Returning 15 years later--Learning curves and what comes back?

[kr1981]

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?

[nicklaszlo]

old SP-Teri customs out of the closet

They still work after 15 years?

[Neverdull44]

Welcome!

I came back in my mid-late 20s, then stopped in my early 30s, and came back again in my 40's.   It came back quicker for me in my 20s, then it is coming back now.  I'm most proud of my spinning ability, my spiral does not have a high leg anymore (i know it could be higher  . .  another thing to work on).  My jumping is suffering the worst, and it's more of a thing of being wider and thicker then of actual balance.  My arms hurt a lot at first (holding arms out), but I worked through that.  I learned new things, like twizzles, so old dogs can learn new tricks.

Anyway, welcome back!

[techskater]

I came back in my late 20s and I had no problems regaining all my singles except the Lutz and Axel and all my go to spins.  I picked up a private coach to regain the Lutz, Axel, camel spin (we've never really been much but passing acquaintances until the last two seasons), flying camel, and learning doubles (which are still somewhat hit or miss).   My skating skills have really improved, though, since coming back and I've learned some new skills as well. 

[kr1981]

They still work after 15 years?

Well, I'm still trying to determine whether or not they still truly fit just right, since my feet have changed. But the boots themselves are in fantastic condition. I only skated in them for a year or two (two at the most), and the only jumps I really did in them were single salchows, toe loops, falling leaves and waltz jumps. I worked on the flip and lutz a little, but that's about it. So, they're not broken down at all. The support is still all there, and despite the pink suede facade, I swear they're made of cement, lol!

But I'm currently still trying to figure out whether they still really fit or not. I'm completely flat-footed, have bunions, overpronate--the works. I did back then, too, which is how I ended up in customs at such a low level. I know I need to get the left boot punched out in the bunion area and get a bunga gel sleeve for that, since my left bunion has gotten a lot bigger since the boots were made.

My feet cramp up really badly pretty often, but I know that could also be due to insufficient stretching beforehand, and the muscles in my feet still getting used to skates again. However, it could also be because the skates don't fit just right. So, I'm trying to give it a little more time to see which it is.

The biggest annoyance is that I think the heel area is too big now. I tie my skates tightly to begin with, then five minutes later, they've loosened up and my heels definitely lift up from the bottom of the boot and feel loose. I do not remember having this issue before. If they were this loose originally, I imagine I would've had a lot more issues with back crossovers and toe jumps being wobbly (which I never did).

Sooooo, I'm still trying to get it worked out, but I'm absolutely open to new boots if need be. The pro shop at my rink sells Superfeet and they have ones already pre-cut that you can actually try out and skate on before buying. So, I'm thinking I'll go out and give those a shot tomorrow.

I came back in my late 20s and I had no problems regaining all my singles except the Lutz and Axel and all my go to spins.  I picked up a private coach to regain the Lutz, Axel, camel spin (we've never really been much but passing acquaintances until the last two seasons), flying camel, and learning doubles (which are still somewhat hit or miss). 

This is excellent to hear! This gives me hope that more of the freestyle skills will return after I get back to being comfortable with more of the basics (like 3-turns, haha). My plan is to do adult group LTS to regain all the basics that I'm currently missing, then probably go back to privates when I get to freestyle. When I quit 15 years ago, I was working on sit and camel spins--so that's my goal--to actually learn those (and then not quit again!).

My jumping is suffering the worst, and it's more of a thing of being wider and thicker then of actual balance.  My arms hurt a lot at first (holding arms out), but I worked through that.  I learned new things, like twizzles, so old dogs can learn new tricks.

I can totally relate to that. Even though I've only tried bunny hops and falling leaves so far, landings seem more... "forceful" than I recall. Then I remember that I've gained 40 lbs. since I was 18 (mostly around the middle), and that's a big difference when you're talking about propelling yourself into the air and landing on a thin strip of metal! That's fantastic that your skills are coming back and you're still picking up new ones (I love watching people do twizzles--definitely want to learn them one day!)--this gives me hope!

[littlerain]

I hope the boot situation works out! I just returned to the ice as well, after 15 years. I have to say the only thing that is in my favor is that I am much more coordinated now than I was when I was 12, and much more aware of body positioning etc etc.

I am in an adult LTS class too - just finished an 8 week session.    I haven't practiced much during, but I definitely found it harder to do things in my "weaker" direction and some of those 3 turns were definitely missing!

Now I'm just afraid of falling lol.or attempting things with real speed! But it has been getting better, so I think once I get the hang of things it will be fine!

[Bunny Hop]

I learned to skate as a teenager but didn't get beyond very small single jumps, and was always a bit of a 'fraidy cat. Gave up at 16 when the rink closed down, came back to skating in my 30s and took private lessons, mainly dance. Still a 'fraidy cat.

My experience is that I had muscle memory for some things (sometimes not a good thing as it hindered learning a slightly different technique), but other things were gone completely and still haven't returned. I think though that the longer someone skated as a child and the higher the level they achieved, the more likely it is that skills will come back. And obviously the more often you can skate the faster you will progress. I effectively started from close to scratch, but different people have different experiences.

[Bill_S]

My experiences are a little different - for example, I never took lessons as a child. I skated on frozen ponds back in the 60s, and learned the how to skate forward and backward, including crossovers by watching others. I also mustered a two-foot spin and waltz jump that way, but didn't learn proper 3-turns and beyond.

I quit in my 20s after I had moved away from home after college. When I was 50, I tried it again.

Coming back after 30 years was very awkward for me. I lost many of the basic skills that I had learned as a child, and hugged the wall for the first hour. Losing basic skills made me grumpy, so I bought new skates and enrolled in adult LTS lessons. (My ancient beginner Riedell skates had deteriorated enough that the foam padding turned to sticky goo during my first time back, and adhered to my socks.)

I was determined to regain what I had lost, and that took about a year of frequent skating. However I found that I was also picking up new skills - i.e. I learned  3-turns and became proficient doing them. It took several years where all the three turns were good enough to test, but I managed. With the help of private coaches after my first year of LTS, I learned new jumps that I never had as a youth.

So while I lost skills during the time away from skating, I regained them all, and then went far beyond what I did as a youth.

[sarahspins]

Wow, if I hadn't gotten back on the ice about 4 years ago, my story would read shockingly similar to yours.  I did get a little higher level than you before I quit (I was working on taking my FS6 test), but I can say that after 10+ years off the ice and after having 3 kids, and carrying a fair amount of extra weight (not all of which I have lost - though I have dropped close to 30lbs in the past 4 years), it didn't really make a huge difference for me - a LOT of things were so much harder to "relearn" than I remembered them being to learn the first time when I was younger.  I had some major "blocks" on certain skills for what felt like a shockingly long time.  I didn't get my back 3 turns back for almost 2 years, despite lots of work with my coach on them.  Once I finally did get them though, they got much better very quickly.

I took a long time before I had the confidence to sign up for a class (almost a year) and I wish I had done so MUCH sooner, so major props to you for taking that step now.  I added private coaching shortly after, so I could work on things outside of class that were just more difficult to tackle in a group setting.

I will say that after 4 years, despite not regaining my axel or the two doubles I had (I am not a huge fan of jumping at this stage in my life), I have much better skating skills now than I did when I was younger.  I also have a much better ability to focus on something I don't want to work on during a practice session than I did when I was younger, so in that regard, some skills that eluded me while I was younger (like loops, twizzles in both directions, starting on either edge) are starting to finally "click" and I can do them fairly reliably - even skills in my "weaker" direction.

Spinning is really the only thing that came back to me "easily" but even still I had some major issues that needed work, and there was a time where it felt like I was making frustratingly slow progress.

My advice regarding skates - even if yours still fit, after 15 years the "other" components in them, such as the foam used for the heel huggers may not be in great shape, and a lot of what you are describing does sound as if that interior foam has deteriorated.  It may be possible to have them rebuilt, but if skating is something you wish to continue doing for a while, it's probably worth it to replace them - you only have one pair of feet, and IMO it's worth it to keep them happy.

[lutefisk]

I skated in the mid-70s through the early 80s (was close to taking FS-1 test) and then walked away for the typical career, family reasons.  Was dragged back three years ago by a pair of 10 and 12 year old nieces.  Was initially horrified by how awful my skating had become.  Finally passed FS-1 last September.  Most of the easy things came back quickly.  Practicing Mohawk turns cost me a busted arm, but I've got 'em back now.  Bottom line: if you really want to claw you're way back, you'll do it!  Welcome back to a great sport!  If you ever skate at Bowie, look for a white haired geezer alternating between doing awful single foot spins and very bad ice dance patterns--that would be me.

[axelwylie]

I skated as a child in the ISI system (through Freestyle 4) and came back into the USFSA system as an adult 8 years later. It took a while to get some of the skills back, but they eventually returned.

Two things changed a lot after coming back to the sport: 1) my center of gravity was different. I had to get my blades realigned to make up for this, and 2) higher impact elements hurt my lower back a lot. After working on bell jumps, my lower back has become really sore and painful. I pinched my sciatic nerve a few times doing that and by working on axels, so just be careful.

I am a better skater now than when I was a child, but the injuries today hurt more and are a lot more serious.

[kr1981]

It has been great to hear about everyone's experiences! I definitely have hope now that I can work to regain my lost skills, and then eventually build on that and pick up where I left off (hopefully it won't take another 5 years to get to where I left off again, but if it does, it does). It makes me feel better to hear that it's completely normal to have to work hard to get a lot of skills back, and that it's not just me. Skating can really fool you! The first few weeks I was back on the ice were super exciting, because I never knew what skill was going to suddenly "click" and return. But for about the past 2 weeks, nothing new has returned, and the skills that came back haven't improved much (at least not that I can tell), so it can get a little discouraging. However, that just means that it's time to start taking lessons... which I fortunately begin on Wednesday evening! I would have started sooner, honestly, but they didn't have an adult LTS session beginning in April. I never went out and just skated without working on things for lessons--my very first time on the ice ever was the first day of my pre-alpha class--so I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. It's really cool and inspiring that so many people here returned to the ice after being away for years!

Two things changed a lot after coming back to the sport: 1) my center of gravity was different. I had to get my blades realigned to make up for this

THIS. I think you are onto something with this. Some of the issues I'm having with things are due to my edges feeling a whole lot more insecure than I remember. I'm just plain having issues with them and it's frustrating. I figured part of the problem is that I probably overpronate because of my flat feet. But I knew something was off because I make the LOUDEST grinding sound every time my heels push into the ice, and my blades seem to be creating a lot of snow--all the time. I didn't think too much of it at first, but then I started realizing that I'm the only one out there--ever--who can be heard a mile away when pushing with my heels! I know for certain that my center of gravity has completely changed... I learned that the first time I attempted to do a forward spiral (which I knew was in muscle memory) and nearly fell flat on my face, haha! But I bet this is part of my problem with some things--that my blade alignment is now out of whack with my feet and center of gravity. I never would have thought about a change in the center of gravity requiring a remount... Good to know!

If you ever skate at Bowie, look for a white haired geezer alternating between doing awful single foot spins and very bad ice dance patterns--that would be me.

Ah, cool! I'm in Frederick. Not too far!

My advice regarding skates - even if yours still fit, after 15 years the "other" components in them, such as the foam used for the heel huggers may not be in great shape, and a lot of what you are describing does sound as if that interior foam has deteriorated.  It may be possible to have them rebuilt, but if skating is something you wish to continue doing for a while, it's probably worth it to replace them - you only have one pair of feet, and IMO it's worth it to keep them happy.

This is a very, very good point. I didn't think about the interior foam deteriorating, which is a definite possibility. It's primarily the ankle and heel area that I just cannot seem to get tight and steady enough, so that certainly sounds likely. The boots were made in 1997 or 1998, so even though I only skated in them for 2 years at the most, you're right--all of the parts are now 16-17 years old (*WINCE* Wow, I just realized that my skates are almost the same age I was when I quit skating... Now I feel reeeeeally, old, haha!). I just got some rubber heel petals that I'm going to try, at least for the interim, but yeah, I have a feeling that I'm going to end up making a trip down to Skaters Paradise for a boot fitting before too long.

[davincisop]

Welcome back to the ice!

I skated from 10-14/15 and only got to waltz jump. I was and still am a hesitant skater. When I came back at 21, I went to a public session and skated circles for two hours. The next week I came back and started adding in basic stuff, like edges and crossovers, then by the third week I was going into scratch spins which ended up being stronger after several years away.

But I didn't have much when I left skating, so getting what I had back didn't take me too long. Now if I'm off the ice for a month because of work stuff, it takes a session or two to get comfortable on the ice again before I'm ready to try anything. I'm hoping when I start lessons next week (after a year and a half without one) my coach will help me conquer some mental fears I've got. She's a tough skater and her students skate really well and I really just need someone to tell me to just do the whatever and don't think.

You'll find some of your stuff you used to do will come back stronger, it's quite fun

[littlerain]

Welcome back to the ice!

I skated from 10-14/15 and only got to waltz jump. I was and still am a hesitant skater. When I came back at 21, I went to a public session and skated circles for two hours. The next week I came back and started adding in basic stuff, like edges and crossovers, then by the third week I was going into scratch spins which ended up being stronger after several years away.

But I didn't have much when I left skating, so getting what I had back didn't take me too long. Now if I'm off the ice for a month because of work stuff, it takes a session or two to get comfortable on the ice again before I'm ready to try anything. I'm hoping when I start lessons next week (after a year and a half without one) my coach will help me conquer some mental fears I've got. She's a tough skater and her students skate really well and I really just need someone to tell me to just do the whatever and don't think.

You'll find some of your stuff you used to do will come back stronger, it's quite fun

Hey davincisop, I feel like I'm right there with you. I was in the same boat as you when I stopped skating, and I skated from about age 10/11- 12. Just started back this spring and it took a few weeks to get back to where I was. Now it is just the mental blocks of speed and my "bad direction". Oh and now I get dizzy so easily. Ugh. So, please do share if your new coach has some great tips to overcome that!

[kr1981]

Hey davincisop, I feel like I'm right there with you. I was in the same boat as you when I stopped skating, and I skated from about age 10/11- 12. Just started back this spring and it took a few weeks to get back to where I was. Now it is just the mental blocks of speed and my "bad direction". Oh and now I get dizzy so easily. Ugh. So, please do share if your new coach has some great tips to overcome that!

Oh my gosh, I am right there with both of you! The only thing I can still do in my "bad" direction is backward crossovers--and they still have tons of room for improvement. I can't do forward crossovers going clockwise at all. Not even a tiny bit. I know it's a mental block. Sigh.

As for the mental block of speed--speed can be a freaky thing when you're figuring out skills you haven't done in years, and you're much more cognizant of falling! One thing that I keep having to remind myself repeatedly is that there are lot of maneuvers that are actually much EASIER with some speed. Footwork, of course, no way. Haha! But it's much more difficult to hold a spiral position if you're just creeping along. My lunge came back just today, and I found that it was a whole lot easier to hold it and get back up on one leg when I had some speed going into it, rather than taking a few baby strokes, then trying to lift my body back up while just barely moving forward. The mental block is definitely there, but I find that the more I actually prove to myself that a move is easier to do with some speed, I chip away at that block a tiny bit more each time.

Spinning... oh my gosh! I cannot believe how dizzy I get just doing, like, 3-4 revolutions of a 2-foot spin. I don't remember the dizziness ever going away when I was a teenager, but it wasn't this bad. To be honest, I think you just get used to dealing with it. I'm friends with my coach from the 90's on Facebook and told her how crazy dizzy I got. She said the dizziness goes away with practice and you eventually get used to it... so to just PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Haha. But I even get a little dizzy just doing back crossovers on the hockey circle, so I feel ya on that one.

[littlerain]

Oh my gosh, I am right there with both of you! The only thing I can still do in my "bad" direction is backward crossovers--and they still have tons of room for improvement. I can't do forward crossovers going clockwise at all. Not even a tiny bit. I know it's a mental block. Sigh.

As for the mental block of speed--speed can be a freaky thing when you're figuring out skills you haven't done in years, and you're much more cognizant of falling! One thing that I keep having to remind myself repeatedly is that there are lot of maneuvers that are actually much EASIER with some speed. Footwork, of course, no way. Haha! But it's much more difficult to hold a spiral position if you're just creeping along. My lunge came back just today, and I found that it was a whole lot easier to hold it and get back up on one leg when I had some speed going into it, rather than taking a few baby strokes, then trying to lift my body back up while just barely moving forward. The mental block is definitely there, but I find that the more I actually prove to myself that a move is easier to do with some speed, I chip away at that block a tiny bit more each time.

Spinning... oh my gosh! I cannot believe how dizzy I get just doing, like, 3-4 revolutions of a 2-foot spin. I don't remember the dizziness ever going away when I was a teenager, but it wasn't this bad. To be honest, I think you just get used to dealing with it. I'm friends with my coach from the 90's on Facebook and told her how crazy dizzy I got. She said the dizziness goes away with practice and you eventually get used to it... so to just PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Haha. But I even get a little dizzy just doing back crossovers on the hockey circle, so I feel ya on that one.

Yay! We're skating twins! Just kidding, I don't know what I'm saying cause I'm dizzy! :-p lol

My problem is the time to practice ! Gotta fit it in there. Plus, I don't think it helps that I developed motion sickness & overall sensitivity to that sort of thing in my early 20s

I definitely agree about the lunge and spiral. I will keep thinking about what you said when working on 3s going faster!

i Discovered coming back that I've lost so much core & leg strength over the years of complete inactivity. I joked that I could barely hold up my own limbs and I wasn't entirely kidding lol. (I am lucky to have a faaaast metabolism and be quite slender) Squats and leg lifts have been helping want to get some ankle weights too

Oh and I totally fell on my butt trying to do an inside 3 one day. Took me by surprise haha. But yes, I think the bad side stuff will come back, but will take a lot of continual practice to keep it up. Went to group class today and totally felt ridiculous on the bad side back crossovers. Not as bad on the front ones though!

[kr1981]

i Discovered coming back that I've lost so much core & leg strength over the years of complete inactivity. I joked that I could barely hold up my own limbs and I wasn't entirely kidding lol. (I am lucky to have a faaaast metabolism and be quite slender) Squats and leg lifts have been helping want to get some ankle weights too

Yes!!! I hear ya on that one. I've lost ALL leg and core strength from just sitting in front of a computer over the years. After about 7 weeks of being back on the ice, I feel like I'm slooooooooooooowly building muscle and getting back into shape. My lunge came back on Tuesday--and I was excited, so I did about 10 of them... Yesterday, I could barely walk! And I'm still sore from it today, haha. I definitely need to start doing squats and leg lifts. Back stretches, too. Ankle weights are a really good idea.

Oh and I totally fell on my butt trying to do an inside 3 one day. Took me by surprise haha. But yes, I think the bad side stuff will come back, but will take a lot of continual practice to keep it up. Went to group class today and totally felt ridiculous on the bad side back crossovers. Not as bad on the front ones though!

Kudos to you for even trying that 3-turn. They're hard! I don't remember 3-turns being particularly easy--or fun--to learn when I was 15, so I'm definitely kind of groaning about having to relearn them now, haha. My forward crossovers are much, much worse than the back ones, too. Yet, I remember the opposite being true when I was a teenager. Funny how things totally change over the years!

[littlerain]

Yes!!! I hear ya on that one. I've lost ALL leg and core strength from just sitting in front of a computer over the years. After about 7 weeks of being back on the ice, I feel like I'm slooooooooooooowly building muscle and getting back into shape. My lunge came back on Tuesday--and I was excited, so I did about 10 of them... Yesterday, I could barely walk! And I'm still sore from it today, haha. I definitely need to start doing squats and leg lifts. Back stretches, too. Ankle weights are a really good idea.

Kudos to you for even trying that 3-turn. They're hard! I don't remember 3-turns being particularly easy--or fun--to learn when I was 15, so I'm definitely kind of groaning about having to relearn them now, haha. My forward crossovers are much, much worse than the back ones, too. Yet, I remember the opposite being true when I was a teenager. Funny how things totally change over the years!

Started doing this 30 day squat challenge but I keep forgetting days. Even so, it has helped me, but that may just be saying something about the pathetic state of my muscles! Lol!

Lol yeah I didn't enjoy 3 turns much as a teen either. I can do the rfo 3 comfortably, lfi and lfo are at pretty basic levels and so that day I was like let's try a rfi and my body and blade was just all wrong. Oh well. All part of learning right??

Lunges! Ugh lol. We did them in group class about a month ago and I haven't really since. I can get like 99% down but didn't seem to have the strength to hold myself that last bit like I did before! and definitely sore. Group coach (who is also the skating director) brought up such a great point today. It's not that we less skilled on ice, it is bc what we've done off ice is no longer the same!

Forward crossovers are a bit strange huh? I can do them... But I don't want to?? Lol

[DelMaggie]

Hey y'all! I fit right into this category!  And this is my first post to the forum!!    I just returned to the ice after about 16 years!!  I had very high expectations for myself when I returned to freestyle 6 weeks ago.  Boy was I embarrassed!!!  I skated competitively from 7th grade through college.  When I left skating for my fulltime career after college, I had passed through Intermediate Free and 2nd figures.  MIF were not in place at that time. I was landing all doubles and the infamous Axel at that time.  So I really want to begin with Novice Moves and 3rd figures (if I can find a rink that still offers "patch").  Most people disliked figures.  However, they were my "specialty"!!!  I loved practicing the tracings on the ice. SO much, that I always entered the figures portion of the competitions I travelled to.  I still even have my "scribe".   

After last nights session, and then reading here today, I am confident that I am doing what I should be and where I should be at this point.  I am a jumper!  I can land all my singles - haven't tried that Axel yet.  I agree with the other skaters that I do not remember getting dizzy spinning as a teenager.  I have been avoiding spins at all costs!!

As for the way my skates fit - before I went back to a freestyle session, I sent my skates back to Harlick to have them re-lasted or stretched.  That was the best move I made.  My feet have spread in the ball area and were too tight when I put them on to walk around the house (with hard-gards on of course!).  Even with them being the X-Line models that Harlick makes.  Now they fit like a glove!  So much so that I was able to purchase an Almost New Pair on eBay recently to use as my new freestyle skates and put my Gold Test Blades on the pair I am skating in mow for "patch".

I am so happy to find a place with others to chat about progress and the ABSOLUTE love of skating!
Happy Friday!

[littlerain]

Hey y'all! I fit right into this category!  And this is my first post to the forum!!    I just returned to the ice after about 16 years!!  I had very high expectations for myself when I returned to freestyle 6 weeks ago.  Boy was I embarrassed!!!  I skated competitively from 7th grade through college.  When I left skating for my fulltime career after college, I had passed through Intermediate Free and 2nd figures.  MIF were not in place at that time. I was landing all doubles and the infamous Axel at that time.  So I really want to begin with Novice Moves and 3rd figures (if I can find a rink that still offers "patch").  Most people disliked figures.  However, they were my "specialty"!!!  I loved practicing the tracings on the ice. SO much, that I always entered the figures portion of the competitions I travelled to.  I still even have my "scribe".   

After last nights session, and then reading here today, I am confident that I am doing what I should be and where I should be at this point.  I am a jumper!  I can land all my singles - haven't tried that Axel yet.  I agree with the other skaters that I do not remember getting dizzy spinning as a teenager.  I have been avoiding spins at all costs!!

As for the way my skates fit - before I went back to a freestyle session, I sent my skates back to Harlick to have them re-lasted or stretched.  That was the best move I made.  My feet have spread in the ball area and were too tight when I put them on to walk around the house (with hard-gards on of course!).  Even with them being the X-Line models that Harlick makes.  Now they fit like a glove!  So much so that I was able to purchase an Almost New Pair on eBay recently to use as my new freestyle skates and put my Gold Test Blades on the pair I am skating in mow for "patch".

I am so happy to find a place with others to chat about progress and the ABSOLUTE love of skating!
Happy Friday!

Welcome! That is so awesome that your old skates work with some adjustments!

When I skated, I never got too far into jumps. So, I haven't really tried any aside from little waltz jumps to get a feel for things. Perhaps it is all in my head, but I would like to learn them appropriately now haha. So that is awesome your singles have come back to you!