After countless times hearing myself say "oh, that's from skating" i've decided to compile a list. feel free to add on if you wish.

• confidence
• a resesmblance of a butt
• countless bruises
• a sorely depleted bank account
• a bigger first aid kid
• aching feet
• so many cuts from the blade
• something to talk about in school
• a tighter tummy
• stronger muscles
• a reason to get up at 6 am
• many latenesses to class
• happiness
• freedom
• a better immune system (when everyone else is sick, i don't catch it because i'm always at hte rink. now that's a system)

40 pounds lost and counting of reasons to go skate

another bunion

a way to be in an ice show and wear cool (and sometimes not so cool costumes) and maybe be on TV one day (still hoping for a blip on the entertainment section of the local news)

new friends

a sport that a geeky woman like me can finally do

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

an activity to keep me occupied
a possibility of being in Stars on Ice
my parents a whole in their bank account
New friends
Nice people
the teaching of how to have fun!
a time to show off my stuff!

My list:

• A bad back (well, it could also be from the high impact aerobics too...)
• A depleting bank account
• Some bruises
• A callous on the ball of the right foot (my forward spinning foot.)
• Lots of clothes made out of cotton and lycra!!! (Wait! I had that before I skated...)
• An activity to keep me out of trouble
• Another fun way of keeping physically fit besides the gym...
• A GREAT group of new friends!
• Something interesting in my life that a lot of my coworkers would love to brag about.
• A creative outlet (or at least a break from being a computer geek.)
• A place to relieve stress when times are tough
• Something to show "Hey! Jazzpants *IS* really a WOMAN and not just a tomboy!!!" (but only at competitions and test sessions!) (I have a rep for not being girly... until I have to wear a dress...then I'm REALLY girly...)
• And most of all...MY SANITY!!!

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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!!!

List of what skating has given me:

12 lbs of good muscle
constantly being mistaken for an ultra marathoner
an ability to count to 4 and 6 w/o bouncing my head
to make others feel short-er
an incredible amount of active wear
the ability to wear velvet
a very large sneaker collection
muscles everywhere
a much better sense of humor about life in general
the ability to fall in a relaxed manner

la

Here are a few that pop to mind at the moment.

* a greater awareness of my body
* that I'm stronger than I would have believed
* made special friends
* found muscles that I didn't know I have
* bruises at ALL times somewhere
* a forever challenge in my life
* the ability to laugh at myself on a regular basis
* a place that I can actually think...no kids, dog, .....
* something that is just for ME
* something that gives me a high on a pretty regular basis

Chico

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

It keeps my arthritis in my lower back and neck under control.
Keeps my weight at 174 lbs...considering I'll be 59 in 9 days.
keeps my blood pressure down.
Keeps my cholesterol down below 180.
Boosts my immune system...far fewer colds than my half my age overweight coworkers.
Makes sitting in front of three computers for 10 hours shifts more bearable.
Having one h#ll of a lot of fun!

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

My list:

• Ugly feet with bumps all over them
• An ankle that is held together with metal
• A black eye
• A much depleted bank account


• A lower cholesterol level
• Lots of posh frocks
• Self esteem
• New friends
• An hour or two when I can be me, not a wife/mother/grandmother (not that there's anything wrong with that)
• A reason to get up early in the morning

What happened to your eye and your ankle? I hope they are feeling better whatever happened to them!

• Smaller thighs
• New friends
• Something to obsess about besides grad school
• Financial discipline (and they said it couldn't be done!)
• A way to learn about myself
• A Magical Gravity-Defying Bum™
• Pure concentration while I'm on the ice
• An easy way to avoid allergies and sunburn (I swear this is the perfect sport for me)
• Ego-stroking from non-skating friends who say "That is SO COOL." (note: most of these friends have never actually seen me skate!)

• Numb areas around my shin & ankles
• Larger bunions
• New heights of obsession
• Visions of the future
• Several new friends, all of them women

Hi ManysHOT, two separate occassions, the most recent one was this year when I got on the ice with my guards on, next thing I'm on the floor with a very sore head and a black eye to follow (my poor husband wouldnt be seen out with me). The other was a few years back, a pair skating accident when a lift went wrong, but hey I was back on the ice in no time and at the ripe old age of 55 I am still going as strong as I can, thanks for your concern.

Don't feel bad about the skate guard thing. I have gone on the ice with one skate guard. Like I took one off and completely forgot about the other one and my guy friend from skating was laughing at me while he was helping me up because I couldn't get up!

That's so true, there is no way you can move in the darn things, if you don't fall your legs just part company and I must admit it does look funny although now I have a ritual and check my blades 3 or 4 times before stepping on the ice.

Skating has given me...

A lovely sprained wrist.
Sore muscles I didn't know I had.
Lovely friends.
The best instructor EVER!
A reason to see the world at 5.30am.
An empty purse.
Something to obsess over.
Something I can do that my friends can "wow" at.
An opportunity to help weenie beans learn how to skate.
An activity to get me out of the house for 10 hours on a saturday.
The ability to go out in a t-shirt in the snow and not feel the coldness, while my friends shiver all wrapped up in coats and scarves.

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http://www.yourphotoalbums.co.uk

10 hours in one day!!!

Skating has given me:

• Friends all over the world, of all ages, from at least 10 different countries!
• An unexpected ability to be entertaining
• A husband who will actually dance - we were married for nearly 26 years before I got him on a dance floor and him stone-cold sober!
• A reason for our marriage to continue after we were empty-nesters
• A fantastic way of spending all our holidays and money!
• Exercise, and a reason to lose weight

And it's enabled me to give a lot of other people a good laugh at my antics..... I'm no skater, but oh, it is fun trying. And who knows:
"Gotta happen sometime/maybe this time/I'll win!"

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Skating has given me:

The best legs I've ever had - way better than skiier's legs!
My best friend
A rink full of friends, and kids from learn to skate who hug me on the street
A thinner middle
A part time job (making skating costumes, who knew there was such a market!)
The ability to count in 3's and 8's
Tolerance for bad arena food and skanky dressing rooms


It also gave me a concussion, badly bruised back, hip, knee, ankle elbow, wrist (all at various times, did I miss any other parts?)
More skating tights than pantyhose in my lingerie drawer
Heh, that special "no bounce when jumping" bra that looks like a torture device
A large overdraft
Too many miles on the car

Most of all, skating is my stress reliever in life and has given me the biggest boost to my confidence than I've ever had.

Loosing fifty pounds (but gained ten back being stupid)
Many enemies
Poverty living (but not from coaching fees)
Legs that all the girls want
Countless friends
Knowing bigotry
Extra bumbs on my feet
Balance
Wish to help others
Meeting crazy people
Learned to hate politics even more
Being me
Never to dream small (course I had this before skating)
Something that annoyes me more then my annoying others
Gloves with more then one hole
Inventions
Many hills and valleys
Endless dreams

Steven

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"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

Skating has given me something to be passionate about
Better balance
Allows the show person in me to have time in the spotlight
Loads of money trouble ( coz I have to ask my parents for the cash )
A badly twisted ankle experience
More aware of myself physically
Increased flexibility
Many friends at the rink
Alot of crazy dreams, night ones and day ones too
Many bruises... but it also proves to me that I can take falls... I was never an athletic type before skating.
I can do SPORTS.
Hours of random entertainment by jumping around the house
And spinning in my socks
It lets me fly! ( on an empty rink day with good ice only though lol )

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~
Tidesong

My list:
*Bumpy ugly feet
*bad wrists
*bad knees
*bad back
*a scar on my chin
*awareness of my body
*something to do
*great friends
*no money in my parents bank account
*a life
*concusion
*chance to meet new people
*a place to get my anger out
*a place where i can be myself
*determination
*a place to have fun

Learned to travel on a budget.
How to get through 10hrs of rehusal every day.
How to split the end of my boots with an exacto knife ( swollen toes).
Learned that duct tape can be painted black.
Learned i don't look good in white
skated in 38 countries
done more ice shows than I can count.
Met wonderful people from all over the world.
Learn to skate like a real skater, ( edges and stops)
Learn to skate 3ft off the ice..
Still in touch with great friends.
Learned that enjoying the moment is more important than winning.
12 years after all that I discovered Adult skating and loving it.

In the last 7 years skating has given me:

Two broken ankles
special braces to wear that no onwe else in the world has cause they were invented for me...
2 broken ribs
several stitches
5 shots of cortizone
5 stress fractures
lots of broken toes

a reason to get up at 4:15 am

a body none of my non skating friends has

the ability to do things i never thought i could do

5 trips to adult nationals

the blessing of several trips to the podium at adult nationals

3 gold medals at adult nationals

a new calender, different than roman,,the world revolves around april, not january and christmas.

a reason to need a second job.

the ability to teach skating as a second job

frequent flyer miles at the orthopedic and physical therapist.

the ability to understand small phrases in russian.

a closet full of beaded dresses that i will never outgrow and never wear again.

best of all endless memories in the friends that have become my family through skating.

in the last 7 months pairs skating has given me:

way cooler stuff that i never thought i would ever do...throw axles and death spirals.

more bruises that i ever thought i could count

the ability to fly like peter pan in over the head lifts.

an awesome partner

more tape than i ever thought i could buy to tape my body together
still more skating clothes and bills

a reason to need a third job

more fun than i have ever had in my life.

Skating has given me, over the last few years:

* Something extra in my life when I really needed it
* An outlet to be creative and graceful - I'd love to be a dancer, but don't take any lessons, and skating lets me try
* Something that sets me apart from everyone I know (apart from those I know at the rink, obviously )
* Something I can do that other people I know can't do
* Some really nice memories
* A feeling of happiness and contentment when I'm gliding across the ice
* A place to go where I don't have to think about any problem I might be having
* Bumps on my feet from rental skates years ago and from my own first badly-fitting skates
* A permanently affected toenail - it got bashed and bruised a few years ago one day from hitting the front of the boot, and hasn't been the same since
* Several bruises
* Funny falls, embarrassing falls and painful falls
* The chance to try to live out a childhood dream
* The chance to meet new people
* Increased flexibility, and a reason to try to increase it! I want that 180 degree spiral! lol. Not very likely really, but I guess I have to be optimistic...
* A lot of frustration at times
* Nicer legs and bum
* More confidence
* A much better sense of balance
* A hobby I'm really into and that gives me something extra in my life
* A big video collection!
* Membership to three different skating message boards
* A place to have a big workout, or to concentrate on a small skill, or to have fun, or to feel like I'm flying, all in the same place
* Less money
* Uncertainty about the full health of my left knee and left calf muscle
* Goals to aim for
* A reason to get up at sillyAM and/or to drive silly distances and/or to travel on trains a lot during the holidays because my home doesn't have a local rink!
* The chance to watch someone on TV and say "I can do that!"

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

Skating has given me.....
Something else to do in life besides go to bars, and worry about dating and mating!
Alternative to spend my paycheck besides clothes and makeup
Two frequent stay hotel accounts
A HUGE balance on my credit card.
Incentive to spend my money carefully
Reason to eat healthy
Friends that I don't get to see often, but when I do, it's great
The potential to make a difference in this world, albeit small ( there's been talk that I may be elected club president next year)

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"