|
|
|
|
|
http://www.sff.net/people/jsfancher
|
Jane Fancher
2/26/05 These days, you'll generally find me at the arena on weekdays during the noon-hour public session, but I began skating at Spokane's Riverfront park with Lindsey Malcolm as my instructor. Then CJ and I discovered Eagle's and LCFSC and moved our skating operations there. We soon encountered Sharon, who introduced us to the world of adult competitions. In August 2004 we began working with Joan (Clark) Bellessa, while continuing our weekly sessions with Lindsey. We've found that for us the combination of their two approaches is ideal. Adults can get very cerebral about their education, trying to analyze every muscle twitch, but at a certain point, it's good to just relax and go with the motion, the way younger skaters are inclined to do. I competed in Basic Level 2 at the 2004 Jo Williams and if I can get those pesky 3-turns under control, will see if I can pass Adult Pre-Bronze at this year's (2005) Jo Williams. Fortunately, being an adult without anything to prove to anyone, if I'm not ready or just not in the mood, hey, there's plenty of time. I think, maybe, that's one of the greatest things about taking up this sport as an adult. My goals are absolutely my own. The rewards are all mine. And every accomplishment is a wonder. A year ago, standing upright was a minor miracle. I got my very own (cheap) skates, and skated (wall-hugged) for over a month before I discovered that the problems I was having were only a little bit in my feet, my never-sharpened blades playing a rather more significant part. I got them sharpened, got off the wall and began to work at last at lifting one foot off the ice, finding yet one more miracle. I've since broken in yet another pair of (much better---Jackson "Competitor") skates and become a bona-fide sharp-blades snob, and miracles continue to occur on a regular basis. I've discovered my toes actually are functional digits; that killer orthotics in good skates give flatfoots like me a backward gear; and that once boots will bend at the ankle, it's actually possible to bunnyhop without doing a Superman dive to the ice. And the wonders continue. When I'm not skating, I'm a writer. Novelist. Science Fiction and Fantasy. For more on that and my multitudinous other interests, I'd love to have you visit my personal webpage at: http://www.sff.net/people/jsfancher |
|
|
CJ Cherryh:
2/26/05 Now, both of us are figure skating fans, but Jane had never been on the ice, and I’d only been skating a couple of times forty years ago. But Riverfront Park being close, cheap, and something you could get to daily, we decided it was worth risking our necks. So we made an appointment for private lessons, deciding the best way to start was to have someone hold us up. Well, to get to your lessons, you have to actually get on the ice, and the first time I went away from the wall, I took one injudicious step, fell down and landed on my head. The knit cap flew off (they’re no protection at all) and I was very lucky not to have broken anything. We had our lesson, nonetheless—and we left the rink and made two stops the same day: one, to get us helmets with chin-straps (mine was for skateboarding, Jane’s for halfpipe) and two, to get skates of our very own, because we wanted this, we wanted it really badly. We got the skates, and because we just assumed the factory sharpened them to start with, and had no idea what the blades were supposed to look like, we wall-hugged longer than we should—I learned the bubble, the crossover and the snowplow stop, all shakily—and we transferred to Eagles when the ice began to go at Riverpark and discovered ice like glass...and skate sharpening. Our lessons went on, weekly—Lindsey Malcom was our instructor. We joined LCFSC, and around the time we ended up in Jo Williams, we graduated to stiffer skates. We passed our Level Two Basic Skills. And while we were still working with Lindsey, we started lessons from Joan Bellessa and got skating outfits. We skate regularly 11 hours a week, and after a year on the ice we're starting to work on the waltz jump. What have we gained from this experience? Well, start with what we've lost: 40 pounds apiece. And the acquisitions? Good bones, better posture, and a sense of balance. The doctor is ecstatic with my annual physical, I'm moving like I was 39 again, and I'm now taking aim at the next 40 pounds: I'm resolved that tutu's going to look pretty good by next fall. Other bonuses? I've acquired an absolute passion for the sport, I've met people I never would have met, people I really like hanging out with, and we're on the go daily. Best thing we ever did for ourselves. |
|
|
Sharon Reynolds: 2/26/05 Sharon is also our prize source of information and experience, especially where it comes to Adult-track testing. When CJ and I arrived, we knew nothing, literally, about the Adult track. We were innocents looking for a fun way to exercise. Sharon quickly set us straight and soon had us committed to Jo Wiiliams and our "Basic Level Two" tests. Immediately after we survived that experience, she hooked us up with Joan Bellessa and got us headed toward Pre-Bronze. I have a really uncomfortable feeling she's not going to let us stop there. Because Sharon is a True Believer . . . and very good at converting others. Back in 1996, Sharon became the first LCFSC member to test in the squeaky-new Adult-track, passing her Adult Bronze Skating. She's competed several times at Adult nationals and is just brimming with fascinating stories about those events (including her bronze medal win in the 2001 Bronze Ladies III). Beware: she's a medical person and knows how to use the knowledge:
her enthusiasm, her dedication, and especially her smile...are infective. |
|
|
Larry Muxlow:
2/27/05 A skater of one sort or another since he was speed-bump
size, Larry made his mark at the national level in rollerskates
before moving on to hockey and (luckily for us) figure skating.
He's not really big into competing, but he finally gave in and went
for (and got) his Adult Men's Silver in January and is working
now on Gold. |
|
|
Rita Ryan:
2/27/05 Funny thing, all the other adults had helmets, too! She's doing fine, and a more enthusiastic promotor of this club you won't find. In all her copious spare time, Rita runs Prokera, a company devoted to providing a great line of skin care products. Figure skating is, in a nutshell, hard on the skin. The air is very drying. As a stitcher (both decorative cross-stitch and clothing) I've found her prokera hand lotion to be one of my most effective defenses against fingers that snag delicate fabrics. |
|
|
More soon! (Like as soon as I can catch these jokers!) |
