Frequently Asked Questions

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About Kay

Who is Kay?

Some readers probably wonder exactly who Kay is. Well, you can read about me on my Biography page. “Kay” is a nickname. I do not give out my real name on this site because I am concerned about my own privacy as well as the privacy of individuals, rinks, and businesses that are mentioned in my journal. I change all names to ensure the privacy of everyone. This does not mean the events described in the journal are fiction. They are absolutely real. However, I do take the liberty of changing names and certain irrelevant identifying details to maintain anonymity for myself and others.

By writing this journal, I aim to share my skating experiences as honestly as possible. That means, I tell the good and the bad, as I perceive it. My goal is never to discredit anyone or any entity such as a rink or club. Someone else placed in a similar situation may have an entirely different reaction than what I describe. Bear in mind, the journal is a personal diary. It is my opinion about my own experiences and observations. With this being said, I still feel it is absolutely necessary that I remain known only as “Kay”. I am concerned that if my true identity became widely recognized, I would no longer be able to publish an honest account of the skating world around me.

Where do you live and train?

I live in the United States and have for my entire life. I have traveled abroad and have even skated abroad. I choose not to name the city and/or state where I currently live or the rink(s) where I train and/or coach. The skating world is small. Best to keep my sometimes brutal honestly anonymous. If I could not be honest, this journal would not be worth reading or writing.

Kay's Skates and Equipment

What kind of skates do you have?

~Boots~
I wear custom Harlick boots. At the time of this writing (10/2007) I am using the third pair of boots made from the same pattern that has been very successful for me. My current pattern was made from a mold of my foot. Previously, I had a pair of custom Harlicks made from measurements only. I personally prefer those made from the mold. They also have custom orthopedic insoles. My first pair of boots was Reidell Gold Star which I purchased in the early 1990s.

~Blades~
I have never used anything but MK Pro blades. They serve me well and are reasonably priced.

~Outdoor Quad Roller Skates~
My outdoor quad roller skates are Reidell 220 boots with Sure Grip plates and Kryptonics wheels. I use these skates almost exclusively for distance skating. For me, a Reidell 220 boot would be far too soft for freestyle ice skating; however, it provides adequate support for basic roller skating.

~Pic Frame Inline Roller Skates~
I have recycled a pair of custom Harlicks for inline skating. They are mounted with Pic Frame plates and spin wheels. Spin wheels are harder polyurethane than Axel 6.0 wheels, which seem to be standard issue for Pic Frame skates. An old pair of ice skating boots is perfectly suitable for roller skating. Since roller skating is done in a warm environment, feet may tend to swell a bit making a very tight fit undesirable.

~ Indoor Quad Roller Dance Skates ~
I recycled another pair of custom Harlicks for indoor roller dancing. They are mounted with Atlas plates and dance wheels. I bought the plate and wheel assembly used from a former roller dance competitor and do not know any specifics regarding the wheels. Their former owner had the frame mounted to a pair of Reidell Silver Stars, a softer boot than would be worn by an ice dancer of similar ability level and physical size. In general, competitive roller skaters wear softer boots than ice skaters.

Kay, the Skater

What is your test level?

I took USFSA Prepreliminary Moves in the Field and Freestyle in December 1999. I passed Adult Pre-Bronze in April 2001. Although I worked on Preliminary Moves with the intention of testing, I decided skating tests make me nervous and detract from my enjoyment of the sport. I have not tested since. Since I chose not to pursue testing, my test level does not accurately represent my freestyle proficiency.

However, I have trained Moves in the Field through Juvenile. When I took these tests, I was not coaching. I did not foresee an opportunity to coach. Testing would have been a method for me to set goals and document my progress. Many skaters find this useful and rewarding. I struggled with the axel for a few years, eventually landing about 75% of my attempts short of rotation. The other 25% ranged from simply sitting down on the landing to train wrecks. Without a reliable axel I could test no further than USFSA Pre-Juvenile freestyle and Adult Silver. In the ISI system, I would be stymied before reaching level 5. I found this discouraging and simply decided to learn as much as I could without worrying about tests.

Do you compete?

No, I do not compete and have never entered a competition. This does not mean I never will. As a child, I did not compete in any sport as an individual or as part of a team. Athletics was not encouraged in my family, so I missed out on that opportunity. By nature, I am not a competitive person. I always strive to do my best, but I tend to play against the par rather than trying to perform better than someone else.

Did you skate as a child?

As I mentioned above, my family did not promote sports as a serious pass time. Yet, the answer to this question is an ambiguous “yes and no”. Allow me to clarify. Like many children of my generation (I grew up in the seventies and started high school in 1980), I had a pair of quad roller skates. At that time they were not called “quad” roller skates. They were merely known as roller skates, because an inline alternative did not exist. I believe inlines were actually invented around the turn of the twentieth century for use as an ice skating substitute in theatrical performances, but I would have to check my references on that detail. In any case, they were not available in modern form to the public and no one had ever heard of a roller skate without wheels arranged in a four-corners pattern.

I liked ice skating and had seen it on television. My mother enjoyed watching lovely young ladies like Peggy Fleming glide gracefully across her TV screen. So did I. I took basic group ice skating lessons as a small child, but did not continue. My parents wanted me to be able to skate, swim, do a cartwheel, play an instrument, and other sundry skills all on a very cursory level. Any additional skating would be up to me.

I grew up on roller skates. First the type clamp-on type with metal wheels then vinyl boot skates with metal wheels followed by their polyurethane-wheeled cousins. I also got a pair of roller disco tennis shoe skates with big chunky wheels as a Christmas present. As a high school student, my dad bought me a pair of department store leather skates with polyurethane wheels. I became a competent skater on the last two pairs. Most children grow up riding a bicycle. I grew up on roller skates. Eventually, I taught myself freestyle skating elements on my roller skates. I learned by watching skaters in the roller rink during weekend sessions whenever I had a chance to get to a rink which was very infrequent. I also picked up moves from televised ice figure skating competitions.

Since I rarely had access to a rink (ice or roller), I roller skated in the street, on a driveway or in a garage. As a teen, we lived in a house with a three-car garage without support beams to interfer with the skating surface. My father would back the cars out for me, I plugged in a portable radio and skated to my heart's content. I did this several times a week and became a competent roller skater given the limitations of simplistic equipment, no formal training, and a relatively small skating area.

In the most general sense, I did skate as a child; and that skating helped me to improve quickly once I seriously took to the ice in my twenties. I never suffered through that awkward clinging-to-the-wall stage where many beginning adults may be stuck for months. I knew how to skate. I also went to ice rinks once in a while as a kid, and I could skate in a public session capacity. I could even do crossovers and skate backwards.

Did I train as a child? Absolutely not.

What elements can you do?

A thorough listing of my skills is provided on my Biography page.

Do you still work on the axel and double jumps?

I attempted to return to axel training during the spring of 2005. During the period of about two months I took one fifteen minute lesson per week that focused almost entirely on the axel. I also worked on my off-ice technique by jumping in my backyard. Shortly after making this commitment, the rink where I trained closed. For the rest of that season and the next, I could not find suitable ice time to pursue a skill as difficult as the axel. I was lucky to skate for one hour a week. Under those circumstances, my priorities centered on maintaining the skills I had rather than acquiring new ones or making significant improvements.

About three years ago (fall 2004), while fooling around on a freestyle session, I got the urge to do a double salchow. Why this suddenly struck me after at least two years of not doing doubles, I have no idea. But I warmed up with salchow-loop combinations, then landed the first double I tried. Since then, I have never tried another double salchow. I remember an interview with two-time Olympic gold medallist, Katarina Witt. After she landed what was to be her last triple jump in a professional competition, she kissed her palm and touched it to the landing edge on the ice. She had decided to leave triples in the past. At the time of that rather random double salchow, I felt something similar.

Will I ever do axels and doubles again? I have not made that decision. At some point, I may decide to try to pass Adult Gold Freestyle which requires an axel. In that case, I would have to dedicate myself to axel lessons again.

Do you still take lessons?

At the time of this writing (October 2007), I am not taking lessons, nor have I taken lessons since spring 2005 when I worked on the axel. Originally, I did not take lessons because available ice time was so limited, lessons did not make sense from a financial perspective. I also had career commitments that would have forced me to cancel lessons too frequently. In July 2006, I broke my ankle and had another serious injury in December 2006. Between these two accidents, I was off the ice for months. When I did get back on the ice following the ankle break, my time focused on learning to skate again, something I was able to do without professional guidance. During the spring of 2007, after recovering from the second injury, I was in a hostile working environment that required all of my resources to survive with my sanity. I had no time or peace of mind to devote to skating. Fortunately, I resigned from that job within a couple of months.

Presently, my financial situation disallows splurging on skating lessons. I hope to find a training buddy that I can work with casually. A friend I met while teaching group lessons is in a similar situation. Maybe we can team up and help each other.

Kay's Off-Ice Training

Kay, the Coach

When and how did you start coaching?

I taught my first group lesson in February 2004. The rink where I was skating regularly at the time, was desperate for instructors. I volunteered my services not knowing what I would be paid but not expecting it to be very much. I was pleasantly surprised to draw a good hourly wage with free ice time thrown in as a fringe benefit. I taught at that rink for the rest of the season and the next season. The rink closed toward the end of spring 2005. I had a fulltime job and did not pursue other teaching options because the hours and commute would have been too difficult to manage in addition to my other professional commitments outside the skating world.

Advice for Skaters

Would you consider writing an “advice column” for skaters?

Yes. I recently conducted a readership survey and over 50% of respondents were interested in journal entries that include tips for skaters. Rather than bury these in the journal and eventually in the archive, I am considering creating a new section of my web site that will include information about training on and off ice, getting started in the sport, staying motivated, getting over plateaus, improving technique, etc. I hope to prepare the first article in this series by early 2008.

As a coach, can you give me tips on how to perform certain elements?

Interest in this topic was a major finding of the survey I conducted of my readership in late 2007. Yes, I can do this and often post technical suggestions on message boards. Creating a database of these tips and suggestions would be a valuable addition to my web site. I will be unable to diagnose individual problems because I cannot meet with skaters one-on-one. In addition to the general suggestions I give on my site, I will always qualify them by recommending skaters seek the advice of a coach who can work with them on a regular basis and meet their specific needs.

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The content of this site is copyright by K. J. N., 1999 - 2007