My figure skating era

It all started with a dream, figuratively and literally. Last July 2024, I had a vivid dream of me, figure skating. I was wearing white, with white boots, and I was spinning freely. It felt so real. When I woke up, I immediately felt it was a “calling” for me to just do it. I went ahead and searched for skating lessons online and lo behold, there was a Learn 2 Skate session in Megamall for August. It costs 4900 for eight 30-minute sessions. Not bad e?

This is the first time that I got into something because I wanted to, not because to impress others, not for my friends, not for my family, not for a guy. Looking year back, I got into odd jobs and hobbies for other people.

Im doing this for me.

Skaterella

A word of advice to anyone starting ice skating, never ever ever rush into buying your own pair of ice skates. Research. Go to a proper fitter. I bought these pair out of impulse (and because the rental skates reeked of bad odor). I didnt know any better. The guy in the In2Skate shop at Megamall named Richard (he quit now), told me “Ah, these fit you perfectly!”. NOT. Theyre too freaking loose and it made it hard for me to to the simplest backward swizzles because I didnt have enough support and stability.

My second pair of skates (in just the span of 3 months), was Golden Horse in Loop. I got them in Taiwan, and really thought it was the one because I had it fitted by their skating tech there. However, It was smaller than my Mystiques, as this was a Size 6 equivalent (in figure skates), versus the Mystiques which were a size 7-8 equivalent. It was comfier, and had better support. I was able to skate better with them, but alas, my feet were shaky in them, with my toes moving back and forth. Another sign that this was too big sigh

The one on the left, are my current pair of boots. Edea Chorus 240B paired with MK Professional blades. I got them from Skates Edge NZ. I had a virtual fitting where I submitted photos of my feet in different angles. That way, I get the boots perfect for my feet! The break-in period was a pain! It took approximately 25 hours of skating for it to feel comfortable. Currently I still have a small blister in my right foot, which Im trying to heal. This pair was snug and tight, and felt really supportive at 75 stiffness level. However, the higher the stiffness level the harder the boot, and the more “painful” it is to skate in. Skates need to be stiff so that it can support your feet and ankles on jumps and spins.

I love my Edeas 🙂

During my 6 weeks in Learn 2 Skate. Our coach is coach Justine [@officialjustine] He’s really cool and makes learning fun!

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I learned how to move around the ice, forward swizzles, backward swizzles, backward wiggles, and a quick runthrough and “feel” of strokes, edges, and crossovers. I never got to do the complicated moves properly, but it’s okay. The time was enough to make me feel “comfortable” on ice. I cant believe that at almost 40, I’m able to do them. My 8-year old self would be proud!

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While I’m not the chummy chummy person. My introverted self found a few new friends on the rink. It’s the extroverts who find me. This is Luke, and Queen. They’re decades younger than me so I’m their ate (yes ate! not tita!). I skate with them sometimes, and have snacks or lunch. Being with younger people do make you feel young din no?

I love how being on ice feels. Free. Liberating. Cold breeze brushing through your skin as you glide. Of course, tripping on toepicks is a common occurence for me as of late, but it’s okay.

You’re never good at your first try, or second. You just keep doing it. You just keep going.

For my mindset, I told myself not to compare myself to other skaters and not to put pressure on myself. This is my personal journey. If it took others 1 day to learn an element, and it took me 4 days or more to learn, it’s okay. What matters is I still learned to do it.

In terms of inspiration, I’ve been seeing a lot of adult figure skaters on social media, ranging from 20 year olds, to up to sixty! Imagine that. She’s actually a coach. Coach Au [coach_auski]. She’s such an inspiration! If she’s already sixty and can do all those movesets. I have like… 20+ years to learn! That’s a lot of time!

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Right now, I’m on level 2. Learning forward strokings, hopefully crossovers. It’s so hard to give yourself a goal, but at the same time, not pressuring yourself. Okay. Maybe the next time I blog about my figure skating journey, I’ll be doing basic jumps and spins? Let’s manifest!