Total WORD. I can't stand it when someone is out there with something -- iPod, whatever -- even in just one ear, because they DO get lost in the music and they create a major hazard to everyone else.

When I practice my dances or am choreographing a program, I use a digital voice recorder with no earpiece. I hold it in my hand. It's the size of my palm and there's a little speaker on it, so I can hear the music without it booming out to everyone else and disrupting them. But it's far enough away from me, too, so that I can still hear everyone around me.

Today I saw a skater with earbuds in both ears do a hydroblade right into a kid - yep, she was doing this on a public session.

What frustrated me was that it's hard enough to try and avoid the kids in a public session when you just want to stay in one place and do a spin - I also had to watch out for this chick who was really doing a program at speed. And this was a somewhat crowded session! No skate guard.

I left...

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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 need a metronome around my neck for dance!

I used to use an armband but it kept slipping--I think it was made for giant muscular he-men.

I use one of these three things now:

• lululemon pants--they have an ipod sleeve in the waistband
• sugoi shirt (for snowboarding, I think)--there's a zip up pocket on the sleeve for an ipod
• side pocket on my vest--gives me better access while I'm choreographing and keep having to restart the music

I've been run over or into numerous times by kids who are NOT wearing headphones of any kind, but are just so enthralled by their own skating that they are not paying attention. At least twice I was ice dancing with a partner and the kids STILL didn't see us--just oblivious.

I have NEVER had an accident while using an ipod. It is impossible for me to choreograph using an overhead sound system--it would involve repeatedly restarting the music and starting to skate at the same time-- so I can't do any choreography at the rink where they don't allow ipods. I've tried carrying a small portable player that holds an ipod and the overhead music is usually playing so loudly that it's impossible to hear it. When I was doing dance, I tried both this and using a hand-held electronic metronome and could not hear either one if the overhead music was playing. I finally gave up and just played the dance music repeatedly and everyone else just had to suffer with my crappy USFS dance music CD.

I really think it totally depends on the person. If you're paying attention you can avoid accidents even if you're wearing headphones. If you tend to get totally absorbed you will have accidents, or force others to avoid you, no matter what is on your head!

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky