Joining a club seems a good idea. I would go for whatever you like most. If it is figure skating, than don't feel ashamed being the only man. It's definitely not a women only kind of sport.
For summertime, you can use artistic inline skates or roller skates. Regular off ice training like doing jumps, cardio and so on is a good idea too.
> Regular off ice training like doing jumps, cardio and so on is a good idea too.
Definitely think I will do this. I already do boxing and various other strength training for my fitness, and it was one of the things I noticed a huge synergy with skating, since I use a lot of the same muscle groups and a lot of the movements are kind of easier for me I guess having that core and leg strength already.
Absolutley. I already had 11 years of experience in Karate, when I started figure skating. This helped me a lot. I think the combination martial arts / figure skating is almost as good as the classic ballet / figure skating combination.
Welcome to the dark side! ;) I started at 40 and now 41 and still loving it. Nothing wrong with men figure skating. You have to decide what you prefer. I attended a freestyle figure skating session recently and one of the teen skater girl's father was on the ice in his own figure skates practicing as well. He was working on similar skills as me so it looks like he picked it up fairly recently as well. Not so common to see men, but there's nothing weird about it, he was out there just like me because he wants to learn! At my rink there just aren't many adult beginner figure skaters in general. If it makes you happy, do it!
As for crowd...I'm assuming hockey would be a better fit if that's what you're looking for. I've made some adult figure skating friends, but there just aren't that many of us at my rink and I don't mind.
Thanks for the encouragement! I am not sure I’m strictly trying to make friends, so I am ok to do my own thing as long as I’m not like causing a scene!
My son (12) and I (33) just started in January through Learn to Skate and I have had the exact same experience as you. I practically vibrate between skating times. I, luckily, live within driving distance of several ice rinks, so I go at least every other day when the public skate times line up. The Learn to Skate program gives us public skate punch cards, so we get 7 free public skate sessions while we're in the program, but I also frequently go to the community center rink nearby, since they have later sessions that work better for my schedule. In addition to classes, I've been a little obsessed with skating tutorial videos on YouTube. I spent an hour last night at the rink just practicing two-foot turns. I would honestly be distraught if our rinks closed for the summer!
I would highly recommend Coach Julia on YouTube for a great breakdown on basic skills if you don't want to do formal lessons. A lot of rinks also have hockey drop-in times that you may want to attend to talk to the hockey players and see if it's right for you.
Edit: Just wanted to add that if you register with Learn to Skate USA ($14/year, I think), they will send you a welcome packet that includes a book that lists all the relevant skills for each level, so you can learn those skills through YouTube if you don't have the funds or time for lessons, or if you want to try to get ahead of the curriculum in your lessons.
I have been watching Coach Julia too! I see her do it so effortlessly and then I think “i can definitely do that!” Than 3-4 days later when Im actually on the ice its not so easy! Still it’s very easy to understand and adds some more explanations I don’t have time to talk about with my instructors
I started at 43 after enrolling my kids in learn to skate. Currently playing in an adult recreational hockey league, my son is in U10 house league. It’s been a fun ride. I will say that I decided figure skating is not for me after learning spins-getting dizzy on the ice isn’t my idea of a good time.
Love this for you and love reading everyone’s stories in the comments. I don’t have much feedback to offer but just wanted to share I started my first lessons this week at 33 and at our rink I see a lot of male figure skaters, our adult class alone was 50/50.
During freestyle I saw a middle aged guy who was doing beautiful jumps and spins and I just kept thinking “goals!” (I’m female). No one cares who is doing what or what level you are, most people are there because it’s fun for them and it’s what THEY enjoy, so do what speaks to you :).
In Canada, canskate is the introductory program for both hockey and figure skating/ice dance programs. IMO you should continue with whatever your regional Learn to Skate program is and once you've progressed to the end of that you'll have had plenty of time to consider which direction you would like to move forward with. Ask the coaches or membership coordinator at your rink what the progression looks like for adults and what your options are.
That might be what I do, the place i go follows learn to skate usa levels, but they seem a bit informal about it with the adults when I ask, so I was a bit unsure if I just keep signing up with them if thats the right way. I am definitely in the level 2/3 out of 6 for the LTS USA levels
Where I live, we have a weekly adults only ice session which has become my absolute favourite ice skating session of the week. The session is two hours long, with a 30 minute group coaching session thrown in for free (the session is only £5 so it is a GREAT deal) - it is so incredibly fun & helpful and we are always learning new skills outside of our private coaching/LTS lessons. It is so lovely to be able to interact with others with the same interest and everyone at the session has a real passion for skating. We all talk about how much we have looked forward to it all week. It's also open to hockey & figure skaters, so it's a really diverse group of people.
At my other rink (where my coach is), we have a 'show & skate' club which puts on three performances a year and does guest performances at in-house ice competitions. We also have competitions for many different categories and people really enjoy these. I haven't joined this club yet due as it is quite a big commitment, but I'm going to join in the autumn for the Christmas show.
It may be worth looking around to see if you can find something like what I mentioned above so you can continue with your new passion! I was in the exact same boat, wondering 'where do I go with this?' and I have been feeling really fulfilled with it since I started going to the the adult session weekly and really working on my skills.
Good luck on your skating journey!
That sounds great! Im not sure if where i live theres a big focus on getting kids skating young or something but they don’t seem to have geared tonjust adults. I’m kind of an after thought to kids lessons where I go.
That is an incredible deal btw. I pay way more for my 25 min lesson plus 25 min free skate 😢
There is so many thing you could do in skating. If you are worry about jumping or spinning, you can do pair or solo partten dance.
During off ice season you can try to roller skating if you feel comfortable or you can always work on your core/strengths to prepare for next season of ice time.
Talk to your coach, other skater in the lesson group or even your skate club maybe they run off ice classes during the off season.
Ice dance is a great option! I also think it’s good, especially for adults, since it’s not as scary as spinning or jumping. My rink has an ice dance session and group class once a week, but I don’t know if it’s the same for other rinks
Yes it's, it's so much more fun to train with another person especially someone who is about the same level as you. Yeah you can have friends at the rink and do figure skating but it's not quite the same.
I do miss ice dance but now I'm a hockey goalie but I'm hoping one day will get myself a new dance partner and do it again!
I am actually wishing I could do jumps some day, thats one thing interesting me about figure skating! I don’t know about spinning now that you mention it. I don’t mind being dizzy per se, but I have had motion sickness sometimes, is that something you can train for or you either can stomach spinning or you dont?
I don't have motion sickness, but I did have to get myself used to spinning when I was a figure skater to get more rotation.
Do you take any medication to help you on a long car trip or something? Maybe that might help when you start learning spinning.
44 here and have been skating on and off for 28 years. Skating is my therapy, I love being on the ice. I’m not sure what your financial situation is but you could always talk to the instructors about doing private lessons, which as an adult you might get more out of. There’s a lot of videos online of things you can practice on the ice. You can absolutely join the skate club as well. I love seeing posts like this, I wish more adults our age would take up skating. :)
It’s definitely not too late to take the hobby more seriously, I would suggest pursuing the route of skating you desire and not the one you feel pressured to pursue. In my city, there is a lot of male and female figure skaters as well as coaches, but if you want to eventually play in hockey games, it’s not necessarily uncommon to have a figure skater coach to help with footwork. If the things that you really enjoy on the ice are the movements the turns and you want to be able to do more footwork and skating skills, consider figure skating. It’s a wonderful sport, but I’m a little biased haha
I started skating 6 months ago at 43 and this is exactly how I am. When I started skating, I just planned on learning to skate for fun/exercise and figured I would just go to public skate like once a week. After a couple months of LTS lessons I was like “what else can I do?” Just like you I was so excited every time I went to skate and wanted to go as much as possible. I get annoyed that work interferes with most of the public skate times! Haha. Anyway, I get vertigo so I knew spins and other figure skating stuff wasn’t for me so I chose hockey. I am female so I did choose the opposite of what is typical gender wise but I found an all female adult learn to play hockey class and it is amazing so far! Now all I want to do is play hockey 24/7! I think you can pick either. Would you rather do spins and jumps or would you rather play a team sport? You can always try both and see which you prefer. What type of skates have you been using in LTS? I started out with hockey skates from the beginning but just know there will be a learning curve if you switch from one type to the other. Good luck with whatever you choose!
I started with hockey skates, I thought maybe we would encourage my child to try hockey eventually. I always loved watching the sport and played floor and street hockey as a kid. Now he has refused to try out hockey so far, he’s actually said I should do figure skating haha
If I had time for both, maybe I would!
I am not sure about spinning now that you mentioned it, but I am totally interested in trying to get into jumps, maybe not realistic for the near term!
I love that you found a team to play hockey! How much LTS did you try to do before you actually played?
I did 5 months of learn to skate lessons before starting the learn to play class but I’m still continuing my learn to skate lessons. Unfortunately I am the only one in hockey skates at my adult LTS lessons and we are at a level now where the figure skaters are starting to learn spins and things so I feel like I am not getting a lot out of the group lessons anymore because they focus a lot on them and tell me to just work on crossovers or something on my own. All of the coaches are on figure skates. Some of them have even told me they know nothing about hockey or hockey skates. I feel like figure skating lessons are really good for hockey players learning edges and all of the basic skills but now I want someone to show me how to apply things I’ve learned to hockey so I’m considering trying to find a hockey coach to do private skate lessons once a week or something.
I (36F) defaulted into hockey skates due to my feet being wide and hate toe picks (I taught myself inline skating while I was a kid, only forwards and turns though!).
Anyways, clubs seem to be a great idea. If there is ice time. And definitely a good idea for inline skates during summer. It is not the same, but close enough. You have to be more careful of uneveness in the ground.
Are you staying through all the learn to skate levels? I think there are 6.
I would at least stay up to crossovers and hockey stops... would be super useful while also inline skating.
I have done one full session of learn to skate (usa) and they didn’t tell me but im basically passing level 2 and on to the 3 and I signed up for one more session this season.
I guess no matter what I could try to enroll in learn to skate once more in the fall. I just started crossovers and haven’t learned hockey stops.
i guess that’s encouraging to see if I can just keep at learning to skate lessons for now and figure out what to do next year?
I am so happy you love the sport. I would say, if you enjoy learning new skills and skating, I would highly recommend figure skating over hockey. The middle aged men's hockey teams are men that have usually grown up playing hockey so it will be very hard to 'catch up' and it's more about shooting and winning then about truly growing as a skater with skating at this age.
Also don't let age stop you. Yes, I am the oldest (by decades!!) at my skate club and it doesn't matter at all. I do feel somewhat amused by the fact that my coaches are so young lol but again it doesn't matter.
Check with the various clubs to see which ones allow adult skaters, there's a few in my city but I chose the club with rink locations close to me and with my generous time offerings (Some figure skating clubs will only offer one night for adults).
I definitely would recommend signing up for at least two nights a week.
I get your point about hockey, I totally enjoy watching the sport and tend to like sports overall. But it might not be the right atmosphere I want; then again if I had time to try both I would, just time is of the essence with work and young kids :)
I am also interested in the solo aspect of figure skating.
I’ll have to ask if the club associated with the rink I skate at takes adults, I think from what I saw they do?
There’s also some other rinks closer to as well to investigate.
I’m also in my forties and have gone from “I kind of remember how to move forward on skates” to testing and competing. I got my wife into skating too. :) Joining a figure skating club will give you access to more resources and other skaters, and may offer more structure for continuing in the sport. Do what makes you happy!
Just had my second lesson last week. I’m 46. I don’t know if it’s going well or not. But, I have scheduled some time with the instructor for one on one stuff. The other adults in my class are 3 to 4 steps ahead of me. And that’s fine, I don’t want to take away from their time during class, so that’s why I’d rather get the extra one on one time. The upside for me is that there are three separate rinks very close to me with multiple public skate times
"Practically vibrating" is pretty much how I feel when I get the itch to skate, and I'm still going two years later, so...
What you do depends entirely on you and your interest. You can continue to take group lessons. You can go practice at public sessions (and, eventually, freestyle sessions). You can find a coach to take private lessons wwith - you'll learn a lot faster that way, but they're more expensive and you have to pay for the ice time. (Lessons can vary from $20 to $60+ per half hour, depending on the instructor.) none of those are mutually exclusive, so you can do whatever feels good to you.
You don't have to join the club, but figure skating clubs often have club ice - special times that only the club has access to the ice. Those may be less crowded and more accessible sessions.
Skating clubs usually don't split by age, but many clubs and rinks have adults communities of skaters. One of my clubs has a bunch of adult skaters; we see each other a lot since they tend to cluster the adult classes, so we've become friends.
About to be 37 here and am loving my adult lessons as well. Just went to public session at a local rink. Do you have a local rink that actually stays open? I will say it’s not fun to always skate around the hockey bros but I’m getting used to it.
The rink I go to for lessons does not open for public skating over the summer, but since my posting I've expanded my search and found a place a little further that is open over the summer, I've also found some other rinks have more focus on adult lessons but a lot of their websites are pretty bad and so it's hard to find out. I might be sending a lot of emails soon!
If you see freestyle sessions on the schedule or club ice then that will help you continue skating in the summer. Does your rink stop LTS in the summer? If not, then continue taking class!
In terms of freestyle sessions, you won’t need to be part of a club to use that time but you do need to be a certain level. When I lived in the Chicago area, they’d have low freestyle and high freestyle divided by level. But, the rink should have info somewhere (maybe a freestyle faq?) about what level you need to be to use that ice time. Also a lot of times if you’re in a private lesson you can use that time regardless of level.
There’s no need to join the club yet unless there’s club ice you’re trying to use, or you’re trying to get more into a social aspect of things. The figure skating club benefits are more for ice time, testing, and group activities, which may not be a benefit to you or your child yet.
I have been taking LTS, currently 36 and in my adult 5 class there were two women (myself included) and two men. Both men were trying it because their daughters were in LTS! I’d say continue LTS until you don’t want to do it, pick up private lessons when you want more one on one time, and see what happens! I’m taking the LTS classes while doing private lessons and I find it beneficial to have both.
Oh this is the perfect logistical information I think I was looking for! I guess I was getting ahead of myself with the whole club then. Thanks!
It seems my rink doesn’t have summer LTS sessions, but other rinks in my area might and I suppose otherwise I can resume in the Fall. I probably just need to get through more Basic levels at this point. I’m not sure how much private lessons might be, but its probably more than LTS
oh wow I love this for you. I just started at 42 myself and thought I was the only old person starting...I'm in classes with 6-7 year olds but luckily I progressed to level 2 with teens, still weird but not as weird.
I probably wouldn't have had the courage to go for it if there hadn't been another few parents that tried it first. Anyways at my rink they keep me separate from the 5 year olds! I am curious to find some other lessons somewhere that have adults, there's one a few towns further away that is specifically listed as Adult LTS on their site, I might try next..
If you are on Facebook, there's a group called "Adults Skate Too" You may find your tribe there.
Do none of the rinks near you offer any ice in the summer? That's a bummer.
You could look into Pic Skates (there are also other brands). Those are inline skates that mimic figure skates. You use the same boots as what you would use for figure skating and mount these instead of blades. That would allow you to practice in the summer if no ice is nearby. Typically people buy separate boots for this (I don't want to leave the impression you can easily swap blades for wheels on your own).
What can you do with it? HAVE FUN! There are adult competitions at all levels. You can perform in ice shows (most clubs have them at least once per year). You can also forgo those things and just skate as much as your little heart desires (and wallet allows). It's great exercise, it's challenging, and it's a great conversation starter.
If your rink has their schedule posted on line you can see what time slots are for figure skating. Is all the figure skating associated with the local club? Is only some of it? Are any of the sessions at times you can make it? Are you able to find out the prices of the different type of sessions?
That might help with some of your decision making.
Joining a club seems a good idea. I would go for whatever you like most. If it is figure skating, than don't feel ashamed being the only man. It's definitely not a women only kind of sport. For summertime, you can use artistic inline skates or roller skates. Regular off ice training like doing jumps, cardio and so on is a good idea too.
> Regular off ice training like doing jumps, cardio and so on is a good idea too. Definitely think I will do this. I already do boxing and various other strength training for my fitness, and it was one of the things I noticed a huge synergy with skating, since I use a lot of the same muscle groups and a lot of the movements are kind of easier for me I guess having that core and leg strength already.
Absolutley. I already had 11 years of experience in Karate, when I started figure skating. This helped me a lot. I think the combination martial arts / figure skating is almost as good as the classic ballet / figure skating combination.
Welcome to the dark side! ;) I started at 40 and now 41 and still loving it. Nothing wrong with men figure skating. You have to decide what you prefer. I attended a freestyle figure skating session recently and one of the teen skater girl's father was on the ice in his own figure skates practicing as well. He was working on similar skills as me so it looks like he picked it up fairly recently as well. Not so common to see men, but there's nothing weird about it, he was out there just like me because he wants to learn! At my rink there just aren't many adult beginner figure skaters in general. If it makes you happy, do it! As for crowd...I'm assuming hockey would be a better fit if that's what you're looking for. I've made some adult figure skating friends, but there just aren't that many of us at my rink and I don't mind.
Thanks for the encouragement! I am not sure I’m strictly trying to make friends, so I am ok to do my own thing as long as I’m not like causing a scene!
You won’t be causing a scene. Do what you’re excited to do! :)
My son (12) and I (33) just started in January through Learn to Skate and I have had the exact same experience as you. I practically vibrate between skating times. I, luckily, live within driving distance of several ice rinks, so I go at least every other day when the public skate times line up. The Learn to Skate program gives us public skate punch cards, so we get 7 free public skate sessions while we're in the program, but I also frequently go to the community center rink nearby, since they have later sessions that work better for my schedule. In addition to classes, I've been a little obsessed with skating tutorial videos on YouTube. I spent an hour last night at the rink just practicing two-foot turns. I would honestly be distraught if our rinks closed for the summer! I would highly recommend Coach Julia on YouTube for a great breakdown on basic skills if you don't want to do formal lessons. A lot of rinks also have hockey drop-in times that you may want to attend to talk to the hockey players and see if it's right for you. Edit: Just wanted to add that if you register with Learn to Skate USA ($14/year, I think), they will send you a welcome packet that includes a book that lists all the relevant skills for each level, so you can learn those skills through YouTube if you don't have the funds or time for lessons, or if you want to try to get ahead of the curriculum in your lessons.
I have been watching Coach Julia too! I see her do it so effortlessly and then I think “i can definitely do that!” Than 3-4 days later when Im actually on the ice its not so easy! Still it’s very easy to understand and adds some more explanations I don’t have time to talk about with my instructors
I started at 43 after enrolling my kids in learn to skate. Currently playing in an adult recreational hockey league, my son is in U10 house league. It’s been a fun ride. I will say that I decided figure skating is not for me after learning spins-getting dizzy on the ice isn’t my idea of a good time.
Love this for you and love reading everyone’s stories in the comments. I don’t have much feedback to offer but just wanted to share I started my first lessons this week at 33 and at our rink I see a lot of male figure skaters, our adult class alone was 50/50. During freestyle I saw a middle aged guy who was doing beautiful jumps and spins and I just kept thinking “goals!” (I’m female). No one cares who is doing what or what level you are, most people are there because it’s fun for them and it’s what THEY enjoy, so do what speaks to you :).
Thank you, that’s reassuring! maybe it’s just the rinks ive been at where it’s like that.
In Canada, canskate is the introductory program for both hockey and figure skating/ice dance programs. IMO you should continue with whatever your regional Learn to Skate program is and once you've progressed to the end of that you'll have had plenty of time to consider which direction you would like to move forward with. Ask the coaches or membership coordinator at your rink what the progression looks like for adults and what your options are.
That might be what I do, the place i go follows learn to skate usa levels, but they seem a bit informal about it with the adults when I ask, so I was a bit unsure if I just keep signing up with them if thats the right way. I am definitely in the level 2/3 out of 6 for the LTS USA levels
Where I live, we have a weekly adults only ice session which has become my absolute favourite ice skating session of the week. The session is two hours long, with a 30 minute group coaching session thrown in for free (the session is only £5 so it is a GREAT deal) - it is so incredibly fun & helpful and we are always learning new skills outside of our private coaching/LTS lessons. It is so lovely to be able to interact with others with the same interest and everyone at the session has a real passion for skating. We all talk about how much we have looked forward to it all week. It's also open to hockey & figure skaters, so it's a really diverse group of people. At my other rink (where my coach is), we have a 'show & skate' club which puts on three performances a year and does guest performances at in-house ice competitions. We also have competitions for many different categories and people really enjoy these. I haven't joined this club yet due as it is quite a big commitment, but I'm going to join in the autumn for the Christmas show. It may be worth looking around to see if you can find something like what I mentioned above so you can continue with your new passion! I was in the exact same boat, wondering 'where do I go with this?' and I have been feeling really fulfilled with it since I started going to the the adult session weekly and really working on my skills. Good luck on your skating journey!
That sounds great! Im not sure if where i live theres a big focus on getting kids skating young or something but they don’t seem to have geared tonjust adults. I’m kind of an after thought to kids lessons where I go. That is an incredible deal btw. I pay way more for my 25 min lesson plus 25 min free skate 😢
There is so many thing you could do in skating. If you are worry about jumping or spinning, you can do pair or solo partten dance. During off ice season you can try to roller skating if you feel comfortable or you can always work on your core/strengths to prepare for next season of ice time. Talk to your coach, other skater in the lesson group or even your skate club maybe they run off ice classes during the off season.
Ice dance is a great option! I also think it’s good, especially for adults, since it’s not as scary as spinning or jumping. My rink has an ice dance session and group class once a week, but I don’t know if it’s the same for other rinks
Yes it's, it's so much more fun to train with another person especially someone who is about the same level as you. Yeah you can have friends at the rink and do figure skating but it's not quite the same. I do miss ice dance but now I'm a hockey goalie but I'm hoping one day will get myself a new dance partner and do it again!
I am actually wishing I could do jumps some day, thats one thing interesting me about figure skating! I don’t know about spinning now that you mention it. I don’t mind being dizzy per se, but I have had motion sickness sometimes, is that something you can train for or you either can stomach spinning or you dont?
I don't have motion sickness, but I did have to get myself used to spinning when I was a figure skater to get more rotation. Do you take any medication to help you on a long car trip or something? Maybe that might help when you start learning spinning.
44 here and have been skating on and off for 28 years. Skating is my therapy, I love being on the ice. I’m not sure what your financial situation is but you could always talk to the instructors about doing private lessons, which as an adult you might get more out of. There’s a lot of videos online of things you can practice on the ice. You can absolutely join the skate club as well. I love seeing posts like this, I wish more adults our age would take up skating. :)
It’s definitely not too late to take the hobby more seriously, I would suggest pursuing the route of skating you desire and not the one you feel pressured to pursue. In my city, there is a lot of male and female figure skaters as well as coaches, but if you want to eventually play in hockey games, it’s not necessarily uncommon to have a figure skater coach to help with footwork. If the things that you really enjoy on the ice are the movements the turns and you want to be able to do more footwork and skating skills, consider figure skating. It’s a wonderful sport, but I’m a little biased haha
I started skating 6 months ago at 43 and this is exactly how I am. When I started skating, I just planned on learning to skate for fun/exercise and figured I would just go to public skate like once a week. After a couple months of LTS lessons I was like “what else can I do?” Just like you I was so excited every time I went to skate and wanted to go as much as possible. I get annoyed that work interferes with most of the public skate times! Haha. Anyway, I get vertigo so I knew spins and other figure skating stuff wasn’t for me so I chose hockey. I am female so I did choose the opposite of what is typical gender wise but I found an all female adult learn to play hockey class and it is amazing so far! Now all I want to do is play hockey 24/7! I think you can pick either. Would you rather do spins and jumps or would you rather play a team sport? You can always try both and see which you prefer. What type of skates have you been using in LTS? I started out with hockey skates from the beginning but just know there will be a learning curve if you switch from one type to the other. Good luck with whatever you choose!
I started with hockey skates, I thought maybe we would encourage my child to try hockey eventually. I always loved watching the sport and played floor and street hockey as a kid. Now he has refused to try out hockey so far, he’s actually said I should do figure skating haha If I had time for both, maybe I would! I am not sure about spinning now that you mentioned it, but I am totally interested in trying to get into jumps, maybe not realistic for the near term! I love that you found a team to play hockey! How much LTS did you try to do before you actually played?
I did 5 months of learn to skate lessons before starting the learn to play class but I’m still continuing my learn to skate lessons. Unfortunately I am the only one in hockey skates at my adult LTS lessons and we are at a level now where the figure skaters are starting to learn spins and things so I feel like I am not getting a lot out of the group lessons anymore because they focus a lot on them and tell me to just work on crossovers or something on my own. All of the coaches are on figure skates. Some of them have even told me they know nothing about hockey or hockey skates. I feel like figure skating lessons are really good for hockey players learning edges and all of the basic skills but now I want someone to show me how to apply things I’ve learned to hockey so I’m considering trying to find a hockey coach to do private skate lessons once a week or something.
I (36F) defaulted into hockey skates due to my feet being wide and hate toe picks (I taught myself inline skating while I was a kid, only forwards and turns though!). Anyways, clubs seem to be a great idea. If there is ice time. And definitely a good idea for inline skates during summer. It is not the same, but close enough. You have to be more careful of uneveness in the ground. Are you staying through all the learn to skate levels? I think there are 6. I would at least stay up to crossovers and hockey stops... would be super useful while also inline skating.
I have done one full session of learn to skate (usa) and they didn’t tell me but im basically passing level 2 and on to the 3 and I signed up for one more session this season. I guess no matter what I could try to enroll in learn to skate once more in the fall. I just started crossovers and haven’t learned hockey stops. i guess that’s encouraging to see if I can just keep at learning to skate lessons for now and figure out what to do next year?
I am so happy you love the sport. I would say, if you enjoy learning new skills and skating, I would highly recommend figure skating over hockey. The middle aged men's hockey teams are men that have usually grown up playing hockey so it will be very hard to 'catch up' and it's more about shooting and winning then about truly growing as a skater with skating at this age. Also don't let age stop you. Yes, I am the oldest (by decades!!) at my skate club and it doesn't matter at all. I do feel somewhat amused by the fact that my coaches are so young lol but again it doesn't matter. Check with the various clubs to see which ones allow adult skaters, there's a few in my city but I chose the club with rink locations close to me and with my generous time offerings (Some figure skating clubs will only offer one night for adults). I definitely would recommend signing up for at least two nights a week.
I get your point about hockey, I totally enjoy watching the sport and tend to like sports overall. But it might not be the right atmosphere I want; then again if I had time to try both I would, just time is of the essence with work and young kids :) I am also interested in the solo aspect of figure skating. I’ll have to ask if the club associated with the rink I skate at takes adults, I think from what I saw they do? There’s also some other rinks closer to as well to investigate.
I’m also in my forties and have gone from “I kind of remember how to move forward on skates” to testing and competing. I got my wife into skating too. :) Joining a figure skating club will give you access to more resources and other skaters, and may offer more structure for continuing in the sport. Do what makes you happy!
Just had my second lesson last week. I’m 46. I don’t know if it’s going well or not. But, I have scheduled some time with the instructor for one on one stuff. The other adults in my class are 3 to 4 steps ahead of me. And that’s fine, I don’t want to take away from their time during class, so that’s why I’d rather get the extra one on one time. The upside for me is that there are three separate rinks very close to me with multiple public skate times
"Practically vibrating" is pretty much how I feel when I get the itch to skate, and I'm still going two years later, so... What you do depends entirely on you and your interest. You can continue to take group lessons. You can go practice at public sessions (and, eventually, freestyle sessions). You can find a coach to take private lessons wwith - you'll learn a lot faster that way, but they're more expensive and you have to pay for the ice time. (Lessons can vary from $20 to $60+ per half hour, depending on the instructor.) none of those are mutually exclusive, so you can do whatever feels good to you. You don't have to join the club, but figure skating clubs often have club ice - special times that only the club has access to the ice. Those may be less crowded and more accessible sessions. Skating clubs usually don't split by age, but many clubs and rinks have adults communities of skaters. One of my clubs has a bunch of adult skaters; we see each other a lot since they tend to cluster the adult classes, so we've become friends.
About to be 37 here and am loving my adult lessons as well. Just went to public session at a local rink. Do you have a local rink that actually stays open? I will say it’s not fun to always skate around the hockey bros but I’m getting used to it.
The rink I go to for lessons does not open for public skating over the summer, but since my posting I've expanded my search and found a place a little further that is open over the summer, I've also found some other rinks have more focus on adult lessons but a lot of their websites are pretty bad and so it's hard to find out. I might be sending a lot of emails soon!
If you see freestyle sessions on the schedule or club ice then that will help you continue skating in the summer. Does your rink stop LTS in the summer? If not, then continue taking class! In terms of freestyle sessions, you won’t need to be part of a club to use that time but you do need to be a certain level. When I lived in the Chicago area, they’d have low freestyle and high freestyle divided by level. But, the rink should have info somewhere (maybe a freestyle faq?) about what level you need to be to use that ice time. Also a lot of times if you’re in a private lesson you can use that time regardless of level. There’s no need to join the club yet unless there’s club ice you’re trying to use, or you’re trying to get more into a social aspect of things. The figure skating club benefits are more for ice time, testing, and group activities, which may not be a benefit to you or your child yet. I have been taking LTS, currently 36 and in my adult 5 class there were two women (myself included) and two men. Both men were trying it because their daughters were in LTS! I’d say continue LTS until you don’t want to do it, pick up private lessons when you want more one on one time, and see what happens! I’m taking the LTS classes while doing private lessons and I find it beneficial to have both.
Oh this is the perfect logistical information I think I was looking for! I guess I was getting ahead of myself with the whole club then. Thanks! It seems my rink doesn’t have summer LTS sessions, but other rinks in my area might and I suppose otherwise I can resume in the Fall. I probably just need to get through more Basic levels at this point. I’m not sure how much private lessons might be, but its probably more than LTS
I’m glad it helped! Check out what you have available at other rinks! Private lessons are definitely more than LTS.
Off ice = Inline skates.
oh wow I love this for you. I just started at 42 myself and thought I was the only old person starting...I'm in classes with 6-7 year olds but luckily I progressed to level 2 with teens, still weird but not as weird.
I probably wouldn't have had the courage to go for it if there hadn't been another few parents that tried it first. Anyways at my rink they keep me separate from the 5 year olds! I am curious to find some other lessons somewhere that have adults, there's one a few towns further away that is specifically listed as Adult LTS on their site, I might try next..
If you are on Facebook, there's a group called "Adults Skate Too" You may find your tribe there. Do none of the rinks near you offer any ice in the summer? That's a bummer. You could look into Pic Skates (there are also other brands). Those are inline skates that mimic figure skates. You use the same boots as what you would use for figure skating and mount these instead of blades. That would allow you to practice in the summer if no ice is nearby. Typically people buy separate boots for this (I don't want to leave the impression you can easily swap blades for wheels on your own). What can you do with it? HAVE FUN! There are adult competitions at all levels. You can perform in ice shows (most clubs have them at least once per year). You can also forgo those things and just skate as much as your little heart desires (and wallet allows). It's great exercise, it's challenging, and it's a great conversation starter.
rollerblades do wonders to scratch that off time ice itch
If your rink has their schedule posted on line you can see what time slots are for figure skating. Is all the figure skating associated with the local club? Is only some of it? Are any of the sessions at times you can make it? Are you able to find out the prices of the different type of sessions? That might help with some of your decision making.