt do more serious damage to it, because that could have stopped me from skating for a LONG time. Sometimes the ones that are the strangest, hurt you the most.

Come to think of it, this has to be the WORST year in terms of skating for me. I had foot problems in September, knee problems from November - January, foot problems that caused me to be off the ice for another two months in March, and a sprained hand. Wow... what a year it has been. I think ive been on the ice for a combined total of 3 months! 8O

[sk8er1964]

Originally posted by jazzpants
Fall on right hip (spin CW) on spin entry!!! OOOWWWW!!!! THAT HURTS!!! :x (That'll teach me to go on the ice 2 weeks after recovering from sciatica! Definitely a lesson in *NOT* going back on ice before you're recovered from your injury!!!)
[/list]

Oh, I forgot about that one. Fell off my blade on a spin entry during a lesson. My coach and I were both 8O 8O !

[NickiT]

I recently went flying out of a camel spin. Can't work out what happened but one minute I was in the spin, the next I was flying towards the ice. I hit right elbow, left elbow then the rest of me and felt very sick at first cos my elbows hurt so much.

Nicki

[Terri C]

Let's see:

Blade guard falls- 3

Spin falls- lost count- but did have one that had me rushed to the hospital for minor concussion and broken wrist!

Last week, had my first ever, spiral fall. Was trying to get my leg higher and hit the toepick. While lifting my head and wrists to avoid another injury to what I descibed above, I bellyflopped onto the ice and got it good on the right side of my ribs. Was knocke dout of breath so much that I couldn't talk for several seconds- that was scary!

[garyc254]

I've told this story before. When I was first learning to skate, my coach and I were circling the rink talking when suddenly my feet went flying.

Somehow during the course of the fall, the little hole in the zipper-pull from my jacket found it's way over my left toe pick and hooked. I hit the ice like a turtle on it's back. It had me tied up. I couldn't rock forward far enough to unhook it. My coach was laughing too hard to help. :oops: :lol:

[eliao]

Add me on to the list of victims that have fallen chest-forward on a forward spiral. That one was one of the worst falls I took since I remember blacking out for a second and then seeing stars. Scary.

The most recent fall was a botched attempt at a split-jump. My friend talked me into trying one at full speed. I picked into the ice, jumped, and threw my left leg up, but when I came down, I didn't grab the ice with a toe-pick. I somehow managed to bring my right leg forward and landed squarely on my butt, but at least I avoided landing in a split position. It still hurt though!

Emily

[MissIndigo]

Today during my lesson, I was reviewing the back crossovers to back edges (MITF) with my coach. Well, I was not on top of the world today and didn't have great balance, and my blades did the click of death. Fortunately, I just let myself crumple into the fall, but ended up siding about 20 feet across the ice. That did take away most of the sting though, but I'll have a bruise the size of a large orange tomorrow.:evil:

[sk8er1964]

Originally posted by MissIndigo
... my blades did the click of death.

I've never heard it called that before, but it is so true! That gut wrenching feeling when you hear that sound and wait for the fall...

[Figureskates]

Originally posted by MissIndigo
....and my blades did the click of death...

...quickly followed by the silence of butt on ice....


Been there, done that!!!

It is one of the few times when you know you are in trouble.

[icesk8er31]

Figure Skates - $400.00
Stretchy Gloves - $3.00
Leaving your Blade Guards on as you step on the ice: Priceless.

I actually think my recent blade guard fall in front of Elvis Stojko and Irina Slutskaya is what started this whole thread...

Ok, other falls:

Scratch spin - A "substitute" coach was helping me with my scratch, trying to get it faster, so he was whipping my arm around to make me hook harder as I stepped into the spin. Well, the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, shaking my head and seeing spots. I had briefly blacked out and was able to make it to the boards on my own volition, but later had to be driven to the ER for a check. While there, George Jones (the country singer) chose that moment to get drunk and roll his Lexus over off a bridge, so he was Life Flighted in and bumped me down the waiting list, so my poor friend and I had to wait in the ER with about a million people with the flu (and one bum with a giant bag of M&Ms) while they tried to patch George up. Also had lovely ice burns on one cheek.

Spiral - fell forward.

Waltz jump - I have no idea what happened, but one day I just went down on one. Hard.

MIF Cross edgy things (don't know what they are actually called, but you skate on an outside edge on one foot and then swing your other foot and front and switch to the outside edge on that foot). TOEPICK. Down.

Crossover click of death - check

Left back inside mohawk - superman slide.

Gee, and my friends say I never fall.

:)

[Mrs Redboots]

The last fall I had was when I slipped and fell doing the British waltz. I assumed I'd done something wrong - until Tashakat, dancing the same dance with my husband, slipped but did NOT fall in exactly the same place. And she blamed him, and she should know......

He's kicked my blades out from underneath me twice when competing the Fiesta Tango, too. This time I said to him, "If you're going to kick my blades out, please do it NOW, not in the competiiton," but at that precise moment my father let out the most enormous hiccup, and I started laughing so hard that I couldn't even do the Mohawk. Himself said it was an excuse, but what does he know?

But the worst falls are when you aren't doing anything special, and your feet just slide out from under you. Those are scary.

[MissIndigo]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
But the worst falls are when you aren't doing anything special, and your feet just slide out from under you. Those are scary.

You have no warning, and no opportunity to realize you're falling (unless you have reflexes such that you can turn off your bedroom light and watch it go dark from your bed!! :lol: ) and position yourself to fall properly. That almost happened to me yesterday, but fortunately I had the warning of the blade click...! I'm surprisingly ok today, no major hip pain, only mild, no big bruise. My arm hurts though, the one that I used to help break the major impact.

[icenut84]

Originally posted by icesk8er31
MIF Cross edgy things (don't know what they are actually called, but you skate on an outside edge on one foot and then swing your other foot and front and switch to the outside edge on that foot). TOEPICK. Down.

They're called forward cross rolls.

You did the guard fall in front of Elvis and Irina?? Eek. I'm sure they've done it themselves too, lol. Were you a sweeper or something? How come you skated with them?

[Figureskates]

Today warming up for my lesson I was doing back crossovers. Everything went fine until the click of death. However, I managed to step forward on an outside edge, complementing myself that I had cheated the click of death and promptly tripped up on my toepick and fell on the ice anyway.

I guess the morale is, when the click of death occurs, just fall and get it over with....:oops:

[dbny]

Originally posted by icenut84
They're called forward cross rolls.


This was the subject of a thread some months ago. Since then, I have learned that the same move is called "cross strokes" if it is a freestyle move (it's part of Juv MIF), and "cross rolls" when it's a dance move, as in the Argentine Tango or the Paso Doble.

[icesk8er31]

along with P&T (I think) were in town for COI and showed up to skate the practice session at my rink. I don't know if they actually SAW me bust my *ss, but it was bad enough just knowing that Elvis was in the building. It was a great session though. They were very considerate skaters (there are a bunch of different levels on Saturday FS sessions) and were patient when the kids at the rink attacked them for autographs. We adults felt we should give them their privacy, but I wanted to act like a child and get my picture taken with them so badly. Well, less badly after I fell so ignobly.

All the best,

Ice

[mary]

My then 10-year-old daughter fell backward with her skate blade facing upwards, which cut into her buttuck/upper back thigh. While there wasn't any outward bleeding, she had a HUGE bruise and it actually cut through the tissue under the skin. She now has a long, horizontal crease in her skin that's gradually fading as shecontinues to grow. Her doctor said she has never seen anything like it.

[Skatingsarah]

Oh you are talking to the queen of freaky falls!!
My mom says that there hasnt been a day since I learnt to walk that I didnt have a bruise...lol!
-Going in 2 double axel I slipped right of my edge and NAILED my hip it really wasnt great at all!
-This week I landed right on my tailbone on the same jump too.
-Last week my landing leg was overly bent on the landing and I fell right on me knee trying a flip or a salchow...
-I was doing a backwards figure 8 and I guess I was to far back on the blade and WOOSH right backwards into the boards.
-Last year I landed soo far back on a double axel I hit the back on my head...lucky for me I decided to put a bun in my hair that day..;)
-In summer skating school a couple years back it was a last day and we were playing games and I tripped right over my toe pick and hit my chin.... I later got like 5 stiches in my chin..
lol so far thats it!!
lol
-sarah