GoingSkatingTomorrow![and i have questions] | Golden Skate

GoingSkatingTomorrow![and i have questions]

StarNinja

Spectator
Joined
May 18, 2017
Hello everyone,

I'm really excited. Today I finally convinced my mom to bring me ice skating after over 2 months of wanting to/asking. It's so weird to process actually getting a yes haha. Things have been really rough lately so this is just so nice. I pretend to figure skate every day....just the thought of clumsily trying on the ice sounds so wonderful. Ok, xD, so!

I have a few questions. Hopefully we will be there for 2 h and 15 mins. That's how long the rink is open on the 2 days we would be going anyways.
I'm wondering if there is anything that I could possibly practice on in this time.

I don't know how often I'd be able to go to this rink, I'd love to go every day if I could, but realistically that can't happen for me lol. I don't know when I'll be back again, if I was really lucky it would become a weekly thing, and maybe some lessons being thrown int here too. But that probably won't be the case. I didn't know what I could really even practice that would be beneficial, so I came here. I've been ice skating a few times before, but it's been at least a year, I feel like at least 2 years actually, since I've gone. I kinda have to relearn every time. Any suggestions (especially detailed ones) would be really appreciated, as I will most likely be going on Monday! And if you can think of any videos that would be helpful those would be a great help too.

This next part might be a bit silly haha. Is there any way to choose a good pair of rental skates for the day? I took a couple of group lessons a few years ago for ice skating and i remember every time my feet hurt after only a few minutes of wearing them. Is there any way to actually tell if I'm getting a good pair or not? I wouldn't really know what to look for. I just want things to be going as smooth as possible, because this is something I've wanted to do so bad for a long time haha. Of course I'd love to get my own skates, but I don't know how my parents would feel about that (even though I'd pay), plus I don't know how often they'd be used, and how quickly I'd grow out of them. So I'm trying to make the most out of what I have lol.

Oh, also, what is the proper way to lace ice skates? If someone could explain that it would be greatly appreciated haha. Any other beginner tips would help as well!

Gosh I'm so excited. I wish I could do this all the time. Here's to hoping this won't only be a one time thing!

~Skylar
 

renla

Rinkside
Joined
May 11, 2017
This is such great news! I'm very happy for you. :clap:

Rentals are hit and miss. You can check the blades for rust/nicks, but I've only worn them for a couple of sessions so there may be other things to look out for. You'll definitely be able to tell if something is wrong once you've been in them for a while. The first few pairs I've had fit fine and I had no pain, but one day I had a pair that made my feet hurt after like 10 minutes. The difference that day was there were teenagers working the desk who weren't very attentive (they gave me two left skates, initially). There was normally a nice older woman at the desk who I assume knew which skates to avoid. If something doesn't feel right, I'm sure you can ask for a different pair! I think being as comfortable as possible is important.

I'm sure people with more experience will chime in about what you should be practicing, and I don't want to give you bad advice, lol. I think you could work on posture, and making sure your weight falls correctly on your skates. My coach says you need to have a strong core and your upper half needs to be straight and still. Weight should be at the balls of your feet, not near the heels.

I hope you'll be able to do this more in the future!
 

sk8momto1

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
I hope you have a great time. Rental skaters are tough....it really just depends on the quality of the skates your rink has and how well they sharpen them. Unfortunately rental skates are often quite broken down which can be a challenge and hard to lace well and the blades are often fairly dull which means they will slip on the ice instead of gripping in. I once saw some Olympians at our rink struggling to skating in rental skates one day when they were goofing around.

I would definitely make sure the skates are not too big (they should be snug but not uncomfortable) and if you can find a pair where the ankle doesn't crease (meaning they are pretty broken down). For lacing you want them laced pretty tightly (but again, not uncomfortably so). With skates you don't want your feel moving around much in the boot.

Have a great time!
 

cl2

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Sometimes rinks have coaches on hand to give short (like, 10 min) introductory lessons, so you may try asking if your rink has something like that. Alternatively, if you're going to a public skate session, occasionally there might be some fellow skaters who know how to skate, and are just hanging out, and are happy to help give newbies a tip or two. You may consider approaching them politely, no hard feelings if they say no, but note two big caveats: be respectful of their time even if they are kind enough to say yes, and do not let it turn into a coached lesson (it might violate rink rules).

Ultimately, I think the best thing you can do is to be adventurous (but not reckless) and have fun! The best way to convince your parents to allow you to continue skating is to convince them that you will enjoy it and make meaningful progress if given the resources.
 
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