Muggles don't tend to understand, do they? The funniest occasion was when we were driving home from the Dune of Flanders Cup one year. At the time, Customs and Excise tended to stop quite a lot of cars and vans going back on the Shuttle (they've rather stopped doing it now - I think they overdid it and Enough was felt to have been Enough), and, sure enough we were stopped.

Customs Officer: "Good evening, Sir and Madam. Would you mind telling me the purpose of your trip to France this time?"

Me: "We came over to participate in an adult skating competition in Dunkerque".

Long pause, broken only by sound of Customs Officer's jaw hitting the floor.

Customs Officer: "Er, did you win?"

Me (I had, that year!): "Yes, and I've a hideous cup to prove it!"

Oh dear, it was seriously funny, it really was.

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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!

ROTFLOL
Lyle

Mrs. Redboots--

THIS is a wonderful story!!! Did you show the customs officer the cup or was it already packed away?

My husband always hopes I DON'T win a trophy (so far, I've mostly lived up to his expectations -- I think I've brough home two in 15 years)... because he does all the dusting at our house.. and he doesn't want to have anything "extra" to dust. I figure it's a fair trade.. I don't skate well enough to win when trophies are offered and still don't have to do that part of the housework!

LOL! In my other sport (summer time) I cross the U.S. border to compete once a month. When returning to Canada, the only question I get at Customs is "How did you do this weekend?" I have never done well enough to have my winnings taxed - LOL!

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

I can't remember, it was some years ago now! We did relent and tell him we'd also been shopping and bought a fair amount of wines and spirits, among other things.... but I was killing myself laughing at the time, and trying not to laugh out loud.

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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!

Not true! My aunt and uncle met at the rink. She was a figure skater and he was a hockey player. They've been happily married for many years. Now they take their kids skating.

I know that, at least in my area, there are very few male figure skaters. However, there are opportunities!

My adult skating clique used to add a few new people to the crew every year - "new recruits," we used to call them. Two of those recruits are now married for many years, with 2 (or 3) kids. He's the president of one of the figure skating clubs and they're both still active skaters, as are their kids.

I also know of several hockey player/figure skater romances that led to dates and marriages. They met by skating at the same public session each week. (This was an adult session with a DJ, lights, music, and a lot of fun!)

If you're alert and open to meeting new people, it CAN happen.
Skating's just another form of social networking.
For a guy, it's an ideal place to meet women!

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My skating director met her husband at the rink...he was (and still is) a hockey player. They met, married and they still skate. Their son skates (he is awesome for a little guy-skates figure and hockey). Great people!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

The teenage guys seem to really like me, but as I am 39, uh...no...

Creepy married guys hit on me at the rink. I keep hoping an attractive single guy over 38 will show up at his niece or nephew's birthday party one weekend.

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Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

*giggle* Too bad I spend every session totally focussed on either

A) trying to work on move du jour
B) NOT looking at the ice
C) Not looking at the ice while looking at the ice to avoid skating over a candy wrapper or coin
D) Avoiding mini goons

The few guys who come to my rink who are between the ages of 20-50 and aren't married must think I'm grumpy with eye problems!

Now, if only Santa could bring me a belated gift of a skating physical therapist/ sports medicine doc (because, with the rate I'm going, that's the best route for me!), between the ages of 25-35, and Portuguese (to make my parents happy), I'm all set

I wonder what would happen if rinks instituted singles nights?

Would make a great made-for-tv movie! injured figure skater falls for her physical therapist, recovers just before big competition, he proposes just before she skates....she wins....they marry....end up happily ever after!!!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I would think that Floyd Hall would be the only institution willing to take a chance. You could ask.

Hey - I know a young (late 20's/early 30's) Portuguese guy who's single but very cute. Lives in New Jersey .... not sure about the girlfriend sitch. I'll have to make enquiries "next year."

I like it!

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You would end up with about 50 women and 2 guys and there would be fights on the ice over them!!

I'm sure - usually I'm too engrossed in my skating to notice.

And the guys at our rink are either under the age of 14, over the age of 50 or just really weird.

I do always tell my male friends who are single and complaining about it to take up skating though.

Hey, so that was you I was trying to talk to at the arena the other day??

Does that imply that you are under 14, over 50 or weird?

Hmmm.... sounds promising Now, if he's single and doesn't mind hearing rink reports every day for the rest of his life, I see a match made in skating heaven

I love it! Sounds just like something that ABC family would do!

Aviator has a singles night, but I think it's for ages 25-40, which doesn't do me much good. They also have a teens night. I think singles night is on Thursday night.

I actually met a guy at the rink a couple times. Nothing much ever came from it except for a few dinners. One was a hockey player I met at a public session I went to with a friend of mine. My friend also liked him, but he actually liked me better. Sorry. We went out a couple times, went to the rink together a few times, but we then realized we were too much alike, adn that would be bad.

Another guy was a skate guard at Chelsea Piers. I had gone to a public session to break in my skates while my dad's friends son went to hockey practice. I ended up the whole time skating around with the skate guard. I went out with him, and I think he may have liked me, but I wasn't too into him.

I think you have a better chance of meeting someone on a public session where you're not focused on practicing so much.

I also went out with a skater once for a few months - but not from my rink. At least he understood getting up early to skate and didn't think I was loopy!

Aren't the weekend evening disco sessions designed for that? I rather think they are, here - but those are not sessions designed for people who can skate!

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

Two out of the three. Over 50 and, as my wife likes to remind me, I'm weird (but not in a bad way).

I skate mostly with women - the men in my area are almost exclusively hockey skaters. I've been busy trying to convert a few of them, but it's a long uphill battle.

I LOVE IT!!

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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

Admittedly I don't skate on public sessions, but there must have been (not including the coach) five or six men in their fifties on the ice this morning, many with their wives with them! And only two or perhaps three young boys.

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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!

I was ready to start packing my bags! Until I read the last part



LOL!

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

Yeah, I know, Rusty Blades! Sadly, you're not gonna fare better in my neck of the woods either! Most of the guys in my neck of the woods are "on a different team", if you know what I mean... LOL!!!

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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!!!