It may surprise you to know that at the age of 52, I am a competitive figure skater. I started to train in the sport at 28 because I always wanted to learn and wanted this crossed off my bucket list. I started a learn to skate class with the goal of learning to skate backwards. During the fifth week, something clicked. I eagerly asked "What's next!," and learned the waltz jump, spiral, and lunge. I have been chasing tricks ever since.
Why I love skating is the creativity of marrying athleticism to music, interpretation, costuming, and performance. I have skated to everything from rap to comedy, classical to classic rock, a song from 100 years ago to hits from last year. I've had fun creating characters with my performance, and have been a lunch lady, a prom queen, a killer queen, and a nerdy kid in grade nine.
To borrow from Margaret Atwood, putting a skating program together is like writing a haiku: within the rigid parameters, there is an astonishing amount of freedom. At the level I'm currently at, adult silver, a free skate program is made of 5 jump passes, two spins, and a choreographed sequence that covers the full sheet of ice in two minutes, 10 seconds. Inspiration for programs can vary from skate to skate. My free skate is to The Girl That I Knew Somewhere, from The Monkees. Due to COVID, I was in a funk with skating, and wanted something that made me feel light and happy. Listening to the music as I was skating, and the elements choreographed itself into a program that made sense.
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