Well, today i went to a St. Patrick's Day competition. Although there were some things that could have been better, i didn't do badly. I skated 2 events: Adult FS4 Artistic, and some other Adult Spotlight number. There was only one other competitor in my category and i got first in both. yeah! Although i was pleased, the events were a few hours apart, and....

by the time i got to the 2nd event, after a 5 minute warm up, i was the last in my category to skate. My legs had gotten really tight and cold, waiting near the door. The backs of my legs, the thighs in the back and the back of my calves were so stiff and tight. I missed one jump, and slightly stumbled on one thing, but did okay.

Any tips for keeping those 46-year old muscles warmed up between these long (and short) waits? Thanks! (should i have taken Advil between? Are there any portable bike machines i could have brought with me?

I had a long wait between warm-up and skate (45 minutes), but not as long as you. Do you have (or can you get) the zip- snap-on pants? Take your skates off and put on sneakers and the pants. Keep moving, more so an hour before you are scheduled to warm-up. I don't usually sit as it cramps me up. Maybe that's what happened to your legs.

Try to find someplace warm during your long wait. The bleachers or lobby is a good place, much warmer. Then and hour before your warm-up, do some jogging, knee bends, etc and get your skates on. The key is to keep moving after that, and move those legs a lot! We do leg lifts, stretches, lunges, etc while we are in the wings waiting our turn. We also move our upper body.

I'm sure others will have some great suggestions too!

Congrats for doing so well!!!!

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

I have fleece pants that zip all the way up so I can put them on and take them off over my skates. They definitely help! Also, I stretch and continue to bend my knees and shake out my legs while waiting. If I had to wait more than about 25 minutes after my warmup I would probably take off my skates, put my sneakers on, do some off-ice jumping and stretches, then put my skates back on. . .

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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

legwarmers

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I forgot to mention, don't forget to drink water. It's important to stay hydrated! About an hour beforehand, only take sips (trust me...nerves kick in and most skating dresses are harder to manipulate for those bathroom breaks).

A 50% carb/50% protein snack (small one) about 2 hours before skating might be nice, depending on how your stomach is feeling. Something like an energy bar, but watch the sugar so you don't crash and burn!

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

My daughter (my coach this weekend) made me go wait in the locker room for the 8 skaters before me after my warm up and she watched until it was 3 skaters before me. I made sure I walked around did easy dynamic streatching. Just keep moving. If there is a warmer place to wait, do that.

j

It helps if you have the "buddy system" going for you, especially if you are headed away from where you can monitor what's going on rinkside.

Don't do what I did once (and never again)...leave the rink for a warm-up (hey, it was unseasonably warm and sunny) and not realize they were 20+ minutes ahead of schedule...and miss your group's warmup! Needless to say, my coach was upset and I had to promise never to do that again (he he! here is a 45 year old promising to a 20-something coach)...plus I have to have a buddy at my competitions. Yeah, I was grounded for the next 2 competitions.

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

Doubletoe,

Where did you get your zip up fleece pants? That sounds like a good idea...I probably should have found a warmer spot for in-between....

Congratulations!! bow: