Just picking up on what cherriee mentioned on another thread:

It is so true! I've alway looked forward to Mondays because I would skate before work... BUT now that I don't, I begin to understand the term "Monday blues".

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Blog: http://chowskates.blogspot.com

Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/chowskates
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LOL! I skate on Mondays, so when I wake up, I don't think "oh no, weekend's over... back to school". I think "yay skating!!"

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It makes me feel alive.

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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

Used to be chronically tired before I took it up, now I'm still not very crisp, but I can function normally. It also makes coffee unnessecary.

And when I don't skate, I take up smoking or eating candy to relieve stress. It's my way of relaxing. When I come back from a skating session, even if the world collapses around, I stay calm and find ways to solve it. It focuses me.

It also keeps my nightmares away and my sleep sound.

It gives me exercise, makes me feel graceful (most of the time ), and gives me goals. I love it. It's like an escape from the everyday world. Plus it's the only sport I've ever been good at

Ooh, a number of things!

• It excites and scares me in equal measures
• It's good for me
• It really helps me clear my head when I'm stressed
• It's fulfilling when I learn something new and reach my goals
• It makes me feel like I'm flying

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Amanda

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance . . . "

My Skating Journal

I enjoy the focus of working on an element and then suddenly getting it. It gives me time to not worry about the rest of life and just focus on my body and trying to make it do what I want.
It destresses me from work and makes me feel alive - even on those really early morning sessions.
And it gives me friends (currently in far flung places from working abroad, but it's nice to be able to just travel and show up at a rink and meet friendly faces no matter how bad the day has been).

A personal challenge. My achievements or failures are mine to own.
An endless list of things to learn and be challenged by.
Unique friends. Where else can an adult be friends with someone 10 to 72?
Fun exercise.
Dreams. =-)
The feeling of flying.

Many others.

teresa

Me too! Except it's "oh no! Back to work again..." It's probably the only thing that keeps me from killing off my coworkers at times!!!

Gives me ...

• goals
• challenge
• creative outlet
• Helps me with stress when I'm upset or just in need of a clear mind.
• A lot of new friends
• sport that I'm actually good at
• confidence
• very strong abs and core -- even though I sure as heck don't look it, given my (STILL ) flabby belly! I fooled a lot of personal trainers!
• A good reason to work my butt off at the gym (figuratively and literally!)
• Strength -- no more having some big, strong guy to replace the big 5 gallon jug of water at the office anymore! If anything, I can impressed the big strong guys on my team now doing it myself. (And those of you that have met me know I'm not a big, tall muscle bounded woman either.)

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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!!!

When I skate I feel

-Like anything is posible
-I can fly
-It's like the rest of the world just disappears and what happens outside of the rink never comes in

Skating helps me with having stronger legs which is good for trampoline and soccer that I also do. It also makes me feel special because there aren't many people around that skate and I'm also the second best at my club!!

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2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

Skating is just, like finding a part of me that didn't exist but now does... all the muscles I use only when I get on the ice... its amazing. It just expands my physical vocabulary.

Speaking about that I also recall a recent very nice moment while playing badminton, but thats another story.... anyways I think sports are really fun sometimes when you just get those moments that make it so amazing.

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Tidesong

I skate because it helps keep me sane and i also like having goals. I think if i didn't have goals, i would just not feel motivated by much in life.

I love finding the right music to skate to even when just "skating around!"

Skating is just something that I love...when I wasn't skating, I thought about skating...

Skating is so much better than the gym, and it gives me an opportunity to make friends outside of my job (in my line of work, for many of us, our only friends are from work...considering that we live and work in the same place).

I love working on new skills and just the feeling I get from being on the ice