Say,I was watching Mother's Day on Ice,and it gave me the idea for this thread. So the question I have for all you "On Ice Skaters" today is......who is the biggest supporter of your skating,and what they do to support your skating?

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FSWer

What do you mean?

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Work hard...very hard and never give up!

What do you mean?

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Work hard...very hard and never give up!

I'd say most people I know are supportive of my skating.

My colleagues at work think I am a little insane, but are always interested in what I am learning - even people from other floors (I work in a very large company) who I don't know that well ask me how my skating is coming on.

My best friend is the most supportive - she's always ready with some encouragement and trying to boost my confidence when I have problems with something and delighted for me when I do something well.

Sometimes all you need is for someone to believe in you

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Amanda

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance . . . "

My Skating Journal

My friends here on skatingforums, CAS and RSSIR are my biggest support, HANDS DOWN!!!

Other strong supports:

• My wonderful skating coaches, especially the ones here on the West Coast b/c they really push me hard even when I'm kicking, screaming and cursing thru it. (Primary coach is in the naggin' dept. Secondary coach is in the "scaring" and her attention to details dept. ) Both in the occasional "well earned" phrase and acknowledgment that I'm actually getting better. But I definitely want to acknowledge the support from my wonderful NYC coach, Emanuele, as well. I feel his support in our lessons, phone calls to arrange a lesson, and our occasional emails to each other.
• My coworkers, particularly my boss b/c he gives me the time off to let me take my lessons and compete! My team members are always joking that I really work in the "figure skating dept." of the company, but I know that's their way of cheering me on.
• My husband would be very upset if I didn't acknowledge him... so I just did! But seriously, he allows me to have my space and my time to skate and train. When we go off to NYC, he does make sure that I get in my lessons with Emanuele and my skatingforums meetups (and he ENJOYS meeting dbny and her family!!!)
• My wonderful Hunky Trainer, who like my coaches, are pushing me hard in my training to get into tip-top shape (losing some weight, building core and leg strength, flexibility, balance, "anaerobics" in the form of his fave jump rope exercise) to handle the rigors that comes with figure skating. He keeps my spirits high thru his humor and gives tons of positive encouragement when I do have my training sessions with him. I definitely feel his intensity, drive and passion to "do what it takes" to make my skating coaches job easier for them.
• (ETA... and very important I add this one) my fellow local adult skaters in both San Francisco and East Bay. They have been a strong source of support when I'm on the ice. When I started landing my loops and flips more consistently, they were the first to cheer for me!!! When I started improving on my waltz jumps, the guys on the FS sessions definitely cheered for me. One person in particular noticed the nice hang time on the waltz jump and asks if I was prepping for an axel, which is kinda funny thinking about it for me since I've always thought all along that an axel is nothing but a dream for me. (However, my secondary coach recently suggested I start doing off-ice axels with another fellow adult skater. So I guess it's not that far off now, huh? )

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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!!!

Well mom sponsors it and if I have a competition, generally, she'll try to make it unless she has other business so.

Other than this, you guys.

Without a doubt it would be my online friends, especially the Canadian Adult competitive group - they are the ones that persuaded me to go beyond recreational skating and enter Nationals. I would never have attempted that without their continuing support.

Also high on the list is my (regular) coach and my "competition coach" who both took the attitude "You can do this!" and kept me positive all the way.

Next on this list would be my employer, a major electrical utility and supporter of amateur sports who allows me the schedule flexibility to basically skate whenever I want/need to. I never get a hassle when I say "I'll be late tomorrow because I am skating."

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

I would say the biggest support of mine is my skating coach. Nobody knows my progression in skating quite as well as he does, and has faith. My coach believes that I can accomplish skating at a high level even though I started late. He doesn't ever let me think that I can't reach a goal because of some people think its out of my range. Another coach that goes out of her way to support me when things are difficult. She's totally awesome.

I don't have a lot of family support for skating, and some of the skaters i've known just tear you down for whatever you accomplish, which is totally mean.

There are other skaters I know that are totally awesome and encouraging so they are part of my support group, and of course all you folks here on skating forums

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Keep Evolving. "From this moment forward, every voice that told you - You Can't - , has been silenced." - Freedom Writers

There's a woman skater at the rink who is my biggest supporter. She goes out of her way to cheer me up when I feel frustrated, and keeps urging me to enter competitions. She's brought a birthday cake to the rink on my birthday, and has the skating kids sing happy birthday to me (heh, they'd better, or they don't get any cake!)

She's always a bundle of energy. Perhaps she's that way with all the skaters young and old, but it still amounts to the most support I have.

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Bill Schneider

That's so awesome Bill. I love it here when I see the group of seniors at coffee club bring each other birthday cakes and gab every week. We even had a 90th b-day celebration one year! I sure hope I'll live to skate that long!

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Keep Evolving. "From this moment forward, every voice that told you - You Can't - , has been silenced." - Freedom Writers

My mom because she lets me do it.

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I have to say my Husband. He does the majority of the housework, so I can have time to go on weekends.

He knows we can't really afford for both my daughter and I to skate, he knows it makes paying the pills tough. But he sees how good it is for me, physically and mentally, and so he doesn't complain. Love this man!

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

well, my biggest active supporters are 2 of my friends who are always really excited and happy to talk with me for ages if I did something like pass a grade in skating or learn a new element even if they don't really know what I'm on about. And also, one of my groups in SkateUK was really cool, we always supported each other.

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We skate as a team, and I'm not doing any solo this year. When I am, he supports me - when he does (and he is, this year), I support him!

Otherwise, it's you guys! All my skating friends from all over the world - and I'm looking forward to seeing many of you during the next month! Can't wait....

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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!

My biggest supporters are my mom and dad. After all they do have to drive me to the rink every day and to competions.

My husband is definitely my biggest supporter. He even started skating when I asked him to and took lessons when he had the time. He has never begrudged me a moment on ice or a penny spent for ice time, coaching, or equipment. He goes with me to skate even when he sometimes doesn't feel like it, because he knows I want the company in the car.

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1) My coach, whose enthusiasm, expertise and honesty make every Thursday morning a joy.

2) This board, whose members unfailingly guide me.

• My mother. Unquestionably. She truly understands that skating is what I need to do, and my love for it. She recently went back to work at age 60 (I'm a very late baby), and the first thing she told me is that now we can afford to get me real dance skates so my partner and I don't have to fight with the freestyle blades all of the time.
• My father. While he doesn't understand as well as my mother, he is at every competition and test he can make. He always videotapes my skating, drives at least 2 hours to be where I train. He's amazing.
• My secondary coach, L.S. When I was making the difficult decision of moving to another city to attend law school, she's the first one that encouraged me. She wanted the best training environment for me, and I often go to competitions around the area just to visit with her. She's an amazingly strong person, and has been a tremendous influence.
• My current coaches, L. and T. They both are extremely professional, and expect me to be so as well. They take the time to figure out what explanations work best for me, even if it's totally different from their other students.
• My friends. Especially at my new school, but also my close friends out of town. They constantly inquire about my progress, support me in every way, attend my competitions. For a sport most of them never knew a thing about before they met me, they're learning fast and amazingly supportive.
  
  
  
  
  

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

My #1 Supporter is me!!! My mom has only seen me skate once!!! However, she was very pleased; and she was bragging to most of the family about what I could do on the ice.

My #2 Supporter would be my coach!!! I believe he is the best coach in the world because he puts his everything into coaching and he really cares about his students as long as they are dedicated. He has a way of pushing me past my "limitations" and showing me what I can do if I get rid of fear and doubt. In other words. . . Double jumps!!!! That's what I'm talking about!!!

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

**Bursting into tears all of as sudden**

My mom.... oh my gosh.. She's been so good to me. Driving me everywhere, paying for so much (she's sacrificed so much I know). She's been my therapist (both mental and physical), my cheerleader.. She's been the only one I think who believed in me....

Bawling now. I love you mom!

My biggest supporters are:
My husband who also skates, we support each other and compete against each other.

My coach who has infinite patience and wont take "NO" for an answer.

The other adult skaters at the rink, theres about 20 of us, we all stick together.

Yes, I agree... but flip around the primary and secondary for me. (jazzies primary is my secondary and vice versa).

I also have to give credit to my ice dance coach (eventhough he IS NOT my favorite person right now!!!) for not letting me wuss out when I think I can't do something. I've heard more times in these last 6 months than in my entire life "Who says you're not good enough to do that??? DO IT ANYWAY!" Usually with an expletive or two thrown in for effect. Those of you who know him won't have ANY trouble believing that!! But he's definitely gotten me to do a lot more than I thought I could. A positive coach (or three if you're bored and want to be unnecessarily excessive like me!) can make such a difference.

My husband who does not complain when I spend $70 a week on lessons, $11.50 for a one-hour session, $15 on one pair of skating tights, $700 on new skates, etc., even though we really can't afford it. He is an angel

And my coach, who has high expectations from me and who continually challenges me to do better.

My parents are definitely two of my biggest supporters - financially and emotionally, especially my mother who has never missed any of my competitions or test sessions until this past year when she was unable to come to Boston to watch place 2nd in Solo Junior Dance. Definitely depressing, and I know it bothered her as much as it did me...

Along with my parents, my boyfriend of almost 6 years has been a big fan of my skating ever since I met him. He enjoys watching me and even flew up to Providence, RI to watch my synchro team and I skate to a 6th place finish at the 07 Eastern Sectionals!

There's my coaches (synchro/freestyle and dance) that really have pushed me to become a more developed, well-rounded skater. This past September I made a major coaching switch, and it has been the best thing for me to have two coaches that are so invested in wanting me to succeed.

Finally, my teammates on my synchro team are always there to support one another. In our first year together as a team, we have fought through the highs and lows of the sport -from two of our teammates injured and out for the season to celebrating our 5th place out of 17 colleges and universities finish in Boston this past February. Skating really is so much more fun when you have other people there who share your love of the sport and can understand what it's like to win and lose together!

Hubby, coach, dad and stepmother. My friends all think it's cool but they don't get the nitty gritty. Oh and my therapist!