I've been skating for close to 20 months now. 90% of that time has been early in the morning. I work at night so early morning skating is the only option I have. I skate every weekday from about 7 to 9 am. I work until about 11 at night and I typically have to get up at 6 to get ready to skate. I don't get to bed until midnight. So early mornings combined with lack of sleep can really kick my butt sometimes. But after a warm shower and a cup of green tea, I'm out the door. Combine that with about 15 minutes of jump rope, I'm ready for just about anything my coach throws at me. . .
well almost anything.


BlackManSkating

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

I wish our rink would have 5 AM sessions here... Me and every other skating adult in the country I think, LOL! Skating as an adult is hell here. My rink has sessions from 14.00-16.45 or till 15.45 in the afternoon (that's before school is even out) and other rinks are open from 9 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon... Which is before people are home from work, or after they must be at work.

Someone is reading this thread and playing a joke on me. Got the schedule for the test and I have to test around 8:30

(it could be worse, the first schedule had me testing at 7:30)

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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)

I hear ya! I'm not a morning person at all, so I know what you mean.

When I was regularly skating a 6 a.m. session I would get up, throw clothes on, and drive straight to the rink (who cares what you look like at 6 a.m.?). DO allow yourself some time to warmup off-ice before you get on. DO eat or drink something -- I usually drank one of those small bottles of OJ while driving.

As for effectiveness -- one coach thought I skated better at that time of the day, my brain didn't get in the way :-). After skating I'd drive to work, take a shower (gym at work, very handy!), eat a small breakfast. I was actually pretty fine and peppy by then.

Go for it! It does make you feel like a "real skater" :-).

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Gordon Zaft
http://sk8rboi.blogspot.com
School figures are skating's equivalent of the Latin Mass.

The only time it hurts is like now when it is pitch black outside, is cold (some summer) and you are freezing your butt off at 5am getting ready to leave!

Sometimes the early morning is the only time I can skate. As an adult it seems more difficult to get the muscle going that early.

I find, however, if I can get things accomplished that early or even run my program.....it gives me confidence to know that,"hey, I did a run through at 6:15am when I was really tight, I can surely get through this test or competition when I am properly warmed up!"

I have a feeling when my new home rink sets up the September schedule, I will be back to the 6am skate. Up at 4:45....leave house by 5:20 get to rink by 5:40.....10 minute off ice warm up...lace up and skate 6-7....rush to change etc. get to work by 7:20!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

WOW! You get ready FAST!! I could never walk out of the rink in street clothes just 15 minutes after getting off the ice! Our session ends at 7:30 and I don't get out of the rink until close to 8:30, LOL! Of course I do stretch for half an hour but I have no idea what happens to the rest of the time. . .

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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

This summer, my rink offered freestyle from 7-8:50 am in addition to afternoon ice. I went to the morning sessions whenever I could, whether it was my week or day off or when I was lucky enough to get called off from work. The one thing that would bug me is when I'd have a lesson in the afternoon on my days off.
Yes, you do have to eat something- for me it was a bowl of Cornflakes with strawberries and blueberries and a cup of coffee. Sometimes after, I'd treat myself to Starbucks (my "Starbucks incentive")

This fall the rink is going to contract ice from 6-8 am and well since I have to be at work at 7am that will not work for me. No my employer is not flexible.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

I used to take lessons at 8 am, which I thought was early, but I see now that's incredibly late by some of these standards. I usually got to the rink around 7:30 so I would have time to jog around the parking lot and stretch, which meant leaving at 7, which meant getting up around 6:30. The problem was, this was when I was an undergrad, nad one time, I was up until 2 am the night before, so when I went in to the rink, I was sitting on the bench to put my skates on. Normally, I put one skate on and then take the other out of the bag and put it on. For some reason, I took one out of the bag first, adn then the second and put on the second. Then, when I reached in for the other boot, it wasn't there. I started flipping out, that I lost a boot somewhere, where could it have gone, it should have been in my bag! My coach starts laughing and points out that it was right next to me. Seems my brain wasn't fully awake yet.

Alright, I've picked my sessions and I'm sending in the contract today. I didn't get to do a walk-on, so I hope I'm not getting in over my head. I'm betting on two things to get me up that early in the morning: 1) I get to skate, and 2) I hate to waste money and I will have prepaid for these sessions.

Now I have to train myself to go to sleep at 9 pm so I won't be a zombie on the ice the next morning!

Morgail: I think you will be alright! I am NOT a morning person at all EXCEPT when it comes to skating - for the two reasons you state. I skate mornings before work three times a week, but on the other four days I just hate hate hate to get out of bed... You will adjust because it is skating!

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If you keep your eyes on God, you can walk on water.

Yay! If you can't get sleepy by 9:00pm, just go to bed with a microeconomics or logic textbook. Always worked for me in college, LOL!

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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

No harder than changing time zones - it will take a day or so, depending on how many hours earlier than your former bedtime it is, but you'll soon be used to it.

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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!

The only tricky part is that your job, spouse, friends, family and favorite TV shows stubbornly stay on the *old* time zone.

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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

True, although the TV problem can be sorted with a PVR of some kind.... don't know what to do about spouses, etc, though, as mine, of course, gets up when I do!

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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!

Thanks for the encouragement

My husband goes to sleep early because he has to be at work at 6 am. So, now we might actually be on the same schedule a couple days a week!

doubletoe: Reading a boring textbook is a great idea I think I have a few of those lying around gathering dust...