Involvement of significant other/family in figure skating

[Janie]

I was just curious, how involved are your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife or family in your figure skating? Do they come watch you practice? Go to your test sessions? Watch your competition? Or not involved at all?

I've seen quite a few people post videos of their tests videoed by their husbands. I'd like my boyfriend to be able to go to my (future) test(s) for moral support and for filming, and I'm sure he'd be happy to if I asked. But I don't want to bore him to death watching everyone's tests, since even if I leave right after my own test, I'd still have to be there an hour early beforehand. Competitions, hopefully, will at least be more interesting to watch.

So how do you balance how much involvement you try to get your significant other into figure skating?

[Skittl1321]

My husband has come to most of my tests, local shows, and competitions.

Not all of them though.  Of five tests, he came to 2 of them. He just hung out with me for the hour until I skated.

He has gone to about half of my competitions.  He brings his Kindle, usually.   Not the synchro ones, which were always out of state. 
He comes to local shows, and doesn't go when I go, but comes about 15 minutes before I'm scheduled to skate.  He then leaves before the finale, but we have a very informal show.  I didn't ask him to come to the one that had a more formal seating arrangement where it would have been rude to leave. He would have been bored watching 2 hours of other skaters.

When I was just learning he would sometimes come to public sessions with me, but he really doesn't like to skate, so we don't do that together anymore.

[jjane45]

My family does not know how much I skate. I am an undercover skater 

[SynchKat]

My husband used to come to all competitions but he and our son get bored and he doesnt really get that my time is not my own to hang out with them at competitions so he has started limiting the ones he goes to.  He did come to my recent test, as did my parents. 

It is tough for non skaters at competitions and tests.  My mom loves going to watch but ya my husband just eats arena junk food and looks bored to tears and I have more fun if I go in my own. 

[TreSk8sAZ]

My mom was a figure skater, so I love having her come to my competitions and tests. She comes to a practice here and there when she is in town. My dad usually comes to competitions and feels important when I ask him to videotape, but he gets bored after my event. He knows enough about skating that he is pretty interested in my group, but if he doesn't know anyone else in any other events, he's done.

[Doubletoe]

My husband has come to all of my tests and all of my competitions (except for the few he couldn't travel to due to other commitments).  He knows I get scattered and nervous and it grounds me to have him there for moral support.  I also ask him to come and video my choreography lessons and program run-throughs about 5-6 times a year.  I know I'm one of the lucky ones; some husbands would rather shoot themselves in the head than sit through that much skating. :p

[nicklaszlo]

We do most of the skating together.

[Bunny Hop]

My husband skates as well, and now skates much better than I do, even though I was the one who skated originally. He had a more flexible job at one point that allowed him more time for lessons, so he overtook me a long time ago.

[PinkLaces]

My DD takes lessons from the same coach I do.  We are normally at the rink together.  My younger DD doesn't skate.  She will come to competitions and occassionally come watch her sister and I practice.  My DH comes if there is a competition - he doesn't go to tests as he is usually working during them.  He is supportive and encouraging of both my DD and my skating.  He works long hours and travels for his work.  Last year, he told his work he couldn't travel in April so that he could do the father/daughter number in the ice show.  He has also spent many hours announcing for our rink's competitions.

[Rachelsk8s]

My boyfriend has come to some of my tests and competitions, and a few practices.  I feel bad for him when its a long wait for a performance or test as its cold!!  He's great moral support though My parents have come to all of my competitions/tests as an adult, and also (of course) when I was a kid!  My mom was the one who introduced me to skating when I was a young child, she always wanted to figure skate but never took lessons

[icedancer]

My husband likes figure skating and I think this is one of the things that attracted him to me in the first place!

Over the years he has come to a few of my dance tests - once when we were dating at 6:30 in the morning!  He was surprised to see me in full makeup and hair done at that time of day... LOL

He enjoys watching skating on TV and has accompanied me to World Championships twice - he likes to come and watch the final flights with the best skating but still has a great time - plus he has been very very good about identifying famous skaters in the crowds at these events.  He is a great judge of flow, can't identify elements to save his life, but he is pretty knowledgeable for a non-skater.  Also has gone to all of the touring shows that used to come through town like Stars on Ice and Champions on Ice and all of that - of course I usually paid for the tickets. 

He has skated a little but it really bothers his hips.  It's too bad because he is tall and thin and would be a great ice-dance partner for me but oh well, you can't have everything!

[Janie]

This is all very interesting to hear. Thanks everyone!

I wish I could have my mum at my (future) competitions. But as we live in different countries, that's not likely to happen.

My family does not know how much I skate. I am an undercover skater 

I somehow found the term "undercover skater" very amusing.

[Isk8NYC]

My family does not know how much I skate. I am an undercover skater 

I somehow found the term "undercover skater" very amusing.

As did I - that will make a great Post Count title!  *Goes to add it to the system*

[ChristyRN]

The ex came to a few of my early competitions,  DDs have come to Christmas shows.  Current DH came to the only show I've done since we started dating.  Younger DD and her boyfriend came to the same show.

[mamabear]

I started skating when my DS was taking lessons and didn't want to go practice on public sessions by himself.  He was 6 at the time and it made me nervous as well so I started lessons so I could know what was going on and then I was hooked.  DS has since given up skating but still has to come to public sessions to practice with me sometimes.   DD still takes skate lessons so we usually practice at the same time and we take LTS at the same time. DH?  Well, he came to a public session once but doesn't like that he doesn't know how to skate.  He generally comes to shows and such.  I've only skated in one show and he loved, loved, loved helping pick the music.  I think he got into that more than I did. 

[kiwiskater]

I dragged kiwiskater#2 (my brother) into learning when I started, call me chicken but we're moral support for each other & someone to complain with, someone who will drive the other home from a lesson if damaged (count 1 for each of us) and best of all we split the fuel costs 50/50

[taka]

Don't have an other half to bore sensless drag ermmmm, gently encourage to skate. 

My brother sometimes goes to a public sessions though. (He started learning when he was 3ish as he was there with my mum anyway watching me!) He quit skating when I did (played Rugby instead). He can still remember the basics (better than I could!) but doesn't skate very often. He occasionally threatens to do the drop in SkateUK lessons but hasn't got round to it yet!

I think my Mum had her fill of standing around cold ice rinks when I was wee so hasn't been to the rink yet. I think she thinks I'm nuts to be skating again and finds it all rather odd! My Dad has never really been all that keen on being at the rink (though sat through assorted shows and comps when I was wee!) If I ever take part in the rink exhibition (no shows here!) they possibly may turn up as they live very close to the rink. Tests are "closed" so they can't turn up and there's no filming allowed anyway.

Haven't competed yet but I guess it depends on where it at to whether my Parents would go or not. Most of my family turned up to my 1st comp when I was 7... I think there were 10 of them - grandparents, great aunts & uncles etc as well as my brother and parents!

I'm actually a bit nervous of my Mum seeing me skate again... I think she'd be disappointed with my (lack of) skating ability now. She also really didn't get on with the head coach and still seems annoyed if I ever mention her (even ~26 yrs on since she last saw her!) I don't want any trouble!

[karne]

My father couldn't care less. He came to my first test and my first competition, decided his opinion it wasn't a sport hadn't changed, and now actively makes excuses not to come. He only gets mildly interested when I talk about blades (he's an engineer so anything mechnical/involving physics intrigues him).

My mother always comes to my competitions (exception of the last one because she was sick). She enjoys it, although we have to do something about the mysteriously leaking eyes everytime I skate. 

My grandparents come sometimes, but not always. I don't blame them, it's cold.

None of my siblings could give a rats'.

[alejeather]

My dad is interested in theory. He played hockey in high school and used to take my sisters and me to the rink about once a year. That's how I learned to skate very passably for someone who grew up in the south. I think he quit playing hockey when he went to college, but up until I started taking lessons, he could still skate circles around me. I have a hard time imagining my dad playing hockey. He's a sweater vest and bow-tie professor type and hockey has such a reputation as an aggressive sport!

He came with me to the rink the day I was finally cleared to skate again after my broken ankle. I think it was more motivated by the fact that he'd just bought a new camera and wanted something to photograph. He didn't skate that day, but he has skated with me before. My mom was with us, but dropped us off at the rink and went to the nearby mall instead.

My parents didn't come to my recent test, but might have if I'd explicitly asked them to. I thought their presence might make me more nervous, so I didn't.

My sisters don't live in town, but it's not too hard to drag them to the rink when they are. They like to see what I've learned to do and play around on the ice themselves a little, though they say they'd enjoy it more if they knew how to do more. They like to know about what's going on with my skating, but know very little about it, so it's hard to explain enough background about skating to actually tell them the specifics of how it's going. One of my sisters is going for her PhD in Physics and she will say, "Ooh! Lobes and circles and axes are very physics-y!" and speculate about the forces on your body that make changing positions in a spin difficult, and so on. At least she's listening

[Janie]

Most of my family turned up to my 1st comp when I was 7... I think there were 10 of them - grandparents, great aunts & uncles etc as well as my brother and parents!

Wow!! You have a very close family!

My parents didn't come to my recent test, but might have if I'd explicitly asked them to. I thought their presence might make me more nervous, so I didn't.

Hmmm I think I'd be nervous too if my parents came to my test! I still wish I had the opportunity to let my mum see me do jumps and spins in person though.

[taka]

Wow!! You have a very close family!

They were curious I think! Most of them lived too far away from us to come see school plays or similar so this was their chance! That rink was ~2 miles from where most of them lived... Those that were well enough came to other, later comps in the area too, but that was the only time they turned up en masse!

[techskater]

I try to avoid having my husband come as it makes me more nervous.  One of my favorite moments, though, was ANs when my grandparents came.     They are hanging in their in their early 90s right now, so them having seen one of my best performances ever is one of my greatest memories.

[icedancer]

I forgot all about the fact that it was my DAD who got me so involved in skating in the first place!  When I was a little kid and was interested in learning about ice skating he was all over it and before I knew it I had a pair of skates and we went skating on a frozen pond near where we lived.  He totally got into it and before I knew it we had joined a skating club, I was taking group lessons and then he and my mom REALLY got into it - he especially - he became an ice-dancer and skated four dances sessions at week.  He had the skating habit BAD...

As far as having lots of relatives come to competitions when you are a kid it is very very common to see LOTS of people in the audience for the basic skills competitions - all the parents and grandparents, etc., they are all there for the kids... it is when you get to the higher levels, the skaters that have competed for years - this is when you see just the one parent there, hanging out with the other parents that they have become friends with over the years from watching their kids skate -

[Janie]

They were curious I think! Most of them lived too far away from us to come see school plays or similar so this was their chance! That rink was ~2 miles from where most of them lived... Those that were well enough came to other, later comps in the area too, but that was the only time they turned up en masse!

I think I'd be extremely nervous if so many people came to watch me though!

One of my favorite moments, though, was ANs when my grandparents came.     They are hanging in their in their early 90s right now, so them having seen one of my best performances ever is one of my greatest memories.

That's so heartwarming 

[Kitten23]

I once paid my sisters to come watch me compete.  Paid for their transportation to and from the rink and brought dinner.  They're not really all that interested.  Went on vacation to Lake Placid and not once did they show up at the rink.  They do ask how my practices were (I think they're being polite), and I always say "fine", even on the days I've gotten hurt.

They're both in theatre and while I've attended almost every single one of their shows, I can count the number of times they've seen me skate.  Oh well....