Ok this is to the Male skaters, does wearing jeans affect your skating?, like if you have worn pants when you skated for a session and then put jeans, do you find spinning and jumps harder. I am wondering as I only wear jeans ONLY to skating.

Well, I'm not a male skater... but I have worn jeans to skate a LOOOOONG time ago. Let's just say it can be constricting in your movement, particular knee bend, which is rule #1 of skating. And when you fall on wet ice... it's uncomfortably wet!!!

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Well I said it in chat but I'll sai it again - Jeans suck! They really restrict your range of movement and are too heavy besides. Stop worring about looking gay and go watch *any* professional in competition, and you'll see that they never wear jeans. You like Zhenya - but I'll bet you that you can't find a single instance where he's skated in jeans, ever! They just hold you back.

The only guys at the rink that wear jeans are the guys who come maybe twice a year, and wear rental hockey skates to match their jeans!

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
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There are some jeans that have spandex or other stretchy material in them, to provide much more give (I'm wearing a pair from Target right now that I luuurve--not skating in them, though, and I'm not a guy). I've seen some exhibitions skaters wearing them--I think Kurt Browning had a holiday special a few years ago with the guys in jeans with multicolored sweaters on top. Perhaps they don't restrict motion as much while skating. (I would agree w/Jazzpants) that they'd be most uncomfortable when wet...)

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There are loose-fitting and looser-fitting jeans, which most guys tend to wear anway, and those are fine for skating, if that's what you're most comfortable in. Really, usually only girls wear those spandex jeans that looks like they had to lie down flat in order to zip up the zipper. You can certainly skate and do camels and spirals in the loose-fitting jeans or wear warm-up pants.

The guys where I skate either wear ice dance/skating pants, or some sort of warm ups, either nylon or cotton/lycra, the kind that usually have a stripe down the side. I'd think jeans would be uncomfortable; knowing how much I sweat when I skate, yuck! But if it makes you happy & they aren't restricting your movement, it doesn't matter.

I wear jazz pants. No tight spandex for me! Ugh! Maybe if I was doing a competition or something where it was important for the judges to see the lines or something...

But baggy jeans are a nightmare, they weight too much, hang funny, and interfere with everything. In jazz pants which are Lycra I believe, I'm unrestricted and can easily do anything without having to worry about them getting bunched up or in my way (well, I do wear looser-fitting ones, so one does need to watch out for catching the blade on the bottoms, but I've only done that once ever).

They certainly don't look womanly - I wear them out in public and never hear any negative comments, and girls seem to like them (or maybe I just have nice friends).

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

It's not a great idea to skate in jeans, since they don't move with you. You would be better to wear tracksuit trousers, which is what many/most skaters, and all the coaches (here) wear in practice, anyway. The other thing about jeans is that if you fall, and they get wet, they don't dry quickly and can be dreadfully clammy - far better to change, and have them dry to change into after your session. And if you plan to compete, it's worth investing in a proper pair of skating trousers to keep for best - if you keep your figure, they'll last for years!

Okay, if you have a really old and soft pair of jeans, you can wear them if you need a costume where jeans are required (as Husband's costume for our "Leader of the pack" programme). But I certainly wouldn't recommend them for everyday skating wear.

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I've never worn jeans to skate in, but the thought of it is pretty bad. Not only is there the restriction in movement, but hey, if you fall in a wet patch (of which we have several at the moment at our rink!) it would be pretty unpleasant. I'm female so stick to wearing tights when I skate, but on the odd occasion I wear trousers I stick to jogging bottoms.

Nicki

But aren't jazz pants still a littble bit on the too clingy side? I've been trying to find a lightweight warm-up pant that sort of hang close to the body but doesn't look like tights and not as loose/large as normal warm-up pants.

I often wear jeans to skate if I'm just fooling around, but if I'm working seriously, I don't even think about it. Tights or leggings is the only way to go. Even my loosest jeans just don't move with me like a pair of tights. My dh wears track pants for skating, or a pair of leggings designed for runners. Much easier to move in.

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Are they really wearing jeans or stretchy pants made from jeans-print fabric? I have some knit fabric with jeans print and from a distance you can't tell that they aren't jeans...
Chuck Norris (the karate guy) wears something like knit pants that looks like jeans-they have lots of stretch so he can do all that karate. If he wore regular jeans he couldn't kung-fu.

It's so funny-as much as I hated stretchy knit pants when I was a kid, I have a hard time skating in anything else (except a skirt)

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

Last year Phillip Poole's costume in Grease was designed to look like black jeans - if you looked closely, it was ordinary stretch material, but with a line of sequins carefully sewn where the seams and back pocket of a pair of jeans would be, so that when he was on the ice, it looked like jeans to the audience. Perhaps Kurt Browning's were something similar?

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

Nah, it depends on the style. I pick mine up at thrift stores, so they're all a bit different. I have one pair that is a little too tight, and I don't ever wear it because it's too form-fitting and I'm just not comfortable with that. My favorites are looser - snug on the hips but loose from a bit above the knees down - you can see them in these videos of my crappy spins if you're really interested:
http://kc.sk8rland.com/video/ice_skating/2005-07-14/
(try not to laugh too much, I got nervous and didn't perform very well in front of the camera )

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

You actually want them to be a bit clingy. First reason is that if you have a coach like mine, they want to see your body lines! The second and more practical reason is... you don't want to rip or trip over the foot of the pants with your blade...

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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!!!

I just have to share that my coach got after one of the kids for wearing jeans on lesson under her zippered pants the other day for the same reason that most people have posted- that you have little knee bend with jeans!

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For what it's worth, jeans wouldn't be accepted on a freestyle session, because they are not figure skating attire. You'd get kicked off, if they let you on at all. Personally, if I saw anyone wearing jeans unless it was for a specific exhibition piece the night of a show, I'd think he was a real amateur. Anyone who cares about their skating will care more about being able to move properly than to look cool. And I personally don't find guys in jeans attractive anyways, unless they're wearing those really skinny girly jeans, and if you tried to skate in those, they'd probably split in half.

You know, Disney should really stop making movies with corny messages like "don't judge a book by its cover", because obviously no one is taking those messages seriously. Some people are going to judge you on your appearances anyway.

One doesn't have to wear jeans on the ice only to look "cool". I think the original poster is comfortble in jeans, and if he wants to wear it then why not. Of course if freestyle sessions have a no jeans rule then he can only wear it on public session. Like I said previously, men jeans aren't usually designed to be tight-fitting and immovable, unless you purposely choose them to be that way. You can easily skate in those light-weight, worn-out style of jeans just as well as skating wearing warm-up pants. As for worrying if someone thinks you're an "amateur" for wearing jeans on the ice? I say let your own skating do the talking. Who cares what others thinks of you. Believe me, I've seen my share of people in fancy skating costumes that can't do squat. What you wear isn't going to determine wether you're an "amateur" or not. The main goal is to be comfortable and have fun. For the most part the only person you'll have to impress is yourself. Now I'll get off my soapbox

On the contrary, the original poster wears jeans because he's worried about looking gay in pants which allow a greater range of motion. The motivation is entirely appearance.

Jeans are a thick, bulky, heavy material - they will hinder your skating as a result and are certainly not the most comfortable thing to wear in this sport. I'm not saying if you wear more appropriate clothing you'll automatically be a great skater, but you'll certainly be a better skater than you would be in jeans. Sure, you can get baggy jeans, and they'll weigh even more since they're more material, and they'll still bunch up and cause pain under your knee if you bend enough, i.e. doing a shoot the duck or sit spin. And from my experience, it doesn't really matter how baggy the jeans are, if you try to squat or raise a leg quickly, the heavy material will catch on your skin and get in the way regardless. Believe it or not, they are a hindrance.

Edited to add: I do believe that people should be free to wear whatever they want, but that doesn't mean that this example is a good idea.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

I understand where you are coming from, and I didn't mean "amateur" as in...isn't a good skater per se, but more someone who really doesn't take it seriously at all...and for someone who just bought Gold Seals, I'd think he would at least choose a tiny bit better attire to go with them than jeans. I mean it's just odd to have the highest blade available, and yet be wearing jeans while you practice. The mind baffles.

Plus, as Casey said, I commented on how bad it would look mainly because Casey had said earlier that the original poster was mainly wearing jeans so he wouldn't look gay. This is figure skating. If you're doing a spin or a spiral, a lot of meat-head idiots will think you are gay, whether you wear a military uniform or pink ballet tights. That's how things are. If you bought a 600 dollar blade, I'd think you'd be past that. So to see a situation like this is just absurd, IMO. And yeah if he's comfortable that's what matter, but he's screwing up his skating because of it. I mean, if I went to ballet class, I wouldn't be wearing cargo shorts, even that's what I feel most comfortable in. There are accepted attires for each sport a person picks. Half of it is appearance and tradition, the other half is functionality. Wearing Jeans if you are trying to learn figure skating is just not the way to go, no matter the reason. It's not like he can't find a good pair of track pants that look manly enough.

Surely that depends on the rink and its policies? I've certainly seen skaters in jeans on our teatime patch - beginners, mostly, although one of the coaches sometimes does if they haven't anybody they'll be expected to dance with and can't be *rs*d to change. Most people stop wearing them once they start skating seriously, whether their coach tells them, or whether they just realise that jeans are not what is worn.

But, surely, jeans are deeply uncool these days among the young anyway? They might wear them for comfort or practicality (not on the ice, obviously, but generally), but they are certainly not considered cool - a certain would-be cool TV presenter (boy-racer type in his 50s) has put most of our young off wearing them forever, I think!

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

I used to skate with a builder who always wore jeans for patch, I didnt say anything until one day he turned up spattered in plaster and paint, best not repeat what I said. Anyway I bought him some track bottoms and a nice jumper for his birthday and I don't think I have seen him wear jeans since, he has loads of different track trousers now and he has realised that they are much better for work as well as play.

Cheers
Grace

I did once wear jeans for a lesson but only because my son could not make it at the last minute and since he has the same coach, the coach suggested I should have the lesson since I'd be paying for it anyway. I dont' normally go on the patches in the mornings as I have the opportunity to practice on public sessions (very quiet morning ones) and tend to leave those busy patches to the kids and so I had not dressed for a lesson. The jeans were stretchy denim with lycra but it was really hard to skate properly in them and I felt terribly self-conscious - indeed I felt like a beginner who didn't know any better than to wear jeans to skate in. If you are going to take the sport in any way seriously then appropriate attire is surely part of that.

Lots of boys/men at the rink skate in track bottoms although my son actually prefers to skate in proper mens skating trousers (in matt lycra that looks more like cotton twill with proper zipper etc) as they are stretchy and comfortable and have the straps to go under the boot and keep the line looking good through jumps and spirals and spreadeagles etc. He wouldn't be seen dead in them outside the rink but he always wears them for skating. I certainly dont think a proper skating trouser looks gay and to be honest that really shouldnt matter anyway. It's not the clothes that determine whether or not someone is gay.

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Just to pipe in with a vote for track pants or a pair of men's skating trousers; many of the men's skating trousers aren't supertight -- the guys at my rink tend to look like they're wearing a nice pair of fitted dress pants, but of course they can move in them. You might be able to get some knee bend in jeans, but anything deep (and hence proper) would bunch up.

Track pants work fine. I usually skate in dance leggings, but sometimes I put track pants over them if it's really cold or I'm just doing moves.

Honestly, if you're worried about looking gay, anyone inclined to judge you on appearance is probably gonna take their clues from the figure skates, not the jeans.

Haha, I really feel bad for guys, because there's just not all that many pants that are deemed cool these days. Khakis are sort of a stuffy "bussiness" style, corduroys are desperately out of style (although those were my favorites for boys!) and jeans are pretty much out too. I think jeans are okay if they are super dark and "skinny", not the baggy types of the late 90's. A few holes around the knees don't hurt either. All in all, it must not be too fun to be a guy- nothing to choose from! I can't really even, in my head, think of what I see boys wearing these days. When I close my eyes all I see are a bunch of black skating pants and different colors of track suits. I guess this probably means I should get out more. Oh well, haha.

What DO normal boys wear for pants these days?!