Adult skater -- haven't been on the ice since Aug 2001. I used to skate 2-4 days a week and teach the kiddies. Competed, got a few medals. Then 9/11 happened. Got sent to Baltimore for 2.5 months. Talked to my coach a few times, but he had his own problems (long story). Today, Mr. Tessa and I were NYC-bound to see the gates with friends. I dusted off the Harlicks, made him stop at Sky Rink and got my blades sharpened. A co-worker said the best place to view The Gates was Harlem Meer (less peeps, lots of gates) and I made hubby and co. go to Lasker Rink for my debut (after lots of walking from 90th up to 110).

OMG. The pain! I've gained 20 lbs, center of gravity soooo off. Foot cramps in the boots, pain in the hamstrings, lower back...stuff I could do easily in summer 2001, well, they didn't happen. AT ALL. When I'd stopped in 2001 I was working on the double sal. After 10 minutes I did actually land a very badly checked single. Then I had to stop! Is there hope?

I miss skating. I really do. I figure I'll need quite a few public sessions, taking major rests just to get my crossovers back. I remembered back to teaching and just tried to stroke and bend my knees but man, it was tough. Has anyone come back from such a deficit?

ummm..yes,. I have MS. I was in a wheelchair at one point. Now I'm trying double..trying, not landing

My advice...take it slow. You will injure yourself if you try to do everything at once. Build up strength in your legs by stroking. This will help you find your balance again.

I lost a lt of weight and my feet shrunk so I too had balance issues...still do. But your body does adjust.

Get your skates stretched if they are too small. Just remember ify ou plan on losing weight, your feet will shrink a bit and then the stretched out skates might be too big.

Have fun!!

Tell me about it..... (suffering from just that having happened!). Need new boots, maybe later this summer.

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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!

Sure there is hope! Give yourself a few weeks, get a coach to watch some of your technique that's probably whonky, and you will progress very quickly. (I predict in my magic crystal ball)..

I agree to get those skates stretched, and start a program of daily stretching. If you are motivated, you will do fine.

JP one and only......you are an inspiration!

Go for it! As above, take it slowly. The weight will come off with the work and your skills will return.

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I started back to skating in spring of 2000, after having skated only sporatically from late summer 1988 to spring of 2000, and after having had my left knee operated on twice (one scope to clean out/exploratory, one ACL reconstruction).

I was also about 20-25 pounds heavier (at least).

The first few months were brutal as I relearned how to do everything. In my case, I do almost solely dance, so the hardest part was that my brain still thought of me as an "Almost Silver" dancer (needing only my European Waltz) but my body thought it was a "not even Preliminary" dancer.

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...