Skates and Slippers: Additional Lessons #5

Hello once again readers!

I do believe I've found a better working title for these entries. Sort of. "Skating to Ballet" felt a bit awkward to me and the new title kind of popped into my head while I was at work today. Let me know what you think :) So this was another ballet lesson week, as it has been for the last several weeks. Skate time + Summer = A crapshoot, timewise. Luckily as winter hits it'll be a lot better and I'll have significantly more free cash flow as the wedding costs taper off into non-existence. Yay <3

So I've had this instructor for the last couple lessons and I have to admit, I've learned SO much in such a little time. In fact, check this crap out:

Look at that. I never once thought in my life I could look even a semblance of graceful or decent. But I love this picture and what it shows. I've come a long way in a short time from slumpy, lazy and more or less depressed dude to a better all around fitness level, hobbies I love and as the picture doesn't show, happiness. It feels SO amazing to pull off even simple stuff like this and I do hope I can continue throughout the year. (It's looking good so far.)

Now, I guess you came here for the lesson details more than me gushing...huh? I won't go into CRAZY details this time around because as I've learned with dance, it's more repetition, repetition, repetition. So my lesson involved all the stuff we have practiced in the previous lessons with a few minor bits thrown in like foot position and correct weight placement. I had a tendency when in the above pose, to keep all my weight on my back foot and not keep it flat, soon as I made that change...wow! What a difference.

The other thing I never thought I'd hear. I have good arches in my feet apparently. That's the first time they've been a good thing because I HATE having to buy special shoes just for them. So there's that. A bit of a silver lining. Maybe I've secretly had dancers feet all along? Dun dun dun!

Moving right along. I do need to find a way to practice different things. I feel I'm not confident enough to do much on my own beyond basic stretching and strengthening. Someone whose video I commented on told me that:

"The biggest advice I can give you is to have fun, enjoy it, dance and don't worry about ballet terms. Listen to the music and dance, the teacher will look after you when you are in the studio. The body will get used to the movements and the repetition of doing them every week will make every step more familiar. Have fun,fun,fun! :)"

I think I'll take this to heart because this is why I got into Skating and Ballet. To find that sense of fun which I think I have. I've enjoyed myself so much every time that I almost can't get enough! When I first decided to give ballet a shot to improve my skating it proved such a tough time finding somewhere that'd give an adult a chance, especially in private lessons. I'll always be eternally thankful for Oxford School of Dance for giving me a shot. Hopefully it continues for many days to come.

So that's it for this weeks lesson entry! Hopefully it gave you a bit of information at least. The problem with repetition is that writing it can be difficult to make interesting every time.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Why write? How I came into writing!

Hello readers!

Recently I got the idea of making an entry on here about why I write these blogs and where my writing began as well as why I enjoy it. It's actually a pretty curious set of circumstances that got me to where I am today. Admittedly, my writing started with both my love of books and WAY back when I first got into story writing/roleplaying online. Roleplaying for those of you that don't know is when two or more people write out individual characters to collaborate a story or series of events into existence. Many times this is done for a specific fandom (Books, Anime, Movies, Etc. etc.) But some places are freeform which allow for creative writing in any direction you want to go.

For me it was back when I got my first computer. At that point in time I'd spent many days scribbling out original stories on hundreds of pages in my school binders. It was who I was as a kid, always with my head in the clouds and a bit rambunctious. The internet however, gave way to a much more streamlined way to get my ideas out in the open. A quick google search of 'places to write' had me land on the doorstep of a site and room I still stay active in to this day. Tyran.

It's a freeform Role-play that has gone through as many owners as I have pairs of underwear. (Not really, but quite a few.) and while the place has changed over the years between locations its still much the same. It was this room that I discovered my passion for writing and through a group of amazing people I developed my writing. I went from simple writing with basic sentences to crafting stories full of lore and curiosity. I owe a lot of my writing and passion to that room and the people that occupy it.

When I think on it, Tyran is what made me truly love writing. How many people can say that they've crafted a world with words? OK...plenty. But there is something still magical about the imagination and the things it can produce. For me that's also the same with writing. Even these blogs. Putting my thoughts, feelings and emotions out there and forging them into something enjoyable is one of the best feelings in the world.

I've never put this in the open, but I also find that I've been able to put more of myself into my characters over the years. Tyran has provided me an outlet to put parts of me out there I may not normally have done so. I've lived, I've loved, I've explored. I've been a thief who found his place in the boughs of a creative goddess. I've been a dragon who discovered his past was that of royalty. I've had colossal battles on the sides of mountains and drawn magic from every inch of the land. I sometimes think I've lived more through my roleplays than I have other places.

But writing here in Tyran has also helped me to come out of my shell. Not just through writing but through the people. They know who they are. Ones who have talked me through some of my rougher days or just been there to chat. I'm thankful for that.

Writing has also seen me through plenty of good and bad times. For me writing has always been a good way to vent my feelings, my frustrations, my fears and my anxiety. An outlet for those of us who would make use of it. There has more than a few times I've spent my time writing these blogs in tears, angry or even just elated and happy. (The latter being easy to see in some of my better entries.) Writing is magical! I realize now that this was similar to my last paragraph. Oh well! I have vowed to never go back and edit an entry. Enjoy the repetition!

I also write to retain information. Especially when it comes to my experience and lesson entries. I have a fairly crummy memory sometimes and it was my previous horseback riding instructor who recommended writing a lesson journal. Or in this case, an experience blog. This is where my curiosity for this format began. It's not like regular writing, here I get to share my thoughts, my feelings and my experiences in hopes that it can inspire someone else to pursue their passions. I don't do this to make money or get views, but if I can inspire just one person. It's worth it.

This entry is a bit all over the place, but I just wanted to share how I came into writing and how it has helped me grow over the years! Hopefully you enjoyed the read.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Skating to Ballet: Additional Lessons #4!

Hello once again Readers!

I must apologize for the slow-coming entries lately. Unfortunately there has not been much of crazy interest to write about until the last week when things have slowly gotten more interesting. I COULD write about my coming wedding (Which I'm so totally nervous about!!) but I feel this isn't really the place for that. But alas, I have had a recent ballet lesson and have plenty to share about it in both regards to the content of the lesson and how I can apply it to skating.

First off, I mentioned previously that there was potential to do private ballet lessons throughout the summer. That opportunity has been a bit more cemented now. I've got lessons rotating every two weeks for a while now up until the end of june I believe. After that it'll be up for discussion. Either way, I'm super excited to continue!

Without further ado, The lesson:

Foot Exercises/Warm up - As with any pursuit that you decide to jump in to. There is almost always a series of warmups and exercises designed to get you ready for your lesson. Well, almost always...pretty sure you don't warm up to make a dress or something. That comes with experience. We spent a bit of time going through proper foot exercises and position to warm up. Its really interesting seeing the different ways you can move your body that you're not used to. (And trust me, I'm not used to it. My muscles are screaming at me "WHYYYYYYY!?!?!".) But it's totally worth it and simple enough. Up and down with each foot at half and then what could be considered en pointe. Although we didn't go THAT far, It definitely helped me to understand these different positions better.

Plies (1st, 2nd and 3rd Postion) - This is obviously a staple in ballet. Or at least I get that impression. A lot of things stem from these positions and pairing them with arm positions. That's what I gather so far. We worked on the first three positions of Plie which is with feet together, shoulder width apart and then making a kind of fancy V with one heel nestled in the arch of your foot. I'm ok with these, although I am quickly discovering how VERY tight my ankles and calves are as I cannot squat without lifting my heels off the floor. I'll need to find a way to stretch out these muscles more.

Port de bras - From what I understand, This is simply a fancy name (As all names in ballet are.) for arm positions. We worked on each of these positions in turn (Five total I believe.) and my instructor actually helped me to finally figure out shoulder/hand position. Before I was hunching a lot but now I know to pull my shoulders back and down which makes for better posture.

Posture - Just a quick bit, but dang! Posture makes me certainly look and feel more comfortable! Just saying! <3

Allegro - Jumps. We worked quite a bit on a few different jumps during this lesson. As I said above, I have a very hard time lowering my heels during this. I tend to jump from my toes which as a skater, is normal. But in ballet it is evidently not the ideal way to do so. So I will have to work on my ankles! Beyond that though I did enjoy these and found that when I jumped in time with the music rather than focusing on my jumps, I did relax into them and lower my feet more. Yet again I've hit a mental roadblock. I need to stop overthinking things!

So those were the main things we worked on! I've got some practice/homework to do over the next week to prep for my next lesson. Gosh dang though! I didn't expect to be nearly as sore as I am now. My initial lessons I wasn't quite as sore. But this is a whole different level. I'm actually with a different instructor now and she tends to push a bit harder which I actually like. The push helps :)

That's about it for now! Hopefully it was a decent read this week. I really do need to keep up with these entries but with so little activity as my wedding approaches it really has been difficult to get any decent entries/ideas going. I've got a whole bunch of unfinished/unpublished entries that I started but couldn't get behind. Perhaps I'll go back and look through them and amalgamate them into an entry?

Thanks for reading.

Ciao for now!

Sam

New blog entries incoming!

Been busy wedding planning and so I will be getting some blog entries together as of tomorrow! <3

Ciao for now readers!

Sam

Plot twist! Great news!

Hello once again Readers!

So this has been a rather interesting week this past week. A lot of different things have kind of landed in my lap and admittedly, all of it's exciting to say the least! At least I find it exciting. You might not, I don't know. I don't know you now do I? Alas, it's a fair bit of interesting news and it's funny how things seem to keep lining up back to back for me. I've noticed that since I met my coach and started skating, opportunities seem to be popping up and tossing things at me as I buckle down and work actively towards my goals.

I won't lie. It's great. Few things have presented themselves to me in the last few years beyond the obvious 'getting married' thing. Which is just as exciting as all of this. I'm so nervous. Seriously. Skating, Ballet and Riding keep me fairly calm though. Sometimes I doubt myself. But then I remember, I've been in love with her every day for the last 8+ years and I know it's the right thing. Still makes me nervous being in front of all those people though!

Moving on from my lovey-doveyness (Love you Sarah.), I'm happy to say that my skating time and career is likely to improve aggressively. The only downside being is that I will likely have a longer drive to get to my club once things change. My coach has chosen to move to another club (About a 25 minute drive from where I am.) and since I'd prefer not to lose her as a coach, I contacted the club she is moving to....and now I'm not sure why I didn't before. Not only do they provide skating year-round, they also have an adult program as well as private lessons. Seriously, it's awesome.

They also are looking to have an adult Synchro team this year and through a bunch of inquiring emails I may be trying out for it! I do actually love synchro but it's really not often you see men doing it. Not that I mind. It makes me the rarity. After careful consideration I think I'm going to try out for it. The skills they're looking for fall under what I've learned with my coach and while I'm no expert, I'm confident at them more or less.

So yay! <3

I can't remember if I've mentioned it before. But before I met my fiancée and delved into these hidden dreams of mine. All I ever did was play video games. I was a completely different person 5+ years ago. Not only am I happier these days, but I'm healthier and have a generally more positive outlook. Heck, I find most video games boring these days. I barely have anything in the way of a console these days. They just don't hold my interest or attention like they used to and I'm happy for that.

I wish everyone could rediscover themselves like I have. When you forget the world and people looking down on you for a little while and manage to take that plunge into your dreams. Everything changes for the better. I spent too long looking down that big, scary tunnel before deciding to go down it.

So a bit of a random blog today but hopefully it gives some insight into how things are going and how I feel about things lately!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Skating to Ballet: Fondu and Sticky Chocolate! Additional Lessons #3!

Hello once again readers!

I do hope that this blog gets read and inspires some people to follow their dreams. I received feedback previously on a forum I post to that said they hope my blog inspires others to follow their dreams. I don't think I could have gotten a nicer compliment and it made me smile to think that this blog is helping to inspire others or even provide a bit of an entertaining read. I haven't said it yet, but thank you everyone who does take the time to read this! It's been a pleasure writing it.

But alas! I came here for a reason. To write about todays lesson (Yup! I'm actually managing to write it the day after the lesson rather than half a week late haha. No more procrastinating.) We did all sorts of interesting stuff during this lesson with a few new pieces as well as practicing the basics/foundations of ballet as a whole. Also, is it weird that every time I listen to music now, I see skating routines that I could do to the music?

ON TO THE LESSON!

Rhythm/Bar Exercises/Pointe-Demi Pointe - So we worked plenty on these. This made up a fair chunk of our lesson and now that I'm getting the rhythm and movements down a bit more, it goes a bit smoother. It's quite interesting and fun learning to move your body in ways you don't normally do so. Smooth and easy. Though I find it hard to squeeze too crazy much into our lessons with the time limitation.

Plie - We are still working mostly on the first three positions here. My rhythm is getting a tiny bit better though I just learned about how I'm supposed to turn my foot when pointing so that's new! It looks so fancy <3 The main part I still struggle with is going into a full plie and not bringing my heels off the ground before I actually get to the grand plie. (Hopefully that's the right term? Correct me if it's not!) Hopefully in time I can get this down.

Weight Transfer - We once again touched down on weight transfer. My coach has reassured me that figuring out the quick 'turns' when transferring weight and where to put my feet will come in time and eventually just be muscle memory. Thank the gods for that because at this point I tend to confuse myself over and over. By the end I did get better however.

Fondu - So we did practice a new movement this lesson called a 'Fondu'. So many strange French words I will have to get used to! It's essentially a plie with the exception of bringing on foot off the floor up along your leg as you go into your squat/plie. The key here is that you're to show 'resistance' as you drag your foot off the ground and up your leg. The way it was explained to me is that you're trying to pull your foot out of sticky toffee or chocolate. It made sense ^_^

Jumping Focus - We tried to make it to jumping this lesson but we ran out of time unfortunately so it's been decided the next lessons focus will be on jumping and some of the more acrobatic moves that come with ballet. Hopefully I'm not doing splits mid-air or anything because I can't even do them on the ground yet! All in good time. I'm looking forward to this lesson!

That's really it for the content of my lesson. A question as posed to me whether or not I'd like to focus on ONLY the skills transferable to skating or if I'd liked to be trained as any other dancer. It's a good question but as much as this is the improve my skating I've found I've really enjoyed learning it. So I opted to learn as any other dancer would and I'll apply the skills to my skating as I see the ability to do so.

That's about it for this entry. Keep following your dreams and fulfilling those passions!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Skating to Ballet: Additional Lessons #2!

Hello once more readers!

While this blog is a touch late, I've been struggling to find how to best format it and describe my recent experiences. It seems I always post about being late don't I? I'll stop that now. My bad.

So then! This is entry #2 regarding my Ballet Lessons that I've recently taken on. Lesson number two was this past Saturday and while I generally dislike getting up early on weekends, I was genuinely excited to for once. Actually...the more I get out and actively do things the more I find myself wanting to get out and do more things and enjoy as much of the day as I can. Funny how a few small changes can make such a big difference! Especially for someone as introverted as me.

My lesson this week was great. While they are unfortunately, shorter lessons. We do manage to squeeze a fair amount of things into them and I am able to practice throughout the week where I can find time/space. Though I've discovered my local gym has a room I can use when it's not occupied AND it's a private space. Bonus! Thanks for that snippet of Info Lindsay!

I guess I should explain what my lesson contained? Shouldn't I? That IS what this blog is for. But before I do, I've been asked a few times why I write these. While it's a fun hobby and a way to share my experiences. It's also to help retain information and make my lessons sink in more. While I am a 'learn by doing' sort of person, I find that writing about each lesson I do helps kind of 'ingrain' the lesson in my head. It was an idea that originally came from a horseback riding coach I used to ride with and one I've kind of stuck with since. I've found for me, as I am quite forgetful. It helps loads and I would recommend the idea to just about anyone!

ON TO THE LESSON!

Rhythm/Bar Exercises/Pointe-Demi Pointe - This is generally what we start each lesson with after a good stretch on the yoga mats. (Which I've been doing all week! I've discovered muscles I didn't even know I had!) These consist of music playing while we practice the different positions. (So far we have only worked on positions 1, 2 and 3.). This also involves working on moving the feet and pointing the toes in Pointe/Demi-Pointe. Which as I understand it Demi means half with most things in ballet. These are fun, although I don't fully get the rhythm yet so I find I rush to catch up to my instructor.

Plie - As comes with Ballet, we did focus on doing Plies in this lesson both in the first position and second position which are basically identical except in one your feet are together in a V and the other they are the same except shoulder width apart. It's one of the few places where my heels coming off the floor in a squat comes in handy! Though I still have to work on stretching out those heels any way I can. Plies are interesting and combing with proper posture and arm placement I definitely find they make me a touch more aware of my body.

Weight Transfer - Next we did do some focus on was weight transfer. Pointing and stepping into different positions while properly transferring weight from leg to leg. Once I get the pattern down and how to do this properly I'm sure I'll be more successful/able to practice. It was a lot of fun though and it's certainly interesting feeling how to move as a dancer.

Jumping - So we touched base on this at the veeeery end of the lesson. Not too much, just basic stuff in first position jumping up and landing with knees bent. I did ok, but I have to work on keeping stable and proper posture while doing these!

So that was more or less the basis for my lesson. My homework was to work on training up my back muscles as best I can by using the 'cobra' yoga pose and finding the muscles in my back that I'm supposed to use when moving my arms. And here I naively thought I was supposed to use my shoulders! It's been good so far and I'm seeing tiny bits of improvement the more I do it. Though I wish the week had allowed me more time at the gym.

With this entry coming to a close, I just wanted to say I am genuinely surprised. While I've always loved skating and what it entails, I didn't expect that t and ballet would be my 'calling' per-se. The things that I am driven to do and enjoy doing more than anything. Not that I'm complaining, as the old commercial says, 'Nobody is good at everything, but everybody is good at something!' *insert T-rex noises here* Heh. Loved that commercial.

Alas! Our time draws to a close. Happy trails!

Ciao for now,

Sam

Oodles of Positivity!

Hello again!

Bit of an off-beat entry today. I just wanted to talk a bit about how crazy my life has changed since just before I started this blog. Maybe it's been noticeable and maybe it hasn't, I don't know. But I can't express how positive my life has become. Less six months ago I was more or less in a funk, close to what I'd describe as depression. No, I'm not talking crazy suicidal depression. But I was generally in a crap, low mood all the time and it sucked. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was...

...Then I made changes and started pursuing things that had always held my interest and had been dreams I withheld. I started DOING. And boy has it been a strangely amazing journey. I'm getting married, which is something I didn't think I would ever do and yet here I am about to commit to spending my life with someone and I'm not at all afraid of that prospect. She has changed my life in more ways than one and I wouldn't be where I am without her. I never thought I'd get married...but its about to change my life.

Then there's my hobbies. For the longest time I've kind of coasted through life. Doing things that while they kept me entertained, didn't really make me feel whole or that kind of happy you have when you're doing something you know you love. In the last year I've significantly dropped video games from my life with very few exceptions. (I still have a computer and play them on occasion.) But I've gotten rid of almost every console I own and have yet to replace ones that have gotten wrecked due to things beyond my control. (Like a cat who hated my 3DS.) It's interesting how much happier it has made me to get away from electronics and into pursuits that make me happy.

Horses have always been a love and a part of my life that isn't going away. I do love and enjoy them but I've always felt there has been something more beyond it. There is a reason I kept track of figure skating without telling people, there's a reason I've chosen to never pursue my other dreams. Anxiety is a big part of it, but confidence was too. You get yourself in such a 'funk' and feel you're never going to get anywhere and simply settle for what you have, which in my case simply made things worse. But now that I've re-discovered my passion for skating I can't describe how much happier I am.

I'm also healthier. Sure, I still occasionally eat crap food and can be lazy on occasion. But I find I get out more now. I do more and I'm enthusiastic about doing more. No word of a lie, there was a point where going for a walk was the most boring thing on the planet to me. Now I find myself excited to get out of the house. Plus I no longer look like a vampire all the time, yay <3

Alongside taking on a hobby that has made me happy. I've also discovered new things that I didn't truly expect to enjoy. Ballet for example. I opted into it to improve my skating at the advice of a few close to me. Before, I wouldn't have been confident to do something considered so feminine or something that put me with strangers or groups of people and yet I have found that I enjoyed my lesson significantly more than I expected and that I'm looking forward to the next one. (Never once have I danced while listening to music so much as I have in the last week :D)

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that there is so much positivity in my life right now. It's been a fairly long time since I've walked around with a genuinely happy smile on my face and I can only get more excited but the rest of the year holds for me.

Hopefully this entry isn't too hard to read through, I feel I sometimes repeat myself a lot. Believe it or not I don't proof-read these blogs at all so that you get my genuine thoughts and feelings as they come out whether they make sense or not. I've really enjoyed writing this so look forward to more entries in the future!

Thanks for reading!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Skating to Ballet: Additional Lessons #1!

Hello once again!

I fiiiiinally have something new to write about, skating has unfortunately slowed down due to ice availability (At least locally) and so my skating related posting ability has been limited as well. Though that doesn't mean I haven't done any skating or anything skating related. In fact, I practiced my skating techniques in a public skating session for the first time just recently.

The company I work for puts on a free public skate for 2 hours on a Saturday every year and I decided to go and enjoy it. Not many people showed up so the ice was nice and open! There was about ten of us and I convinced myself to practice my figure skating in those two hours. I even got some compliments which made me smile. I'm never in it for the compliments, but they do feel good! Beyond that though I've been unable to get ahold of any ice time which kind of stinks!

Alas, I've had to look at alternate ways to improve my skating when I can't get ahold of the ice and through both research and the advice of friends I've found myself enrolled in Ballet. There are a lot of techniques that can be shared between the two sports and I'm told that it can help with a lot of the issues I imagine most guys have in figure skating which are posture, gracefulness and positioning. Or at least those are my struggles!

Today was my first lesson and as usual...I was nervous. Not unusual for me. Anxiety-man should be my superhero name with how nervous I get sometimes. But I made it to the lesson and I have to admit. It was both fun, interesting and informative. I really should stop being surprised at how much I enjoy doing new things. I've always wanted to try some form of dance class so this was an interesting step for me as I didn't think it'd be Ballet.

I learned plenty in the lesson and my instructor was very knowledgeable, and friendly. Which helped my nerves a lot and while I'd love to do an individual breakdown of the things I learned like I do with my skating lesson entries, for the life of me...I can't remember half the French words for all the moves just yet. I know we practiced basic Plie positions and I vaguely remember the word 'demi' used a lot when we were doing things half-way. Buuuuut alas, it was all so new and exciting that I kind of flubbed remembering all the wording. I'll make sure to include the wording and descriptions of what I did in future entries as I remember them.

Also, I move like an ox. Haha. I do hope in time these classes will help me be at least a touch more graceful.

Now, I recently had a discussion with my skating coach about skating and what makes her love skating and its nice to know that someone shares the same feeling as I do:

"I love skating. Something about it, just gliding and speed and riding the edges out of jumps. Expressing yourself through music and getting tossed around is fun. It's lonely, chaotic and full of life. A peaceful place to call home."

I couldn't have put that in better words myself. While I may not have done any crazy jumps yet or anything. I get those feelings and sentiments. There is just something deeply enjoyable about figure skating for me and seeing that answer really reinforces my choice of coach. It's one thing to find a teacher, but another to find someone who feels the same way you do about skating.

Just a bit of a tidbit in there, but thanks to my coach for being awesome!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Skate Carnival - Norwich, Ontario/Summer Plans

Hello again!

So on a past Saturday I attended my local skating clubs end of year Carnival and I have to admit, it was great. It was well put together with a fair share of talented skaters and dedicated staff. It was just over an hour long and I actually saw the show twice. It was a lot of fun and Im noticing I am becoming more acclimated to the cold the more time I spend at the arena, which my fiancee loves because she likes leaving the window open all winter.

Now, my plans for summer are slowly coming together. Ive got a fair plan potentially laid out. After the wedding I intend to go into skating as often as I can as well as take a few ballet lessons mixed in between. Ive been told ballet helps a lot with body positioning, posture, gracefulness and your lines while skating which are all things I need. Im in talks with a few local places. about both. Ingersoll for ballet and cambridge/london for potential skating lessons over the course of the summer. At the time of writing this, Ive actually booked my first five ballet lessons. Ill blig about them and how it can be applied to skating as I do them.

Ive also been thinking about potwntial ice rental options through the summer and have done a fair amount of research on it. By the looks of it, moat nearby places charge 40-60 bucks an hour for casual ice which cant be booked more than 24 hours in advance. Which I can certainly work with!

Anyways, Just a short entry this time.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Achievement Unlocked: Backwards Crossovers/Cross Cuts!!

Hello everyone!

So my coach asked me to help her do some videos for Skate Canada so she can get her next coaching level. Since she has been so awesome I decided to help and I'm really really glad I did. We went through a few things I already know. All my edges and stroking techniques that I'm familiar with, although my forwards crosscuts done on each edge are a bit shaky. Ill practice those when I get the chance, but it was a lot of fun re-running through all of it so she could get some video. I feel like I'm improving, hopefully I don't lose TOO much over the course of the summer.

We also did some of my first attempts at jumping. Three-turn jumps, bunny hops and we did attempt a few jumps where you go from backwards crosscuts to a turn and then a jump. You end up backwards at the end of it. I don't remember the name and I probably explained that poorly. It was AWESOME though! I had a ton of fun and admittedly, I'm really not looking forwards to a pause on lessons for the summer. At least it opens up time for wedding planning!

My biggest achievement this time I think though was my backwards crossovers/cross cuts. Up until this session I've struggled to wrap my head around the concept of them and getting the footwork down. This time I totally managed to nail them! I managed to do them around a full circle and get the footwork down more. I also am working on figuring out where my arms go and how to counterbalance my movements. I was SO excited for this! I've tried it a few times at a few of the adult skates but I have yet to really nail them until now. Yay!

I really have to find out how to practice during the summer so I don't lose all of the knowledge I've gained. It's interesting, I've noticed with skating that the more I do it, the happier I am doing it. I keep getting driven and motivated to go back to it. I think over the summer I'm going to focus on skating where I can while getting into better shape for skating, as well as improving my gracefulness and body placement which are both things I can easily do off-ice.

I've got the skating carnival this Saturday I'm going to watch as well, a friends daughter is skating in it and it should be a lot of fun!

Anyways, that's about it for this entry!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Skating Show: Preston, Ontario

Hello once again!

So as the skating season comes to an end in most places, so too comes the series of shows and carnivals that most clubs put on. I personally haven't got to put a skate down in any of them but I do have tickets to several, the first of which was last night at the Preston Figure Skating Club in Cambridge. My current skating coach was skating in it and I decided to go and see it and support her in doing so.

I'm really really glad I went. What an amazing show! It was all well thought out, put together and choreographed beautifully. It even had stuff you wouldn't typically expect in a skating show like kids on swings hanging from the ceiling and ice ramps that the skaters went down to make their entrances. It was AWESOME! It was also a touch bittersweet as well because it made me realize how much I'd love to be involved with something so awesome.

The hard work all the skaters put in was really showcased at the show. I had a lot of fun.

Just a quick entry!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Final Lesson of the Season

Hello once more!

So the time in which my lessons will essentially be on hold until September has come. Yesterday was my final figure skating lessons before the current season at the arena ends and I have to say it has been an awesome (But short) journey! I didn't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I have. Nor did I expect to do as well as I did. I'm certainly no professional, but I definitely did better than I anticipated I would.

A big part of why my experience was so good is owed to the club and my coach. The club was super flexible in allowing me to join and I don't think I could have landed a better coach. I've been told that one of a students greatest strengths is their coach and their ability to teach skills to the student. I've grasped a lot more concepts than I expected to and I find her teaching style, much like my horseback riding coach. Really works with me. As many know, I'm more of a practical learner than a theoretical learner. So seeing it and then simply doing something is much easier for me to learn. So thank you to my coach, Lindsay for being great! Hopefully we can continue in the near future.

The club itself, has been great. While I had plenty of things to do in order to register and sign up. Once I got my foot in the door, they were all great. Going into something primarily done by kids, as an adult. Can be a bit of an intimidating experience. But the club has been from what I can tell, very accepting which I'm more than thankful for.

Skill-wise, from day one. I've learned a fair amount. I've got most of the basics down and my balance has significantly improved over all. From simply riding my edges to doing stuff like three turns and twizzles. It's been SO fun. I'm really making this sound like a goodbye aren't I? My bad. It's not. I intend to continue practicing and skating through the summer and then registering when the new season begins. Whether that is with the local skating club or otherwise.

I've mentioned before that I used to skate as a kid and the decision to get back into it has kind of bounced around the back of my head for the longest time and while anxiety held me back, I'm glad I decided to take the plunge. The experience overall is just not something I can put into words. It might seem silly to some people, but for someone like me it is significantly more special. Hopefully, it continues this way as it has improved several aspects of my own life. My balance while horseback riding I feel has improved because of it, my anxiety levels in crowds are definitely a little more settled. Time will tell!

So, I guess the next real step is where and how to practice and retain my skills through the summer? I know a fair amount of my skills can be translated to rollerblades which I have a good pair of. But I am hoping that I can find time at public and adult skates that run through the summer. I still have to inquire if Norwich still runs these through the summer or not. If not, then I'm sure other nearby cities will.

So, this concludes my lesson-based sections of my blog for now. With the season coming to a close my writing in here will likely slow down a bit. But I'll make entries whenever I have skating related stuff to post. I might even consider putting my horseback riding endeavors in here as well. I've enjoyed writing this so much more than I expected to.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Fear and Anxiety used to hold me back: Lessons #4, #5 and Public Skates Galore!

Hello!

WOW! Has it been a while since I did an entry. (Admittedly...I did several and haven't published them because they were sub-par in my opinion. Not much meat and potatoes to them.) It's mostly because my ventures during afternoons in skating are limited to the adult public skates. Whiiiich I only got to attend two of because of wedding planning. Not a bad tradeoff though. I wouldn't have done it any other way.

So today I'd like to talk about myself a little bit. I'm a 25 y/o male. I work full-time at a factory and my hobbies include Writing, Horseback Riding and Skating. (I did gymnastics for a while, but it has fallen through many a time so it's kind of on the back burner at the moment.) Now, the latter two hobbies are what has become a big change in my life. I've explained before that I get anxiety when doing just about anything but I've noticed over the course of time (With some pushing from coaches and otherwise) that with these activities, my anxiety drops significantly. Instead of worrying what people thing I find myself actually getting excited to get out there.

It's strange, because less than a year ago I was freaking out about going out to get on the back of a horse. Now it's the reverse, I can't wait. I owe a lot of this change to my coaches, fiancée and few family members that I've told before. As per the title, there was in fact a time when fear would hold me back. Not anymore. At least with my hobbies. I still don't do crowds well.

Enough about my personal issues though! I need to combine my last two lessons, as well as all my public/adult skates into this singular post before I get back to posting regularly! It's been both crazy, fun and filled with plenty of interesting bits! I was going to write this in paragraph form but I think I'll roll with bullet-points to make it a little more manageable and readable. (And so you can skip any boring or repetitive bits. :D):

Skating Forwards - Forwards techniques are always included in my lessons. We've worked on all of them and I find myself getting more and more comfortable simply moving forward and around the ice. Its interesting to be able to look back to when I first climbed back on the ice, to now. I hold myself a little bit differently than I did five lessons ago and I'm certainly more confident with my foot movements! Forwards goes well!

Switchbacks - This is kind of becoming second nature when I need to turn around now or reset. Quick and easy and I haven't really messed one up much in a while. So I'm happy with that. Not really much to say about these other than we've been segwaying into more advanced techniques using this technique which Ill elaborate more on shortly.

Skating on Inner/Outer Edges - Forwards, I'm confident. I can do inside and outside edges decently now, but when it comes to the reverse I am still very shaky. Although the positive side is that I'm learning to keep my momentum and where to place my feet which helps a lot. An odd thing I'm noticing is that I'm less confident doing my right outside edge when skating backwards than my left. I tend to not be able to lean/turn it nearly as well as the other. Do skaters have dominant feet? To google!

Balance - Balance is DEFINITELY improving. I noticed this especially when I potentially wipe out and catch myself a lot differently than I used to. I don't go into panic mode as much now and try to catch myself with my hands on the ice (PS. Hand+Ice does not equal a good way to stop a fall!) I tend to re-find my balance and stop it before it happens. It's awesome! I'm no pro, but I definitely find I have a lot better balance now. I also tend to not lean nearly as much now.

Mohawks - I can do about two sets of these now confidently. I have a hard time keeping my momentum, but I am getting more confident in placing my foot down and still gliding along whatever edge I'm making use of. My coach makes it look WAY too easy for its own good! These are a lot of fun. I say that a lot don't I? It's all fun. Seriously.

Three Turns - Still kind of riding the basics on these. I have yet to really get too far past a single turn. I CAN stay upright after one turn now, but keeping my momentum and setting up for the next one I still struggle with. I think as we develop my other skills I'll get better at these as I figure out that 'sweet spot' as well as improving my balance.

Crossovers - Before I say anything, I still have yet to get a backwards crossover down. But my forward ones I am fully confident in! I even use these during regular public skating sessions and stuff now when I'm circling the arena. Instead of just relying on one outside foot to get me around the end of the arena, I go into crossover mode and skate around the end, it also keeps/gains me some momentum as well which I believe is the point of crossovers.

Skating Backwards - Like last time, I won't list all the individual techniques on what we have done skating backwards. It basically all the same as forwards except in reverse. I still struggle with a lot of them but I have improved my backwards skating in general. I can get a fair amount of speed and skate around backwards easily enough now. It's nowhere near perfect, but I'm not ending up flat on my backside every few minutes now! It'll be nice when I can skate backwards confidently and do things in a steadier way.

Brackets - So we busted open this skill the other day and much like switchbacks, I CAN do them, but I fail to keep my momentum going through more than one or two. I have to figure out how to give a bit of a push-off during these turns that'll keep me going. It was actually this skill that made us give the next skill a try in my lessons!

Twizzles - I swear that's the real name. I googled it. This is basically tucking everything in, spinning and then letting everything back out to stop the spin. Then doing it the other direction. It's kind of hard to put into words but after a few tries I found I did pretty decent at these!

I can't say too much though about twizzles however because I actually broke my skate during my last lesson attempting these. I imagine it's because we've been fairly hard on my skates since I go tthem, and the fact that they're used, but during my last lessons end the 'heel/blade' part essentially separated from my skate completely. Luckily I felt it before I tried something else. It's a shame because the skates were actually starting to fit really well and I was really getting comfortable in them. My new ones are just a solid, cheap pair I got from a local store that will hopefully last me until I save up for a good quality pair.

My only gripe with the new ones is that they feel more 'recreational skate' rather than 'figure skate'. They do have figure skate blades, they just don't feel as secure on my feet as I hoped they would be. Hopefully they will last for now and then I'll be good to go!

All in all, my lessons have been going extremely well. With a friends help and advice I've been doing a lot less procrastinating with things and forcing myself to 'get out there' more lately, and it's been doing me good. I've enjoyed every aspect of my lessons and I can't sing my coaches praises enough, anyone who can teach me to be balanced and even slightly graceful has talent in my books!

So there isn't much more to tell. I've got a lesson coming up tomorrow which I'm excited for. The only bad thing is with each lesson the end of the season/session grows closer very quickly. And that kind of sucks, hopefully I can find some form of skating/lessons during the summer! If not I guess I'll be focusing on horseback riding for the summer. Time will tell!

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Lesson #3: Sore as before!

Hello once again folks!

So as I'm quickly learning as of my latest lesson (I'm a day late writing this. I was absolutely wiped after my lesson yesterday) my backwards game is in need of work. Is it something that most skaters struggle with? My body is having a hard time wrapping its head around doing most backwards skating techniques. I won't lie, I ended up flat out and on my butt more than a few times. While that might discourage some people I find that the falls really motivate me to try harder and do better.

As I told my coach, many people learn from their falls and I'm no different. By the end of the lesson I was doing fairly well and I really feel like I came out of it with better form and technique in skating backwards. Before I just kind of moved my legs about to try and figure it out, but now I can actually pick up some speed and get moving a bit more confidently.

Going backwards has been a very interesting experience, mostly because as a whole, people generally tend to always be 'forwards' in everything they do. Everything we do is in front of us and now suddenly I'm doing things in reverse and have to rely on myself to be confident in doing so. It's definitely a hard egg to crack into. I find my brain tends to go into overdrive and telling me that this isn't 'safe' or 'right'. You know brain. You're a jerk.

Alas, let us get into the meat and potatoes of what I did in my last lesson:

Skating Forwards: We did plenty of forwards based techniques but generally speaking. Going forwards and just basic skating is not an issue for me. Now that I've gotten a bit more used to the presence of toe picks and how to move my feet and be aware of how they move this is hardly ever an issue anymore. In fact, I find I'm using more and more figure skating techniques just in general as I move about. It's fun how they seem to translate to just general moving about.

Switchbacks: This is one of those 'techniques' I find myself using here and there. If I know I have to reset after trying something and I have to be the other direction. I push my feet together and spin about. I'm pretty confident here although nowhere near perfect or 'pretty' in a figure skating sense.

Skating on Inner/Outer Edges: This is where I'm both confident and a bit shaky at the same time. Inner edges are fairly easy although I definitely have to work on my 'control' when going about them. We're doing them up and down the length of the rink now. As for outside edges, I'm struggling to keep my feet in the right spot and not be so shaky when I go into them. My coach did say the outer edges tend to be a bit more of a struggle and come in time. So I'm not overly concerned. Practice makes perfect!

Balance: Like last time, I feel like my balance is improving. But I still struggle to not lean forwards in either panic or to try and find my balance. Like my horseback riding, I tend to lean forward and it is a terrible habit I'll have to break. I'm sure if both my different types of lessons drill this into me, it'll come with time!

Mohawks: Now these are where I'm figuring things out a bit more. I managed to do a few fairly good ones and I'm happy with how these are coming along. It's the first bigger 'technique' that I'm getting the hang of.  I do have to work on keeping my momentum through these however as I have a habit of losing it long before I can make it through two sets.

Three Turns: Now that I actually remember the name of them, we have been doing some three turns. Which is more or less changing direction on one foot. I've just learned during these lessons about finding that 'sweet spot' on your skate. Admittedly, I completely forgot it existed and now that I've discovered it, I'm managing to pull off things much better including three turns. I still can't get past one three turn as I tend to fight the edge I'm riding but this will come in time!

Skating Backwards: I won't list all the individual techniques we worked on here but the lesson did focus a bit heavier on upping my backwards skating abilities. I can now get a lot more speed and stability when going backwards although many of the techniques we worked on are rough to say the least. Like I explained above, getting my body to accept moving backwards as 'normal' is difficult to wrap my head around. We did attempt to learn backwards crossovers but I didn't even manage them in the slightest. Next time I shall do better!

So that sums up most of what we worked on. All-in-All I feel I'm improving and doing better within my means. It's been a LOAD of fun up until this point and the only downside is that I now have to wait a full two weeks until my next set of lessons. The downsides of working a crappy rotating set of shifts in a factory job that you work 6 days a week at. Sometimes doing an adult job just sucks! Oh well. Responsibility ho!

Now, that's not to say my next two weeks will be packed with no skating. I've researched and figured out a good schedule for all the nearby public skates/adult skates that I can make use of to practice in between. Some of them don't allow figure skating, but that doesn't mean I can't just up my skating stamina and such. I'll make just as much use of these. The main hurdle I'll have to get over is again; anxiety. It's a lovely beast that loves to spite me. I have to get comfortable enough to practice with people watching. Hopefully I'll be able to get through this over time.

Well, that's about all I've got for today! That was my most recent lesson and both my successes and failures! Hopefully you've enjoyed reading my journey as much as I've enjoyed living it!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Meat and Potatoes!

Hello again readers!

The title isn't really all that relevant. It was my failed attempt at making a clever title. I am quickly learning that it is not easy to think of a good title for every entry, so you'll have to forgive me for my shortcomings in that department for now. So then! On to the meat and potatoes of this blog. Ah crap...found my title! The last paragraph is basically going to be irrelevant. Confused yet? I am.

I tossed a post up today on my facebook page and asked my friends what to write about and while I only got one response. It was actually a really good one from a friend whom I have a lot of respect for. She suggested I write about how skating is different from everything else I've done and the specific reasoning on why I chose skating. An excellent topic madam! I'll break this up into two parts to make it as straightforward as I can.

Now, when it comes to the many interesting (Interesting to me anyways.) things I've done. I've been around the block a few times. If I include from when I was kid up to now the range of things I've tried and done has been pretty varied. Soccer, Baseball, Horseback Riding, Percussionist Ensemble (Public school, I still drum these beats!), Pottery, Gymnastics, Skating, and many other things! I'm a person who loves experiences and trying new things. To me, at the chance of sounding a bit cliché:

Variety is the spice of life.

Why should we go through life having just done one thing? I want my life to be full of experiences and meaningful ventures. No regrets. The same goes for skating. Except skating is a bit more special to me than other ventures. Much like horseback riding, I have a history in it and this kind of places up pretty high on my 'dedication' list.

When I think on all the sports I've done, horseback riding included. There is a big difference in skating from them. They all require skill, but skating requires a bit more than that. Not talent, not fancy outfits (Well...maybe a little), and not just a curiousity. As many of you know, I'm a guy. It's not exactly the most common for guys to simply jump into a female-dominated sport. This has been the biggest difference, for me.

It might seem silly, and trivial to most. But this has driven my anxiety into overdrive. It's been different in the respect that I am not used to eyes being on me in the way skating more or less demands. At the club, I'm literally the only guy on the ice amongst a sea girls. With all the other sports I've done, they were fairly varied in their gender range. Not that I'll let this scare me off. Being the only real 'adult' and the only guy when I skate also makes me feel...unique I guess? Perhaps that's a bit vain. Oh well.

There is also the fact that skating requires a VERY different set of muscles than most people are used to activating. My first few skating sessions and lessons I find everything below my last aches from top to bottom and muscles I forgot I even had are like 'HEY! What are ya doin' ya crazy git!' Evidently my muscles hail from Britain. This has been a huge factor for me. I was sore when I got into horseback riding, but that alongside everything else I've done doesn't come close to what this feels like. But I digress as it is not a 'bad' pain so much as I know I'm activating those muscles. It's kind of cool actually.

So all in all, those are what I feel the big differences have been between getting into skating when I compare it with other things. It's been hell on my muscles and anxiety. But I don't think that's enough to send me packing. Even if I do flee from public skates T.T

Now I have touched base on 'Why Skating' before in a few previous blogs. But lets get into the down and dirty bits of it. WHY skating? Well, I did it as a kid. Is that not good enough reason? Well, I guess it's because my fondest memories I have of doing a sport (Other than recent horseback riding.) have been of skating. I remember a sense of happiness and accomplishment that I've never really felt anywhere else and admittedly, I kind of crave that as an adult. We lose so much as we age that feeling that way is not the easiest thing to come by anymore.

Skating is also a unique skill. Sure, plenty of people can skate. But can you skate like a girl? Because seriously. They rock it. Although I can't say much because some of the top skaters are men. I won't lie, I hope I can only skate half as good as the girls. Maybe even look half as good. But it's not a skill everyone can say they have. It's not the most common. Which is nice. Again, variety is the spice of the life and skating does not fail to provide. Figure skating, Power Skating, Ice Dancing, Skills and even competitions for those who want to pursue them. There is so much to do in this field that it'll be hard to get bored.

Now, I'd always kind of tossed around the idea of getting back into skating in my head. Privately. Because it's not something I generally advertised out loud. Even to my fiancée, whom supports me through everything. But that's more or less where it had remained. In my head. It was only recently after meeting a good friend at my place of work that things kind of materialized in front of me. This friends daughter is big into figure skating and posts about her were constantly popping up in my news feed. This helped as a catalyst for me to really start considering going back into the sport. Just seeing her success made me smile. I will forever be thankful for the pair of them. Thank you Roxanne and Jocelyn for indirectly/directly re-igniting my passions. (No last names. This IS the internet after all.)

Now, this alone may not have nudged me into it. But I also have a rather special cousin. Who has pursued and followed his dreams no matter what gets in the way. He's gone from a teenager going through life to someone who has found his true passion and something I'm sure he will be successful at. It is his success and passion that also helped me decide to go back into skating. It's funny how the drive of the young can help us adults be brave enough to pursue our passions! So to my cousin, Brandon. Keep on keeping on bud!~

Jeeze, this is awfully sappy yet again. My bad. So then. My last post mentioned the 'freedom' on the ice. There is a certain freedom from the world that comes with skating and my other hobby, horseback riding. When I push myself out there and focus on the skill I find that for that while I can forget everything else. There is a certain solace in getting lost in a hobby and while some might see that as trying to escape reality, I disagree. We all need an escape once in a while, something to make us keep smiling and make the rest of world tolerable. Then there's the glide. That smooth motion as your skate moves over the ice. THAT feeling can't be reproduced anywhere else. Sliding on ice or something slippery just isn't the same.

Hopefully this is an interesting insight for some of you reading! That's about all I've got for tonight. I really enjoyed writing this. Thanks Rachel for the excellent idea!

Ciao for now!

Sam

What do I love about skating?

Hello once more!

So Ive had a few friends in the world of skating ask what I love about skating and while I have touched base on this in a few previous pieces I have a more solid answer that I feel expresses how I feel about it a bit more.

I think for me that skating represents a few things and has a few reasons why I love it. First, it was really the first real sport I jumped into as a kid, I have the most fond memories of it out of all the sports I did and for me it has a certain nostalgic appeal for me.

Second, there is something about skating that just "clicks" with me. I cant stop smiling, I want to do more and for the thirty or more minutes my lesson or skate session lasts it feels like Im free and can forget about all lifes problems. There is something about that smooth glide as you go into a swing roll or that fluttery feeling in your stomach when you figure it out.

It just makes me happy. There is also something special in the grace, beauty and skill that goes into figure skating and like many...I hope I can skate half as good as a girl! Haha.

Ive never once sat at a sporting event and just enjoyed watching but during a recent test night when I was meeting up with a friend and her daughter as well as the president of the club I found myself happy and intrigued just sitting and watching. No phones. No distractions just me, the ice and the amazing skaters at the club. It was lovely and the first time Ive ever done that.

But like I said, its thirty minutes of freedom. Thirty minutes of living how I feel I should have. While I may never get anywhere with it, at least I enjoy it.

This is turning out to be a sappy post isnt it? Sorry.

In other news. My last lesson for two weeks is friday. Lame. I hate rotating shifts sometimes! Anyways, thats all for today folks!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Anxiety Wins Out...

Hello again!

So I've spoken before on how I do suffer from anxiety at times. Today when I went to my public skate with intentions to practice what I've learned and get some exercise on my unused muscles in, that demon came back to haunt me. I actually stopped skating and left because the crowd was just too much for me. I realize that it's going to be something I have to deal with and fight against in the future if I ever intend to get anywhere with my skating, but I really struggled today.

For the first time since I started skating, I wasn't really smiling all that much and it was a little depressing. If it wasn't for my fiancee and a close friend whom at this point. I owe a lot to. I likely would have quit many of my hobbies a long time ago. I never used to be like this, I used to love being in the spotlight and being the center of attention. Now it's like I'm a skittish deer in the headlights.

I hope I can some day get over this.

Although, I definitely have to get new skates as these used ones make my feel more than a bit sore.

Moving on from my whining though. I've got a few public skates coming up this week which hopefully won't be too crowded so I can get in some practice and work on my edges, stopping and posture. Then Friday I have another lesson with my coach which I got a bit of exciting news the other day that we can do some extended lessons since she has a bit more time. So that's a plus.

Moving on. I joined a few different skating forums online when I started skating and I have to admit, the support and conversations I've had and received have been amazing. I've learned a lot in a very short amount of time and any time I ask a question I get a flood of great answers. I've also noticed that when I give motivation advice, I sound a bit like a fortune cookie. Lame.

Anyways. Just a small entry explaining things a bit.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Lesson #2: Only one wipe out!

Hello once again readers!

It's been a long, interesting week I have to admit. Between researching public skating sessions and chatting on various figure skating forums. It's been a very skate-filled week. Monday was my first lesson where it all began and it was a blast. It's filled me with a passion and excitement that makes me smile and be happy before and after the lesson. Though admittedly I've been more than a bit jittery/nervous leading up to my lessons.

I get the impression that I've chosen the right coach. She is really good at keeping me focused on the task at hand rather than those around me. It's definitely alleviated a bit of my anxiety. She also lets me chat her ear off, something I do with very few people. Haha. So then, it's been an absolute blast so far and while my skills are far from being anywhere remotely amazing, I know I'll be at least decent some day.

I've gotten into the habit of 'doing' rather than 'trying'. A friend once told me that to try is to fail. You must shoot to DO what you want, not try to. It's a great philosophy and when my coach asks me if I want to do something new. I say heck yes!

So then, our lessons consisted of more or less the same stuff as last time:

Skating Forwards: This is completely fine for me. I have no real issues going forward or doing basic skating. As far as I can tell. Though I do tend to 'lean over' a bit too much which you'll notice is a consistent issue across things we have been working on.

Stopping: Practice does make perfect. Every chance I get I go for a proper stop and with the advice of standing up straighter I have been increasing my abilities here. Slow stops are a bit more difficult but I can manage basic stops now. No wipe outs here this time! Not on this skill anyways...haha.

Bubbles: I'm sure it has a more professional name, but it's entertaining to call them this. I managed to pick up a bit more speed today with these. These seem to help build up the muscles as this is one of the exercises I get the most sore during.

Switchbacks: Mostly refinement here now. It's a lot easier if you keep your feet close together. Which makes sense. We did attempt single-footed ones but my skill level is definitely not remotely there yet. I'll get there at some day! ^_^

Skating on the outer/inner edges: There IS a name for the back and forth we did for these buuuuuut I can't remember it. I'll make sure to grab it next lesson from my coach. I'm definitely wobbly but I learned today to lean into whatever edge it is I'm skating on and it makes a big difference.

Skating Backwards: We didn't do much of this today. I asked to make it a bit of a focus for next times lesson. My backwards game is not at all up to snuff. Practice makes perfect to say the least.

Balance: My balance feels a little better this lesson. I was even able to go on one foot for a few different moves which made me smile to say the least!

Mohawks: While it took me a little bit to get the hang of them, these were interesting to try. They definitely make you feel out where your feet are and to balance on one foot/edge. I'm learning that while I am right handed, I seem more confident on my left foot. Funny how that works?

SO! All in all, it was absolutely excellent. Skating is filling me with a kind of elation I don't get often. As adults it's so hard for people to come by something that makes them truly happy. While it's only been two lessons, I definitely feel this is going to be one of those things. Something long term. I have a few things in my life that keep me this happy. My Fiancee, Horseback Riding and now Skating. I think I could stick with these the rest of my life and die happy.

Sorry...that was a bit morbid at the end.

Alas! This journal has grown long and I have grown tired. My next lesson is next Friday but since I've delved into the world of public skating I should have plenty of time to skate and write about it in between!

Ciao for now!

Sam

2017 Skating Goals

Hello again!

So I'm trying to average a post either every day or every other day. I've been doing decent so far but with the theme of my blog that can be difficult. One can only write so much about your experiences and skating-related stuff so much in between sessions. It just so happens however that someone on a skating forum I joined suggested writing down my goals for the year. I'm not sure if they'll be realistic but if I achieve even one of them, I'll be happy:

2017 Skating Goals

- Well, the first and foremost goal is to get the basics down. Stops, Skating Forwards/Backwards, Switchbacks, Forward/Backward Crossovers, Skating on my edges properly and of course proper stroking techniques. This is what I see as the all-around basics in my mind. Everything to Segway into more advanced skills.

- Volunteer my time at the club that offered me a place. While this is not so much a goal as something I should do. But they were willing to give me a shot so it feels only right that I give them some of my free time helping out in whatever capacity I can!

- Find and work out a schedule of public skates/adult skates/open ice dates and times at nearby rinks. While my own offers a fair amount of public skates and ice times, they are not always available when I'm on my day shift. So being able to work out a skating/practice schedule based around my rotating shifts would be great!

- Be a skater in all the skating 'sessions' this year. As far as I understand there is the one that runs at the start of the winter until march/april and then one during the summer as well. My goal is to be an active skater within these and get as much ice time as I can.

- Build some solid relations with those around me and try to help get through my anxiety. This is both a skating related goal and a personal goal. I feel skating can do a lot for my anxiety because it forces me to be in a social setting. Hopefully I'm right :D

- Get in shape for skating. Again, this is both a skating and a personal goal. Getting in shape for skating is good, but getting in good all around shape is the overall goal. I'll have to figure out a good set of exercises beyond my current.

- If I find I really like skating at the end of this 'session' then invest in a good, solid pair of skates. While my used ones are nice, a properly fitted pair I imagine would likely be a lot nicer on my feet.

That's about it. That's a good set of goals I think for this year and I feel all of them are more or less obtainable in some respect. Do you think there are any other goals I could or should add to the list? Toss me a comment!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Lesson #1: Figure Skating 101

Hello again!

So today was the day my skating began. My first private lesson and registration with the club. Both my coach and the lady whom I registered with were super friendly, helpful and encouraging which was nice. I gleaned a lot of information today as well, which I'll be sharing of course.

First off, it took every ounce of me to actually get off my butt and head into the arena. It's curious, fighting with yourself and fighting anxiety. In the end, I told myself that if I didn't go in, I never would. Good move because it got me in there. As mentioned, the lady whom I registered with was SUPER friendly. It definitely helped nudge me out of my shell.

Now, as for the actual skating. It was definitely very up and down. I wasn't sure how I'd do going into it. After all, it's been a very long time since I skated, minus the public skate I managed to jump into. I expected it would be a long process. And it kind of was. I'm definitely not amazing. But a lot of it did come back fairly quickly. Today was definitely focused on the basics.

Simply Skating Forward: I'm fine. Forward is the easy part. I think this is due to the fact that I have rollerbladed over the years in between skating so I've never really forgotten how to go forwards.

Stopping: Yeah, I'm more than a bit rough here. I remember struggling with proper stops as a kid and it's not really that different now. I'll make sure to practice these at the arena. We focused mostly on side stops today. This was more or less where I wiped out.

Bubbles: These were simple enough, I need to work on building up a bit of strength and speed for these. I struggled to get a bit of speed in there. Not such a big deal but it will come as I rebuild the necessary muscles.

Switchbacks: This came to me a bit easier than I thought. While not perfect, I didn't really wipe out while doing these. I think I'll be able to pick these up easily enough, but time will tell!

Stroking: This I will certainly work hard at. I feel it'll help me build up the right muscles. Back and forth back and forth. A lot of this I feel confident I can practice during public skates!

Forward Crossovers: To the left, pretty decent. To the right...not so much. I'm not sure what it is, but telling my body to do it to the right gets me a touch confused. Once I get the hang of it I'm sure it'll be fine.

Skating Backwards: Last but not least. This is where I feel I likely struggled the most. I don't remember much of skating backwards as a kid. It'll come back to me in time I imagine but in the meantime I have to practice going backwards at a decent speed. Not that speed matters too much.

Balance: I also have to find my balance. Too much leaning in wrong direction, too much wibbly wobbly.

All in all, it wasn't a bad lesson in the slightest. I truly enjoyed it and wish I could have stayed longer. Though due to circumstance I did not remain beyond my lesson tonight. It's funny, I haven't smiled that much about a hobby in a long time. It begs the question why I ever left as a kid? School did pull me away to London for many hours of the day and life threw me curveballs. But why did I stop?

I think that I'll definitely be keeping up with these lessons and working hard at it. Not only will it get me fit but it will bring me a passion. Already I'm excited to go back Friday for my next lesson. Also, I should get my ears checked because I had a hard time hearing...

I have to admit though, It's really a struggle with my anxiety. Being around that many people with so many people around definitely gets my heart and mind thumping. I think this will be a good experience for me to help with it and admittedly after a short bit of skating I was definitely a bit more comfortable.

A big thanks to the president of the club and the coach who made time for me!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Not-So-Waiting-Game

Here we are again.

It figures that the day after I write a blog about waiting in anticipation for information and things to get sorted out, I get a call concerning all of it. It's basically all good news. I start my lessons on Monday. Yay <3 I have a coach sorted out. The only current 'downside' is that the club and board are still discussing how my payment will work out. It's nothing major, they're just deciding what my cost will be. Normally it's a certain amount based on how many sessions you want per week but since I'll be doing a two week rotation (Based around my work) of two weeks of two lessons each and then two weeks off. It changes the price scheme a little bit. Or at least I assume it will.

Now I don't really care either way. If I get a better price, then yay! I've saved a bit of money. But if I don't, I'm not overly concerned. I mean I expected to pay a fair amount in the first place so it's not THAT big a deal. Especially if I find I really get passionate about the sport. Though with the amount of building excitement I've been having, I imagine I will be.

It's curious though, how throughout all of this I haven't really been 'nervous' or had much in the way of anxiety. I think a lot of it is because it's all kind of been up in the air with nothing set in stone. Until now. Oh boy. I really am excited but I'm also really nervous too. As an adult going into a sport that is generally dominated by females and children, I'm definitely the odd man out. It's one of those things I'll have to get used to but I'm certainly nervous just thinking about it.

I am however, genuinely excited. Things are finally coming together after all the roadblocks and now things are set to come together nicely. I used to do it as a kid and I remember that I really did enjoy it. I hope that it hasn't changed since I've become an adult as I'd hate to lose that part of myself. It's funny how you crave finding that 'something special' again as you age. Why is it that when we become adults that we have to simply become someone else? I get that we have responsibilities and how we have to conduct ourselves changes.

But why do I have to change who I am? Who I was? My mind is simply more mature now, I'm still the same person I've always been. Jeeze...this is getting awfully deep isn't it?

Lets just say I'm nervous and excited for my lessons. In the words of a TV character, I'm nervicited! I'll be updating as I progress through my skating and make sure to give lots of juicy details!

Ciao for now!

Sam

The Waiting Game

Hello once more,

Now I'm not actually sure how many people are reading at this point. But it seems I get 30-40 views per entry. That's pretty cool and more than I thought I would admittedly. I know these haven't been the MOST interesting of entries but I try to keep them varied as I play the waiting game. A lot of this what I guess I'd call a 'journey' has been a waiting game.

I mentioned before that when I began searching I didn't expect it to be my own hometowns local club that got ahold of me. I imagine it might have been the same sort of wait and process anywhere else but it's still been a fairly long waiting game. Wait for emails, Wait for police check, wait for dates and finding a coach. It's so much more complicated than my other main hobby which is horseback riding. Not that I'm complaining, as I get through each bit of the process it actually feels like I'm gaining traction and getting somewhere.

I will note that the people I've dealt with at this point have been very helpful and very friendly. Heck, even the coach that I managed to get ahold of has been SUPER enthusiastic. Much like my horseback riding coach, I really enjoy this aspect in people I'm learning from. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

On a side note, I really do need a more professional email...using my kaydenwaveharp and myr_man emails really feels unprofessional at this point. Not that this is at all professional but it's awfully awkward to give those emails everywhere I go, even more so since they're mostly a remnant of the past. KaydenWaveharp is actually the old gamertag I used to use when I was big into gaming and it kind of stuck across most of my accounts, while Myr_Man is from when I was 14 or 15 years old, the name of the first barn I worked at was MYR Equine Centre and being a kid I used that as my email. Just a curious fact. Maybe I'll get a new one.

Anyways, this has dragged on a little bit. Hopefully my waiting game will be over as we roll into the coming week. I'll cross my fingers!

Ciao for now!

Sam

Boring pants!

Hello!

I realize now that I haven't even gotten onto the ice yet and I've thoroughly enjoyed writing in this blog. It's all been about skating and this entry isn't much different. But it's interesting what sort of things motivate you to write and enjoy doing so. I've always kind of been a writer at heart and I am almost always writing at least something. But never anything like this. Hopefully I can keep this up throughout my experience.

Just a quick entry today. I went and picked up a pair of men's figure skating pants the other day. I was going to use track pants but finding a pair with a decent fit was difficult. Me and my fiancée actually drove a fair distance to get them and while they are nice (And currently being tailored to the right leg length) I have to admit, I'm a touch jealous of the ladies. Maybe I just didn't see any alternative mens styles but seriously, look:



How much cooler are the ones of the left, versus the ones on the right? Is it too much to ask for something beyond boring black skating pants for men? Come on. Those are way cooler. Perhaps if things take off in a good way I will look into something a bit more unique.

Just a bit of a mini-rant there. Moving along.

So, after jumping through the many hoops things are fiiiiiinally getting somewhere. I got ahold of a club (Duh..), got all the necessary things done which surprisingly included a police background check. Which is because I'm around kids. Oh the joys of being an adult amongst children I guess? Not that it mattered. It came back clean. I've never so much as had a parking ticket before let alone criminal charges and I even found my old Skate Canada number. Which I was genuinely surprised still existed as the last time I skated as a registered skater was when I was a kid. Pretty neat.

It's curious getting back into something like this as an adult. Many people say you should forget about stuff like this as an adult. I disagree. Just because you're an adult, does that mean you can't enjoy hobbies such as this? Some of the worlds greats in many fields didn't get into what they succeeded at until they were older. I believe as more mature individuals we tend to have more passion behind as well. A drive to do better and to succeed. I'm not saying kids don't have it, but as adults I believe we understand what it means to be motivated about these things a bit more.

By next week I hope to have landed my first lesson which I imagine will be a fairly sizeable blog entry. I tend to like writing about my experiences so that I can later recap and work on my weaknesses and shortcomings. (Of which I'm sure there will be many. Roller skating does not translate so well to the ice. Even if I did used to skate.)

I realize now that I've been writing a bit longer than intended. This was actually meant to be a shorter entry. See what I mean? It's genuinely encouraging me to write. Yay me <3

Alas, it's nearly 2:30 Am and I do need to sleep. Gosh dangit, they need cooler pants for men.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Spic and Span!

Hello again!

Likely a short update again today. While I did not go all out and buy a pair of brand new skates, I did buy a pair of used ones from a local store. They had some scuffs, dirt and scratches and the laces were fairly frayed as you can likely see in the following picture:

So I looked up online how to spiff them up/clean them up a bit and through some elbow grease and hard work I think I've made them look pretty good. They ALMOST look new, some of the scratches I couldn't do much about but I read about white skate polish somewhere so maybe that'll be something to look into? It was pretty fun shining them up and now I know how to re-lace a pair of skates properly:

That's the end result of my days project :D I also got myself a pair of figure skating pants which compliment them nicely. Hopefully now that I'm all geared up, things will go well and I'l fall in love with the sport all over again. I've been looking forward to getting into my lessons for a few weeks now and admittedly, on my list of priorities and what I'm most excited for. It's second to none behind my wedding.

So then, police check! On it's way. Skates ready to go! When the police check arrives it's off to register with the club and I'm off like a herd of turtles.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Black or White?

Hello again!

That title came off as a lot worse than I intended. This is NOT a post about race or culture. I promise.

I touched base in an earlier entry on where I stand on black and white skates. A few people asked me why I have white skates as guys dont typically wear them. Its a fair question, and generally a remnant of when gender stereotypes were a bit stronger. Truth is, nobody HAS to wear the right color skates. Its just generally done that way.

For me, when I skated as a kid. I was almoat always in used skates and since the sport is generally dominated by women, white skates tended to be the easiest to get ahold of. Perhaps its because of that Im a bit more fond of them? But admittedly, I like the aesthetic appeal of white skates a bit better too. They've a cleaner appearance, they're a bit more striking snd y'know what? They're nicer. Simple as that.

Some might think its silly and some may even judge. But I like my white skates better than I like the black ones. Sure...it leads to a few awkward conversations when getting skates and perhaps a few sidelong glances at the arena. But oh well.

There ya have it :)

Ciao,

Sam

Jumping through hoops

Hello once again!

So in my short journey so far I have certainly hit a few hiccups. Going into figure skating as an adult or at least getting back into it, is rather difficult. Not only do I have to make a bunch of arrangements, phone calls and meet up woth people. But as an adult I have to get a police background check as well.

That being said, I understand the need for it. Im an adult around children. They need to be prudent, simple as that. Which I can respect. Its just more hoops than I was expecting to jump through to get my feet on the ice per-se. I didnt have to do any of this for gymnastics which is genuinely surprising to me as well since there is just as many kids there. Oh well! One foot in front of the other right?

My fiancee says itll be worth it in the end. I certainly agree.

On the plus side...talked to more unfamiliar people than I have in forever. Yay for coming out the shell :D

Anyways, just a short blurb today.

Ciao for now!

Sam

Back On The Ice

Hello folks!

In preparation for my lessons that will be starting in a few weeks I figured I'd go and jump back on the ice today at the public skate and see how I held up.

In short, not bad. But not that great either. It's certainly obvious I've been off the ice for years but things came back to me pretty quickly. Although the difference in a figure skate and my rollerblades was made pretty evident today. Toe picks make all the difference in how you lift your feet. I only ended up falling once because of this but I will have to figure that out a bit more in the future.

Now it was about ten or so years ago that I actually did figure skating and then dropped out of it for no reason, so I'm glad I was able to do at least halfway decent with it with my first jump onto the ice. Admittedly I expected complete and utter failure, which wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest. How else do we learn but through failure and the willingness to try again?

On the plus side of it all. I'm working on my anxiety. I had a few people ask me why I'd go into Figure Skating if I have anxiety issues with people and crowds. The short answer? It helps. I find the more I nudge myself into situations where I'm forced to face my anxiety rather than let it rule me. It's not the easiest but in the words of a close friend, it's good for me.

Well, that's about it for todays skate!

Ciao for now!

Sam

A long start

Hello!

Welcome to my tiny little corner of the internet that Ive decided to dedicate my experiences getting back into figure skating to. It might not be interesting to anyone but me but I feel writing about my experience coukd be enjoyable as a bit of a time capsule I can look back on when and if I look back on it.

For those who dont know me, Im Sam. 25 years of age and looking to get back into a sport I did as a kid. Does that make this some sort of mid-life crisis? Jeeze. That makes me seem a bit lame. ha.

Moving right along from that sad moment. Ive spent the better part of the last month hammering out all the details. It has been made obvious to me that not many places do adult figure skating lessons or private lessons for that matter. From a few minutes away to an hour and a half I sent emails to skating clubs in most directions and it just so happens that my home town and current tosn of residence was one of only three to get back to me with any sort of program or availability. Surprising, but very convenient!

Its been a bit of a process. I had to make a few calls (Talking to new people...one of my biggest anxiety related issues. Id rather email but they alwaya rather you call. Blah.) and then find a cosch with time and willingness to teach me. It took about a week but I think I landed someone with enough enthusiasm to make me confident in getting back into the sport. Hopefully we make a good team!

The last detail which I had to hammer out was skates. I havent owned a pair in a very long time (Unless you count rollerblades?) and finding a good place around here is apparently...difficult. But I scored a lovely pair at a used shop in a nearby town and got to meet another lady who is going to hook me up with a new pair if I find I really get into the sport again :) (Theyre expensive but worth it in the long run.) As you can see in the picture they are white, which isnt typical of guys. But I find I prefer them. White is cleaner and nicer looking in my opinion and as a kid I was always in used pairs that were always white. I dont think I ever owned a pair of black skates which is the norm. Oh well. Guess Ill be the odd man out. Haha.

So I kick things off in in a few weeks and Im a lot more excited than I thought I would be.

Thats about it for now!

Ciao,

Sam