“Wow, did you see that !? That was amazing! What was that?” I asked the skater sitting on the bench next to me. I had just witnessed the most amazing jump as I put on my skates in the lobby, preparing to hit the ice for the first time after a hiatus of nearly a decade. The skater next to me replied nonchalantly, “Oh, that? That’s called a triple flip … David is a high-level skater and he does it all the time. Show off …”
I will never forget that day because until then I have never witnessed a jump like that up close and personal. I had only seen ice skating on television, where professional figure skaters seemed to perform effortless jumps, almost as if they were just dancing, and not sprinting down the ice rink at 20 miles per hour. And I have to tell you that nothing prepares you to see that kind of power and speed up close. What I also remember is that I saw David’s skates almost at eye level when they reached the top of the boards that day, almost 4 feet off the ground! That is what I call flying!
At that rink, I could see a lot of skating like this all the time. It was my new skating rink at home and I was still an amateur skater, just starting to get to know the sport. Seeing the raw power of that jump and the perfect landing made me want to learn to jump and turn and do all those tricks that I saw other skaters do, and I decided to do what David did that day …
But my skating career started much earlier, when I was about 9 years old. It all started one summer when my mom asked me if I wanted to have a summer hobby. He introduced me to the idea of learning to skate or ice skate because he thought a hobby that looked like exercise would be good for my health. Initially, I thought about skating, but the streets around our house were uneven and had a lot of cracks, making it difficult to skate, so I chose to ice skating because there was an ice rink near our house. Simple as that!
I came back to the sport at 21 and since then I have learned a lot of turns and a lot of jumps and all the movements in between. And yes … I even turned around to see David perform that fateful day. Over the years I was acquiring new elements, I practiced them, fell several times, got back up and finally mastered them.
I will tell you that there is no greater feeling in the world than learning to turn so fast that you feel as if you are floating on ice, or the brief weightlessness that you feel when executing a jump, is almost like flying. And learn to control the edges, to hit the landing and move through the footwork as if it were a melody played before you. It took me years to master some of these movements, but they have been the best years of my life, because I not only learned the physical movements, but I gained the confidence that comes with mastering difficult physical routines!
In addition to the learning elements, I also learned a few other things along the way, such as discipline and perseverance, attention to detail and grace, strength and confidence, all of which have served me well on and off the ice. I spent many hours on the track drilling and working hard on my elements and I did it as often as possible, not because someone told me, but because I loved it! I even went so far as to take gym and dance classes to improve body awareness and grace, and I cross-trained off the ice so I could become strong and confident. All of this spread to other aspects of my life and created the person I am today.
I should mention that I did almost all of my skating as an adult. I know that ice skating as a sport can be intimidating, especially for adults, but regardless of your age, you can participate at any level you want. And the best part about learning to ice skating as an adult is that you can choose how often you practice this amazing sport. You can just do it once a week, recreationally and just have fun, or you can do it every day if you want for an amazing workout routine.
Another great aspect is that there is no learning barrier. You can take lessons from a professional coach or just get a program to learn to skate and practice on your own, at your own pace and comfort level. The most important thing for adults to realize is that anyone can learn (women and men) and no one is too old! During my years, I have met people of all ages and from all walks of life on ice and have formed great friendships and realized that anyone can learn to skate.
I have been teaching skating for over 15 years and I love passing on the passion for this amazing sport! Come join me on the ice and let me share the joys and personal development it can bring to your life.
