October 2005
Sunday October 2, 2005
She Who Loves to Skate
This entry is about me, but not in the way you might expect. I am not the “title character”. The “title character” is my friend, Autumn, a woman whose fortitude absolutely astounds me. I thought I was tenacious. Autumn blows away all previous standards. She is a super-commuter. She travels two hours each way back and forth to work everyday. She rises at 3:15 five mornings a week, earlier than skaters in the olden days who used to practice figures before the crack of dawn. Autumn rises not to skate but to drive to the train station to get to work on time. Yet, she usually finds the strength to skate after work one evening per week and on Saturday mornings. The rink Autumn frequents is reasonable close to her home (within about 20-30 minutes). She said the Saturday morning session is not crowded, though the ice is not very good.
Although Autumn told me about this session months ago, I have never skated at her rink. It is at least an hour away for me. I would have to get my lazy butt out of bed and leave the house by 5:30 in the morning to take advantage of the full two hours. During the week, I don’t get up until 5:45 to get ready for work. The question stands before me, boldly glowering in my face: How much do you really want to skate? Do you want to skate as badly as Autumn wants to skate?
I have toyed with this question before, mainly when I have become frustrated with a rink situation and needed to make a change. Usually, I had the flexibility to make that change rather painlessly. However, I have contemplated what I might do in the complete absence of ice skating options. Would I roller skate? For a few months during early 2004, I did roller skate early on Sunday mornings. As much as I enjoyed it, the god-awful hour became a problem. Additionally, I began teaching group lessons and was able to ice skate more often. Sunday roller skating was no longer necessary, and I happily claimed a morning when I did not need to rush out of the house. I have not roller skated since. Lately, the YMCA has answered my immediate exercise needs. I also can workout on my backyard trampoline or take a run down the street. These alternatives cost no money and do not restrict me to an inconvenient schedule or tiresome drive. I scoped out a rink that I could hit after work, but it is prohibitively expensive. I have never paid nearly forty dollars for two hours of ice time. I just about choked.
I need to make a commitment to try Autumn’s Saturday morning session. I should promise to meet her there and get a cup of coffee afterward. That may be the only way I actually sacrifice my sleep-in morning. A promise to myself is too easy to break. Maybe I will do it next Saturday. Maybe I should call Autumn. Jeez, 5:30 is so early…
Columbus Weekend 2005
Cancellation
Autumn and I planned to meet at the rink where she has been skating on Saturday mornings. I set the alarm for 5:00am and planned to leave the house by 5:30. Although I did not particularly want to get up early on the weekend, I looked forward to skating. I have not been on the ice for over a month. I especially miss spinning.
On Friday night, I received a message from Autumn. She had to cancel. I still planned to go by myself. Throughout my adult skating career, I have gone to rinks alone. If I met someone there, great, but skating is ultimately a solitary sport that requires self-motivation. As much as I enjoy the company of other adult skaters, I do not need a friend to be on the ice with me. I would skate by myself, as usual.
I awoke before the alarm to the sound of rain teaming down on the roof. The last thing I wanted to do was drive for over an hour in the dark through a torrential downpour, certainly not to a place I had never been before. The first trip to a new rink is an awkward experience anyway. I do not know the ‘check in and pay’ procedure or where to leave my case or who might be there. I am a foreigner intruding on someone else’s territory. This uncomfortable initiation was best saved for better circumstances. There will be another weekend when the pre-dawn weather is pleasant and I will feel more confident making a long drive to an untried rink.
Week of October 16, 2005
One Expensive Hour
Never have I paid so much to skate. I went to a freestyle session after work and shelled out almost twenty bucks for one hour of ice time. Simply out of options, I decided to choose convenience over cost. Autumn’s rink is cheaper, but very far away. This place is twenty minutes from work, and it was a great session, a true low freesyle. No fear of triple-jumpers, aggressive footwork, or out-of-control dancers. I only stayed one hour, though two are available. I might try the pricey two-hour alternative if I can tolerate the nasty traffic driving home.
Of course I was completely and utterly out of practice and skated poorly. My goal was simply to get back on the ice and start to build back to where I was in the spring. Taken in hour increments, I will probably be in somewhat decent condition by mid-November. All of my skills are watered down and sloppy. I lack the confidence and push that comes with skates transforming into part of one’s body. Skating requires regular practice to maintain strong technique. A move performed yesterday does not usually deteriorate overnight. A person who skates regularly can step on the ice and pick up where he left off the day before. This seems to be critical to becoming a “good skater” whether as an adult or a child. When I was able to skate four times per week, I improved quickly and kept whatever I learned. Now I face the daunting task of recovering what has degraded. To make matters more challenging, I must do this with limited weekly practice time.
A teenage girl took a dance lesson while I was at the rink from a young man with an accent. To blatantly stereotype, I assume he is Russian. I longed to ask him for instruction. He moved so smoothly and beautifully. He and his student motivated me to practice dance steps for much of my hour. Maybe after I am back in shape, I will take dance lessons again. He probably charges a small fortune.
Saturday October 22, 2005
Knot of Tension
The rink I am currently frequenting, at an exorbitant cost, has an early Saturday morning freestyle that I decided to try. I need to skate as much and as often as possible to get myself back into shape. I awoke early to the sound of rain, turned off the alarm, and decided not to go. Then the rain stopped, and I had no excuses. I probably should have stayed home because the commute was terrible. While there was little traffic at that hour, I do not have good night vision and could barely see. To get to this rink, I take a two-lane curvy back road. This means on-coming headlights in my eyes. Rain started coming down again. Between the reflection from the wet road, the blinding headlights, and pitch darkness of night; I feared driving right into a ditch. I was grateful to get on the wide-open highway. Of course, I went the wrong way on the very confusing exit. I have only come home from this rink, and have only driven to it from work, taking an entirely different route in broad daylight.
A dull ache nucleated in my forehead and a knot of tension twisted in my lower back. Finally, I found the road to the rink. Now I had to put that scary drive behind me and make the most of another expensive hour on ice. I cursed a few times in the parking lot to release tension and jumped up and down in the lobby to work the stiffness out of my muscles. A hockey game was already underway on the other ice sheet. The parking lot was full of SUVs and mini-vans, a sign of parents chauffeuring children laden with hockey gear. They had no trouble getting out of bed and braving the nasty weather. Or maybe they did.
I talked for a few minutes to an adult lacing her skates and asked her where to pay. She assumed my daughter was already on the ice. This typical question arises whenever I am a newcomer to a rink. No, I’m the skater. This woman was skating purely because her daughter was skating and she wanted to get some exercise. Good for her! I wish more skate parents would give it a try. She might out-last her child. So, I solved the who-to-pay problem and got on the ice. A short while later the same woman commented on how good I was. Was she nuts? I suck. I have skated a total of maybe seven times since April. I suck royally.
My camels were not sound. I slipped off the hooked entry on both the forward and backward variety. Forward camels are the most particular, and my blades could use a sharpening for increased precision. My jump landings have been awkward and halting. I concentrated on pulling back into the flip and pushing into the ice and rising into each spin. By the end of the hour, I did a good change camel, some decent jumps, and drilled a scratch spin in a neat circle. I still sucked, in my opinion. I have a long way to go.
As I stepped off the ice, another parent recognized me and asked where I have been skating. Nowhere. She said it did not show and I still look great. I glanced down politely and thanked her, eager to get away from these kind souls. As I walked off I could hear them talking about how good I am. I used to be good, when I was practicing regularly. Right now I am not good. I might look good for a middle-aged lady from the viewpoint of another middle-aged lady, but I can be just plain “good”. I set a high standard for myself. I know what I can do. My skating does not need a qualifier. I do not have to be good for an adult, or good for a woman her size, or good for a person who can only skate a few hours per week. Actually, the last one is the hardest to overcome. At these prices, and it will cost dearly, but I intend to be a good skater again.
Week of October 23, 2005
That Didn’t Take Long
Toward the end of the freestyle hour this week, I was skating fairly competently. Since I have skated so infrequently since last spring, I was concerned about being able to regain my skills. After a few scattered hours on the ice, I am making excellent progress. I may not be where I was when I could skate three or four times per week, but I felt very comfortable and confident. My speed improved in field moves, stroking, and crossovers; and I cut the ice nicely with dance steps. Unfortunately, my spins are not at maximum speed yet, but they are generally well-centered and respectably fast.
Jumping has never been my strong point, but I mastered the basic singles (except for the axel, but that is another story) and could do them with an obvious sense of power. I spent a chunk of time working on my favorite jumps: the flip and loop. The salchow has always been a basic warm up for me, though I do not think it is an especially pretty jump unless done in a split position or as a double. When I have more time to skate, I would like to concentrate on the aerial split position taught in the Lussi jump videos. This transforms a simple single that can look beginnerish into an advanced, jaw-dropping skill. After a few trials, my flips covered more ice and traveled straighter from the vaulting point. I pushed myself for an earlier take-off in the loop jump rather than riding the edge and ultimately slowing to a psychologically safer velocity. I know how to do a loop and used to skate alternating back crossovers down the length of the rink as fast as possible, shoot across, and leap into the air completely unconcerned. I always had a huge loop, and it is coming back. The trick is just having the guts to jump at the right time.
Overall, I am pleased with the progress I have made during the last couple of weeks. At least I am on the ice regularly. I will be able to maintain my skills, though I am not focused on improvement for now. As much as I prefer to forge ahead, lessons would be wasteful. I simply lack the available ice time to practice what I might learn. I possess sufficient technical knowledge to claw my way back to where I was. I do not need a coach to coddle me through speeding up my sit spin. Once everything is back where it belongs, I would like to seek dance and moves in the field instruction. Hopefully, better skating opportunities will become available during the season.
October 31, 2005
Halloween Session
Where was everybody? Although the Monday afternoon freestyle is not generally crowded, there are usually ten or more kids on the ice with me. Fortunately, none of them are very good, so I do not have to watch my back for power jumpers and crazy footworkers. I am basically able to skate comfortably and am never confined to a corner. Overall, it is a decent session and worth the expense, if I must spend a lot of money to skate. At least I am not throwing my money into a bottomless pit and dodging ice dancers and avoiding teenage hot-shots.
The session was even more desirable this week. I skated for about a half hour alone. Even though I can skate relatively unencumbered on this session, I do have to watch out for youngsters that I could plow down. The laws of physics favor full-grown, highly-muscled women flying around a rink over sixty pound little girls in frilly outfits practicing gangly salchows. Without these small obstacles, I pushed as hard as possible around the ice, truly enjoying moves in the field. I must lack the agility and quick reflexes to haul ass in various patterns while cutting around children. At least, I don’t feel very safe doing it and often have to slow down. Well, none of that on Halloween. I skated to my heart’s content, fully exploring the stamina and strength built through months of running. I am happy to report, I have never been so strong and powerful.
A figure skating club parent told me no one was at the rink because of Halloween. I pictured schoolchildren donning costumes while their mothers fawned over them preparing them for parties and ghoulish celebrations. Most of these kids are members of the club and have paid for contract ice, or rather their parent have. I chose not to join the club because make-up sessions are not available. If you miss a session, you lose your money, plain and simple. I cannot afford to lose twenty dollars if I have to work late or do not feel well. Actually, the admission fee for members is a little lower, but after paying the annual dues and sucking up whatever I might lose because I simply cannot come to the session, I would wind up paying more than if I just show up at my convenience as a walk-on.
Apparently the families of many of the young members can afford to blow off the Halloween session. Good for them. And good for me.
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