Lol Tim, I don't know if you really should. You could probably talk to my dad though, he's in a house full of women, and we're all on similar cycles. Well, my mom is premenaupasal now, which means it's like PMSx10. Add on me and my sister, and my poor father goes running out of the house.

Actually, I get to go on a plane tomorrow with my auntie coming alons as an extra passanger Oh well. Hopefully the security won't go through my bag at the x-ray and pull out all my pads and tampons.

I try to work through it. I tell myself to listen to my body and work with it. Aim for what I can accomplish instead of what I can't. I consider it a little time off for concentrating on flexion or balance. For slowing down, fooling around, watching other skaters, enjoying a cup of tea.

That said, the whole thing is hateful.

When I first started skating my coach of the time always knew. She said that balance always went out the window for female skaters at this time. I'm another one who gets tired and cold three or four days before and always feel great during. During the poor balance time I get frusterated easily and I have cried on a few occasions. My old coach could be a yeller and some days the combo was just too much. So, yes.

Chico

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

My skating generally goes downslope until its about to happen... then it gets better and is generally decent DURING... and after that it slowly goes down again. I wonder if its because of the weight loss due to the end of water retention that helps the skating then? Yikes. And no, luckily I dont get any pain during.

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Tidesong

I get really dizzy with my spins as well. I also have no energy and get killer cramps and knee pain. I hate skating when aunt flow his here, but I hat not skating just the same.

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Check out the sites I run
http://www.joelisi.net
http://www.charlieday.net

Alternatively, if that isn't working, you can try, "It's all my fault. Here, have some chocolate."

It never occurred to me that my menstrual cycle might affect my skating. I know I am off when I've coming down with a cold or something.

I embrace the notion of anything else I can blame for poor skating, so I shall have to pay more attention to any menstrual effect.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

On the tail end of it, I get this HUGE energy surge and those are my best skating days. I figure that it is the change in hormones. If only all of my skating days could be like that third, or fourth day after, then I'd be in business!

Wow!
That's an insight. I thought I was the only one who stood out in the center circle choking back tears of frustration and rage.

I really thought I was developing clinical depression last week and bawled my whole way home--just because I was politely asked to stop hogging the middle so this kid could work on his spin.

Of course, the latter might be true as well.

And my spins seem to just have good days and bad. More bad than good most of the time. Once upon a time--weeks/months ago--I could do a one foot spin. Today--no more. I'm lucky to get the two feet going.

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"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." (Kathy Butler)

I have a really funny story about this. I was at skating with my friends and there were 5 of us. All of us had rly bad cramps and we were completely PMSing. We were really hyper and found absolutely everything funny and we couldn't stop laughing for the whole time we were at skating. Our coach got really mad at us and starting yelling at us, but we all didn't care because at that point we just found it so funny that all of us had it at the same time.

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Live life on the edge......judges HATE flats!!!

Skating is past, present, and future. My life revolves around when I am at the rink, and when I am there, I am happy.

To which you add, "Have some chocolate!"

Oh, the joy of being past all that! Utter, utter, bliss. Getting old does have some compensations - not many, but that is quite definitely one of them!

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

I totally agree! Being menopausal, I find those little things called "hot flashes" very sweet when I am skating in a cold, cold rink -- no more sweaters for me! (Well, just for those brief period of time, but still, it feels good to skate sleeveless sometimes!!).

I think our periods (or lack of them, hormonal surges or the body's desparate cry for them), the tides, barometric pressure, etc., have a great deal of effect on our lives, and of course, our skating -- how else to explain why one day's practice is fabulous and you feel great, and the next day, the same elements, you can't even think about getting right!

I usually blame the ice, or my blades, but there's more to it than that!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

It's the moon, I tell you!

We're all skating lunatics!

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Speak for yourself! I hated being wrapped in 6 layers of Polar Fleece one minute and then being stripped to a T-shirt, saying to the coaches "My gawd it's hot in here!" the next (and then being back in the fleece 20 minutes later)! Thank gawd for good drugs! LOL!

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

Indeed it does! What makes me laugh is when you are at a competition and the skaters are rushing to the open door to get some air because of their hot flushes! You think, well, this doesn't happen to the Kerrs or Kimmie Meissner - YET!

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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!

well when i was first learning crossovers I would catch my 'bits' and it would always hurt, but luckily this doens't happen any more, but im sure many males know what I'm on about.

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starting at 28

Serious question from the male of the species.

Could a ladies Synchro team all come into "synch" with each other?

It would go a long way to explain how a team will just seem to not have it all together every once in awhile and at other times they will be totally on their game..

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

When I was much younger and lived in a dorm with 20 or so other women, it seemed very common to end up in sync after a few months. Absolutely no idea how it happens but it seems to require spending a LOT of time together.

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

Women can sync, but it takes more than practicing a couple times a day together. (Classmates don't often sync.) More likely it's just that if some of the synchro team is having a bad day, it affects everyone's mood.

I haven't noticed much of an effect in my own skating, except that my legs get tired slightly more easily. I basically feel like I've already worked out for an hour.

sue, after you've been on the pill a while, you'll probably notice that most of the PMS symptoms lessen.

Let's not mention the fact that I just ate a HUGE hamburger with onion rings. Its amazing how much I can eat the week before and two days into it.

I am usually so bloated that jumping should not be attempted!

Everyone of you is unique & different ... When skaters are having classes on these days & it affects them alittle more, we work on edges getting them stronger ... then spins ... and it's interesting - I found that they enjoy classes alot better when you help them work on the edges getting it stronger, cleaner ... stretching gets easier.

Somehow skaters also find themselves more flexible during these days too!

It's all in the mind ... positive, negetive ... why not accept it & work on something what might actually help & get better? There so maybe ways ...just have to find the right one for you.