The things I'd have missed if I didn't skate
I haven't set foot in a rink in over a week, so I'm starting to climb walls and chew carpets as withdrawal gets a serious grip (back on the ice on Saturday, thank goodness). But in the meantime, I've been reflecting on the experiences I've had as a result of skating - so here are some of the more interesting side-benefits of my obsession. (Disregarding the obvious - the chance to perform, the friends from around the world, the medals and test certificates, the fabulous frocks...)
Five things I would never have experienced if I didn't skate.
1. Being a TV extra.
"The Bill" (UK police soap) had a Christmas story line a couple of years ago involving a runaway kid meeting his estranged father at a seasonal rink, so they needed to simulate a public session. Between Health and Safety and child protection regulations, they could only do this using adults who could skate competently. I was visible on the screen for all of about two seconds, but it was a fun day out, and we got lunch and travel expenses.
2. Being interviewed for a national magazine.
Here's where it pays to have your name known to the powers that be. "Woman's Weekly" ran a feature about women who had taken up a sport in adulthood, and approached NISA to find a suitable adult skater - so I got an e-mail out of the blue asking if I'd do an interview about my experiences! I did get asked the inevitable "Can you do a triple Axel?" - but saying I could do a single Salchow was apparently nearly as impressive. The piece when it came out wasn't completely accurate, but I felt it captured much of what adult skating is about, and if it persuaded even one person to have a go, then it was worth it.
3. Dancing with a Nobel prize winner.
Probably helps to be located in Oxford for this one. A stranger from America turned up for Dance Club one Sunday morning, and when quizzed, admitted to being on the lecture tour that followed winning the Nobel prize for Economics. He was a very good skater, and I couldn't keep up with him on the Starlight Waltz, but we did a nice Willow.
4. Meeting (and being coached by) an ex world champion.
Oleg Ovsiannikov (world champion with Angelika Krylova in 1998/1999) accompanied one of the American skaters to the Mountain Cup a couple of years ago, and was happy to give lessons to anyone else he could fit in. He's a brilliant coach - very analytical, very good at cutting straight to the root of a problem, takes adults just as seriously as elite skaters - so I feel very privileged. Alas, he's now moved back to Russia, so I don't suppose that opportunity will arise again.
5. Getting into a size 8.
I've never lost more than the odd pound or two of weight as a result of skating, but I have trimmed inches off all my measurements as my muscles have toned up, which I can't imagine I would have achieved any other way. I certainly don't think I could have stuck with going to the gym 3-4 times a week for ten years!
And five places I would never otherwise have been. (Again, disregarding the obvious - ie all the established European international adult competition venues.)
1. Colditz.
Four years ago, at the persuasion of my German skating friends, I went to the only major German adult competition, their nearest equivalent to an Adult Championships, which is held annually in a town called Grimma in the old East Germany. Grimma turned out to be 20 km down the road from Colditz, which I regarded as a must-see given that I was in the area. Strangely, none of the Germans could understand why I wanted to go - I guess they don't have quite the same cultural heritage of WWII movies.... The guided tour of the castle (in English) was fascinating, and some of the stories of the escape attempts really are as amazing as the films make out.
2. Chartreuse.
The monastery at Chartreuse is an hour or two's drive from Villard de Lans. The scenery is stunning, the buildings ancient (8 or 9 centuries?), and the liqueur is delicious (though potent, and to be treated with due respect).
3. Minnesota/Wisconsin.
Went with a group of friends to the 1998 Worlds in Minneapolis, and spent another couple of weeks after that exploring the area (which in US terms meant anything within 8 or 9 hours by road). This was the first time I'd been to the States, and I've never got over the vastness of the open spaces.
4. Northern Ireland.
The 1999 British Championships were held at Dundonald, so P and I flew to Belfast for the weekend. It was after the end of the Troubles, and in many ways it felt just like any other northern industrial city (think Sheffield or Liverpool) - but then we'd see a paramilitary mural or spot an armoured van disappearing round a corner, which brought home how recently that was in the past.
5. Dumfries.
If it weren't for the Scottish Championships (and the Scottish Adult Championships, the only year they were held), I'd never have ventured anywhere in Scotland apart from Edinburgh. But Dumfries is rather a nice little town, on the south western coast.
And there are a few other corners of the British Isles that I've only visited because they had ice rinks as well (Hull springs to mind...)
So, skating really does reach the parts that other sports can't...
Five things I would never have experienced if I didn't skate.
1. Being a TV extra.
"The Bill" (UK police soap) had a Christmas story line a couple of years ago involving a runaway kid meeting his estranged father at a seasonal rink, so they needed to simulate a public session. Between Health and Safety and child protection regulations, they could only do this using adults who could skate competently. I was visible on the screen for all of about two seconds, but it was a fun day out, and we got lunch and travel expenses.
2. Being interviewed for a national magazine.
Here's where it pays to have your name known to the powers that be. "Woman's Weekly" ran a feature about women who had taken up a sport in adulthood, and approached NISA to find a suitable adult skater - so I got an e-mail out of the blue asking if I'd do an interview about my experiences! I did get asked the inevitable "Can you do a triple Axel?" - but saying I could do a single Salchow was apparently nearly as impressive. The piece when it came out wasn't completely accurate, but I felt it captured much of what adult skating is about, and if it persuaded even one person to have a go, then it was worth it.
3. Dancing with a Nobel prize winner.
Probably helps to be located in Oxford for this one. A stranger from America turned up for Dance Club one Sunday morning, and when quizzed, admitted to being on the lecture tour that followed winning the Nobel prize for Economics. He was a very good skater, and I couldn't keep up with him on the Starlight Waltz, but we did a nice Willow.
4. Meeting (and being coached by) an ex world champion.
Oleg Ovsiannikov (world champion with Angelika Krylova in 1998/1999) accompanied one of the American skaters to the Mountain Cup a couple of years ago, and was happy to give lessons to anyone else he could fit in. He's a brilliant coach - very analytical, very good at cutting straight to the root of a problem, takes adults just as seriously as elite skaters - so I feel very privileged. Alas, he's now moved back to Russia, so I don't suppose that opportunity will arise again.
5. Getting into a size 8.
I've never lost more than the odd pound or two of weight as a result of skating, but I have trimmed inches off all my measurements as my muscles have toned up, which I can't imagine I would have achieved any other way. I certainly don't think I could have stuck with going to the gym 3-4 times a week for ten years!
And five places I would never otherwise have been. (Again, disregarding the obvious - ie all the established European international adult competition venues.)
1. Colditz.
Four years ago, at the persuasion of my German skating friends, I went to the only major German adult competition, their nearest equivalent to an Adult Championships, which is held annually in a town called Grimma in the old East Germany. Grimma turned out to be 20 km down the road from Colditz, which I regarded as a must-see given that I was in the area. Strangely, none of the Germans could understand why I wanted to go - I guess they don't have quite the same cultural heritage of WWII movies.... The guided tour of the castle (in English) was fascinating, and some of the stories of the escape attempts really are as amazing as the films make out.
2. Chartreuse.
The monastery at Chartreuse is an hour or two's drive from Villard de Lans. The scenery is stunning, the buildings ancient (8 or 9 centuries?), and the liqueur is delicious (though potent, and to be treated with due respect).
3. Minnesota/Wisconsin.
Went with a group of friends to the 1998 Worlds in Minneapolis, and spent another couple of weeks after that exploring the area (which in US terms meant anything within 8 or 9 hours by road). This was the first time I'd been to the States, and I've never got over the vastness of the open spaces.
4. Northern Ireland.
The 1999 British Championships were held at Dundonald, so P and I flew to Belfast for the weekend. It was after the end of the Troubles, and in many ways it felt just like any other northern industrial city (think Sheffield or Liverpool) - but then we'd see a paramilitary mural or spot an armoured van disappearing round a corner, which brought home how recently that was in the past.
5. Dumfries.
If it weren't for the Scottish Championships (and the Scottish Adult Championships, the only year they were held), I'd never have ventured anywhere in Scotland apart from Edinburgh. But Dumfries is rather a nice little town, on the south western coast.
And there are a few other corners of the British Isles that I've only visited because they had ice rinks as well (Hull springs to mind...)
So, skating really does reach the parts that other sports can't...