How much of a factor is skating in your life?

[Feebee]

This is something I think about often,I figured I'd put this out there and see just how crazy (or awesome? Yes. awesome) I am in comparison to most of you. 

I started LTS 1.5 years ago, it was a once a week commitment, that turned into private lessons 2x's a week, with some sporadic practice time here and there. Now it's an almost daily activity, and it's both time consuming and expensive. I absolutely love it, and have no intention of giving it up, but I do find that I'm basing so many life decisions around skating, it almost feels irrational.

For example - I've been at a crossroads in my career; I started freelancing 2.5 years ago (maybe even 3? I don't remember). Initially it was just a short break from full time work, which then became an extended break as I needed to take care of my sick grandmother. I took up skating shortly after she passed and now I can't fathom going back to full time work, simply because it would interfere so much with my skating schedule.

In the back of my mind, I've been toying with the idea of going back to school - I'm a web designer, but I've always been drawn to the health sciences, and have considered and re-considered nursing school several times. I'm back to considering it, but this time around, I keep thinking that would mean cutting back on, or giving up skating altogether for a few years, at least.

Do any of you factor skating this strongly into your life? Would you move somewhere with no ice, for example, if there were other strong reasons for such a move? I know many people have taken breaks, but I'm kind of stuck on this idea that if I took a break, eventually 'real life' would take over and I'd be left with some really basic skills and an unfinished dream.

On the other hand...I don't know if I want to wake up in 5 years and find that the only thing I've really accomplished in life is that I'm a great adult skater...

How much of a priority do you make skating? Have you found that you can always work into your life no matter what? (obviously discounting time taken off to have kids, or health factors that prevent you from skating altogether)...

[littlerain]

I'm definitely a person that obsesses over something they like, and while I don't think I have been able to incorporate skating as much into my life as I would like, I definitely have periods of time where it is a big factor in my plans.

I definitely would not move somewhere without a rink haha unless I really had to for serious family reasons or something.

I sadly can't always work it into my life haha. I recently got married and had to take about two months off because I was so busy, plus I work full time. I also won't sacrifice sleep on a regular basis for skating lol

[icedancer]

It factors in a LOT - for the last 25 years at least!

I used to work a LOT - but always had a day off during the week or morning off so I could go to skate, take a lesson - even worked near a rink where I would go skate at noon (they just happened to have ice-dance at noon!) and I had a great coach there.

When we moved to Portland, OR I really had to know that they had rinks and skating - again, worked a lot but always found time to skate at least 2-3 days a week.

Working full-time at two jobs, found time to skate before work a couple of days a week.

Eventually started my own business, where I can work my own hours.  Sometimes I even give up some business "because I have skating" - but at this point I consider it "self-care" as I work in a stressful field.

Becoming a judge - well, you give up a lot of your free time - but I was going to test sessions anyway, just to watch and to see what would pass - certain seasons it seems like I give up a lot of my free time - but again I love it and have learned so much about my sport... which I love -

But there is a limit.  For instance I was approached to become a competition judge and because of the time factor and also the exhaustion factor I declined even starting to trial judge at competitions - as a test judge I am asked to judge at non-qualifying competitions and this is enough for me (also exhausting) -

I won't run for club office although I am approached every year.

I have co-chaired a competition three years in a row - but I also competed it it!

So yeah, it's a lot of time and money, but when I see people my age (61) and compare how I am doing physically in comparison I know that it is largely because of skating (and living a pretty clean lifestyle) -

[Horseandpony]

I'm pretty obsessed with skating but I try to keep myself aware of my limitations.

I think about skating all the time, and when I'm not on the ice, I really want to go back. I've only been skating for 10 months but in that time I've really fallen in love with skating.

I work part time and study at university, and whenever I think about working, I think about paying for skating. Everything money wise ties back to paying for skating.

When I consider about where I would buy my house on the future, the closeness to my rink is always considered.

I skate as much as I can every week, even if I'm tired or super busy.

I get really excited whenever I get to go skating or take a lesson. It kills me to be away from the ice and I just want to be there all the time.

Whenever I think about a job i would like in the future, I think about whether i could afford to skate and whether I would have time to skate. (Although my criteria for this is pretty loose. A wage around the average or a little below and a 9–5 job would be fine)

I really love skating, but I also know that I'm never going to make it big or anything. It's really just a hobby, and who knows what I'll be doing in ten years. Maybe I'll be completely burn out of skating or move towards another hobby. I'd love skating to be a part of my future but I know that it might not necessarily happen.

[Feebee]

I also won't sacrifice sleep on a regular basis for skating lol

haha! I do actually sacrifice sleep, but I enjoy the early morning sessions (my lessons are at 7am, and depending on the arena, this means waking up between 5:30 and 6:00, seriously who have I become?).

[icedancer]

haha! I do actually sacrifice sleep, but I enjoy the early morning sessions (my lessons are at 7am, and depending on the arena, this means waking up between 5:30 and 6:00, seriously who have I become?).

A skater!!

I don't do early mornings anymore but would if I had to!

[littlerain]

haha! I do actually sacrifice sleep, but I enjoy the early morning sessions (my lessons are at 7am, and depending on the arena, this means waking up between 5:30 and 6:00, seriously who have I become?).

The extent of me sacrificing sleep for skating would be like... Waking up at 8 or 9. But you definitely couldn't convince me to do it on a regular basis. I am NOT a morning person. Lol

[twinskaters]

I sacrifice sleep for my kids' skating. I'm not sure I would do it for mine. Definitely not at my current  level, because I would not feel comfortable on our morning freestyles.

I freelance part time and am at home with my kids full time. When the possibility of a FT job was on the table this winter, I did consider how it would affect my skating and theirs. I landed on it being a wash because if I were bringing in more money, I would be ok with the late afternoon and weekend freestyles, which are more expensive, and I would pay for privates for me rather than group (which is Wednesday morning at 10 so not conducive to working FT).

[AgnesNitt]

I put nearly 30,000 miles a year on my car, I estimate half of that is going to the rink. So, it's half of my life.

[Feebee]

I put nearly 30,000 miles a year on my car, I estimate half of that is going to the rink. So, it's half of my life.

^ This. Exactly. I only started noticing recently just how much my mileage went up this year and I'm trying to figure out ways to cut back. During the winter it's not so bad because there are sooo many arenas in my area, but the last few months I've been driving a TON, and all of that mileage is to the various far out arenas that stay open in the spring/summer.

Just today I decided not to go practice after realizing that I'm up to filling my tank weekly! I used to be able to go more than 2 weeks on a tank. Yikes.

I freelance part time and am at home with my kids full time. When the possibility of a FT job was on the table this winter, I did consider how it would affect my skating and theirs. I landed on it being a wash because if I were bringing in more money, I would be ok with the late afternoon and weekend freestyles, which are more expensive, and I would pay for privates for me rather than group (which is Wednesday morning at 10 so not conducive to working FT).

That would be my calculation too. It all comes back to that time = money, to a great extent.

[amy1984]

Sometimes I have the same sort of thoughts - I factor in skating waaaaayyyy too much.  If I was forced to calculate what I spend a year on ice, coaching, apparel, skates, etc., I'm sure I'd faint.

But then again, I'm pretty sure some people my age spend about the same partying.  It's also the only physical activity that I've found that I really enjoy and will attend consistently.  So it keeps me in shape.

But so much $$ and time!  I don't know what I'd do with myself if I stopped skating.

[riley876]

Just lately, it's big.   Beginning of december I decided to throw massive amounts of practice at my inadequacies.   Only doable because work has gotten thin on account of the world's economies swirling down the drain hole.

I skate at rinks generally twice a week (1 ice, 1 inline),  but I'm outside working on stuff every day that the ground is dry enough.   In summer, sometimes twice a day (e.g. if it's too hot except early morning & evenings).    When I can't skate in the mornings, I do 10-15 mins of aerobics and strength training, mostly in aid of becoming a better skater,  but also because it chases the blues away.   

I keep a large stock of wheels, that should last me 10 years or so, so if civilisation collapses, I can still skate!  Gotta have one's priorities straight

If I didn't skate, I'd spend (much) more time on other hobbies that I'm currently neglecting.   I do keep them alive, because I know it's just a matter of time before an injury puts me out for some amount of time.

[Doubletoe]

There are very few things I would sacrifice sleep for, but I got up before 5:00am for 8 years because it was the only way I could skate during the week while working full time.  My boss now lets me come in early and stay a little late two days a week and leave to skate in the middle of the day on those days.  The older I get, the less willing I am to do things that require flexibility or courage at 6:30am, but I suppose I'd do it again if it were the only way to keep skating.  I'm not obsessed with skating anymore, but I don't know what I'd do if I quit.

[celia]

Skating comes and goes in my life.  I've taken one short break (for college) followed by more skating followed by one long break (for grad school and then work).   I've prioritized work for the last 15 years and I'm not sorry about that decision for that time.  But I'm glad to have made the commitment to come back to skating.  As far as your worry that "real life" will take over, sometimes it does, and then "real life" includes skating again.  Sometimes I'm frustrated by the idea that if my coach as a teenager saw me now she'd say "doesn't she have a consistent backspin after all of these years?".  But then I think, no, she would probably be proud of me for doing it at all.

[littlerain]

Shortly after writing my above post, I agreed to a morning lesson at my new rink lol. I guess I will give up sleep after all!

[davincisop]

I'm a freelancer as well (freelancers unite!) in illustration. I have had skating back in my life since college and before I went full time and started my freelance career, I was working skating in wherever I could around my agency jobs. Unfortunately, my last job (the one that ended up firing me for no reason and the reason I started freelancing) did not afford me the ability to skate much, even though the rink was across the street from me. Skating times were weird and didn't fit with my schedule.

Nowadays, skating is my almost daily stress relief. Even if I don't go out and practice, sometimes I just need to do laps around the rink to clear my head. I couldn't go back into the 9-5 world because I'm able to make my schedule and fit skating in wherever I want and then just make up the work time later. I'm also single, so my schedule has no effect on a spouse of any kind if I skate and then just work late.

But I would say it's an important part of my life as it's afforded me a social life outside of illustration and I get together with another freelancer friend who I meet up with and skate.

[mamabear]

I am so spoiled because the rink is about a mile from my house.  I have wondered how much of the driving back and forth would I agree to if I lived further away.  Tuesday for example I woke up at 5 a.m. to take DD to the rink for practice and camp, then back to the rink at 11 to pick her up and then returned at 8:30 that night to practice myself.

I'm teaching 1 class this summer (I teach at a university)  and if I had known that the public sessions were going to be changed so that that the time I'm teaching lands right in the middle of public session-I'm not sure I would have done it. 

[karne]

How much? I almost considered turning down a potentially amazing career opportunity because one of the days it fell on overlaps with our state championships.

It took every single cell in the logical part of my brain screaming "don't turn this opportunity down you ninny!" to not turn it down!