Resources for boys

[MagiCat]

My 5-year-old son plays hockey and who we've put through the entire LTS program using hockey skates. As he seems to like both the figure skating and hockey, we've put him in Jumps and Spins class but obviously these need to be in figure skates.

I remember when we first put him in hockey skates it took him a while to adapt and now he's having to readapt to figure skates. Does anyone have any advice on what we can do to help him? Right now he's a bit frustrated that we won't let him use his hockey skates for Jumps and Spins and doesn't understand why he has to use figure skates.

So far the only two qualms that he has about figure skating is the skates and that "figure skating is for girls" (which I respond by making him watch video of great male skaters.). Also, are there any resources for parents of boys who figure skate?

[GoSveta]

IRT: "Figure Skating is for girls." Just continue to encourage him and let him know that it's fine, if he likes doing it. Eventually he will stop caring about stuff like that, as he gets a little older. Hopefully, he's not being teased :P I'm guessing there aren't many other male figure skaters who skate at the rink you guys go to?

As far as the Hockey Skates. Don't let him use it for Figure SKating, or he'll develop some bad toe pushing habits (i.e. on his crossovers). Doing freestyle in Hockey skates is possible, but I wouldn't call it safe (i.e. jumping).

Hockey Skates also have a different rocker profile than Figure Skates, IIRC (Correct me if I'm wrong, I have never played Hockey). That will affect his spinning.

I find it very difficult to get information about Male Skating, and even more difficult to get icewear and other like things. I can go to 3-4 Pro Shops and find 1000 dresses, tights, jackets, scrunchies, crystaled-up gloves, etc... But no Male Skatewear outside of Hockey Gear.

The internet is your best friend as a Male Figure Skater, unless you live in a place where there are more than a couple of them (and even then, depending on the place, you're sometimes lucky to see anything). I have to admit, it's quite frustrating, and it often makes things more expensive then it needs to be, since you can't see it or try it on before you buy it. I have to admit, it's somewhat frustrating.

[MagiCat]

You're right, hockey rocker is on about a 10 foot radius while figure skates are on a 30 foot radius.

He's not teased (yet) about figure skating, but other parents of hockey players kindof look at my wife and I funny when they find out that he's taking the figure skating classes.

I did think it was funny on Wednesday night, one of the hockey coaches asked him where his hockey skates were and the figure skating coach said "he's playing for both teams now" initially not realizing the double meaning and then realized what she said.

There are a couple of other male skaters at our rink but they're both beyond the level of the figure skating classes and both take private lessons. The class coach who is very good with our son suggested that Will watch one of her private lessons with one of the boys.

Of course, no matter whether he continues or decides to stop figure skating, noone's hockey has ever been hurt from learning how to skate.

[sk8tegirl06]

Don't know where you are located but, the pro shop at UD has things for both boys and girls. I've seen male figure skates, skating shirts, and pants. It is predominantly dresses and sparkly girly things, but I have seen boys in there trying on competition/testing costumes.

http://www.udel.edu/icearena/general/proshop.html

[GoSveta]

Yep. Things are quite different up north. I'd have to take a 5+ hour drive to hopefully find a Pro Shop with any male gear in it (other than hockey gear, of course).

Prolly be just as cheap for me to just take a plane up to Delaware and get it :P

[isakswings]

Of course, no matter whether he continues or decides to stop figure skating, noone's hockey has ever been hurt from learning how to skate.

You are right. :) There is a 6 y/o boy who skates at our rink. He and his older sisters are in my daughter's club. They take lessons from the same coaches too. Anyway, this same boy plays hockey and LOVES it. His hockey coaches actually asked his mom if he also took figure skating lessons. His mom said yes and they told her they could tell because he has excellent edge control and the quality of his skating is above many of the other skaters his age.

I don't know if this little boy will continue figure skating but for now, he is doing both hockey and figure skating. May as well let them do it if they like it! :)

[Mrs Redboots]

Of course, no matter whether he continues or decides to stop figure skating, noone's hockey has ever been hurt from learning how to skate.

Indeed: "If figure skating were easy, they'd call it hockey!"

And when he is old enough to be interested in girls, remind him that nobody is more run after than a male ice-skater!

[drskater]

In my backward hillbilly town the hockey players are ruthlessly mean to the boys who figure skate. The kids pick up these stupid gender stereotypes from their simian parents, who are just as bad with teasing as the children. The supermacho hockey director at my rink was also a gold medalist in figures, freestyle, and dance plus skating in an ice show and even he attracts all kinds of stupid comments. Yet that man knows how to skate and works hard at teaching real skating skills to the hockey players. My husband loves axels and backspins but has little patience for dance (urgh) and moves--I think he feels big jumps and fast spins are more manly. For all USFS's concerns to raise membership, the organization seems to ignore the increasing dearth of male figure skaters (especially in dance), an urgent problem if there ever was one.

[Morgail]

Is it possible for your son to meet the older boys who figure skate? One of the older boys at the rink where I skate gives occasional encouragement and compliments to the younger boys, which is really great. I think it gives them someone to look up to.

[MagiCat]

Yeah, I learned it as "A hockey player is a figure skater who can't skate".

After talking to one of the girl's moms, I looked at a site that was basically a matchmaking service for pairs skaters. Was amazed at the ratio of girls to boys. Plus looking at some of the girls pages, their parents would actually support the boy and give him a stipend if he relocated to their area.

Indeed: "If figure skating were easy, they'd call it hockey!"

And when he is old enough to be interested in girls, remind him that nobody is more run after than a male ice-skater!

[MagiCat]

In my backward hillbilly town the hockey players are ruthlessly mean to the boys who figure skate. The kids pick up these stupid gender stereotypes from their simian parents, who are just as bad with teasing as the children.

Not as big a problem here. Talked with the mom of one of the boys and he gets teased but it's not "ruthlessly mean". Any is unacceptable but expected.

For all USFS's concerns to raise membership, the organization seems to ignore the increasing dearth of male figure skaters (especially in dance), an urgent problem if there ever was one.

It's almost like anything in this country, if it's boy dominated then there's a huge push to increase girls' numbers whether it be the sciences or hockey. If it's girl dominated like figure skating or teaching, there doesn't seem to be any interested in promoting guy's interest in the activity.

[Query]

Only an elite fraction of boys that try to skate are sought after as skating partners, and there is quite a delay for even that fraction to reach that level.

I bet Hockey works better at impressing most girls, precisely because it is viewed as masculine.

Even at my age, I would try hockey, if it didn't cost so much.

:halo: But if any Maryland area adult ladies want a non-competitive low level skating partner in his early 50's, I'd be happy to oblige.

If a skating club or rink wanted to encourage boys and guys, they could offer and advertise to them free ice dance or pairs lessons and sessions, taught by pretty coaches and partners. That would attract some of the hockey crowd. Hmm. Maybe I should start a club and try to sneak in the idea...

[sk8tmum]

I bet Hockey works better at impressing most girls, precisely because it is viewed as masculine.

Even at my age, I would try hockey, if it didn't cost so much.

:If a skating club or rink wanted to encourage boys and guys, they could offer and advertise to them free ice dance or pairs lessons and sessions, taught by pretty coaches and partners. That would attract some of the hockey crowd. Hmm. Maybe I should start a club and try to sneak in the idea...

Now, as the parent of a boy:

a) teenage girls are more impressed with my son than they are with hockey players. He's got a fantastic body thanks to skating; he carries himself very well and very athletically due to the years of training; and the whole skating thing is far more exciting to watch than a hockey game. Plus, he knows how to talk to girls from years of hanging around them; the body gets shown off in UnderArmour on ice, rather than in bulky hockey attire, and he can talk to them at rinkside if they drop by (try interrupting a hockey practice to chat up girls).

b) the boys who want to try skating are the ones who see my kid jumping, spinning, and skating like a bat out of hell on ice. They are turned off by the guy ice-dancers because it looks "girly" and there doesn't appear to be any risk or danger factor; seeing someone risking their neck in something that looks exciting is far more appealing than skating around and around in a pattern (please do not attack me - I know what ice-dance really is, I know how tough it is, I'm just quoting from years of eavesdropping).

What has sucked a bunch of little boys along in my son's wake is his fearlessness, his presence on the ice, his athleticism, and the ability sceptical parents have to meet a boy who is bright, articulate, and personable. He's dropped the "fear or freak" factor for them. Which means we have a bunch of little boys with toepicks coming along these days ... all of whom my son makes a point out of encouraging ... the best moment was when he was base-coaching a t-ball game, and the little boy rounding the bases stopped, looked at him, and said "WOW! You're the guy who taught me skating! You are so cool" and was too awestruck to move. The parents leaned over, realized WHO the base-coach was (looks different in a baseball hat and shorts) - and had a mental shift of "Oh, he plays BASEBALL too!). That and the time the coach on HIS baseball team yelled in a run-down "do a bl**dy salchow over him and get home" ... he's been accepted because he does his thing, he does it well, and he doesn't make apologies for what he does. Had the gay card played on him a few times, it hurt, we moved on; he got beaten up, he went and got a brown belt in aikido and grew, and now nobody messes with him ...

[GoSveta]

a) teenage girls are more impressed with my son than they are with hockey players. He's got a fantastic body thanks to skating; he carries himself very well and very athletically due to the years of training; and the whole skating thing is far more exciting to watch than a hockey game. Plus, he knows how to talk to girls from years of hanging around them; the body gets shown off in UnderArmour on ice, rather than in bulky hockey attire, and he can talk to them at rinkside if they drop by (try interrupting a hockey practice to chat up girls).
Objectify, much?

This sounds a bit creepy to me.

[sk8lady]

We don't have any male figure skaters here, but one of the rinks I skate at did used to have a teenaged boy who did freestyle and ice dance. We used to LINE UP to fight over who was going to skate with him. I am not kidding. He had to make up a roster.

My son plays hockey and, sadly, has no desire to do anything remotely related to figure skating in any kind of skates (even though he is now taller than me and could partner me for ice dancing so I wouldn't have to drive 310 miles to skate with a man). However, I coached hockey for a number of years and refereed for three, and it will take a little time to get used to the difference between the skates and to change over easily. (For the first year in hockey skates I'd be standing around listening to one of the coaches and suddenly fall over--I'd unthinkingly shift my weight to my heels extensions, which don't exist on hockey skates...) For some things, it helped to work on them in hockey skates--I learned the power pulls from MITF in hockey skates before I got them properly in figure skates. He really just has to be patient and work with both sets of skates and eventually he'll be able to switch back and forth easily.

Good luck!

[Sessy]

he's been accepted because he does his thing, he does it well, and he doesn't make apologies for what he does. Had the gay card played on him a few times, it hurt, we moved on; he got beaten up, he went and got a brown belt in aikido and grew, and now nobody messes with him ...

Plushenko did an autobiographical movie, "pro menya" - about me - and in it he tells he used to do a lot of dares and stupid stuff like launching himself head-first into walls of snow to prove he really was "tough" and "masculine".

[sk8tmum]

Plushenko did an autobiographical movie, "pro menya" - about me - and in it he tells he used to do a lot of dares and stupid stuff like launching himself head-first into walls of snow to prove he really was "tough" and "masculine".

Definitely not my kid's motive - it was actually so that he didn't have to do ballet (long story)!!!! It was just a nice side benefit ... when the other kids saw it demonstrated, they were a) impressed and b) wary.