My daughter and I went to a session this morning, and every now and then I put on my skates and mess around with her. Nothing serious, mostly tag. Well, this morning, she tried to show me the Canasta Tango. Spurred on by some slight...I mean very slight...success at that, we moved to easy jumps. Now, I skated when I was a teen, nothing above a flip, and really bad sit spins, my dd passed me up a long time ago. So 24 years after I quit skating, here I am, 38 years old, painful knees and about 20 pounds overweight, and I am trying a waltz jump. Then a Salchow, a toe loop, a loop and a flip. I actually landed a few toe loops, and came really close to landing a flip (two footed, but not bad, they were my fav jump when I skated), no where close on the edge jumps, forget a loop. I always did hate loops! Spins? Forgetahboutit...total non-confidence there. My dd had a GREAT time being my "coach"! Why am I bothering to post about this??

I can't quit thinking about it!

I want to go back and try more. I want better skates. I want lessons. I had fleeting thoughts of competitions. And I want that skater's butt that was so discussed on another thread.
OMG!! What have I done?!?!
Is this a really DUMB thing for me to even be considering?!?
BTW...I am SOOOO gonna hurt tomorrow, I can feel it now...

Quite the reverse, it's possibly the most sensible thing you ever did in your life!

Welcome to the wonderful world of AOSS (Adult Onset Skating Syndrome). And the best sport ever!

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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!

Nope, actually a very smart thing. Skaters make the best skating parents!

Take some anti-inflammatory (as recommended) for the next 24-48 hours and a hot bath/shower today and tomorrow. (An Epsom Salt bath is best, IMO.) You'll actually feel worse on Thursday, but it'll ease up on Friday.

Welcome to AOSS. You're in the right place if you have it baaaaad!

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BuggieMom: Welcome over to the DARK SIDE and be assimilated to AOSS!!! C'mon! You know you want to do this!!!

BTW: I'm 39, painful lower back and shoulders at times... and now about 7-8lbs overweight (from 15 lbs...) If I could do it... anyone can!!!

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

That's awesome! I wish my mom would come to the rink so I could show her a few things...I think she'd be great. But she's had two knee surgeries and is pretty hesitant to hurt them again. And I've even offered her my infamous knee pads! I say go for it. You're not out to make it to the Olympics - what do you have to lose? Best of luck!

DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Skating will make you feel more alive than anything else in the world, and without even realizing it, you will lose those 20 pounds (and get a great looking butt) in no time!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I'm not?!?
Shoot....!
What good is a great butt if I can't go to the Olympics?!?

LOL, go for it! You and your great butt make it to the top of the podium!

Awesome, BuggieMom! This is the way to live!

Well if you were doing all that after 24 years away, GET YOUR A@@ BACK ON THE ICE LADY! We need adult skaters. I was away 36 years and after a year I am just starting to get comfortable on backward edges and thinking about trying jumps again. Get back here while you've still "got it"!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Hahaha!!! I agree. Get out here and do yo thang ma!!! I'm 24 and I'm going to be skating as long as my body allows me to. I think you should do the same. You got a built in coach. You got it made. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Just don't fall too hard!!

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

DON'T STOP NOW! As has already been said, those 20 pounds will come off. At 38, you're young compared to the ages many of us started (or returned) at. I'm 60, started at 53 and soooo wish I had started 10 years earlier.

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That is absolutely amazing!!! You should be proud!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

Yay! Welcome!

Hey, go for it! You will have so much fun and enjoy the challenge!

Nicki

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www.myspace.com/insatiableskater

congratulations buggiemom!

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Welcome back to Heaven, girl !

That is the single best piece of advice I've gotten so far!
Wow! All I gotta say is Here I am a total chicken at 38...you rock!!!

Pain update: Well, I am a tad stiff! The worst is my right hip area, and some muscle soreness in my back. If Isk8NY is right, I'll feel worse tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that! I make my dd go through a whole stretch/warm-up routine before she skates, I guess that means I'll have to join her now...
Whenever I think about going back to the rink now, I get excited, but part of me is kinda scared. I am totally afraid of falling and breaking something! I mean, I understand that after 24 years off the ice I'll have some fear getting back on, but will I ever conquor it enough to really do anything? I can't imagine doing a lutz. That's just scarey! Now I know that is a little far in the future, and I may have more confidence by then, but right now, I can't even imagine it. Watching my dd, she does these things so easily, and she tries things with no fear. Now I can appreciate a little more what it took to get her where she is. I should probably just focus on having fun right now, but if I do this, I'm going to do this all the way...

Do it!! Do it!!! I started at 37 or 38 myself - had been on the ice exactly ONCE as a teenager (but roller skated/inline skated all the time while growing up) but fell in love with it after taking my kids for a school skate night (they were in 1st grade then, now 3rd grade, one has all his jumps through the lutz and the other plays ice hockey ). So I've been taking group adult lessons for 2 years; jumping and spinning and loving it!

(and if you think YOU'RE crazy . . . bear in mind that our local rink just closed and we are currently driving an hour just to get to ice . . . and I'm probably the most obsessed of any of us about "the quest for ice" . . . does that make you feel better about NOT being crazy??)

So, hope we have talked you into joining us on the "Dark Side" and surrendering yourself to the grip of AOSS!!

This isn't just a sport for schoolchildren. At our rink this morning there were two schoolchildren, just two, and two college students. Everybody else, but everybody, was an adult, and most people were in their 50s or over. Including the coaches!

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

You're in the wrong place if you want to get talked out of skating! LOL! I agree with everyone else - go for it!!! You're not crazy to want to skate, because skating is a great sport. You'll get over the fear, lose weight, have fun, and get skater's butt in no time. Good luck, and let us know how it's going

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The skating may not sparkle, but my dress sure does!

Just passed: Pre-Bronze MIF & Freeskate. Next goal: Bronze tests in July.

Yes, go for it! Those 20 pounds will melt away, replaced by hard muscle. I *love* how my legs and thighs look now, curvy but firm, not a hint of cellulite. My butt is smaller but higher. I was thin when I was young, but just skinny, now at 39, it looks good! Take a little advil, and drink lots of water. I find days when I'm hurting are followed a couple of days later by being noticeably stronger - skating gets better.

Oh, and make sure you stretch after skating, while your muscles are still warm. If you look around your rink, you can find a railing, banister, stairs, benches and other props that you can use creatively for stretching. Quads, hips and calves tend to get tight/sore if you don't stretch them, so make sure you stretch those.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

You will lose those 20 lbs when you get back on the ice and continue to skate and stroking around. And when you do lose those 20 lbs, wear a nice pair of form-fitting jeans and show 'em to BuggieDad... I'll let you figure out the rest...

As for pain, keep soaking in them Epsom Salt baths. If you have access to a jacuzzi/hot tub, go to that! Works better.... And yes, as everyone says, STRETCH next time you go out there and skate with your DD.

Go easy coming back to skating. Work on getting your old skating legs back and your old jumps back first, up to and including a flip if you're that close to landing one. The confidence will come back the more you go back on the ice.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Jazz is right! When I started last year (at age 56) I thought I would NEVER jump - just too risky at my age. This week my coach has had me working on entries and exits (for jumps and spins) and the RFO/LBO was starting to feel really good. If I had been doing off-ice jump practice I KNOW I would not have been able to resist trying a Salchow So much for "I will never jump again". Now the question is what, if anything, will I break or bruise when I DO jump - LOL!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )