jazzpants's Blog

Okay, first thing to disappoint a lot of readers out there... there is nothing necesarily "risque" about being an adult figure skater.  You are labelled an "adult figure skater" when you are 1) over the age of 21 (you have to be old enough to drink to party at the Adults Nationals competitors parties and 2) are competing on the US Figure Skating Association (USFSA for short) adult track!  (The skaters you see on TV are ALL on the USFSA standard track... and yes, they are mostly kids!)  In fact, the USFSA has strict rules about costuming and inappropriate gestures in the program.  (i.e. you can't skate like Will Ferrell did on "Blades of Glory" and you most certainly CANNOT skate to "Lady Hump" by the Black Eyed Peas.) That is not to say that some of the programs I've seen at competitions aren't "suggestive," but... ;)

My history of being a figure skater started when I was working out at the gym about 4-5 times a day and felt like I was in a race maze b/c I wasn't doing anything to get out my creative energy.  Sure I was still taking singing lessons at the time, but at this point I knew my days of being a singer was pretty much nil... and I haven't touched the piano, guitar or flute in AGES!!!  (So much for my music degree... *rolleyes* :P )  I was also going thru some personal issues in my life then and need a creative outlet to get the pain out in the open.   Anyway, I had found out thru a coworker that a BRAND NEW (as in about a year old) ice rink was built right above the Moscone Center.  Now... the last time I've been on skates was 17 years back.  My family couldn't afford to get my own skates for me, never mind enroll me in group skating lessons back then.  I did managed to pick up a few tips from other kids and I've managed to learn how to do one foot spins and a waltz jump, amongst other things.  I gave up skating to concentrate on my high school education!  So at age 31, I went back on the ice with these powdered blue ski boot rentals.  I was amazed that I actually can still skate around on my own w/o hugging on to the wall.  And I've also managed to figure out how to go backwards on my first day.   I went back again the weekend after and then the weekend after that. 

Before long, I fell back in love with being on the ice.  The ice guard, who was a former competitive figure skater, suggested that I go take group lessons.  Since now I don't have "high school requirements" hovering over me, I make my own money and CAN afford the lessons, I did!  A couple of months later, same ice guard suggested I get my own skates.  Again, since I can afford it and since I see that I'm going to stay on for the long haul and it's more cost-effective anyway to get my own skates, I got them.  That snowballed to private coach, then joining the Skating Club of San Francisco to test under the USFSA adult track, then I competed for the first time in 2001, then added one more coach to work on stuff that the primary coach can't work on at the moment.  The goal went from being just a recreational skater who skates around the rink on weekends to becoming a competitive figure skater.  By the time I did my first competition, I knew that my dream was to eventually compete at Adults Nationals.

Problem was... there were a LOT of stuff that I had to work on just to pass the required tests to be eligible to compete at Adults Nationals at the lowest level (Adult Bronze)... and it took over 4.5 years to finally passed the first on the two tests, Adult Bronze Moves.  (Those who think looking pretty and just gliding around is easy... you might want to get on the ice yourself to see just how easy it is to "look pretty" and "just gliding around." *evil grin* ) 

Right after I passed Bronze Moves test, my coach looks at me and says "you better be jumping tomorrow... you better be testing Bronze Freeskate (where you actualy do a program with jumps and spins and stuff) ASAP!!!"  Of course, I chickened out of the first two test dates.  Primary coach says "I want you to test Bronze Freeskate in November."  Of course, it was RIGHT on my b-day (the 4th!!!) and I said "Nah-uh!!! You're not gonna ruin my b-day by making me test with something I'm still shaky on."  (I also didn't want to get up at dark o'clock in the morning to go to the rink to skate on a Saturday morning AND on my b-day!  I LOOOOOVE my sleep very much!!! :P )  Of course, primary coach won out on the fight and I took it to "humor the guy" and not expecting to pass.  When I got to the judges to do my test (show them my program), I was thinking "It's my birthday and I'm going to skate w/o thinking of the consequences.  My goal is just to have a great time showing of my program to my skating friends and "to heck with the test results."  Needless to say, it helped my nerves and despite some shaky moments, I DID finally pass my Adult Bronze Freeskate test!  What a WONDERFUL 39th b-day present!!!  :-D  (Of course, right after the test, I showered, had brunch, told the skating community the good news... and immediately DROPPED and slept for another few hours, waking up only to have my b-day dinner!!! LOL!!!)

My debut as an Adult Nationals eligible Bronze lady is at Skate San Francisco this year!!!  I don't know the exact weekend but it's right around late Oct./early Nov.

I have been skating now for 8.5 years!!!  What started as a "creative outlet" and rediscovering a childhood hobby turned into one of my greatest loves of my life!  The skating community has overall been a very fun, supportive and caring environment!  I have two WONDERFUL coaches in San Francisco as well as a very supportive coach in NYC when I visit my in-laws!  It still doesn't deal directly with the specific issues that originally brought me to the ice, but it has made it a lot more tolerable to live with.  And... I always have the option to "getting away" for my "ice therapy" sessions (and a heck of a lot cheaper than a shrink to boot!  Ummm... no pun intended!  :)  )