The new British skating magazine, Iskate has devoted a column on its children's pages to "My most embarrassing skating moment" (I am amused to see that this month's winner is the daughter of one of our regulars - who is blaming Mum for the mishap!).

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to post our own most embarrassing moments to date.

I think mine was the time at Oxford seniors when I was wearing a dress that required a strapless bra. Unfortunately, the bra I was wearing was several sizes too big, and decided to slip down half-way through my warm-up!

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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 was demonstrating forward crossovers to a small group and proceeded to catch my toepick and take a dive and slid right into the boards...the only thing I could think of to say was "that's how NOT to do them!"

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

Teaching mohawks, I demonstrated while running my mouth and not checking/bending whatsoever. (I was looking at a student behind me.)

Stepped on the heel of my other foot and flopped down on the ice, banging my head.

Mortifying.

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Hehehe!! Yep, Sophie was thrilled to bits to have her embarrassing moment featured as the most cringe-worthy! She was going to put another moment forward until I remembered that one! I think actually I was as embarrassed as she was given that it was down to my handiwork that the embarrassment evolved! It was highly amusing though I must admit, but boy was she embarrassed?

Nicki

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Hey good for Sophie!

Most embarassing skating moment was also most triumphant (so far):

Toe-picking myself at the end of an SSJ contest, sprawling flat across the ice, thinking 'scr*w it' and kicking leg in the air.

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Mine was back when I was in skating school. I was trying to demonstrate that I could do a t-stop to a couple of coaches so that I can "skip" Adult Gamma and go to Adult Delta class. So I went and demonstrated it and instead of a t-stop, I slipped from under me and WHAM!!! right on my butt... right in front of said coaches! Needless to say, I ended up in Adult Gamma... (but it was okay anyway... I got a great coach in Gamma and the Delta coach was someone I did NOT want to take lessons from... )

Of course, there are others embarassing moments... but I think my coaches create them for me more than I create them myself!!!

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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!!!

In my 5-minute warmup for a competition, I had too much adrenaline going and I overshot my camel spin entrance. I don't know how I did it, but I actually flipped myself over and hit my head on the ice. I was still a little shaken up when I skated my program a few minutes later, and--needless to say--I did NOT have the best skate. And of course it was the first time anyone in my family had ever come to watch me!

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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

I was in ninth grade and a boy from my school was at the rink during a public session - I thought I'd be so cool and impress him with my spiral - when I got his attention I did a forward spiral and promptly fell on my chin, completely stunned. (thud)

He skated over to make sure I was ok but in no way was he impressed! Ha

Calling GaryC! I know he has a great skating story that would go well in this thread. (He's posted it here before, but I won't spoil the fun....)

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Mine was my nemesis, the BUNNY HOP!!!! I was asked to demonstrate it to a kids group The next thing I know I'm bellyflopping on the ice and doing a 'superman' across the width of the rink

There was another embarrassing moment with my coach but it's a bit too rude to post on here

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The best whisper is a click

ummm i have many but 3 really stupid ones were

1. i was standing talking to my friends 1 day during practice and lost my footing and fell on my bum it hurt alot but it was quite humiliating

and

2.after doin skating for a year i was quite good at stopping but as went to stop my blade got in my way and once agn i fell on my bum

and

3. this is one most people have already done but i was racing my friends and i forgot 1 rule don't lean to far forward when u have toepicks on your blade, that day i learnt what it was like to be a penguin

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XxKiZxX

If I die before I wake at least in heaven I can skate!

Oh, I think everyone has more than a few of these, so here's somw from me.

* One day my coach commented on how good my spins had been lately, so I skated over to the barrier to "knock on wood" so she wouldn't jynx me and as soon as I got to the barrier I tripped!

* I was warming up one day when there was only a few people on the ice, my coach included. I was just doing some edges, caught my toe pick and went splat on the ice. It knocked the wind out of me and was soo painful. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me

* I was practicing my back inside edges on day, and didn't transfer my weight properly after pushing, completly lost my balance and then proceeded to fight falling over. I took like 10 seconds till I regained my balance. I must have looked like a fish out of water. Needless to say, my coach and I were laughing so hard by then end of it!

Mine is yet to come, I am sure!

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

Well, first moves test: all nervous standing at the edge ready to do consecutive back outside edges (I had to push HARD to fit 6 lobes across ice) I was a little too close to the barrier so WHAM I kicked it full force on the push off and fell straight down. Looked up to see grey/white haired judge with her spectacles pushed down on the tip of her nose craining to peek over the barriers:
"you all right?" me - 'yeh'
"can you skate better than that?" me -'yeh'
"OK, show me"

I've become very fond of that judge and love to chat with her every time she visits. The next test she made me run through the Prepre FS requirements before she let me do my preBronze FS test "just to make sure you're ready". Very clever
Lyle

Aside from the ridiculously clumsy falls I take on a daily basis (I swear I've been skating for more than a month), I've done the classic "get on the ice with your guards still on" thing.

I tripped full speed on the Kilian choctaw in competition in the first pattern of the dance. Instead of slinking off the ice, I had to stand up and finish the dance. I also competed without a bra in a light colored dress at a very, very cold rink once. Unwise.

Mine was recent. I caught my toe pick STROKING, STROKING!, and did a big belly flop. Besides being embarassaed, I knocked my wind out so I couldn't talk for a few moments. Not fun.

Chico

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"I truly believe, when God created skating, he patted himself on the back."

Stepping onto the ice with skate guards on.

Hitting the toe-pick while gliding in a forward spiral position .

Falling down while simply doing back x-overs

Slipping off the edge while in the loop take-off position. Knock the wind out of me everytime.

Oh yeah, I forgot the one about the guards....

I had to do a quick costume change for a show, so it's put the guards on, run across the zamboni driveway to the dressing room, change, then run backstage...then I hit the ice LUCKILY the ice was soooo torn up from not being zammed all I did was slide about 10 feet before someone grabbed me (the ice dance guy-very strong-with a HUGE GRIN on his face) and everyone was trying NOT to laugh as it was during an actual show...ever since then I always look down before I step onto the ice.

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

One year I rushed into the changing-room to do a very quick change and then got back on the ice and couldn't skate at all - turned out I'd trodden on a jelly-baby (Yes, I'd forgotten my guards in my rush!), which was squished all over my blade! Fortunately Husband removed it for me before the end of the warm-up.

And, of course, there was our infamous fall in competition last June! Nothing like overdoing 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!

I've had a few but the biggest embarrassment was my fall in competition a few years back. As if the fall wasn't bad enough it was barely two seconds into my programme and to make matters completely worse, I couldn't get back up! It felt like forever that I was scrabbling about on my hands and knees with full set of judges, professional photographer, coach and fellow competitors all glaring at me. I swear I rushed through that programme and couldn't get off the ice quick enough!

Nicki

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I've just thought of another one. Not sure if this counts as a skating moment, but as it's related:

I was having a really boring morning at work, so - surprise, surprise - my mind drifted to skating, in particular the Salchow entrance I was having problems with at that time (bowing upper body forward).

Anyway, I was in the ladies' bathroom, where there's a nice slidy floor and big mirrors. As it was deserted, I couldn't resist having a go on the nice slidy floor and checking my 'Salchow posture' in the mirrors.

It wasn't until I was going out the door I hear a flush and then footsteps...

Later that day I looked down the office to the marketing section...only to have one of the girls catch my eye, stand up and parody a Salchow.


S xxxx
Boy did I feel stupid!

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

I have a few....


I was called over by my coach to demonstrate a salchow for one of the kids on a crowded Saturday morning session. I skated round, stepped forward, three turn, jumped and FELL. Coach just stared. My friends laughed. I laughed. Coach then said 'Yes thanks Katherine we know how to fall, we are good at that!'

Another good one was when I mishead my dance coach - he said he needed to go to the bathroom and was that ok but I thought he said I needed to go to the bathroom - ie was suggesting that I should maybe go and check something in the mirror - who knows - so I asked him why thinking something was out of place etc etc. Then he said because then maybe I would have a better quality lesson - he looked very worried and flustered that I had asked. He must have thought I was crazy to demand a reason for him needing the toliet! I then realised I'd mishead him and apologised.

Oooo and I keep my tissue tucked under the knickers part of my leotard or in the waistband of my trousers as it always falls out of pockets, sleeves etc and plus I hardly ever wear long sleeves to skate. So anyways, I had my tissue in my waistband of my trousers and it must have begun to stick out. Dance coach a bit embarrassed tried to point out subtly that I may want to go and check 'that'. I was a little worried! Then I realised he meant my tissue.Goodness knows what he thought it was! I explained that was where I keep my tissue.

Managed to get on the newly resurfaced and quite wet ice one day on a very empty patch session. I skated forwards down one side, turned to backwards and then fell, and SLID, the ENTIRE length of the rink. There was scrambling and ungraceful attempts to get to my feet. I was drenched. And there was a huge crowd of kids watching....

Fell over doing backward crossrolls in stroking on week - I sort of collapsed rather than just falling thud, my feet sort of got stuck under me and I couldn't get up quick enough and another girl was coming at me concentrating hard on her back crossrolls and not looking behind her so I had to scramble and crawl out of her way.

At a competition at Streatham last year I was doing the artistic class and my routine was to 'Roxanne' and my costume consisted of fishnet tights, a scarf type skirt and a red corset type thing. So generally I wasn't wearing a lot more than underwear (only in a skating routine would I make such a spectacle of myself!). Anyways, as I was about to get on and skate a huge contingent of school kids of about 13/14 years old came in. I think they were there to watch the large group show number competition which was next. So anyways, I got on and skated and one of the women helping said I deserved a medal just for skating dressed like that in front of all of those kids!

I fall over standing still frequently aswell!

hmm i definately have quite a few

i participated in an adult night skate camp, as we were doing some sort of back stroking drill i skated backwards straight into the barrier and hit my head quite and head and then slithered down into the ice, the coach remarked that i must have been concentrating really hard on the drill...ha ha

during a busy freestyle session with a bunch of kids and their coachs I was smart enough to try to practice my spins..my spins must of traveled so much i could have earned enough mileage to go to china and back 3xs over.

went with my coworkers to a public skate session, having been pursuaded to show them a few little jumps i did a few toe loops, this was met with them all (they are a very lively loud bunch) hollering applausing and clapping and screaming my name IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!..i was mortified....goodness it was just a toe loop not a triple axel!

Oh, boy, I've done that. Sometimes while standing on the side of the rink during stroking class, and everyone can see!

Once, the rink was really crowded the week before regionals. I was just doing plain stroking and crossovers round end of the rink to warm up (as was everyone else) and I tripped on a toe pick and fell forward on both knees and slid about 20 feet. I was terrified that I'd slide in the path of someone coming around the end of the rink, but luckily that didn't happen.

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When I worked in midtown, I used to skate at Rockefeller Center during lunch. (NOT during the christmas season, though - too crowded) The ice was mediocre, but a friend who worked nearby would join me and we'd practice our programs, work on maneuvers, etc.

One day, I heard applause and someone called my name. I looked up and the lunatics I worked with had hand-written a poster board. They worked my name into the corporate slogan and "published" it for all to see.

Turns out, one of the managers had noticed me a few weeks earlier while he was running an errand. I had become their lunchtime entertainment. (All 40- and 50-year old men, watching the 20-something skater girl.) Not one of them said anything for all that time; no teasing me at work or anything.

Good thing I didn't wipe out, huh?

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