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