Any adult skaters experience this?

Question

I skated a bit when I was a kid and I went back two years ago just to stay in shape and have fun. I'm currently in FS2/3 (1 foot spin pending!) I just get frustrated whenever I tell someone "yes i take figure skating lessons". the reaction is always: "Can you do a triple axel?" "Are you going to the olympics"? or..."aren't you kind of old?"

Whenever another adult says "yes i'm taking golf/tennis lessons" or "yes I play in a softball league the weekends" no one says "Oh are you gonna be like tiger woods?" or "hmm are you trying out for the white sox?" duh! and of course no one is apparently too old for golf or tennis but they are for figure skating? how do you deal?

My rink is pretty adult skater friendly, so it's pretty good...i've heard of rinks where skating parents give adult skaters attitude.

Answer 1

I feel your pain.  I got that as a skater growing up and now as an adult skater.  "Can you do a triple salchow? " "Can you do a back flip like Scott Hamilton?" or "I knew a girl I grew up with who was a skater 20 years ago...do you know her?"  I just attribute it to ignorance and just plain old lack of knowledge of the sport.  I figure at least they are interested enough to ask...even though they don't know what a salchow is, it was just some cool catch word they heard on one of these over-exaggerated over-dramatized skating movies they caught on ABC Family over the weekend with the kiddies. I look at it like, well at least they're asking....if someone tells me they play soccer, tennis, softball, golf, etc., that's pretty much where the conversation on that ends.  *Yawn*...sorry! :)  They're not exactly sports that I'm dying to know the details of because they're so common.  I think skating has been fantisized so much that some people look at it like it's only for the elite or you have to have been bestowed with enormous amounts of talent to even be involved in the sport, so there is a lot of unknowns there for the average joe who's experience with skating is limited to the time he skated on the pond with the fam 10 years ago and the time when he walked past the TV during the '88 Olympics.  haha

I do get the Olympic question.  People assume that because you have skated for a long time, you're whipping out triples in your sleep.  I've skated for a long time, but started late, didn't make a career of it and life went on in the between time.  The public doesn't seem to understand how difficult and expensive elite skating is and that the group of skaters who actually make it that far is such a tiny percentage of skaters.  One would probably have a better chance at getting into the NFL or NBA than winning an Olympic medal in skating!

I don't get the "aren't you kinda old" one yet, but that's probably because I look younger than I am and I try to blend in because I think I'm harder on myself than those around me.  I'm just dreading the day though!!  :(  I worry about it, but I try to remind myself, "What are my friends my age doing to stay in shape....they're going to the gym and are on bar league kickball teams....they're not hurling their bodies around on ice.  And how many 30-year-olds are doing double jumps much less anything on ice?"  Not many -- and there aren't many adults who will even get on the ice and try it out, so I think that adult skaters should actually get MORE credit than the little ones.  It's harder to skate as an adult with an adult body, fear that you didn't have as a kid and when everything hurts the next day!!  Big deal -- a 7-year-old can do an axel.  Great.  When she's 4-foot-nothing and weighs 70 pounds, I'd wonder what was wrong if she couldn't do one!

I do get the, "You're STILL doing this," from people I grew up with -- like it's a little girl thing to do and I should have outgrown it with my Barbie dolls and braces.  For some people, it's not about the pretty skirts, medals and rhinestones, it's about being able to do something that not everyone can do and it's about the sense of accomplishment.

As I've mentioned here in some of the questions before, my rink and club is not adult friendly.  There aren't many adult skaters in my immediate area, so adult skaters are kind of on their own here and have to have a tough skin. There are no programs offered....other than a synchro team which mostly only does forward skating....no special freestyle sessions, no organizations....nothing.  The judges in the area aren't adult friendly either.  They harshly criticize adult skaters, make comments about how they hate judging adult events at competitions and God forbid should an adult skater be overweight!  I had a friend just test one of her dances and the judge asked her if she was testing standard track or adult track before she started the test.  When she told the judge she was testing standard, the judge replied, "We'll see about that," and she subsequently failed after that swift kick to the ego.  I haven't had too many problems with parents, but I think that may be because I was skating when their daughters were first starting and I teach a lot of the group lesson classes -- where their daughters started to begin with.  I am trying to take steps to improve the adult skater situation, at least in my club to start, by trying to get on the board, but that's not going anywhere.  I guess I got a few nominations, but it's been a big secret who is on the board now.  I'd love to try to create a more welcoming environment for adult skaters and try to draw even more to the sport by developing a seperate, kid-free, group lesson session, freestyles and camps so there's none of that negative energy you get when skating with the younger ones who are constantly showing you how much better they are than you.  Maybe some day!  :)  Embrace your adult-friendly rink....from what I've seen, there aren't many!

Answer 2

I get that a lot from people that are not involved with skating.  I try to think of it as them being interested in how I'm doing.  :-)  

I'm one of the only adults at my rink, but nobody gives me a hard time.  The skaters' parents seem to admire that I'm trying to learn.

Answer 3

Whenever that happens to me (and it happens a lot) I just say,"can you?"  They just stop talking about it.

Answer 4

hered the plain truth. Im not even old enough to get a job and people ask me the same question. I tell them the truth, I WANT to, but if they keep asking me I'll never focus long enough to actually get around to it. You can say it more politely if you want to, but its a simple way to get them off your case. Its much worse for me being that I went to my first nationals when i was 8 and placed third, so I say that and I get all of the 'can you do those jump things?' 'are you any good?' ' do you know how to do those cool twirly things and all that?' and yes, it gets annoying. Ive never heard of those sorts of rinks, but im in vic(aussie) and our rinks are kind of limited to 2 that arent oven official size!!! (not fair='( ) so for me, its simply that alot of people dont realise that there are ice skaters around them, and other sports seem much more common. Were also in a pretty expensive sport, so some people can find it hard to believe. Just ignore them and keep training!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO! Long live the ice skaters hehe did I mention that im only 14?????lol dnt mind me XD

Answer 5

no

Answer 6

I have never heard of a skating club or rink parents of young skaters give adults an attitude,  every one gets along. Adult skaters are admired at our club.

Answer 7

I spent more than half my life being asked by everyone I met whether or not I play basketball.

So I understand this situation, it will pass, in the meantime just quickly change the subject to politics or quantum physics.

Answer 8

Yes! I usually say something like "I skate for fitness" and that shuts them up - let them fill in whatever that means to them in their head.  You are totally right that people don't do that with other sports.  "I swim laps."  "Really? Can you do a 50 free in less than 10 seconds?"  

I have a friend in her 50's who skates, and she told me once after a skating injury she overheard the doctor saying to the nurse in the hallway outside her exam room something like, "We've got a 50-year-old figure skater in there," and they both laughed.   I don't know why this sport is considered only for the youth.  You should see the adult skaters at my rink. I want to be as fit and active as the senior citizens who skate EVERY day and are working on serious goals, improving their jumps, showing their dedication by being there every morning - and that's my kind of retirement!

I've also overheard comments at ISI competitions where you get all ages competing...oy, I can't even go into it.  Some of the moms of young skaters are the worst - and I say that as the mom of a young skater. But the ones that don't skate, have no clue what goes into learning even a simple 3-turn, are the ones who are likely to ***** about adults taking up their precious kidlumps time on the ice when we have paid to be there as well.

But take heart. For the people who "know" skating, you're an inspiration to someone just starting out every time you get out there!

Answer 9

I know exactly what you're taking about . . . it can be frustrating at times, eh?   But good for you for coming back to skating as an adult!

Out here, we are fortunate to have many adult skaters and the clubs are pretty big . . . so we have a great support system because of that.  Even so, there are those few individuals (some snooty kids and adults who don't "get it") who think quite lowly of adult skating (BOOOOO on them).

I think "ice skating" is a sport that uninformed people don't associate as an adult "sport:".  When I first started skating (as an adult), I had no idea there was this whole world of skating for adults . . . lessons, competitions and all . . . so it's possible a lot of people out there just "don't know".  Because they probably "don't know", I try not to take their comments personally.  All they know is what they see on TV . . . where they only see young ones competing - and even in pro comps or shows, there are grown skaters who were once the young skaters everyone was watching.  

So when these types ask me "silly" questions, I'll answer them truthfully . . . and then tell them the alternative positive side to that answer.  I don't have a triple axel, but I CAN jump . . . realistically I can never go to the Olympics, but I CAN shoot for Adult Nationals and adult international comps . . . and there are/were PLENTY of adults who who started skating wayyyyyyy later than me, so old?  Nah.  I can easily bore someone with information I have about Adult Skating, so that shuts them up pretty quickly - hee hee.

        

And then there the ones who do "know", but are judgmental - adults just don't belong in the sport in their book.  They compare adults to young kid skaters -  which is so unfair.  Those kinds of people have closed minds and they will never understand.  These are not just skating parents, they can include some club directors, judges, coaches, and a few snooty kid skaters - whoever.  Not much you can do to change their minds . . . so why bother.  Remember you skate for you - not for any of "them".  Don't ever stoop to their level (ugh, and I've seen that) and don't let anyone damper your skating experience . . . enjoy it because you CAN.  

Comments and questions I can "deal" with . . . but I don't like some of the unsafe tactics used by some of the snooty kid skaters . . . like zipping by intentionally or doing jumps VERY close to me (as if to scare me off).  Once this boy yelled from across the rink "why is SHE here" as apparently I got in his way (which can happen to and by anyone on the ice).  Well, if your rink enforces their rules, remember these types of skaters can get in trouble for it!  

Best of luck . . . on that 1 ft spin too!!  :)