Lady of leisure

Meli · November 29, 2016, 03:14:02 PM

Anyone else driven nuts by the assumption that you're a lady or gentleman of leisure? (No offense to those that have more flexible schedules, but I still have to show up for that whole earn a paycheck thing... not old enough to retire and no hubby to buy me pretty shoes.)

Have been trying to line up a new coach. Very delayed response from skating director who was out on medical leave (not holding that against him). Without asking about my preferences, he told me the 11:30am sessions would be quiet for me to do lessons on.

Um. J-O-B. Trust me, I'd love a luxurious semi-private session on the ice, but it just ain't happening.

He also seemed perplexed by the USFSA adult levels, so I'm hoping whomever calls me (he's giving my number to two coaches) is more informed. He's also wanting me to try dance... and has a coach that's free all day. Which is great... except I'm not.

Sometimes it's just hard to juggle the sport and the job that pays for said sport.

fsk8r · November 29, 2016, 03:47:37 PM

I've been told how as an adult I can choose my coach and choose my lesson time. Errr, it doesn't work like that. When you work full time, your lesson time is always going to be at a ridiculously early time (at least at my rink there's no evening freestyles) and you get the coach which is available and is prepared to make time for an adult as the time you want to have lessons is peak slot for all the children.
So yes, completely have a choice in terms of having a lesson and a coach. It's take it or leave it.
Oh how I wish I could have the options that the non-working and part-time working adult skaters have.

riley876 · November 29, 2016, 03:52:52 PM

I do the majority of my skating during working hours. Though I'm often still working at 11pm to get stuff done. And I work at least some of every day, including weekends, xmess etc. But the flexibility of being a contractor is very nice. (At least it is until you have to chase up your unpaid bills) Ah!, living The Life of Riley indeed.

icedancer · November 29, 2016, 08:59:31 PM

There is definitely a trade-off when you can make your own hours and work for yourself like I do - I can skate during the day and that is great but then there is that whole thing that you face at the end of the month where you realize that you have JUST enough money for your mortgage payment which is due in two days... and then of course there is the buying of your health insurance...

It is something that I have chosen, partly for skating... but it is not perfect for sure!!

My thing is that a lot of the adult skaters who are my friends are now retired or have never worked - it is all leisure time - and they seem to have unlimited funds for unlimited lessons. I am always having to say, "Well, I can't ... I work" (and I can't afford all of those lessons either due to aforementioned mortgage and health-insurance payments...)

Carving out time for yourself is important though.

sampaguita · November 29, 2016, 09:36:24 PM

I haven't had a coach for a long time for this particular reason. No coach is available during the time that I am free. There are a few coaches here who are available for a single lesson at a time, but they are very expensive. So...I try to save up for those lessons instead.

I was very lucky to have had a year off where I took up skating under a really good coach. Very expensive, but worth every penny. Since then, I've been skating on my own, using what I learned from him to improve my skills.

I don't have Olympic goals, and for me, skating is my weekly exercise. When I get the time and the money, I get a lesson. Unfortunately, regular lessons are not possible for me.

mamabear · November 30, 2016, 10:28:25 AM

While I do think this directly affects you in lessons, I've also wondered about this in regards to working parents. Our LTS programs are at night but once you want to do more practicing or are looking for freestyle ice, it's early morning or right after school. Which can be really hard to manage until your kid drives. I'm lucky with a flexible job in this regard but I do wonder about it sometimes. And I did a freestyle in pass in November and really liked early morning ice (wasn't sure I would) but in December that ice time is changing to 8:45-10:45 a.m. Which doesn't really work

dlbritton · November 30, 2016, 05:42:41 PM

Until my accident, I had planned on retiring this November from the job that pays the bills, and teaching skiing 4 days a week rather than 2 (on weekends) and taking private skate lessons starting in the spring . After 5 trips on the ice and 1 on the snow I know that 4 days a week on the snow would not have worked so I am content with my decision to defer retirement for a year. However I am looking forward to the day when I can skate on almost deserted ice at 9:00-10:00 AM and start private lessons. I am going to limit myself to 2 days on the ice rather than 3 as in the past during ski season this year.

icedancer · November 30, 2016, 05:53:10 PM

So... a man of leisure!

Watch out! Someone may try to make you into an ice-dancer! (Just joking - it's true - and it's fun - and do-able!!)

Bill_S · November 30, 2016, 06:28:32 PM

Retirement...I'll be a man of leisure in 212 days. I'll have the time, but not the treasure.

ls99 · November 30, 2016, 06:41:45 PM

I am in fact a man of leisure. Retired.

I skate only publics 10 to 12 AM. Started skating 6 or so years ago in winter seasons. Having read about hassles with coaches and the politics involved, in this forum, even before I joined, I never hired any. Self instruction for what it is worth. Many falls and years later, I truly enjoy skating.

Doubletoe · November 30, 2016, 07:06:15 PM

You just can't expect skating coaches to relate to a typical office job schedule, since they've never had one and most of their students (and their moms who are available to drive them to the rink) don't either. It's just not a part of their reality.

For 9 years I skated the 6:30am freestyle session before work. Finally, I asked my boss if I could come in early and leave late a few times a week and take a 3-hour lunch on those days to skate. He had no problem with it. I instantly wished I'd asked 9 years earlier, LOL!

AgnesNitt · November 30, 2016, 07:42:11 PM

I'm thinking of retiring in July. Before I turn 66.
I'm scoping out the cheap freestyle sessions already.

icepixie · November 30, 2016, 08:59:48 PM

My coach works full time at an office job, so she Gets It. I am so glad.

The Christmas show director attempted to schedule rehearsals for the adult group number at 4 PM on Tuesdays. Presumably when she got absolutely no one to sign up, she came to her senses and moved rehearsals to Saturday mornings.

Query · December 01, 2016, 02:21:18 AM

I'm surprised that your figure skating director is so involved in choosing your coach. A figure skating director might only recommend coaches who have few students, and maybe aren't very good at teaching.

If ice dance appeals to you, that's fine. If it only appeals to the figure skating director to have you dance, and not you, it's not.

Can you ask the good skaters, especially adults, who their coach is, and get contact info from the students? For that matter, a lot of those good skaters are also coaches. Some of them are good at it. Even the good skaters who happen to be teenagers have to have more self discipline and attention to detail than most teenagers. That doesn't necessarily mean they are good at teaching you, but they might be. Of course you may have to teach any coach how to teach you - e.g., you may want more words, more demos, more complete demos, more repetition, "show me", "move my body", "explain", etc.

tstop4me · December 01, 2016, 08:54:10 AM

Quote from: AgnesNitt on November 30, 2016, 07:42:11 PM
I'm thinking of retiring in July. Before I turn 66.
I'm scoping out the cheap freestyle sessions already.

If rinks by you have weekday morn public sessions, you may find that they'll do just fine. In my area, as long as school is in session, ~10 skaters is a "crowded" session; ~4-6 is "typical". Summers and school holidays are a different story.

AgnesNitt · December 01, 2016, 10:25:38 AM

Quote from: tstop4me on December 01, 2016, 08:54:10 AM
If rinks by you have weekday morn public sessions, you may find that they'll do just fine. In my area, as long as school is in session, ~10 skaters is a "crowded" session; ~4-6 is "typical". Summers and school holidays are a different story.

It's hard to tell locally. We have a lot of skaters on freestyle. I'm looking at the $10 an hour vs $18 an hour freestyle. I've skated at both, the population seems much the same at about 10-15.

Neverdull44 · December 01, 2016, 02:33:40 PM

Does your rink have group lessons for freestyle, power? When I started back a few years ago, our rink had such lessons and also had alot of coaches. So, I used those classes to get back into skating, but also to figure out which coach worked the best with me as a coach and my schedule. Because, while there were many coaches, not all of them coach were available when I needed to skate.

You'll make it work. I've done skating as a skater with a demanding, inflexible job, as a mom with a flexible job, and now as a lady of leisure with a family. It was easier the first way, because I could skate in the morning, just had me to think about, and it was easier. The most tiring was juggling job, family, and skating. But, then skating became very special. It was a place where the rest of the world couldn't reach me. An hour of peace & quiet on the ice.

ls99 · December 01, 2016, 06:17:38 PM

Quote from: tstop4me on December 01, 2016, 08:54:10 AM
If rinks by you have weekday morn public sessions, you may find that they'll do just fine. In my area, as long as school is in session, ~10 skaters is a "crowded" session; ~4-6 is "typical". Summers and school holidays are a different story.

At my favorite rink morning are like a private rink. Occasionally 2 or 3 of us. School days out 30 to 40. I use those days to hone my proximity detection skills.

dlbritton · December 01, 2016, 09:20:04 PM

Quote from: icedancer on November 30, 2016, 05:53:10 PM
So... a man of leisure!

Watch out! Someone may try to make you into an ice-dancer! (Just joking - it's true - and it's fun - and do-able!!)

My wife have been watching the Grand Prix events and I have really started to enjoy ice dance. I may pursue it once I get more comfortable on spins and learn to twizzle. I want to learn some of the jumps but have to be realistic that at 62 learning jumps should not be a priority. I have already started focusing more on "figures" as a challenge. I am sure that as one of the few adult male skaters at the rink I will have no shortage of partners once I am a good enough skater to be a safe and competent dance partner myself.

lutefisk · December 02, 2016, 08:59:36 AM

Quote from: dlbritton on December 01, 2016, 09:20:04 PM
My wife have been watching the Grand Prix events and I have really started to enjoy ice dance. I may pursue it once I get more comfortable on spins and learn to twizzle. I want to learn some of the jumps but have to be realistic that at 62 learning jumps should not be a priority. I have already started focusing more on "figures" as a challenge. I am sure that as one of the few adult male skaters at the rink I will have no shortage of partners once I am a good enough skater to be a safe and competent dance partner myself.

You don't need spins or twizzles for the beginning ice dances. Don't even have to do any backwards skating. This is a good thing--just remembering the steps, getting deep edges, clean progressives and decent extension of the free leg is plenty enough on my plate! Not to mention keeping in time with the music and the added complication of skating with a partner. BTW: I'll turn 70 later this month. I'm still working. If I don't like my job by the time I hit 75, well damn it, I'll just quit.

nicklaszlo · December 02, 2016, 03:22:58 PM

Quote from: lutefisk on December 02, 2016, 08:59:36 AM
You don't need spins or twizzles for the beginning ice dances.

True, but the twizzles are the second best part (after lifts).

I actually cannot think of any pattern dances where the man has a twizzle.

AgnesNitt · December 02, 2016, 04:13:11 PM

Quote from: nicklaszlo on December 02, 2016, 03:22:58 PM
True, but the twizzles are the second best part (after lifts).

I actually cannot think of any pattern dances where the man has a twizzle.

There is the Dutch twizzle waltz

icedancer · December 02, 2016, 04:41:50 PM

The Dutch Twizzle waltz! Yes I have seen this one done by very high-level skaters! Makes a dance which is a bit of a durge more fun.

There are no twizzles in ice-dance until the Argentine Tango (a Gold dance) for the lady. And it's not really a twizzle at all.

For the man in ice-dance there is nothing remotely difficult until you get to the Counter in the Silver Tango (Silver level dance) - no offense to the men ice-dancers on the forum but really... can you think of one hard step? The lady's steps get hard starting with maybe the Hickory Hoedown or Willow Waltz - the 3-turns...

But dance is fun - and no lifts either! In the compulsories... although I used to get quite a lift from my rocker in the Rocker Foxtrot when I would jump it...

Meli · December 02, 2016, 04:58:33 PM

Quote from: Query on December 01, 2016, 02:21:18 AM
I'm surprised that your figure skating director is so involved in choosing your coach. A figure skating director might only recommend coaches who have few students, and maybe aren't very good at teaching.

If ice dance appeals to you, that's fine. If it only appeals to the figure skating director to have you dance, and not you, it's not.

Can you ask the good skaters, especially adults, who their coach is, and get contact info from the students? For that matter, a lot of those good skaters are also coaches. Some of them are good at it. Even the good skaters who happen to be teenagers have to have more self discipline and attention to detail than most teenagers. That doesn't necessarily mean they are good at teaching you, but they might be. Of course you may have to teach any coach how to teach you - e.g., you may want more words, more demos, more complete demos, more repetition, "show me", "move my body", "explain", etc.

I went to the skating director to find out who is even willing to consider an adult... at my old rinks, there were coaches that had tons of adults, and those that wouldn't spray snow on us if we were on fire. Needless to say, I don't want to call 10 people if there are only 2 that are willing... and I haven't found the adult or advanced skaters yet, due to staying on publics because of scheduling limitations. Unfortunately, the rink I like the most only does ISI and is a bit quirky, so it doesn't help the cause on the testing side of things.

riley876 · December 02, 2016, 05:05:50 PM

I was (at first) delighted to find the men's steps for the (Olympic level) Ravensburger Waltz contained no twizzles, no backwards 3 at all, not even any RFO3s. Hardly any backwards edges even. The only even slightly tricky bits for me were the LFI OpMo, and a XB-LFIO (and of course my forever wayward LFO3s - but few other people have any issue with those, so I'll chalk that up to my unique uselessness), but even these things were easy to learn in the grand scheme of things.

You in fact only need: Forwards edges, Backwards outside edges, RFI3, LFO3, L&R forward outside chasses, LFI OpMo & XB-LFIO.

It's almost like they specifically designed it to be able to get the guys up to scratch fast. Which is pretty smart.

The trick is of course making it all happen cleanly at ridiculously high tempos, with deep edges, and then I imagine adding a partner ramps it all up by an order of magnitude.

I guess it's a bit like dancing. Everyone can trivially do the steps one at a time, or even strung together at quarter speed. But not everyone can dance, especially when the tempos get up. And few can make it look and feel good. Therein lies the challenge.

Of course if you like technical challenge, I understand that in solo dance, the guys are expected to do the ladies steps too? In which case the likes of the RW become frighteningly tricky.

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Lady of leisure