Do you have people in your life who are mystfied about this whole adult skating thing?

Recently someone I know asked me if I wouldn't be happier inline skating outside, because we live in Florida and it's the same thing, so why wouldn't I want to be outside. I told her I do jumps and pavement hurts. She thought it was ridiculous! Oh well.

Then at the opposite end of the spectrum I had a coworker who thought when I told him I was an adult skater that meant I could do triples, and when I told him I'm working on singles he was really disappointed

Most of the "uninformed" think figure skating is easy and don't understand why you aren't throwing combinations and triples all over the place after your first couple of weeks. I just smile and say "Bring your skates!" It is amazing how quiet it gets after that !

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

My most annoying comment comes because I started skating at the same time as my 5 yr old (then 4yr old) daughter... People would come up to me and say "wow she's really good... must bug you that she's better than you" .... what bugged me was that they felt it necessary to point out that yes in fact she is alot better than me at skating ... talk about rub salt into the wound!!

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AW1
mum to Miss Lil (6yrs old)
mum to be to #2 due in March 08

I recently told someone that I had been a roller dancer, and they started insisting that I go back to roller because I had loved it so much. Nevermind that there isn't a decent roller rink within 2 hours of where I live, or that at this point I'm scared to even put my skates on again. I'm doing just fine on ice now, but this idiot wouldn't quit. I've made a mental note not to speak with that one again.

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I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you.

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Oh gosh, ALL THE TIME!!! People always ask me if they can come watch one of my competitions, but I usually don't invite them unless they (at some point) have been ON THE ICE with me. Then when you go into a single loop or a waltz jump, they react as if you just got done doing a double axel or something. Amazing how the perception changes once they are actually standing on the ice WITH YOU........

Having said that, I have shown previous performances to people like my elderly neighbor who was very impressed, even though he had never been on skates. He was amazed that I have the discipline to get up every morning to do this, and I am equally amazed at his zest for life at the ripe age of 81 (especially since he had a knee replacement at 79).

I started skating shortly after my now 10 year old daughter (who was then 3). You can imagine just how much better she is than me by now.

Actually we competed against each other this autumn - she won, and I finished 8th out of 9. A lot of people said they couldn't believe I'd done it, but hey, it'll never happen again because by next year she'll have too many tests for us to be in the same class, and I'm never going to catch up.

Now the little one, I've been skating for 3 years longer than he has, and I think I'm just barely still nose in front - as long as it isn't spinning or jumping...

If people make comments about them skating better than me, I say I'm showing them that even adults have to work at things they're not necessarily very good at.

My twin sister (in Colorado) is just amazed when I skate backward. She's never been able to master that or understand the mechanics of it.

Maybe if 2008 AN is in Colorado Springs, she can finally watch me compete ...

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Yes, Yoga and skating are completely foreign to most people. Some folks at work (generally the happy people) are really behind my skating. My pet peeve is one of my homophobic redneck jerk partners loves to sneak around trying to convince everyone that since I'm a male skater I must be gay. I only made matters worse when I yelled at him that I have several gay friends and most are wonderful people. Sigh, I told him that I felt sorry for him having to live in that miserable mind of his.

Lyle
P.S. A study published in the December 2006 Proceedings of the Mayo Clinic showed that pessimists have a 42% increased risk of all cause mortality compared to optimists

Don't try to reason with him, just pepper your replies with "hostile work environment" and "harrassment." Write "HR VISIT" in big, red letters on your office calendar, along with "Schedule sensitivity training workshop."

Seriously, if he's starting trouble like that with you, a married man, he's probably being hostile to others as well. Supervisors/managers need to be made aware of it before someone gets upset.

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Most people are a little surprised when told. I'm not sure what's really going through their heads.

At work, there's one fellow who kids me continuously about figure skating. One morning this picture graced my office door:



I KNOW it was him, although he never 'fessed up. I took the joke in stride. Figure skaters are tough!

Another co-worker is learning to play the violin as an adult and we both appreciate the drills that we each perform to perfect our respective craft. She's probably the most understanding of my co-workers and occasionally asks about progress. To me, learning to figure skate IS like learning to play an instrument.

Most of the rest just remember that I lost 20 pounds in my first year on the ice. That fact appears to be more significant to them as a goal and they don't ask much about skating progress, etc.

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Bill Schneider

I don't recall you ever pushing me to roller skate again. It was a recreation adult at another rink. I just couldn't get her to understand that not only am I DONE with roller, but that I don't have enough time or money to do both.

I've actually never had anyone tell me what I do it odd or unusual. Mostly they are surprised and happy for me.

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I'm just bustin' your chops because we have discussed it in the past. I wasn't pushy, though.

FWIW, I think you'd be great if you ever tried roller skates again.

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BINGO!!!!! If it were that easy to do a triple jump, why aren't the best skaters in the world--who started skating at 5 years old, practice 20 hours a week and are the only skaters most people have seen--doing quintuple jumps?! Ugh.

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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 don't like to have people close to me watch me at comps-it is unnerving!

There is one guy I work with who is very annoying-he is trying to be "wise and sage" and all that but he ends up looking and sounding stupid (he's very young) by saying things like "You can do anything you set your mind to" etc. He doesn't understand the difficulties of this sport and it isn't always mind over matter! Maybe I need to get him on the ice with me (he does skate, barely) have him run through some of my moves and maybe that would shut him up.

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

Hmm. . . I wonder if someone shouldn't point out to him that if he keeps going around expressing so much interest in who is and isn't gay, people will assume he's the one with some sexuality issues to hide. . .

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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

Yeh, poor fellow definitely has some issues. He is the only true sadist I have ever met. Sure some people will pretend, but he is the real deal.
Lyle

[QUOTE=Skate@Delaware;301803]There is one guy I work with who is very annoying-he is trying to be "wise and sage" and all that but he ends up looking and sounding stupid (he's very young) by saying things like "You can do anything you set your mind to" etc. QUOTE]

Heh my boss is funny, I came back from a lunchtime practice one day forcing him to listen to my tales of skating (wonder that's why he just changed positions and is moving out of our office) and I told him I didn't fall -- he told me you don't really try if you don't fall, and I said ok, but maybe I was doing it right! Pessimist!!

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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)

Hey, do you know something we don't??

Actually I had a couple of instances of this yesterday.
Yesterday, the chief surgical resident told one of the residents that I was a professional skater. Okay, I don't have any endorsements or sponsorships here.
Last night, my father was talking to a family friend that we haven't seen in awhile. I talk to her a bit and tell her about my skating- when Dad interrupts telling me "Tell her how many medals you have!" While I didn't tell her about that, I did tell her about my recently passed test and my goal to qualify to 2008 AN.
And several co- workers ask if I've been to the outdoor seasonal rink in my area- uh no.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

When I saw my doctor earlier this year, she asked if I was still skating, and I think she was just being polite when she asked how it was going.

Of course, being ever the over-enthusiastic adult onset skater, and all too happy to "share" even the most minor of successes...... ..... I replied by telling her about some of the "concrete" things I'd done in skating since I saw her last (hoping that concrete things like passing a test, or skating in a competition, would be the most understandable for a person who had never skated).

It was hysterical when she kind of sat there and briefly studied me. The look on her face could have been on the Mastercard ads, I'm sure....."priceless"! She didn't at all "get it" . And to quote you, looplover, she definitely looked mystified. It was weird, because I think maybe she thought I might have gotten a brain and given up skating over the last year!

She even said "But WHY are you doing all this? For what reason? Where does it fit in in the scheme of things? It's not like you'll be going to the Olympics!"

Darn, and here I was thinking I'd be the first 58 ( by next Olys) year-old to skate there!!!! LOL!!!!!

The only person who expresses any kind of negativism about my skating is my mom - but it's mostly her concern that I might injure myself. My colleagues typical reaction is: "Wow, that's so cool! How do you find time to do that?" I think, in my profession most people are envious of those who have some kind of life outside work - nobody assumes you do it for any kind of rational benefit other than getting fit and having fun.

Also, when I remarked to one of my colleagues that I'm a pretty lousy skater as I keep coming last in competitions, she replied: "C'mon, you are actually skating in competitions, doing jumps and stuff, that's amazing - most people would be happy just to be able to skate forward!"

Nobody ever asked me "why would you want to compete at all?" - which doesn't surprise me. My workmates are a bunch of alpha-personalities for whom competing is as natural as breathing. Doing something, even a hobby, and not benchmarking yourself against competition every other second? Unthinkable!

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My other car is a Zamboni

Yeah, it is so funny. At age 47 and very overweight, I don't look like I would do anything physical, let alone something most people perceive as graceful or athletic.

When they hear I skate, they are surprised. Around here it is not a common sport, very few people here can skate at all. When they hear that I actually jump and spin, their faces are comical as they try to reconcile the skaters they see in Olympics with the idea of my doing those things.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Yikes! Scary. . .

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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

family: they don't even ask me about it, I get this feeling they think I'm nuts

friends/co-workers: its either extreme some ask if I can do a triple axel yet or a double and then look bewildered why if im skating for 2yrs I'm not. others have no clue about skating and ask me "isnt boring to just skate around in circles?!". And then there are some who think its the coolest thing in the world and if i skate with them at the rink they will start applauding when I do a toe loop!

You could have been really mean and said, "Well, why do you practice medicine? It's not like you are going to invent a new procedure or find an unknown disease in THIS place?" but that's mean....

I just tell people that it's my sport and it's safer than hang-gliding, plus there are no cliffs around here.....that shuts them up. (I don't mention the falls and head whacks I've received for the glory of the sport).

Theres always the Senior Olympics! (but Delaware doesn't participated in the senior winter olys).

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