August 1999
Week of August 2, 1999, Part One
Money, Money, Money
Everyone who figure skates can tell woeful tales about the times they went to the rink at their regular time, but the ice had been sold for a private party, hockey camp or the like. Their just isn’t enough ice available even in large metropolitan areas to accommodate everyone. Often figure skaters get the ass-end of the deal. Rinks seem to be able to make more money by selling the ice to a group rather than letting figure skaters pay individually for the session. This would seem to indicate there are not enough figure skaters for rinks to make a healthy profit by catering to their needs. However, anyone who has skated at a Saturday morning freestyle session realizes there is a critical mass of figure skaters who can use a rink productively. Often sessions are too crowded, especially for lower level skaters, to practice comfortably. How many figure skaters can rinks expect to cram onto a session?
“Money is the name of the game,” another adult skater muttered to me this week.
I nodded my exasperated agreement.
I skate at a multi-rink complex that offers a summer skating school and quality coaching and off-ice training. During the daytime in the summer, the rinks are busy with figure skaters of different levels and disciplines skating in sessions tailored to their needs. Sessions include low and high freestyle, low and high moves in the field, dance, pairs, and on-ice workshops. However, this week the rink offered a hockey camp on one of the surfaces. This resulted in low and high-test skaters being combined on one rink in the afternoons.
Many of the young children and adult low level skaters found themselves hugging the barriers while junior and senior level dance teams patterned across the ice and an advanced pair team worked on throw jumps. I witnessed several frightening "near collisons" between the advanced skaters and the young beginners. Judging by the expressions on the faces of the team skaters, they did not enjoy skating with low freestylers any more than we liked having to stay out of their way if we valued our lives. Everyone on the ice paid top dollar for sessions suited to his or her specific needs. No one was getting what he or she paid for.
I actually had the nerve to mention my dissatisfaction to a coach with whom I have a friendly relationship. She agreed the situation was not positive for anyone. She said the rink should offer skaters an option of making up the ice time during another session. Of course, they did not do this. Maybe if skaters or their parents made a big enough stink about it, the management may compromise. However, no one wants to become known as a complainer in an ice arena. With ice time being as limited as it is, acquiring a bad reputation in a rink convenient to home is to be avoided.
Essentially, the rink charged every figure skater the premium rate but did not provide the sessions the skaters paid for in advance. They sold the same ice to figure skaters and hockey skaters and threw all of the poor figure skaters onto one rink. If there were another quality rink within the same commute distance from my home, I would consider changing skating facilities. However, I doubt there is a rink in the United States that is not willing to screw its clientele to make a few more dollars. If there is, would someone please write to me about it?
At one point during my skating career, I skated at a “mom and pop” rink. Note, try to avoid this. Pop was a cranky old man who used to be a show skater. He would watch people skate and try to coach them. Often his comments were helpful. However, he could also be very nasty and insulting. Once he told me I could not even skate straight. I was offended and annoyed. I did not come there to listen to his lip. Skating for me was supposed to be fun, and I paid for weekly lessons. I did not need this old crab making unkind remarks about the skating that brought me such happiness. I knew I wasn’t going to Nationals. That wasn’t the point of my commitment to skating. I was a regular customer of that establishment for several years. During certain seasons, I skated there five times a week. That was when it became most intolerable. On a once-a-week basis, the bothersome nuances of the place and its owner were not as apparent. I was friendly with one of the coaches who made a point of warning me about when the ice was sold. While she was on vacation, I continued to skate on my regular schedule. I came in one day and the woman working the counter, told me the ice had been sold for a private party. I asked her why she had not told me this the day before or the day before that. I had already visited that rink at least two or three times that week. I told her it had taken me close to an hour to drive there. She had no reply. I did not return to that rink except when absolutely necessary. I found another place to skate that was run more professionally.
If there were more rinks available to freestyle skaters, we would all flock to the ones that value our business. However, it seems rinks enjoy a monopoly and treat their customers however they please in pursuit of a few extra dollars.
Week of August 2, 1999; Part Two
Three Axels in a Fountain
I am happy to report that I landed three clean axels on Tuesday. These are the first reasonably good axels I have done since the beginning of summer session. Please recognize that I use the phrase “good axel” rather loosely. Certainly, these axels were not world class. However, they were recognizable and did not require a hop, step, or extra three turn to complete the rotation and save the landing. They were a magical moment when my body knew what to do and ignored the fear and stress in my mind. It seemed natural to jump up and rotate. When I landed the first one, I shouted clearly, “Yes!” The axel had left me for weeks. I had come close, but did not experience the combination of skill and timing required to complete the move. After the first three, I was ready to do these all day and hoped my coach would see me, which he did not. On the fourth attempt, someone skated too close to me causing my concentration to disintegrate. I caught an edge in the take-off and fell indelicately spinning on my buttocks with my legs in the air. That was the end of my axels for the whole week. Fortunately, I achieved the rotation all week but could not land on one foot.
During my lesson on Wednesday, my coach was happy to see me complete the one and a half revolutions even though I scratched my free foot while extending into the landing position.
“Why did you touch? You didn’t have to touch! That axel is there,” He exclaimed.
That was good enough for me. He agreed it was an axel. It wasn’t a clean axel, but it was there in a primordial form.
As a reward, I did wonderful axels in the harness. These felt perfect. I have no fear in the harness and jump axels like they were little toe loops. I love the feeling of snapping into fast rotation. It will take considerable courage and experience for me to jump that fast and aggressively without the harness.
For the first time, I tried double salchows in the harness. The previous week, my coach discussed the double salchow with me and I tried a couple. I do not understand this jump. I have no concept of jumping from a salchow take-off into a backspin position, although, I do wonderful salchow-loop combinations which is used as a precursor in training for the double salchow. This may seem odd, but I can’t make the connection between the combination jump exercise and the double. On my first attempt, my coach announced that I had the rotation, which is not surprising because a double salchow is truthfully less than two rotations, and I can rotate the axel consistently.
“That’s better than the axel,” he shouted as I completed a second attempt. “Get that on one foot and you have a double salchow.”
And therein the challenge lies. I started to experiment with the backspin position in the harness this week. My coach pointed out that I actually over-rotated a double salchow in the harness.
“That was supposed to be a triple,” I stated facetiously.
Since I have never done textbook salchows with a strong check on the take-off edge, I would like to try some of the other jumps as doubles in the harness next week. My best jump is the loop, followed by the flip. I also have a strong tow loop. My salchow has improved remarkably with since I started skating with my present coach. Actually the jump is big and covers a lot of ice. My lutz is steadily improving. I will mention trying a double loop and flip next week. I am interested in these jumps because the backspin position occurs naturally in the take-off and does not require a change of axis in the air. While the salchow and toe loop are supposedly the easiest doubles to learn, I think I may have more success with loop and flip.
Week of August 9, 1999
Various Species of Camel
With all of the confusion in the rink between combining sessions, kids practicing for the summer ice show and infrequent ice cuts due to drought conditions in our area; I did not have the opportunity to work on other double jumps during my lesson this week. However, I had an excellent lesson; the kind that leaves me anxious for the next practice session. During this lesson I didn’t even work on the axel, which was a welcomed reprieve. I did land axels again this week. They were fully rotated and cleanly landed on Tuesday. My rotation was good, but the landings were less precise for the rest of the week.
A few weeks ago, my coach taught me the correct method for performing stars. I learned these incorrectly from a previous instructor. At the end of a series of stars, my coach showed me how to add a camel spin. He videotaped me while executing this sequence. Videotape is particularly unkind. While I realize stars are a new move for me and I don’t expect them to be world class, I was astonished by how slow they looked. Even my camel was slow. Since I just learned this element, I can excuse myself from harsh criticism. Instead, I am motivated to improve my star-camel series.
My coach also introduced the traveling camel. I have heard from other instructors that this is a terribly difficult variation. Instead of centering one’s body weight over the ball of the foot, it is necessary to change the point of balance between the ball and heel of the foot while pushing into a traveling motion. Surprisingly, my coach was satisfied with these first attempts and concluded that I would be able to learn this move quickly because I do good camels. After seeing my pathetic performance on the video, I needed some encouraging words.
He also showed me an interesting variation of a change camel. I can already do a camel-change-back camel, a camel-jump-back camel and a flying camel; so this was the next step in my “camel” development. My coach called the combination a “tap camel”. It consists of a forward camel, tapping the toe pick of the free foot on the ice, lifting into a butterfly then landing in a back camel. The secret of this move is to tap and push without hesitating before the lift-off for the butterfly. I had never attempted a butterfly or Arabian cartwheel before, so this exercise will lead naturally toward learning those moves.
Skating is a building process much like learning calculus or chemistry. If I were to advise a beginning skater, I would tell him or her to start working on the camel immediately after mastering the forward and backward upright spins. The camel is a foundation spin upon which other spin variations and combinations are based. In my opinion, the camel is the most difficult spin because the extended body position does not facilitate rotation. Sit spins are also important elements but require leg strength that may not have been developed yet in beginners. Laybacks are lovely moves for female skaters; however, they require considerable flexibility. The camel is a large and dramatic spin, when done correctly. Once the camel is mastered, the skater is open to countless possibilities for combinations and jump spins.
The most thrilling skating lessons for me are those in which I learn something completely new that expands my repertoire. Presently, I am interested in learning what I call “big moves” which look impressive and well trained but do not require three air-borne revolutions. This week I actually made some progress with the double salchow, and two air-borne revolutions no longer seem impossible.
Week of August 9, 1999; Supplement
Ice Show
I attended the rink’s summer ice show over the weekend, which provides a forum for the summer students to showcase their skills. At least two hundred people attended. Probably most were family and friends of the skaters. I wanted my husband to see the kids that I had been talking about all summer. He was surprised how few of them seemed to have any talent. Actually, there were only a small number of skaters at novice level or above.
The little ice hogs skated particularly poorly. These are the kids who give other people dirty looks if they happen to cross their path while setting up a jump. My husband noted that these young adolescent girls even “looked” like spoiled brats. They waved their hair as they skated and shook their little thirteen-year-old butts while their parents applauded their stage presence. To the unbiased observer, these skaters had a remarkable lack of presence on the ice. Their spins and spirals were sloppy and they stumbled as they came to a stop at the end of their routines. However, each one of them could do an axel. They also could perform one or two awkward doubles. Nervousness was probably not the sole reason for the clumsiness of these girls’ programs, because they could all pull off a decent axel. They seemed to have trouble covering the ice with flow and confidence. I know these kids do rehearse their routines, because I have seen them practicing repeatedly during freestyle sessions. They think they own the rink if their music is playing. Young skaters need numerous opportunities to perform in front of an audience. Even the better skaters got ahead of their music, hurried through their moves and fell on simple connecting steps. Muscle memory allowed them to complete their axels and other jumps, but they were too uncomfortable to present themselves with style and confidence.
One of the coaches, who is an accomplished performer, also skated a routine for the show. Her program included no more technical content than the spoiled brats’ routines, but she presented every movement with elegance and grace. Her years of experience were apparent. The ability to perform for an audience must be a factor that separates good local skaters from skaters who will have an opportunity to compete at elite levels. There are probably many technically skilled skaters who will remain unknown because they “choke” at competitions.
I personally have never skated before an audience, nor is it important that I perform or compete. However, if I were six or ten years old, performing should be a critical part of my training. While I have not mastered a double jump and my axel is inconsistent on a good day, I have the skills to put together a program that would not be inferior to the ones performed by many of the kids in the summer ice show. Truthfully, my spins are closer to championship caliber than those demonstrated by these cocky children. Since I do not compete, devoting valuable lesson time to learning a program has never been a priority for me. However, a routine may increase my speed and ability to cover the ice. It may also give me an opportunity to learn connecting steps that are currently lacking in my repertoire. After the summer is over, and I am skating on the excellent morning sessions, I will mention this to my coach.
Monday, August 16, 1999
Taste of a Double
My axel is becoming somewhat consistent. I still miss more than I succeed, but I land solid axels every day. I can do about three before I wipe out and move on to something else. After those three and the ensuing fall, I cannot seem to do another axel even if I decide to work on them later in the session. At this early stage of their development, I have decided to enjoy the few axels I can complete before focusing on other skills for the rest of my ice time.
The salchow was never my favorite jump. However, my coach has insisted that I not abandon my attempts at the double even if I do better single loops and flips than salchows. I warmed up with salchow-loop combinations before biting my lip in concentration for a double. After several sad attempts, I felt a wonderful rhythm and lifted into a double salchow. I hopped slightly to complete the rotation and salvage the landing. Subsequent tries were closer and closer to the double. In my best effort, a pivot was all that was needed to finish the jump with a one-foot landing.
I became excited and confident as I built speed for another preparation. This would be the day I land my first double, I thought with growing anticipation. I meticulously turned the outside three and lifted into the jump. Before I could extend my arms in a triumphant exit, my blade caught the ice because the rotation was not quite complete. I struggled to hop onto the back outside edge and glide. Trapped in the momentum of rotation, I collapsed and my knee connected violently with the ice. It was a hideous fall and will certainly result in a spectacular bruise on my left knee. I got up quickly and made my way to the barrier to blow my nose and compose myself. My temples throbbed and I felt momentarily nauseous from the pain. There were only ten minutes left before the end of the session. Since I hate the thought of leaving the ice early, I decided to try to continue skating. After circling the rink, I did a few spins and realized I was not really hurt. To test the affected knee, I tried a jump camel (as a clockwise skater, I execute back camels on my left leg). However the leg would not support the landing, and again I sprawled on the ice.
Since I am visiting my father for the rest of the week, I will have time to recover from this mishap. There are no rinks where he lives, although I have packed my roller skates and plan to skate in the street for exercise. No doubt, my back will ache for days from the impact of that shocking fall. And I was so close…
August 17-24, 1999
Walking, Rolling, Sewing and Writing
Walking
I spent the last week visiting my father. He lives in a resort town on the shore of Lake Michigan. Whenever I visit, I take his dog for daily walks through the beautiful tree-lined streets. The dog hurries along at my side as I enjoy the hundred-year-old Victorian houses that have been impeccably restored and maintained. My walks are long. I leave the house for over an hour and estimate that I must walk at least five miles.
After a couple of days, my calves feel sore. I believe walking must exercise muscles differently than skating. Rather than gliding, walking involves the heel of the foot lifting and the body weight rolling from the ball of the foot to the toes. Unfortunately, there is no place to ice skate near my father’s home. Since I cannot skate, I believe walking is a good way for me to stay in shape until skate again. The dog also enjoys the walks and needs the exercise. And after two or three walks, my legs don’t hurt anymore.
Rolling
Instead of packing a variety of clothing, I chose to stuff my suitcase with roller skates and safety gear. I pictured myself “walking” the dog on the roller skates. My father told me the dog could not handle running to keep up with me. With that plan aborted, I decided to skate in the overflow church parking lot behind my father’s house. Even though the lot is a large expanse of asphalt, I felt as though I was skating in circles in a roller rink, except for the rocks, sand, cracks, twigs, abandoned lighters and other junk that litters most parking lots. I tried skating down the street. I turned down a side street and was nearly thrown forward by the unevenness of the pavement. Through roller-skating, I have learned that there are many types of asphalt surfaces. This one consisted of pebbles so large that I could have easily been skating on cobblestones. I considered skating around the Victorian neighborhood, but I was afraid to skate across the highway to get to it.
While I am not as accomplished a roller skater as I am an ice skater, my concerns on wheels are more serious. If I fall on the ice the worst I will do in most cases, is bruise my knee. I have never gotten seriously hurt, although it is always a possibility. However, if I fall crossing a main road even in the crosswalk, I risk being hit by a car. This fear is may not be realistic, but when I couple my lack of expertise on roller skates with the normal amount of debris on any given street, I have to consider the possibility that I could be seriously injured. Then I couldn’t do what I really enjoy, figure skating. Truthfully, I would rather risk breaking my neck trying a double jump than roller-skating in the street.
Sewing
When I was eight years old, I learned to sew through the 4H Club. However, I did not make my first skating costume until I was in high school. The dress was purple, and pink sequins trimmed the circular skirt. It was not particularly well constructed. Honestly, I don’t know what became of that leotard. I assume my father disposed of it once I moved away from home.
Since then, I have made many skating outfits. Usually, I wear leggings and t-shirts or something heavier to the rink, depending on the season. Occasionally, I wear one of my dresses. Other women have told me wearing a skating dress makes them skate better. I don’t know that this is true for me. When I feel like spinning in a skirt, I wear one.
Maybe I will wear this dress that I constructed while in Michigan if I ever perform a program. Actually, it reminds me of a costume an ice dancer might wear skating to a big band tune. The skirt is very flirty and would swing well in a jitter bug number.
Writing
Before I left home, a conversation with my husband spawned an idea for a story based in a skating environment. In Michigan, I decided to make a few notes. Notes turned into pages and these developed into seven chapters that I shared with my husband when I returned. I enjoyed writing this completely fictional story, which is not yet complete. My next task will be to convert the handwriting to a file on my computer. I hope to add this new story to my web page in the fall. Stay tuned!
Week of August 22, 1999
Spoiled Little Brat
This is the last week of the summer skating program. Next week limited freestyle ice will be offered. After that the regular schedule begins again, and I will be able to skate during the morning sessions with other adults. This change will not arrive a moment too soon.
I have had my fill of skating with kids. There are some well-mannered children at the rink, but the few who think their feces do not stink overwhelm the good children. It takes only one nasty brat to ruin a freestyle session. That brat was on the ice this week. Another adult skater pointed her out to me, so I was not the only person annoyed by her self-importance. The brat cut in front of other skaters and worked the ice surface as though she owned it.
While I sincerely try to glide out of the path of the program skater and avoid dallying where a coach is giving a lesson, I will not step out of the way of every child in the rink. Unless they can show me their name on the deed to the building, I paid as much money as they did to use the ice. The brat hollered “Excuse me!” at me while she was practicing a double jump. She could have easily diverted her path a few degrees and completed her jump without offending anyone. I proceeded to skate until I realized she was not going to stop. She intended to barrel into me, or anyone else, who dared to interfere with her monopoly. The girl was not taking a lesson nor was she rehearsing her program. She simply expected me to vacate the area where she performed the same maneuver repeated. In my opinion, she had no more right to stake a claim to that part of the rink than I did. Obviously, this young girl did not understand the concept of sharing. Most people will gladly yield to others so all skaters can have an opportunity to practice their elements, providing those others are respectful of their right to use the ice also. I found this child unwilling to recognize my right to skate during that session. Therefore, I decided to continue to work my sit spins where she wanted to do her double. She would just have to learn to go around me. It made me feel good not to let this spoiled brat get the better of me.
Where do children learn these unbecoming habits? The couple of psychology courses I took as a university student taught me that developing humans are naturally egocentric. Parents have an obligation to teach their children manners and how to get along with other people. Do the parents of selfish skaters tell them that they are the center of the universe and all other people should curtsy as they walk passed? Undoubtedly, these kids are spoiled rotten and their world does revolve around them, for all practical purposes. If this is true, these parents are doing their children a grave disservice. When this nasty kid fell, I did not feel sympathy for her. I realize this is an unkind thing to say. However, if falling on her backside helps this child to realize that she is not master of the Universe, then a worthwhile purpose has been served. Unfortunately, aggressive self-centered skaters can force the polite shy kids into the corners of the rink while they enjoy unrestricted coverage of the ice.
Interestingly, the less talented kids are the ones who display the worst behavior. Truly good skaters don’t have to yell at other people to clear out of their way. This phenomenon is not limited to children. Unfortunately, I have also known adult skaters who behave just as selfishly. I have only one thing to say to all of the obnoxious ice hogs who think they own the rink: “Too bad you aren’t as good as you think you are.”
Week of August 30, 1999
Pairophobia
When I paid in advance for the a few hours of open freestyle during intercession this week, I was concerned that the sessions might be packed with advanced skaters. Unfortunately, I was correct. At least five teams of dance and pairs skaters occupied the ice along with several high level singles skaters. Low freestylers, beginners and adults also shared the rink. Someday I will learn to listen to that little voice in my head that says, “Take a break. Don’t bother skating this week or find someplace else to skate”.
The singles skaters don’t frighten me as much as the teams. Singles seem to have more maneuverability; whereas a pair team can be intertwined in a complicated hold or lift and can’t separate quickly in case of emergency. Aborting a jump is also less dangerous than aborting a lift when the female is already overhead. However, these skaters were truly good. Few of them yelled at other skaters to get out of their way. Better athletes know how to handle themselves and are able to skate around other people.
Some accidents and close calls do happen in crowded rinks when skaters of widely varied abilities share the same session. I narrowly avoided being flattened by a pairs team. Exiting a spin, the first thing I saw was the back of a teenage boy not more than two yards away and coming straight at me with full speed. I gasped and dove out of the way. While standing at the barrier blowing my nose, another team skated by executing a footwork sequence. They came very close to the boards and the boy almost tangled his boot with mine. I was pressed against the wall. I could not get any further out of their way than I already was. To his credit, the young man did take the time to approach me, apologize and ask if I was all right.
I admit that I suffer from “Pairophobia, the performance inhibiting fear of paired skaters”. “Paired skaters” include both pair and dance teams. Another adult skater told me she thinks paired skaters are particularly intimidating because two people stroking as a unit build up more speed than a solo skater. I often wonder if I had no option but to skate in these grab-bag sessions if I would still enjoy ice-skating or if I could adapt.
Even though my concentration focused predominantly on avoiding the flight path of teamed skaters, I wanted to practice axels and prove to myself that I could still do them. I must have been insane to try an axel when I was too preoccupied to correctly execute the jump. By the time I felt really sorry for myself, I saw one of the more accomplished girls perform a flying sit spin. It was far from spectacular, but it wasn’t pathetic either. I had not worked on those for quite a while. Since they don’t take up much room, I spent the remainder of the session doing flying sits. To my surprise, they improved dramatically. I actually enjoyed an instant in the air before landing in a well-centered spin. Unfortunately, my left butt cheek was too sore from an axel fall to change to a back sit spin. It is important to remember to work on something else once a skill has become frustrating or discouraging. There is always a move that can cheer up even the most disgusted figure skater.
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