Figure Skating

It's what I do, and it's what I love. I first got into skating at a really young age (my momma took me public skating at age 4 and had to carry me off the ice kicking and screaming, so she enrolled me in lessons at age 5, so I've been recently informed), and I haven't missed a year since. When I started at University I skated about once a week, and did the same up until this year. Now I skate about twice a week, once through the University and once through the local skating club.

As much as I love skating, it's not a career. It's not even something I'm particularly amazing at, but I love it. It's a time and place where I can relax and be myself, and lately it has become an opportunity to meet new people and have a bit more of a social life (if you haven't noticed already, I'm a bit of a home-body). It's also a method of exercise and stress relief. However, there are a few... Things... About skating I would like to clear up.

We're not wimps. You go out there, fall out of the air onto your butt multiple times in a manner of minutes, and say we're wimps. Or do a 4 minute program full out and say that we're not athletic. Figure Skating is not always a team sport it is a sport. And there are teams out there - synchro is fairly popular (although after having multiple concussions because I was flung into the boards off the end of a line, I'm not a fan of doing it myself), and we have competed as individuals in a team (Highschool competition, for example. Which was a blast!). Also, we don't do "leaps and turns", we do "jumps and spins" although there are turns that we do (three turns, mohawks, brackets, counters, etc). The salchow is not the only jump out there (though it seems to be the best well known). And we do trip over our toe picks, just not as often as some people might think.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that figure skating is a huge part of my life, that I love it, and that there are a few misconceptions out there that need not be there. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them!! :)

Farewell all