I finally managed to do a back lunge when I stopped thinking about getting my foot down onto the ice (if I did this then I would end up jamming the blade in and that hurts!) and started thinking about getting my knee onto the ice. For some reason, that ensured I put my foot down sufficiently turned out, to land the side of the boot on the ice and not the blade - and no, the knee never actually touches the ice but the mental picture somehow enables the physical one.
Give it a try. I'd be interested to know if it works for anyone else.

Oh yes, on the original topic - I started at 38 having only ever been on the ice once at the age of 14 and then not again until a few public sessions with my own kids when I was 35 or so. Took group lessons for a year where progress was very slow due to large classes (20 or so of mixed ages from tots to adult) and only once week lessons with an hours public session after. I progressed to private lessons once a week and now do two half hour lessons a week plus 3-4 hours a week practice.

As an adult progress is usually slower than for the kids, mostly I think due to the fear factor and an over-developed awareness of the consequences of falling badly. This factor in my experience is less of a problem in younger adults or those without families that depend on their driving abilities! It's hard to be the kids taxi service with a broken arm or leg!

However the limits are really only those you put on yourself. I swore I would never leave the ice with both feet at the same time when I started skating, so originally just did dance. Now however I have discovered the joys of jumping and dream of being able to do an axel (unlikely in my case - I've been stuck on the Loop for over a year!) and I do know a guy who first got his axel in his fifties!

I've been skating now for over 5 years and love it! I have entered competitions and won medals and I've tested too, in both Free skating and dance (we take the same tests as the kids do, here in the UK). I'm probably about equal to a USFSA adult bronze in free (I think - I'm not sure I have the details of it correct - do you have to have a Loop in bronze?). I know I'd have progressed faster if I had less fear of falling, spent more time on the ice (or at least more time skating and less chatting!) and had not tried to do dance and Free at the same time but I'm happy - I know skating will always provide something to challenge me at whatever level I am or get to.

Have fun skating!

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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Hello everyone, I'm new here.

I'm 21 right now and have desperately wanted to skate competitively all my life. When I was about 11, I started going to the not-very-local ice rink (about 2 - 2 1/2 hours away) on semi-regular weekend basis. I taught myself some basic moves, and was really loving it. My parents looked into getting a coach or some private lessons, but sadly my dream had to end. The rink was too far away to drive many times a week for the amount of practice I'd have to put in, and of course financing that endeavor was a factor, too.

But just this past weekend I did a random search for ice rinks in my area and lo and behold, one popped up about an hour away, a rink that has coaches and training staff (The rink I had gone to as a kid was on a college campus, more like a solidly recreational thing, AND only open on the weekend for 2 hour blocks). I went skating today for the first time in three years, and I immediately remembered why I loved it as a kid. I had been thinking about trying to get back into it, but thought it would be a lost cause because of my age. I had never heard of adult competitions, I just thought I would be out in the cold because at 21 I'm past the age of prime Olympic-level training, to be just starting out.

But this thread has given me hope! I'm looking into a Learn to Skate course, and maybe private lessons after that if they're available. Of course, I'm in college, so I'm sure funds will factor into it somewhere along the line. All I know that if there is any way I can learn to skate how I've always dreamt of skating, it would be a major personal achievement and a dream come true for me.

Hi, Revolennon, and welcome - both to this forum AND to the wonder and magic of ice-skating.

At 21 you're in the perfect position to start, and yes, do sign up for learn-to-skate classes! If you remain hooked, you'll be just about ready to do the Adult Nationals at the lowest levels, and perhaps some of the many adult international competitions there are around, by the time you're 25! And you'll be skating competitively in smaller, local competitions long before then, I'm sure.

Enjoy - it's a truly wonderful sport. And I was twice your age when I started, and although I'm the world's worst skater, I do have enormous fun trying!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

A lot of skaters start out late and do fantastic things. Adults generaly skate for the fun and the companionship of those with the same passion. They get together once a year at Nationals to cheer each other on and have a good time. When you go to your first Adult event don't forget to say hello to people, they will welcome you with open arms and bring you iinto the group as a friend .
As for the ability thing , don't underestermate yourself. You may be suprised as to what you can do. I started at 23 and I can not imagine that you could be as bad as i was at that age. But by 28 I had joined the big show and toured the world with Disney for 7 wonderfull years. I gave it up in 1993 and returned as an adult to compete ( my first time ) in 2002. I am still learning and keeping in shape because of skating. Its a wonderfull world Crayon. I hope you enjoy it... come say Hello some time.
and Welcome to our group... ..Star

Hi Rev
I just read your post, and I just posted one for Crayon, but as you can see we are all in the same boat. At 21 you too are in a great position too join us in adult skating. I hope youfind it as much fun as we do, going to competitions skating and cheering each other on, regardless of if you do a 1/2 loop or a triple salchow we as adults are there for each other, say hello, ask questions, we work a lot on passing the word about competitions etc. If you need any info or help getting started just come back to the site and there will be someone to help you out. Im suure ..welcome to the new adult skaters.....

You were only skating for 5 years and you got into Disney on Ice?!
Does that mean there's hope for me, or are you excellent?

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I started at the age of 25 and have been skating 6 yrs. During that time, I acquired all the single jumps up to (but not including) a single axel, have passed the first 3 levels of standard ice dances, the first 3 levels of standard field move tests, and the first 2 levels of adult freestyle (all on the first try). I have competed in over 26 competition events in the last 4 yrs which included 2 adult nationals, and did synchronized skating on an adult team for the first time this year. Last year, I was the first adult to receive the "President's award" from my skating club due to having successfully competed/passed in more competitions/tests than any other club member (which includes the kids who normally can skate/practice/compete more than adults). Was I determined? You bet. I refuse to believe that an adult can not achieve in ice skating. We aren't going to the Olympics, but some of the lessons I have learned from skating and working thru some of the problems (skating and otherwise) helped me in life too, not just skating!

Things that gave me trouble: spins, my loop, flip, and lutz jump. Thru perseverence and hard work with coaches who believed in me, I was able to learn all those things with good, solid technique. They know I work hard, and I always show up for practice.

If you find a coach who believes in you and have the right attitude, you can accomplish a lot.

-Kristin

Yes..but it depends how bad you want it. Its a very long story and some people know the story of how I got started, its way to long to post here, but in short I traveled around the world for many years trying out for many shows and got rejected many times before I got my first job. I slept on a few park benches and rail way stations in Europe because I ran out of money many times. You do what ever it takes some times. Id be happy to telll you the story sometime if your interested. but I gave it up in 1993.
I did not have the formal training in my younger years but I got a lot of help from great people along the way. Ill be at nationals if you want to say Hello.. ( championship gold men II ). see ya " Now Im learning to freestyle the way I wanted to. Im 45 now.

I turned 29 2 months ago and have been skating for 8 months, and can do all the jumps except an axel and also the spins :-). The thing is basically with progressing is about taking risks, the more risks you take the more you learn in skating, and also the more ways you can fall, which will probably freak you less when you start doing harder stuff. But the mindset of progressing further is basically to have a try, and getting familiar with newer elements

Thats my tip :-)

snipped most of my original post

It's strange how this topic came up again. I looked back to see if I originally posted, and I had, what is freaky (play weird music here) is that I wrote my post just the day before I had a terrible ice accident and thought my skating life was over.

What I could say now, is that it's possible to learn how to skate decently in a few months and then do it all over again. If you're willing, anything is possible. Even spinning, my personal nemesis.

I was about 25 when I started, though I roller skated recreationally as a kid. No roller lessons, just sidewalk kind of stuff. I taught myself to do some spins and jumps on rollers by watching others and experimenting. I started right away w/ private lessons on ice. W/ some breaks for various reasons, I have been skating about 13 yrs. I am not much of a competitor or tester, but I can do some cool tricks and am a fairly powerful skater. My forte is spinning. My spins are awesome. Why be modest when you can be truthful?

Kay

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