Someone mentioned to me recently that a lot of beginner skaters don't post on our weekly "good skate/bad skate" thread because all of the posters there seem to be so advanced.

Obviously, they haven't read my posts.

So here's a chance for them.

If you've been skating for a year or less, let us know how you're doing. What are you learning now? Are you taking lessons? Private or group? What do you find easiest and hardest?

I love when the beginning skaters post, as that is what I can relate to, not having many skills myself yet. And even if I do not continue taking lessons, I feel as if I can relate to their beginning experiences.

My thoughts on my experiences are: I took a learn to skate class through a community college. That was probably the best experience because we learned so many things so fast, and you find that you can really learn some of the basic skills quite quickly--such as simple turns, stops, etc.

I then took a session through the rink, and we worked a lot on crossovers, edges, mohawks, etc. That session went well because the instructor really gave personal attention and helped us to build on the skills we were picking up.

I did not take lessons for several months, as since it is difficult to get to public sessions, I decided I probably do not have enough time to put in to learn the skills taught in lessons anyway. But decided to give it another go, and now I have an instructor that teaches various skills, many of which we cannot possibly do at this point. So, though it is fun to try various things, I am just not as interested in learning the skills. After this session is over, I am just going to acknowledge that I will just be an occasional recreational skater, and just enjoy skating forward, a little backwards, and play around--but not try to progress up the figure skating ladder.

That said, I hope more beginning skaters start to post, as I enjoy reading about their experiences as well as those at higher levels.

Good for you!!!! Although I skate often and continue to take lessons, I'm still a recreational skater. I don't plan to skate in any competitions, unless I happen to join my girlfriend's adult synchro team which skates for fun.

Although I have been officially skating for just over a year, I still consider myself a beginner as I am still in IS Gamma and STILL stuck on FO3 turns. Although I am determined that this 8-week session I will crack them!! I should have more time to post and to skate in two weeks after my show is finished.

I haven't been posting on the lesson thread as my posts would look like this:

Week 1: Still no FO3.
Week 2: Still no FO3.
Week 3: Still no FO3.
Week 4: Still no FO3.
Week 5: Still no FO3.
Week 6: Still no FO3.
Week 7: Test. Fail. Still no FO3.
Week 8: Still no FO3.

And no one wants to read that week after week!!!

Quarkiki, I completely understand! I know when I began learning the mohawk, as it was part of the alpha test, I thought the same thing with that. Had I continued with lessons, I know all I would have said is, no mohawk yet, no mohawk yet, and I can still say "no mohawk yet".

Definitely a thread I can relate to! I used to skate a little bit when I was in college (very haphazard, our teacher would teach us random things, so while I can spin, I never learned mohawks and three turns!), but it had been about 12 years since I tried skating, so I started over from Alpha last October.

I passed my Gamma test a couple weeks ago... but like Alexa and Quarkiki, if I were to post on the lesson thread, it would have looked pretty similar to you guys... "still no RFI mohawk!" Anyway, like I said, I did manage to pass my gamma test, just barely, with kind of a hopped RFI mohawk that my teacher let go because she said I'd always have to work on mohawks.

Delta lessons don't start until June. I've been working on the USFSA Pre-bronze elements at the same time as the ISI tests, so along with swearing over the mohawks, I've been working on one foot and two foot spins, waltz jumps, and my current happy accomplishment is landing half-flips (as of last week).

I've been skating for ten years, so although I'm not a beginning skater anymore, I'm in my fourth year of coaching and am just starting to do more work with adults. Since I started at eleven, I don't really know what it's like to start as an adult, and I really like to read what you beginners have to say. I feel it helps me relate to my students better, and often I get ideas of new ways to approach things by reading about what your coaches have told you. So keep the posts coming, and know that at least one non-beginner here is interested in what you're saying!

I always post on the weekly lesson thread, but as a beginner, I will post here, too. I started skating in mid-January and had hed fourteen lessons thus far (next Monday is my last for this session ). I have no idea what level I am at, as all "adult" skaters are lumped together in the same class, regardless of what level they are at. So far, I have learned front and back crossovers and can do them fairly well in both the CW and CCW directions. Also, I have learned two-footed turns and both RFI and LFI mohawks. My instructors and I discovered that I have a kick-@$$ spread eagle, as I have very open hips from 18 years of ballet lessons. I am just starting to work on spirals, and have mastered the beautiful jump that is th eBunny Hop!!! Just in time for Easter LOL. Sadly, I only have one more lesson left, then my rink closes for the summer. There is only one rink that will have summer ice, but it does not open until mid-July. I'm afraid I'll lose all my skills before then!

I finally, finally got the nerve to go down to the rink and sign up for lessons (a birthday present to myself), and I just had my very first lesson last week, so I really qualify for the "beginners'" thread! It was wonderful, with a fun group of people both younger and older than me. While I now know enough to realize what you're saying when you talk about Gamma and Delta levels and such things, I'm just ridiculously excited because not only did I not fall down, I actually skated backwards for the first time! (That may seem silly, I know, but I never thought I'd be able to do that.) I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series and suspect I may be completely hooked and keep going!

I've been a lurker for a long, long time . . . thanks, everybody, for such a wonderful place to come to hear about skating!

Welcome to the group!

I am also interested in what the beginners are saying - it helps me understand what other adults are going through. It hard sometimes to help people who ask me questions, because I learned the basics 30 years ago and have forgotten what it was like. Reading your posts helps me remember.

Oh yes!!! I remember my excitement when I actually skated backward for the first time.

So.... WAY TO GO!!!!!

hi
ive been skating with lessons for 3 years but i previously did canskate b4 that for a few years too. im working on double loops rite now but a few years ago three turns took me forever!!!!! so did mowhawks. once u get one you can get them tho! u jsut hafta get the rite feeling.

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beks~
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"It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at pracitce that counts; it's what you put into the practice."

Quarkiki, don't despair! I can do FO3s, but even after 8 years I can't do them at speed! I am just beginning to be able to turn from F to B using a Mohawk without slowing to almost a stop, but 3-turns? On my own? Fuggedaboudid! I can do them well enough with a partner, though.

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

You guys are great! Thanks for the responses, as well as the advice about socks and boot fit, etc., I’ve seen on other threads. Very helpful!!

For me, it helps when a move is explained to me very literally before I try it. It’s good to watch the coach do it, too, but it helps me when someone says “you should put your weight here at this point” or “you should always be on this edge when you do that.” It helps me to get the concept clear in my mind first. Then I know what I’m arguing with my feet about!

For instance, I had little trouble with the backward swizzle but was really jerky and choppy doing the same move forward – couldn’t get into a rhythm or build momentum. That’s when it would be nice if the coach would point out what I’m doing wrong so I can get my head round the concept and try again to do it properly.

Second lessen tomorrow night!

Eeeek! Second "lesson," I meant. Must be more excited than I thought.