It's just about getting round to "trying" it, really. I need my program, fair enough, but after that I'm lost. I think that the skating school does competitions and the such, but it's £40 a year I think, plus club uniform costs and compeition fees and lessons etc. Nobody wants to employ me at the moment, and I'm back at college soon so I have no money.
I chose my college because it's near, well I say near, but I mean in the same town as my rink, and I was thinking that somehow I may be able to fit in more icetime this way. It's a shame with skating being such an expensive sport.

I'm not exactly "afraid" as such, I think it's because I find the idea a bit farfetched myself, that nobody else should believe that it's possible, and therefore not wase their time.

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What's farfetched about it? The only person who has to believe you can do it is you.

If you really want to compete, go for it.

If you really want to skate in a show one day, go for it.

If the dream is there..... reach for it with everything you've got.... allow yourself to believe it's yours....

It WILL happen if YOU make it happen

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

Starting skating at 15 and making a profession of it. Everyone else starts at about 5! There's a girl who's 12 who can land a triple cherry at my rink!
That's something I'll never acheive.

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Never say "never", Mel, because you never know until you try!

You may well find that you are good enough in two years' time to do a show in your gap year - there are lots of shows around, although some of them are pretty sleazy and you might not want to do them!

What you must find out is whether your rink or club enters anything like Team Challenge, with the show number, so you can be in that and see if you enjoy it. That's a first step.....

(And yes, I'm thinking of you on Thursday! And Yorkie, too!).

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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!

I took my very first skating lesson at 17. I skated for around 5 years or so and then took 24 years off to raise my family. I started back again just over two years ago and in the past 10 months have been competing. A lot actually, and in many exciting places - meeting many awesome people and I am far from done yet! Many of us on this forum either started late or had big gaps in our skating lives. I have no desire to skate in a show right now, but if that fancy ever caught me..... well, you never know..

My granddaughter is just turned 7 and started skating a year and a half ago. She is close to catching up to me and I expect her to pass me within the next year or so. Comparing yourself with little kids is emotional suicide - don't, I repeat - DON'T DON'T DON'T go there!!!!!

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

Thanks Annabel! I'm not that nervous, I've set myself up for failure.

Also, this girl isn't that much younger than me, I'm 16, she's 12/13. Not that much of a gap!

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Mel, always have a dream and never stop trying to achieve it. Here's a short movie to inspire you: http://www.thedreammovie.com/.

A friend sent it to me because a mutual friend of ours is one of the people who is featured. For privacy reasons, I won't reveal which person but, yes, she most definitely achieved her dream.

Thank you Moto Guzzi. What an inspirational piece for all of us.

Mel: Rather than expecting failure - set yourself up for success. Good luck

Even if the other skater is only a year younger or the same age as you or whatever - do not compare yourself with anyone else....

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

That video is amazing.

"Start Today"
I'll start on saturday

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First of all, that whole "you must start when you're 5" thing is crap. Just tell that to Johnny Weir. Now sure, he's Johnny Weir, but if he had believed people who said it was too late, he might've never known what he could do.

Meanwhile, you're not trying to go to the Olympics. You don't need triples for shows. You don't even need a double axel. You CAN at 15 years old get clean doubles. I mean even if you took a year per jump (which I doubt), there's 6 jumps, which you could get in 6 years, right in time for your 21st bday. Which is about a good age to audition for those shows anyways. So I really don't see what you're getting all worried about...even if you said you were gonna try for the Olympics, I wouldn't see anything impossible about it, although I would tell you that you need a LOT more ice time and other things, but...still. Nothing is impossible. Especially not double jumps- you will see, eventually you will find them easy. Your self-effacing attitude is your biggest hurdle to overcome, I think. It's alright to believe in yourself. You SHOULD believe in yourself, even if no one else does. Trust me, I've been through it. If you believe long enough, eventually people will start to agree with you.

Wow, I feel so happy to have guys like you supporting me!

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