Hi guys

My niece started her skating lesson at the same time as me since last week. I discovered that my performance will be off a bit, especially when I am aware that my niece is in the same skating rink as me. I know that her level is only ISI beta (Alpha- she still needs to work on her left leg crossover, and also hockey stops), whilst I am already in ISI level 3.

Anybody know a good way for me to overcome my tension during the lesson?

londonicechamp

I always skated on the same ice as my daughter. When she was younger, if she was having a bad day it would affect my skating, too, because I'd be worrying about her. But now I'm pretty good at ignoring her and focusing on my own skating. I never really worried about whether she was watching me and criticizing what I was doing (she wasn't). Skaters usually focus on their own practice and pay attention to other skaters just so they won't collide. Honestly, do you pay that much attention to what your niece is doing out there? So it shouldn't make any difference whether she's there or not.

Hi Clarice

Thanks for your advice.

I know that I should not be paying much attention to what my niece is doing on the ice during lesson and or practice. However, my mind is telling me otherwise.

I think that I will slowly be getting used to the fact that my niece will be on the same ice as me, and will be able to ignore her eventually.

londonicechamp

Are you an adult and your neice young? If so, you should probably just accept the fact she will progress more quickly than you. Don't worry about it.

I started skating as an adult when my daughter was very young, before she skated. She's skating at the novice level now and I don't do more than half-jumps. I remember once when she was still in basic skills her watching me struggle to do a toe loop. She goes "mom, is this what you are trying to do?" and effortlessly pulls one off. :-/

Joelle

I don't like to practice when my coach is on the ice with other students. I always feel like he's watching me. Of course he's not, he's paying attention to his current lesson. Still throws me.

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It's all about the dress!

I think Clarice hit it right on the nose. Whenever I think other people are watching me, I just stop and ask myself how much time I really spend watching other people when I'm on the ice. Uh, yeah. . . I guess we skaters are all pretty self-absorbed, so little chance that everyone else is watching me!

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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

Hi jskater49

Well, my niece is adult too, 3 years younger than me, going to be aged 30 soon.

However, my niece took some ice skating lessons for fun when she was about 12 years old, cannot do anything much more than forward crossovers at the moment, and also does not know how to stop on the ice.

I do get one question: my mom sometimes goes to watch me for my freestyle lesson(s) too. How come I perform better when my mom is watching me, whilst freak out a little when skating on the same ice as my niece? Does not make much sense to me.

My niece deferred her lesson(s) this week, said that she got tummy upset, and got swelling feet from her new ice skating boots.

londonicechamp

Do you feel the pressure of having to perform better than your neice? Can you just try to focus on whatever you have to work on that day?

I skate the same ice as my DD. She pretty much ignores me as do I her except for when she is running one of her programs. Then I have to move off to the side to watch.

What does throw me is when the skate moms will tell me after I'm done that they were watching me. I just assume they are watching their own kids. So it freaks me out a bit when they tell me they were watching. Luckily it's after I'm done. I try not to think about it and focus on what I've got to practice.

You probably figure your mom wouldn't be able to skate as well and she knows it. . . or she just loves you unconditionally.

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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

Hi

My niece has taken a break from ice skating at the moment. Actually she just went for one lesson, then she fell ill with a viral throat infection, was in hospital for 5 days. And now she is busy with the launch of her business, scheduled to be in September some time.

Well, my niece's major problem is that she cannot stop on ice. Also she probably figured that it will take her much longer to reach at my level.

Anyway, I do hope that she will be back to ice skating soon.

londonicechamp

I'm not sure why this would cause tension....

I tend to be so into my own world when I am on sessions. Sometimes I end up on sessions with people I don't particularly get along with (like my old dance partner), or who want to just socialize and screw around, but I ignore them. I can care less who else is on the ice.

Well...except for when I was a teenager, I had a huge crush on an ice dancer who was on my sessions with his partner. I honestly think that was what helped me fly through so many dances (got from prelims-pre silvers in just over a year), I was trying to impress him. But then we dated on and off my freshman/sophomore year of college and again a few years after we both graduated and were back home, it took me a while to realize he's a total jerk who can't handle being with a smart woman who won't play the role of dumb arm candy.

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Don't break anything

When my daughter skated on the same session as I did, I only paid enough attention to her to make sure that she was skating and not standing on the ice chatting.

I enter my "zone" and really don't pay much attention to what everyone else is doing; especially when I'm in lesson. When I'm not in a lesson, I don't pay attention to what my coach is doing-when she is teaching me I KNOW she pays everyone else little mind unless she is spotting for space for me.

Although, sometimes I do get bored and then I will watch some of the skaters doing moves or jumps-I find it motivating.

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

I do that too, on occasion. I am normally on the ice with a lot of high level kid/teenage skaters, and sometimes I'll watch them do a jump or a spin, especially if I am struggling with something but I know one of them has good technique at it. I credit an adorable set of 13 yr old Japanese twins at my rink with gorgeous spins for fixing my back camel entry, and watching a few of our kids working on their double axel takeoffs has helped see what I need to fix on my singles.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

You two are so close in age - maybe there's an inherent rivalry (hee) or maybe something in you just doesn't want her to feel bad that she hasn't progressed as you have. I bet it's the latter.

I have the opposite problem re. my mother (and I'm 41) - the one time she came to watch me I was so unnerved I walked onto the ice with my guards on and promptly fell. Really couldn't skate well at all...

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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)

Hi loopover

You may be right, I did feel bad that it would take my niece much longer to progress to my level.

My niece did want me to teach her some moves, however, I told her that it is better that she practised on what her coach taught her. That is coz I do not want her to develop a lot of bad habits.

londonicechamp