Ok...this question came to me today. So I thought I'd post it. But in your own words,if you are a Freestyler (in a Freestyle sesson,etc.) training. What it is like to train as a Freestyler?
I don't know exactly how to answer this question, FSWer, because it's so broad. It's kind of like if I asked you to tell me what it's like to eat breakfast. What would you say? See what I mean?
Instead, I'll tell you what's different about skating on a freestyle session instead of a public session. First, I get to play the music for my program if I want. Second, I can skate anywhere I want on the rink in any direction, which is important if I'm practicing a program. Some rinks require all the skaters on a public session to skate around the rink in the same direction. You can practice freestyle moves in the middle, but that doesn't let you get a whole program in. Third, the skaters on a freestyle tend to be more experienced skaters as a group than the skaters on a public session, and so tend to be faster and stronger. On a freestyle, we don't have to worry quite so much about watching out for beginners, although we still have to be careful. We can skate fast and do big jumps and use the harness - things that might be dangerous with a lot of less experienced skaters on the ice. There are lots of things I can practice safely on a public session, and I'll do that when I can because it's less expensive. But there are things that really can only be practiced on a freestyle, so it's worth it to pay more for those sessions in order to do those things.
I think you may like Kathryn Bertine's book "All the Sundays Yet to Come: A Skater's Journey". Part of it was about touring as a professional but she also extensively described her amateur life as a hard working athlete and fierce competitor. Very nice read.
I really disliked that novel, but I seem to be alone. I am fussy about books and stories - needed more cyborgs, lol. If someone wants my copy of that book, you can have it.