Hi everyone! So, I did figure skating all through high school (from, I believe 1994-1999). When I stopped taking lessons--I think at the end of my senior year--I was working on ISI Freestyle 4. Even though I pretty much lived at the rink for 5 years, I only got to FS4 because, even as a teen, I was definitely NOT a fearless skater, lol! I was always at least a little nervous about learning jumps, and most things didn't just come naturally/quickly to me--so I just never blew through the levels like a lot of girls my age. I LOVED doing spirals, though! I was really flexible, and was content to do spirals until the cows came home!
After stopping in '99, I always sort of missed skating and would occasionally think of taking it up again, but I just never did. For the past 9 years, I've lived 1 mile from the rink (so I really had no excuse, haha!). But a few months ago, I realized that I seriously need to do SOMETHING to get off my butt, get in shape, lose weight, and stop being so lazy. Then, the more I started thinking about skating, the more I missed it, and the more I wanted to return. I work 3 miles from the rink, and they have a public session Monday-Friday from 11:30-1:30, so I decided to stop thinking about it, dig my old SP-Teri customs out of the closet and just make it a new lunch hour thing.
So, long story short, I'm now 32, and 6 weeks ago, I started going out on my lunch hour. I only have about 35 minutes on the ice, but I've been able to make it 4 times/week--which I think has actually been ideal.
It took a few sessions of just getting out and skating around to get used to the feel of the ice again. I had only gone skating a couple times since quitting years ago. But I loved it instantly! It was sort of a neat, nostalgic feeling--after a few minutes, I totally remembered why I loved skating so much before. So now, I'm completely passionate about it and obsessed... Just like being 16 again, haha!
After a few sessions of getting comfortable on the ice, maneuvers started to come out of muscle memory... CC forward crossovers, left backward spiral (which I got on video--looks about like a camel spin, but I'm stoked I can still get in the position at all--and I can hold it for a distance), CC back crossovers, then later back crossovers in my "bad" direction, one (lol) mohawk, falling leaf jump (not split... though I wish!), few revolutions of a crappy two-foot spin that travels, and if I get my nerve up, bunny hop. I'm working on my forward spiral, since that was my favorite--but having gained 40 lbs. in the last 15 years, my center of balance has changed--and I need to build strength in my back/core again--so muscle memory doesn't do me much good, haha.
In 6 weeks, those are the things that have come back from muscle memory. I begin adult LTS group lessons next week, and I'm really glad, because I feel like I've hit a plateau. In the last 2-3 weeks, I've hit a point where I feel like everything that's going to come back on its own, has. Like, 3-turns seem to be completely gone. I just cannot figure them out. Part of that is probably that I don't feel nearly as comfortable on my edges (yet) as I used to... and that ice is a lot harder and much more slippery than I remember! Oh, and the toe pick on my MK Pros is a lot bigger than I remember, too!
I've browsed lots of posts here, and there seem to be a lot of skaters who learned then they were young, then returned to the ice as adults. I was just wondering what people's experiences were with having skills return from muscle memory vs. how much you had to relearn totally from scratch. Does everything that is going to come back on its own pretty much come back early on? Or can I expect more skills to return from muscle memory after I get more comfortable with my edges, etc.?
What was your learning curve when returning the ice after years away?