Can anyone learn triples if they dedicate the time and $$? | Golden Skate

Can anyone learn triples if they dedicate the time and $$?

sk8chis

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
there’s a coworker at my rink who had all her doubles (not consistent) but we both quit for a really long time and i just restarted skating and pretty much got all my singles back in only a little under three months (working on making them better and consistent) and now i’m working on axel prep. and since we work at the rink, we get to skate for free as much as we want, which i definitely know contributed to my fast(er) progress than most because i skate almost every day. Anyways, she says she’s “as good as she’ll ever get” and if she wants to get any better, she’d have to learn triples. and i’m like...? so learn triples haha. we don’t have to pay for ice time and most of the coaches would give us discounted rates anyways but now she says she’s too old (she’s not, she’s only 21) and has been off the ice for too long. and she also said since she’s not a competitor there’s no point for her to really learn triples anyways, and idk, it made me really sad because i know there are so many people who would love and could only dream of learning triples and the opportunity for her is right there and she doesnt believe in herself enough.

personally, i’m just optimistic by nature and i think anyone can learn anything if they are dedicated enough but maybe that’s just my own naive mentality so i was wondering what many of you guys think?
 

ancientpeas

The Notorious SEW
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
I am not a skater but there is adult skating in the U.S. so she could persue that and I can see having triples being useful.

Midori Ito recently competed in Adult worlds.

Having said that it is always easier to learn things when you are younger. But I don't think 21 is so old that she couldn't learn triples. But then I'm not a skater or an athlete. I come from the horseback riding world and 21 certainly wouldn't be too old to learn to be a rider. You might never become a national or Olympic champion but you could certainly get yourself to the point where you could be competitive in local competitions.

People graduate university in their 80s and run marathons in their 90s. The human will is an incredible thing. If you have the drive and commitment many, many things are possible.
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
It depends on your athletic ability, determination, health, etc. No one but God knows if any specific individual can get triples or when. Whether or not your friend wants them is another story.

That being said, I'm in my early 30s, and my highest goals are a quad, a triple Axel, and a Grand Prix slot for some small fed country that I have ancestry from. :laugh: There's a 0.00000000000000000000000000000000...001% chance any of those will ever happen, but if I don't try, there's NO chance.
 

sk8chis

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
It depends on your athletic ability, determination, health, etc. No one but God knows if any specific individual can get triples or when. Whether or not your friend wants them is another story.

That being said, I'm in my early 30s, and my highest goals are a quad, a triple Axel, and a Grand Prix slot for some small fed country that I have ancestry from. :laugh: There's a 0.00000000000000000000000000000000...001% chance any of those will ever happen, but if I don't try, there's NO chance.

I really love your optimism! what a great mentality. Truth be told, i also feel like there is a small shot that i have ancestry from a small fed country for GP too [emoji23] cheers to hope!
 

Charlotte 71

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
If someone is in their early 20s, skated and learned doubles as a kid and has good technique on the doubles, then triples might be worth trying for, but carefully, maybe training on a harness to avoid injury. Work on developing the fast twitch muscles for explosiveness. Even if you're fighting nature trying to do this in adulthood, which you would be, there are exercises to improve fast-twitch performance and help you jump higher, regardless of age; box jumps, etc. It comes much more naturally for kids, whose muscles are built for it. Don't take the difficulty of triples for granted. Landing one even once takes a lot of athletic talent and conditioning. Landing consistent, clean triples, even more so. But I'd never say never. It sounds like maybe YOU want to land triples and your friend just wants to have fun skating. :)
 

sk8chis

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
If someone is in their early 20s, skated and learned doubles as a kid and has good technique on the doubles, then triples might be worth trying for, but carefully, maybe training on a harness to avoid injury. Work on developing the fast twitch muscles for explosiveness. Even if you're fighting nature trying to do this in adulthood, which you would be, there are exercises to improve fast-twitch performance and help you jump higher, regardless of age; box jumps, etc. It comes much more naturally for kids, whose muscles are built for it. Don't take the difficulty of triples for granted. Landing one even once takes a lot of athletic talent and conditioning. Landing consistent, clean triples, even more so. But I'd never say never. It sounds like maybe YOU want to land triples and your friend just wants to have fun skating. :)

anyone would love to learn triples lol. but she doesn’t skate at all, except for when she has to for work. (we work at the rink, and we skate guard for some shifts) but every time we do we have so much fun and she’s such a good skater without really much effect at all, and every time i ask her why she doesn’t skate more (because we work at the rink, we can literally skate as much as we possibly can. ice time (freestyle and public) is free, skate sharpening is free, and we get discounts on lessons) because i think such an opportunity is once in a lifetime, she says it’s because she can’t dedicate time to learning triples, which i think is bizarre because she could quite literally skate as much as she wants, even with perfecting her doubles she still doesn’t skate at all. it just makes me sad, i admire her skating so much cause it’s so beautiful and graceful, and if she developed it more it’d be amazing lol. guess i just don’t want to see the talent go to waste.
 

jf12

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
As an adult who does doubles, like your friend I have zero desire to do 2a or triples. First, it takes a lot of practice time to simply maintain your doubles. I ‘lose’ my double toe, flip and lutz all the time and have to relearn them. Doubles are not really like singles where once you learn it once you have it forever. I’m not the smallest person, I am 5’6” and 130-135 pounds so the falls and pounding on my body would be non trivial on triples. I skate on sessions with really good kids learning triples all the time and they fall so, so much.

I’d rather do single axels and double sals easily when I’m 50 years old than potentially hurt myself learning a triple for no reason in my 30s and risk the chance to never skate again. Lots of elite skaters have serious injuries and wear and tear problems, it’s worth it for an elite career. For most of us adults it’s really really not worth it.
 

Charlotte 71

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Sometimes when you're 21 you feel old or over the hill, like it's too late to do something. Looking back from age 40 or 50, you see how young you really were and realize all of the things you could have done if you'd been motivated or less fearful. Will she regret it at 40, knowing at that time it really is too late and she'll never land a triple? Sometimes when you get to be 40 you realize that you have become very chill about these things and have a "que sera sera" attitude. You realize that if you had really wanted to do something at 21 you would have done it, and even though you're never going to land a triple, it's not a tragedy, because the real "win" was just being a skater, knowing the wonderful people you met at the rink who became stars in your life, experiencing happiness flying over the ice. That's a really nice thing about getting old that a lot of younger people don't understand is in store for them. When you're young you assume the angst you feel about living every day to its fullest, reaching the highest levels, impatience about achieving goals, etc. will just get worse and worse as time gets shorter and shorter, and there seems like real horror in "settling" or falling short of what you dream. But when you get there - 40, 50 year old and on - you start to really savor and honor your life, even in all its imperfections, you become grateful for what you have and what you achieved, even if it wasn't what you had planned or dreamed of. It's possible your friend will carry that regret and wish later in life that she had felt just once what it felt like to land a triple. But I kind of doubt it. Life expands in unexpected ways. :)
 

sk8chis

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Sometimes when you're 21 you feel old or over the hill, like it's too late to do something. Looking back from age 40 or 50, you see how young you really were and realize all of the things you could have done if you'd been motivated or less fearful. Will she regret it at 40, knowing at that time it really is too late and she'll never land a triple? Sometimes when you get to be 40 you realize that you have become very chill about these things and have a "que sera sera" attitude. You realize that if you had really wanted to do something at 21 you would have done it, and even though you're never going to land a triple, it's not a tragedy, because the real "win" was just being a skater, knowing the wonderful people you met at the rink who became stars in your life, experiencing happiness flying over the ice. That's a really nice thing about getting old that a lot of younger people don't understand is in store for them. When you're young you assume the angst you feel about living every day to its fullest, reaching the highest levels, impatience about achieving goals, etc. will just get worse and worse as time gets shorter and shorter, and there seems like real horror in "settling" or falling short of what you dream. But when you get there - 40, 50 year old and on - you start to really savor and honor your life, even in all its imperfections, you become grateful for what you have and what you achieved, even if it wasn't what you had planned or dreamed of. It's possible your friend will carry that regret and wish later in life that she had felt just once what it felt like to land a triple. But I kind of doubt it. Life expands in unexpected ways. :)

i agree! especially with my parents, they always exaggerate about how much they wish they could’ve done in their child and young adult years so it’s always been a big part of me to be optimistic and realize as long as i’m in good health, i can do anything i out my mind to. can i master it? maybe most likely not, but i can at least try, and i can improve and i think that’s truly what matters. it’s not even in regards to skating, it’s truthfully with anything. any hobby, any interest, anything in general. It saddens me when i hear people my age talk about not having enough time, or they can’t do something. when everyone can!
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Realistically, no. You might get one of the easier ones if you are already trained and into your doubles, but not many or all triples.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
My impression (as a non-skater) is that it is really, really, really hard for anyone at any age to do a triple jump. There are thousands upon thousands of people of all ages taking skating lessons and skating recreationally. Only a tiny handful can do a triple jump.

For that matter, most aspiring baseball players will never be able to hit a major league curve ball. Most bowlers will never roll a 300 game. That is why we pay money to watch those few remarkably talented folks who can.
 

guitarist

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 17, 2017
It's very unlikely. There's plenty of kids at my rink who have been skating seriously their whole lives, train every day, and yet they're having trouble moving past the 2A. It's not just about effort. Not everyone can do it. It happens. Chances of landing a triple are low, and for adults, even lower. I only know of one adult who learned consistent triples, but he's a professional ballet dancer who was already in amazing shape when he began skating.

I think one thing that is very hard for all of us to accept is that our bodies have limits. Effort isn't everything. The people at the top are there because of a combination of factors. One is always effort, but there can also be talent, the right resources, and a bit of luck. It's never just effort. I think it's great to try your best, but don't underestimate how hard it is to get to those levels. For every person you see who succeeded, there's at least a couple dozen who tried just as hard, but didn't make it for a variety of reasons.

As for your friend, she could try, she has a higher chance than most because she skated as a child, but it doesn't sound like she wants to. Different people have different priorities, and it doesn't sound like landing triples is one of hers. I don't blame her. As an adult, I'm not scared of falling, I'm scared of injuries. I work all day and live alone in a big city. If I get injured, how will I go about my day to day? For me, that kind of risk isn't worth it. Your friend may have similar reasons. Or it's simply not something she's interested in doing, but in the end, it's her choice, whether she could eventually land triples or not.
 

Seren

Wakabond Forever
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
I would say that with enough time and money it’s much more likely than it would be otherwise but there are some very talented athletes who will never get their 2A or triples. There are just too many factors. If someone’s love of skating comes from whether or not they can land certain jumps they are bound to be disappointed.

That said, if someone is healthy and has the time, energy, and desire then they should go for it. Just remember that it isn’t the be and end all of figure skating.

Edit: the other thing to consider as we get older is injury. I am a better skater than when I was a teenager but at 32 I get up a lot slower than the kids when I fall!
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
Your colleague is an adult. Whilst I'm all for reaching for the stars and NEVER stealing anybody's dream, it's also important to realise that your dreams are not her dreams. We're all different, all part of life's rich tapestry. It's fine to tell her you think she's amazing and that you feel she could potentially land triples, but you do have to respect that she may have her reasons for not wanting to do that; reasons that she may not want to share with you. As an adult, skating should be all about the joy, which is not necessarily connected to the number of rotations in jumps - or spins!
 

Nimyue

On the Ice
Joined
May 15, 2018
I'm in my 30s and hope to at least train and try a 2A. It's possible, but your friend would have to want to do it. I spend as much time on the ice as possible and am a complete addict. There is a skater in her late 20s at my rink who just started consistently landing her 2A, and she will probably try to get her 3S or 3T in the future. But, again, she has a lot of drive, and wants it for herself.

So it's possible for your friend, but it doesn't sound like she's interested.

There is an adult skater in the US who landed a 3T in competition last year, and she will compete again this year. So it's possible, it just take a lot more time, energy, and falling than most adults want.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Most kids who start skating by age 7 and train hard for 10+ years will not succeed at mastering triples.

They might not naturally have a body type conducive to jumping high and rotating quickly, which will become clearer after their major growth sports. They might get injured in ways that hamper their physical or mental ability to do the harder jumps. They might never learn good technique. They might like other aspects of skating more than training jumps and not have the motivation to put their focus there. And so on.

If most kids can't learn triples, the likelihood for already-adults to learn them is that much lower.

It's possible that some adults would be able to learn triples.

It would help to

*be small and
*physically fit and well coordinated
*with plenty of fast-twitch muscle fibers
*probably a younger adult
*no major chronic injuries
*have access to at least several hours of ice time during the week
*and probably at least an hour per week of coaching time with a coach who has proven success teaching triples
*have the motivation to work hard
*not be afraid of skating fast and falling hard
*already have strong skating skills and strong double jumps with plenty of air time

If you're an adult who has most of those things going for you and want to try to learn triples, by all means give it a try.

But if several of those things are missing, or in some cases just one important one, no, it won't be possible.
 

jf12

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
There is an adult skater in the US who landed a 3T in competition last year, and she will compete again this year. So it's possible, it just take a lot more time, energy, and falling than most adults want.

This skater you're mentioning is amazing! She was a high level elite competitor before, and is a current figure skating coach, and is the first and only lady to ever land a triple at adult nationals. Lots of respect for anyone who can do this rare feat.
 

Nimyue

On the Ice
Joined
May 15, 2018
This skater you're mentioning is amazing! She was a high level elite competitor before, and is a current figure skating coach, and is the first and only lady to ever land a triple at adult nationals. Lots of respect for anyone who can do this rare feat.

Yes and she's in amazing physical condition. So it's possible for someone who has had solid doubles in youth, but it just requires a lot of work. And if you don't really want it, it's definitely not going to happen.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Yes and she's in amazing physical condition.

And she already had solid triples in her youth.

Which proves nothing about whether it would be possible for an adult who had never landed triples before to learn them for the first time as an adult.
 
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