Reason and background on why you started skating

[sk8great]

So whats the reason and background on why you started skating? 

I started skating because I really wanted to be a part of Disney on Ice! Started at around the age of 6. But just after passing pre alpha I quitted because of school and got discouraged that I couldn't do forward crossovers.  6 years passed and I decided that I want to figure skate again. I pretty much skipped pre alpha this time, on the first day of lessons my coach asked "What are you struggling on?" I said with forward crossovers. She was surprised. Throughout the lesson she asked me about twice if I was sure I was suppose to be in pre alpha, she said she felt like I didn't need to do pre alpha. I was solid on swizzles, 1 foot glide, etc. At the end of the class, she decided to move to alpha, Great! Forward crossovers, we meet again!   Lessons passed, I still couldn't really do a "decent" crossover (only felt comfortable on doing R over L). This time, I just siad to myself that skating takes time and that forward crossovers won't cause me to quit again. Looking for advice on the web, I came across this forum  And Im glad I came across this! The replies to my topic just got me more motivated!

[AgnesNitt]

In my fifties, having hot flashes, wanted a sport where I could stay cool.

[hopskipjump]

My daughter fell in love with skating at a friend's party.  When gymnastics became too much for her (she was really young and on pre-team), I put her in community ice class so she would continue to have a physical sport.  She loves skating.  She said it's the closest feeling to flying.

I learned how to skate to use up "extra" passes.  I guess I'm pre-alpha.  

[SynchKat]

I started when I was 5 because my friend was starting lessons.  She quit after a year or so and I progressed quickly and I am still at it.  I started when I was 5, started ice dancing competitively when I was about 11, gave it up for a year or so when I was in my latest teens, started coaching (it is awesome money when you are around 20), quit coaching and took 2 maybe 3 years off then decided skating is just as good a workout as the gym so took it up as an adult.  As an adult I competed in adult Nationals a few times, started skating synchro on a team and recently took a test.  Only one more to go and I have all my dances.

And that is my skating career in a nutshell. 

[ChristyRN]

My youngest daughter wanted to skate for years, but the rink was what we considered too far away for something that she'd do a couple of months, then quit.  A sign went up for a rink opening closer to home and we told her we would take her when the rink opened.  Little did we know that it would take TWO years.  They were retrofitting an old soda bottling plant and ran into environmental concerns (now solved)

She was in the first group of LTS.  I was in the second.  I figured if I was going to be there with her, I might as well get some exercise.  She switched over to hockey.  That fall, going into high school, she wanted to do color guard/marching band and hockey.  As a social butterfly, we thought if she did both, that school work would suffer and made her choose--she picked colorguard (wanted to quit two weeks in--we made her stick out the season and she did four years, plus four years of winterguard)  I kept skating.

I got up to three days a week, then life got in the way. I quit a while, but got started again about two years ago. I'm back up to two days a week during the school year.

[VAsk8r]

We went to public skating occasionally when I was growing up. My mom says the first time we ever went was with my Brownie troop, which would make skating perhaps the only good thing I ever got out of Girl Scouts. Anyway, I loved skating but knew better than to ask for lessons because the rink was too far from our house. After I graduated college, I moved to a town with an ice rink 10 minutes from my apartment, picked up a brochure and saw they had adult classes, and signed up thinking, "Oh, this'll be fun."

Six years later, my life and my bank account are forever changed. 

[sk8great]

Six years later, my life and my bank account are forever changed. 

I think my mom will agree with you

[Janie]

I don't know, I've just always wanted to figure skate. The grace, the beauty, the power of the jumps all mesmerized me, even though I don't really watch skating as a spectator that much either. I wanted to do it myself. The fact that my mother had learned a bit of figure skating when she was young (I have no idea to what level, she's kind of vague about it) probably pushed me even more.

When I moved to where I am now, I found there was a rink 15 minutes drive away. And there were group classes available at a time I could go. So I went, and am now hooked. I'm gradually deserting my past hobby of volleyball in lieu of more time for skating.

my life and my bank account are forever changed. 

lol so true

[sarahspins]

I had wanted to skate since as long as I could remember... I remember having roller skates and trying to figure out how to spin like the skaters on TV.  I was always told no, I couldn't skate, with the reasons being "it's too expensive" and "I don't want you involved in highly competitive sports". (neither of which are fundamentally true - I spent more on gymnastics for my daughter when she did that, and competitions are optional).

When I was 13 though, I went to school across the street from the rink.  A friend of mine skated recreationally and convinced me to get a pair of used skates so I could go skate with her after school. "Don't worry mom, I'm not asking for lessons, I'm just having fun" was my excuse at the time, and she went along with it.  Within just a few months I was hooked - for my birthday my dad got me my first "real" pair of skates and also agreed to pay for lessons... she HATED the idea, so I kept skating, despite her reservations about it. (my friend did not keep skating though - we went to different schools the next year and didn't really keep in touch).  Eventually she started to come around when she realized that apart from the cost of skates, taking classes and private lessons didn't need to be as insanely expensive as she had though.

Despite a serious injury at 15, I skated seriously until I was 17, at which point I stopped taking lessons (beginning with minor falling out with my coach, then she was forced to relocate across the state when new rink management wouldn't offer her a coaching contract.. and I just never found a replacement).  I continued to skate increasingly more part time until I was 19 when I got pregnant with my oldest and going to school, working, and skating were just too much to keep up with   I wish I had kept skating through that pregnancy and beyond, but it just didn't seem feasible.  I started back almost 3 years ago a few months after my mom retired, but I was only skating once a week or so for almost a year.  I started skating regularly about 2 years ago (and taking lessons again), and I'm more than hooked now

[JSM]

My mom was always a big figure skating fan - she never skated, but she loved to watch.  In 1988 I saw Brian Boitano at the Winter Olympics and was hooked.  I begged my mom for quite some time to get skating lessons!

I skated until about mid high school, then quit for a lot of reasons.  I skated here and there, then went years without even going into a rink.  About two years ago I told my husband (who knew nothing about skating) that I wanted to get on the ice 'for fun'.  He was all for it (famous last words!).

I'm now 30, and much to the chagrin of my husband, my bank account, and my knees, I'm skating as much as I possibly can.  I love it, I missed it, and I feel like I filled an empty hole in my life when I got on the ice again. 

[karne]

It was really quite simple and even has a name: Evgeni Plushenko.

Didn't know anything about the sport before I saw him on TV that night during the Vancouver Games. Couldn't tell apart the jumps, didn't know what any of it was. But I knew he was magic. I was  instantly. (Youtube only helped to encourage it!)

Then I decided to go skating laps round our rink for fitness. Then I thought, "I wonder...?"

Two years later, I'm still as unco-ordinated as I was then, but I'm having a whole lot more fun than I ever have.

[JHarer]

I skated as a kid, but had a bad accident and quit. My little sisters skated ISI for a summer so I spent some time at the rink during my first year of college, but wasn't interested in skating. Then a little over 2 years ago my Goddaughter wanted to take lessons, so I rushed to the rink and signed her up, only to find out that her parents didnt want to commit to driving 2 hours + weekly to bring her to the rink. Of course the fees were non-refundable, since the rink had a thriving adult program, I decided to go ahead and take the lessons rather than lose the $$$. I'm so glad I did, I realized how much I love skating and love the rink. I wish my grandparents wouldn't have let me quit as a kid.

[Vicki7]

I started skating age 6, and carried on til I was around 7 1/2. I am visually impaired and taking group classes, I struggled to pick things up, I was doing in 6 MONTHS what the rest of the class did in 6 WEEKS!

But I loved skating, and I moved 160 miles from that rink, to a place with no local ice except a seasonal rink each Christmastime. In October of this year, a rink opened in a town 30 minutes from my house by bus. I'd been able to skate at a rink in another city a few times thanks to some friends I went to watch hockey with, having to be there early to help out with things. I realized I missed skating in my life, so when this new rink opened near me, I went down for a look-see.

I got talking to the head coach, she said she'd happily teach me in my hockey skates, and I started lessons. About 2 lessons in, I realized my ill fitting hockey skates were going to hold me back, and my parents kindly got me my figure skates as a birthday present. The rest, as they say, is history, I now skate at least once a week, sometimes twice if I can afford it.

I love it so, so much and by starting at a brand new facility, the rink and its community are growing with me as a skater  

[MimiG]

I skated recreationally as a kid, but was too busy with ballet, piano, swimming, karate, girl guides (scouts), etc., to fit any lessons in. When I was 17, and with a much less crowded schedule, I decided I wanted to try skating "for real" so I found a coach and started lessons.

[blue111moon]

Short answer:  the yoga class was full. 

Long answer:  I'd skated on ponds and the swamp behind my house as a kid because everybody did in the winter, just for fun.  Decades later, a co-worker and I were looking for an exercise class to take after work, through the city-run Adult Education program.  The only two classes offered that we could both attend were yoga and ice skating.  The yoga class was full, so we signed up for the ten-week ice skating class at a run-down rink.  My co-worker stuck it out for 10 weeks then quit.  I liked it and I was pretty decent at the basics, so I signed up for the next session the rink offered... and the next .... 

Thirty-odd years later, I'm still there.   

[joyfylgrl]

Here because my middle son (5 years old) skates   I started skating in MI when I was around 3, but it was just the pond in our back yard.  He decided he wanted to skate around last January/February when we were in the middle of a move and ended up watching male figure skating championships of some sort and he looked at us and said: "I want to do that" and couldn't stop talking about it   It's been an interesting year...we were only in GA for 6ish months and then military luck transferred us to Colorado where there are more guys on the rink  

As for me, I'm here because with a young kid, the Momma gets thrown "on the ice" too in a way...I'm actually debating taking an adult class later just so I know what he's talking about!!!! 

[taka]

A friend and I went skating with our Mums... I was 5. My friend hated it but I absolutely loved it and was hooked and I skated for ~5 years then.

Fast-forwards years of only skating once every year or 2, to when I was at Uni. I switched the TV on one day and accidentally caught one of the people I used to skate with competing at either European championships or Worlds (can't remember which). It inspired me to start skating again, but there was no rink close to where I lived. I could only get to a weekend (horrendously busy) public session at a curling rink over an hour's travel each way away. It wasn't ideal and by the time I added in exams, holidays and illness etc I didn't continue for all that long - just a few months.

Fast-forwards years of only skating once every couple of years. A friend mentioned she was doing drop in skating lessons with her daughter at our local rink. Months later, I decided that I needed to do some kind of exercise as I was embarassingly unfit. I hate the gym, didn't fancy exercise classes and I've never managed to beat that amazing feeling of "flying" I get from skating when doing any other sport. The fact my rink is the nearest sports/fitness place to my home and I still enjoyed being on the ice on the rare occasions I went, meant I headed to the rink! I went to a public session and talked to one of the coaches about the drop in sessions my friend had mentioned. She confirmed there were lots of adults at them... so that week I went to it and loved every second! That was 2.5 years ago and I'm completely hooked again!

I love that skating sometimes makes me feel like that excited wee kid again... the one who wants to jump up and down with joy about managing a move I've been stuck on for ages and who can grin all day long after a session where I have felt that "flying" freedom feeling on the ice. I skate at the same rink I started at and am coached by someone who 1st taught me in group lessons 30 odd years ago which just adds to that feeling too!

[PinkLaces]

My Dad taught me (and my 3 other siblings) to skate.  He took us skating Mon, Weds, Fri, Sat, and Sun to get us out of our mom's hair.  As a teen, I went to the ice rink with friends in the winter as a social activity.  It was probably 25 years I was off ice. My DDs started skating when they were little. I took lessons for 2 years and then quit.  One DD quit skating and the other dialed it way back (was more into soccer).  When the DD that was into soccer changed her focus to skating,  I was at the rink a lot.  I was getting really stiff sitting there for hours.  Decided to skate too.  That DD is off to college now, but I still go 3x a week and help out at a seasonal rink on Sats.  I really enjoy skating.

[davincisop]

My parents would take me every year when we went to Chicago for Christmas. And they would always put it on TV for me growing up. In 4th grade I found out a few friends were learning to skate, so I asked mom if I could, too. I abandoned piano lessons for skating lessons and then quit when I got to high school due to chorus. I didn't get past waltz jump when I was little. In college I realized I needed something that wasn't graphic design related to destress me so I turned to skating again and haven't looked back. I am at a point that I don't know what I would do without skating.

[jjane45]

I switched the TV on one day and accidentally caught one of the people I used to skate with competing at either European championships or Worlds (can't remember which). It inspired me to start skating again...

WOW that's really neat!

My first figure skating memory is seeing CHEN Lu's Worlds winning performance on TV. Took me years to start recreational outdoor skating. Then some more years to sign up for group lessons on indoor ice. AOSS beyond remedy.

[taka]

WOW that's really neat!

It was pretty cool! We stared skating a couple of months apart and were pretty friendly as kids. It was clear that she would do well with her skating when we were wee, but I had no idea she had got that far with it!

[sampaguita]

After signing out of my email account I saw this article on Kim Yu Na on how she SHOULD get the gold medal or she could lose all. Days later, I saw Mao Asada doing her exhibition gala. But I missed the performance of the gold medalist. Thus began an obsession with finding Yu Na's Olympic SP and LP (which during that time were blocked!), which soon became a skating obsession.

Went to the US, found a brochure for free classes. Had my first lessons, then formally enrolled for the paid version. And so it began.

[sk8great]

Had my first lessons, then formally enrolled for the paid version. And so it began.

Do you skate at SM Mall of Asia? isn't hard to skate there? Like its always public skate, no freestyle sessions/private skate times for skaters who figure skate.

[sk8lady]

Had one 6 week session of lessons at 15 in Chicago area (passed ISI through Beta) and a few weeks in high school gym with a gym teacher and always wanted to try it again. Didn't get back to it till I was almost 30 and married. Took group lessons and taught in the old Skate with US program, then took private lessons with someone who had never given lessons before and mostly wanted to chat till I got pregnant, then quit for a while, then took a few more lessons, then with increasingly better coaches. Coached Basic Skills and private lessons for years, then quit club and coaching at the end of last year and am working on Pre-Silver dances, Silver free, and getting back into competition. Getting to practice ice and test sessions is practically a full-time job since our regular ice goes out in March and doesn't come in until November so the rest has to be pieced together in various rinks, from a 30 minute drive to 150+ miles away! Ice dance coach is 150+ miles away and freestyle coach didn't have time to coach me last summer so it's always a struggle--but worth it.

[mamabear]

Through my kids-I signed them up and then realized that I was spending about as much to skate with them during their practice (you get one free session a week with lessons) as I would just taking lessons.  Then another mom pointed out that she had started and it was fun plus great exercise.  2 1/2 years later-my son no longer skates, my daughter doesn't like to practice at the same time I do but I still love skating.