Today I’m 17 years old. I started figure skating 5 months ago. I have exactly 2 years to quit skating forever. I’ll be sent (for personal reasons) to live in a country that doesn’t have a single rink, and I have no option.

As of the 5 months i’ve been skating I feel like i’ve achieved so little compare to fellow teammates who started around the same time and already have single-jump combinations while I can barely do a waltz (and I’m not even using edges). I can’t do most things people should do by the time they reach the 5 month mark. I’ve invested so much of my own and my parent’s money on skating equipment and coaching, yet I’m genuinely a failure.

I just wanted to be proud of myself.. Perhaps to achieve something idk. I dream of going to nationals even as pre-preliminary. But it breaks my heart to know I can’t. It breaks my heart to know that my efforts are not good enough. 8 months ago I made a promise to someone very dear to me, who I truly believe will pass away in around 2 years maybe less maybe more. She’s been someone so important because she’s the one who chose to believe in me first, I’m so upset I have nothing to show her or to show myself.

I haven’t cried in over 200 days, but today was the first time — after such a horrible practice that I allowed myself to tear up, I teared up as I saw a girl around 6 just have the brightest and most genuine and beautiful smile throughout her entire practice, genuinely being good and enjoying what she did, she has so much time left, she has so much potential, I just grief the person I could’ve been if I were talented, or if I had started earlier.

Now, I know this may sound rather extremist of myself, but even if it’s the most grueling piece of advice, allow me to shine once along the stars of my dreams, allow me to be confident in every stroke, in every time i leave the ice and use the imaginary wings that allow me to fly in a jump, how, how can I in the short span of time I have left with the one thing I’ve found to love can I improve the fastest through, how can I become the greatest I can even if it’s only two years, they’ll be the best two years of my life I believe, atleast until i meet the ice again, even if it may take decades, please just for the bare two years, how can I finally sit at the performance ice and be proud of how far i’ve comed and how much I can do.
Thanks.

P.S - English is not my first language not my second so sorry if there’s something that makes no sense or i’m sorry for any lack of rationality jaja

hi i currently skate with jackson mystiques but have been wanting to upgrade to edea overtures. unfortunately they’re out of my size, but seem to have the chorus in stock. i really want to buy new shoes before i leave for a trip because i want a skate camp coming up. im around 4’10/148cm and weigh about 95 lbs/ 43kgs. would it be bad if i were to get the choruses instead??

the mystiques are likely a size too big, and i’m having pronation problems so i would like to upgrade asap so i can advance better

Hi all

Ive not been to a skating comp before

Im looking at travelling to Kazakhstan for the 4cc

Does anyone know when tickets come out because i really need to stay booking and planning my travels

Also where are the best seats to book for a good view

hi everyone!

i’m a 20 year old in basic 2, and really loving skating so far! i’m doing pretty well with my skills, and getting to try some basic 3 skills like forward stroking and two foot turn in motion on the circle, but i’m struggling with stopping with my weaker foot (the left) and doing my one foot glide (once again, with my left foot). any tips on basic 2 skills and how to improve these specific skills please?

additionally, i don’t know if this is a common problem but with 15-30 minutes of additional practice, my right knee really starts to hurt? after i get off the ice the pain subsides quickly but im unsure why this happens on the ice. has anyone else gone through this?

also final thing, what kind of off ice conditioning should beginners be doing? i’m super excited about skating but would really appreciate advice.

thank you!!!

i want to get into skating, but most of the beginner classes are for people who are at least starting their jumps, and i’m still a little shaky on ice 🥲

This is generally about where my foot sits on the insole. And I also just realized that my heel isn’t all the way back in the second photo 🤦‍♀️ But is this considered too big? I can fit about a finger’s worth into the back when fully laced. Wear a size 6.5-7 in women’s shoewear and this is a size 5 in Riedell Sparkle.

Trying to do swizzles and just recently stopped holding onto the wall for support.

I’m determined to become graceful on the ice starting at age 28.

I would love to hear all and any tips you felt really made a difference in your skating skills!!

Thank you!

I noticed recently while skating that my heel sort of lifts? I mean it sort of has to just a bit to do stuff like three turns and bunny hops which is what I’m working on, but I can’t tell if it’s too much? It feels as though it moves up about 1-2cm. I’m wondering if this is the reason I always felt unstable in my boots. I wear Riedell Sparkle’s as a beginner.

The whole process of buying figure skates is almost making me cry 😭. I’ve searched high and low for a boot. I wear size 11 narrow women’s in my sneakers. I have been to 3 different pro shops and most boots they don’t have in stock and it takes months or even half a year to special order. I had someone order Edea for me but the heel slips. They say they can pull in the heel for me but it’s unknown how much they can pull in and they can’t tell me until I buy them. Those of you with narrow feet and heels, did Edea work for you? Did you get a sense for how much they can pull in?

have a look at my project please!

Hello I’m a skater of 7 years who just switched to ice dance (yes I know I’m not at the level I’m supposed to be leave me alone) I took a 7 month break recently and I’m having trouble getting my backspin back. Any tips? I have a video too but it won’t let me add it

Hi! I’m a 19 year old former ballet dancer who’s hoping to start skating soon! I’m coming off a 4-year hiatus from ballet and am trying to start conditioning again off ice so I can have some strength/flexibility built back up when I am ready to start learning elements and that’s going well (calf/ankle strengthening, takeoff/landing shock absorption exercises, spin/rotation practice on turnboards etc). The main problem I’m running into is the alignment of certain extensions seems somewhat different in skating than in ballet because of the fact that ballet heavily emphasizes outward rotation and turnout. I know that because of how your blade is angled towards the ice you can’t turn out every skating foot, but what do you do with the other leg? And how much are you allowed to tilt or open up your hips and pelvis? I know in ballet everything is supposed to be very square but with the momentum/balence on the ice I feel like I see skaters “hinge” more from the hips and open the extension differently. I’m trying to regain my scorpion, needle, bow and arrow extensions and don’t know if I need to be using ballet alignment or shift to something else

Does anyone know why my feet would hurt for only the first 10-ish minutes when i get on the ice in the middle of my foot (marked in green) ive been wearing these for a good amount of time so far and it always hurts here when i first get on and then it’s fine less. I got fitted for these

okay so i have quite the bad habit of landing on both of my feet basically slightly jamming the toepick in the ice on my landing and everytime i get bruised toenails from it. the technique i am working on and the landing issues have become more rare but still does anyone have any idea how to protect my poor big toe bc i’m in this painful unending cycle😕

Everytime I do my forward crossovers, I always tumble because I trip on the foot that's leading (the foot I don't pick up). Can anybody offer any tips for overcoming this? Crossovers have been a huge road block for me.

Finally got properly fitted in Edea chorus 260Ds. Previously skated in Riedell 8B (they were a bit too long - a skate tech did not fit them) but the blade was 10” … the skate tech suggested MK pro 9.5inch for my new Edeas . Should I do 9.75 instead? Or is this ok? Also what can I expect with this blade shift in addition to the boot change? I’m a beginner-ish adult in ISI Freestyle 1 and I’m 5’6” normal build if that makes a difference. Thanks! Don’t know what I would do without this group

Update: 9.5s felt fine, even with my first time in the new boots with shorter blades. I was able to do all edges to an extent, just slowly.

Please someone tell me they can’t get their shoot the duck either. I feel like I’m the only one who can’t, neither can i do the two foot squat. It’s actually so embarrassing I gen just can’t do it. I always either go to ankle, have my butt super up or just gen can’t go all the way down without my legs going wide, not low enough, not for enough time and without falling. ANY TIPS WILL MEAN THE WORLD YO ME. any exercises or anything i can do to get it ASAP.

Hey all! So my coach and I spilt right a month before my very first competition and so now I don’t have any music. I’m kind of happy in the sense that now I get to perform to something that actually feels likes me, however, I’ve never cut music before so there’s parts in my music where there’s noticeable cuts. I was wondering if any has any tips or has cut any Spanish songs that would be willing to help me smooth it out! Thanks so much in advanced!