tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81023208973706732872024-03-05T09:56:45.914+00:00No excuses: Diary of an Adult SkaterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-27088440895694229192016-06-11T13:15:00.003+01:002016-06-11T13:15:59.814+01:00Something a bit different...I've been toying with writing this for a while but couldn't decide whether I could a) bring myself to do it or b) handle the exposure.<br />
<br />
But you know what, if it helps someone else feel less alone then let's go for it. Maybe it will encourage people to think before they speak too, and avoid them inadvertently causing untold heartache.<br />
<br />
No one does it deliberately, or with malice, but for the media/law trained among you, this is a strict liability offence. The intent, or lack of it, in no way mitigates the crime.<br />
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The "offence"? Commenting on, or even asking about, someone's childless status.<br />
<br />
"Do you have children then?" This was the first question the beautician asked me yesterday while waxing my legs.<br />
"No."<br />
It could have been left there, but of course, it wasn't. It never is.<br />
"Oh?" Like I'm some sort of freak who isn't doing what they're supposed to do.<br />
"Why not?" Joking now, with a sort of wink: "Too young?" She can clearly see I'm not too young. In fact, she can see I'm a little too old, if anything.<br />
Now, what can I respond to that? Yes, I'm too young. Loving the freedom. No, but I don't want children.<br />
I could tell the truth. But I can guarantee she won't know where to put herself if I do. So I shrug it off, put on a fake little laugh, and change the subject.<br />
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And that's just the tip of the iceberg in reality. Not a day goes by when someone doesn't comment: "Oooh, pregnant?!" to a woman - any woman - who's just announced she feels a bit sick.<br />
<br />
Put yourself in the shoes of someone who's tried everything to have the family she's always longed for. She might have cried every month for five years when the dreaded "time of the month" yet again slaps her in the face. She'll have had endless hospital appointments, undergone invasive, embarrassing, even humiliating, tests, perhaps had rounds of treatment, maybe even surgery. And yet, every month, it's the same.<br />
<br />
One day, she's told there's no hope. And there really is no hope. Not "Oh-go-on-hoilday-and-relax-it-might-happen-hope" not "I've-known-people-who've-been-through-IVF-and-then-they-fell-pregnant-naturally-hope". There is no hope. No medical chance. Zilch. Nada. It's not possible. Will never be possible.<br />
<br />
Make no mistake - she's suffering grief. She may not have physically lost a child, but in reality that's exactly what's happened. She's lost the child she imagined, maybe even named.<br />
She might have collected toys or clothes she wanted to give to them one day.<br />
There's the sudden feeling of irrelevance. It's all those mementos she's collected over the years to pass onto her own family. The one that's now - and will forever be - non-existent. The wisdom she wanted to share - how she wanted to teach them the hobbies she's enjoyed - the diaries she saved to one day show them - and the family photos there's no one to share with.<br />
It's trying to find meaning in life without a family. No children = no grandchildren.<br />
It's looking to a future in a care home, with no one to visit her.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, she'll have a disappointed mother, who feels desperate to be a gran, and she'll feel pressure to hold herself together in the face of carrying on with "everyday life", work, making the tea etc. And she doesn't want to upset her equally devastated husband any more than he already is, so she puts on a brave face.<br />
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She continues - because what other option is there?<br />
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I know what some are thinking at this point - because it's often the standard response. Why not "just adopt". There are plenty of children out there needing families, right? Yes, that may help some. It may not help others. A suggestion that paints her - again, inadvertently - as selfish for wanting her own isn't going to help her feel better. I promise you, she will have considered all the options.<br />
<br />
As someone without her own children - perhaps no experience of raising children - she may not feel in a position to do a good job of bringing up an older child, or one with additional care needs - and that's just one potential scenario. There's also the fact that this wrung-out shell of a woman who's been poked, prodded, and suffered untold levels of heartbreak has just been through three, five, maybe ten years of hell. Beginning another drawn-out - maybe another five year - process which puts her under scrutiny and asks her to justify why she should be "approved" to have a family - when most others can just have one, literally no questions asked - is probably something she can't face.<br />
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Now remember you're in her shoes. And tell me how you feel when a joking friend - meaning no harm - suggests you might be pregnant - and how you respond to the question of why you have no children at your age?<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-64659071825415859432015-12-03T00:28:00.000+00:002015-12-03T00:28:45.246+00:0014 Christmas gift ideas for skaters<h3>
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>It's the most wonderful time of the year...</i></span></b></h3>
Skater types always love skating-themed gifts, no question. A new pair of Chloes, a skirt, a dress, a hoodie, a jacket, new soakers or blade guards....the possibilities are endless.<br />
<br />
Since my list last year was so popular (which I hope means some of you had an awesome Christmas!), I decided to update it for this year for you to share with (and hint to) your family and friends ;-)<br />
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<b>So here are 14 ideas to begin with for something a little bit special.</b><br />
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Happy hinting!<br />
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<i>Little disclaimer: I haven't necessarily bought any of these things and can take no responsibility for the quality of items or reputable nature of any of the websites linked. Check those things out for yourself! (Although, as an aside, I have used Cafepress and had nothing but joy from them:-)</i><br />
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<b>1) JEWELLERY</b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>Do you know any girl who doesn't love a <b><i>new necklace or pair of earrings</i></b>? There are quite a few bits of skating jewellery out there to be found if you look hard enough. Here are just some ideas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMNaoZJh7v0r9fJxmH9446TEjnWdZ_9bwFAiKXHml5uE7DE7tA2axGlddWd8U6y1e7FgVQOXMtJgvDQDzAzs7lhQWaVbQv8H_PFlb-McLFO85phhGol3UWG552EhOwVExB1fPdkAVjcE/s1600/skate-boot-earrings.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMNaoZJh7v0r9fJxmH9446TEjnWdZ_9bwFAiKXHml5uE7DE7tA2axGlddWd8U6y1e7FgVQOXMtJgvDQDzAzs7lhQWaVbQv8H_PFlb-McLFO85phhGol3UWG552EhOwVExB1fPdkAVjcE/s200/skate-boot-earrings.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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As far as stocking fillers go, <a href="http://iceventureuk.com/jewellery/561-ice-skate-boot-earrings.html" target="_blank">these cute earrings</a>, left, are perfect. A snip at just <b>£5.99 </b>from Iceventure.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX4N_tbMPRGl_dqzfxu8qjL85yRFNZxVbkWWj6iH00a03RP9MR02LKEtN4fCmxBb2MKx_SVUpTkZMhKpbXIEFkLmrNivZcKQujahr4sseGjQAAeJwhYt1A6vVKN6aq1jLAP4MBc3jnPM/s1600/blue-crystal-skate.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX4N_tbMPRGl_dqzfxu8qjL85yRFNZxVbkWWj6iH00a03RP9MR02LKEtN4fCmxBb2MKx_SVUpTkZMhKpbXIEFkLmrNivZcKQujahr4sseGjQAAeJwhYt1A6vVKN6aq1jLAP4MBc3jnPM/s1600/blue-crystal-skate.png" width="138" /></a><br />
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For something again not too expensive, this blue stoned skate necklace, right, available from <a href="http://iceventureuk.com/jewellery/386-blue-crystal-skate-necklace.html" target="_blank">iceventureuk</a> is adorable. I got one of these for Christmas last year and love it. My only complaint would be the chain has tarnished somewhat in the time I've had it, but what do you want for <b>£10.99</b>?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwx7817ZKAZgNybyyEFGs7EbA15dqfhzTIck-uPKACOq2hSOmmHLxePMDPYY2IqjY4fZYGnw9_FFeU1xoNkcuyALudD2ufXqIp7LG9a1GYVA35a47xEcmjy6KURk9mqeySawpohU6FVxM/s1600/skate-charm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwx7817ZKAZgNybyyEFGs7EbA15dqfhzTIck-uPKACOq2hSOmmHLxePMDPYY2IqjY4fZYGnw9_FFeU1xoNkcuyALudD2ufXqIp7LG9a1GYVA35a47xEcmjy6KURk9mqeySawpohU6FVxM/s200/skate-charm.png" width="116" /></a>For something a little more upmarket, how about <a href="http://www.johngreedjewellery.com/women-c193/charms-c199/thomas-sabo-silver-and-white-enamel-ice-skate-charm-0716-007-14-p27533?gclid=Cj0KEQiAyvqyBRChq_iG38PgvLgBEiQAJbasd0Yi3MqKd5PuI2-xJPMVZNi0Xg8bxGeJE6IoHKU9AzYaAgwk8P8HAQ#fo_c=506&fo_k=cb3e96cc6ca5fbae4df4197af6159dc2&fo_s=gplauk" target="_blank">this Thomas Sabo silver and white enamel ice skate charm</a>? It's <b>£39.95</b> on its own, but obviously would be a bit more pricey if you got a bracelet to go along with it.<br />
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Another super cute necklace is this one, below, which also comes with an initial monogram and birthstone-coloured bead for the personal touch. This one's <b>£10.18</b> (plus shipping) <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/198143163/ice-skate-charm-necklace-personalized?ref=related-0" target="_blank">from Etsy</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4udz3AhOGOc-EJKVT4frfI1LK2CJXM88X6w0z3nzzkW7WSf8mnl7VGz4zLgQM0WpvVOYn7qJQ0cbLEKtMVwZb2_gRFLrOQQRCqd66kxiTmgH9iqrJaB_VussjenwzqNecWGry1Vvxqag/s1600/mono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4udz3AhOGOc-EJKVT4frfI1LK2CJXM88X6w0z3nzzkW7WSf8mnl7VGz4zLgQM0WpvVOYn7qJQ0cbLEKtMVwZb2_gRFLrOQQRCqd66kxiTmgH9iqrJaB_VussjenwzqNecWGry1Vvxqag/s320/mono.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>2) BOOKS</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Art-of-Skating-9781429090872-by-Irving-Brokaw-Paperback-BRAND-NEW-FREE-P-H-/191381043493" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Irving Brokaw's The Art of Skating</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwagbHoI8oMmSedVADhVpcIDjnOMfQAhmf3rgCpJAqv9RspDJsQsNY-wGW0sAalO7wG4AZmkyJV5sVuRYMrfBxVQNeFSCBgo-j4ExW27dxXlTOq0GLT6wwc8N_IrHDuL8qg86yZeAMIZo/s1600/artofskating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwagbHoI8oMmSedVADhVpcIDjnOMfQAhmf3rgCpJAqv9RspDJsQsNY-wGW0sAalO7wG4AZmkyJV5sVuRYMrfBxVQNeFSCBgo-j4ExW27dxXlTOq0GLT6wwc8N_IrHDuL8qg86yZeAMIZo/s1600/artofskating.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
Irving Brokaw was the first American to compete in figure skating at the Olympics in 1908 (the first Olympics to include it as a sport). Including lots of illustrations and pictures, Irving Brokaw's book charts the history and<br />
<a name='more'></a>development of figure skating from its beginnings until the book was published in 1910. It also includes chapters on the moves and elements of that time, so is a fascinating read, giving the reader a glimpse into what the sport once was.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Indelible-Tracings-Story-Figure-Skating/dp/0984602704" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Indelible Tracings:The story of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team</a></b><br />
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This book, by Patricia Shelley Bushman takes the reader into the lives of all those killed in the 1961 tragedy, including the skaters, coaches, officials and family members and friends who were accompanying them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurkMu-DU3ppbrr7BVp6NPIwqLxYylNxGr0VQp5EMqnNuixarCAKLFZ0GI7nq_SeEfWOsdWIyyTHBU2Yn_AgS5nwlSEYxCw0Ue7wMGqDE6GBRpeYDydKmgmCz_0_MMATRx5YIw0JLgQiw/s1600/hamillbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurkMu-DU3ppbrr7BVp6NPIwqLxYylNxGr0VQp5EMqnNuixarCAKLFZ0GI7nq_SeEfWOsdWIyyTHBU2Yn_AgS5nwlSEYxCw0Ue7wMGqDE6GBRpeYDydKmgmCz_0_MMATRx5YIw0JLgQiw/s1600/hamillbook.jpg" width="131" /></a><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/SKATING-LIFE-A-Dorothy-Hamill/dp/1401303285" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dorothy Hamill: A Skating Life; my story</a></b><br />
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Any skater will know of Dorothy Hamill. This book is her easy-to-read autobiography, in which she talks about life as a skater, some of the technical aspects of figure skating, and also her own personal life.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ballet-Secrets-Skaters-Artistic-Competitive/dp/0972672389" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ballet Secrets for Skaters</a></b><br />
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If you know a skater who is working on their finesse (who isn't??) - their graceful arms, head positions and how to hold their bodies - but who doesn't have time for a ballet class (or can't find on, like me), this book's a great idea. The author is a Russian trained dancer, choreographer and instructor who shares ballet technique in simple steps.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcome-My-World-Johnny-Weir/dp/145161134X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Welcome to My World - Johnny Weir</a></b><br />
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For a slightly more entertaining read, look no further than Weir's autobiography. Enough said.<br />
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<b>3) SKATING JOURNAL</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Most skaters I know like to keep lesson notes, and there are stacks of pretty journals out there that are perfect for the job. Here are just a few of the ones I like the look of, all <b>£7.50</b> <a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+axelent+journals" target="_blank">from Cafepress:</a><br />
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ROddOVBhyphenhyphenjmT8mToP_eStp0Uciy5WtxVIH76Ng0L-_3038hiLC7DW_IkuF-esCgQqT14HzlaSfmYua2kAAfxSt12Q2jNSh0rg6Co8X35sPUcTGtBj3e-o6wIaDqdHpiW8qrKbSPguXU/s1600/figure_skating_journ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ROddOVBhyphenhyphenjmT8mToP_eStp0Uciy5WtxVIH76Ng0L-_3038hiLC7DW_IkuF-esCgQqT14HzlaSfmYua2kAAfxSt12Q2jNSh0rg6Co8X35sPUcTGtBj3e-o6wIaDqdHpiW8qrKbSPguXU/s320/figure_skating_journ.jpg" width="150" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvF8KexfDHTDraX5hWQm9LkAtBFGiJCy1Jvcn4q9_utIOefgxCMexwtGPMq_6d8INLXYrG2Fo4AcIXlrFysStDWvDn9tIpXEuThI6ud_-dk-ePiqyCMqT7qrgLiQg0nMtfFzaN5J-gVg/s1600/time_to_go_ice_skating_journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvF8KexfDHTDraX5hWQm9LkAtBFGiJCy1Jvcn4q9_utIOefgxCMexwtGPMq_6d8INLXYrG2Fo4AcIXlrFysStDWvDn9tIpXEuThI6ud_-dk-ePiqyCMqT7qrgLiQg0nMtfFzaN5J-gVg/s320/time_to_go_ice_skating_journal.jpg" width="150" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4MmxY_I_0k_Sc6EUA0N4w5LkZY3kcVY52hapbHZuUeS5tkqA8aoEil3nAkFLBIsvVVR4fqPMmWSwyBnjwj3HfRr-TDZAgBFCfFPx5hT9WiaxrVaIYXS_nOPw5wUGf0gYcHc7gtsRWRs/s1600/skatejournal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4MmxY_I_0k_Sc6EUA0N4w5LkZY3kcVY52hapbHZuUeS5tkqA8aoEil3nAkFLBIsvVVR4fqPMmWSwyBnjwj3HfRr-TDZAgBFCfFPx5hT9WiaxrVaIYXS_nOPw5wUGf0gYcHc7gtsRWRs/s320/skatejournal.png" width="150" /></a></td>
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<b>4) IPHONE/IPAD/MACBOOK CASES</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_-yvhsYfC1mpatlzSLyzVBYT2-eK9Ujximm4s5wadJCkWxsGnhX6P4DleDGA-vLZ51vqOfRf9xhAWDDNgRP7bf3aaX_mSKYMh3jde6trWuunViLykg87EMMjk3WfST8R0-I6tRy0S0U/s1600/phonecase1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_-yvhsYfC1mpatlzSLyzVBYT2-eK9Ujximm4s5wadJCkWxsGnhX6P4DleDGA-vLZ51vqOfRf9xhAWDDNgRP7bf3aaX_mSKYMh3jde6trWuunViLykg87EMMjk3WfST8R0-I6tRy0S0U/s200/phonecase1.png" width="156" /></a>There are actually loads of options for designs for these accessories out there.<br />
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This one, right, <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/figure_skater_personalised_iphone_6_case_barely_there_iphone_6_case-179221325962025324" target="_blank">from Zazzle</a>, is quite pricey at £33.95, but very pretty and personalised.<br />
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I also like <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/funnyshirts2015/works/14710884-funny-ice-skating-tshirts-and-hoodies?grid_pos=38&p=iphone-case" target="_blank">this one</a>, below, from Redbubble. Made me crack a smile, anyway. :-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNOv5HgqqL9EIlPVRlGyg505vR7Pcf-xSh8uxrtuUBntFvv1q_7333epbC5FoerqrBmLisgT5XaAkEXQQ5hvPFO6UlXhYf9m28CLslBwTpZSOgh8jeGMkpq7VlT4YsQgUSrJcgpY244k/s1600/iphonecase.png" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNOv5HgqqL9EIlPVRlGyg505vR7Pcf-xSh8uxrtuUBntFvv1q_7333epbC5FoerqrBmLisgT5XaAkEXQQ5hvPFO6UlXhYf9m28CLslBwTpZSOgh8jeGMkpq7VlT4YsQgUSrJcgpY244k/s320/iphonecase.png" width="158" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>5) TOUCH SCREEN GLOVES and IPHONE/IPOD ARMBAND</b><br />
<b><br /></b>If you know a skater who either a) likes to use their phone/iPad to film themselves/others skating, b) likes to listen to music on their iPhone/iPod while skating, or c) is one of those people who just can't bear to be separated from their phone, this combo is a great idea.<br />
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You don't need me to point you in the direction of either of these things; they're available everywhere.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>6) MUGS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Who doesn't love a good mug?? Or is that just me with my massive obsession?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREQhbacs7ns7cxGW4RfDSHuAZkLXNQKXpjBIrkZMVBChncqVQE0mW8JjdmkYbAPbMD3dR0fBNIEBRbOKaK70Wg5_wvV2fJvSyI7FDbdqFoQH2MUMhfnV2hn9II5SN2a10DjRP1_8UCyk/s1600/believe_in_yourself_skater_mug.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREQhbacs7ns7cxGW4RfDSHuAZkLXNQKXpjBIrkZMVBChncqVQE0mW8JjdmkYbAPbMD3dR0fBNIEBRbOKaK70Wg5_wvV2fJvSyI7FDbdqFoQH2MUMhfnV2hn9II5SN2a10DjRP1_8UCyk/s1600/believe_in_yourself_skater_mug.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Anyway, it's the easiest thing in the world to find a variety of fabulous skatey mugs out there on the World Wide Web.<br />
<br />
Even better - dress it up by adding some hot chocolate-making<br />
accessories into it and wrapping in pretty cellophane.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgO_cMAdaxKFQ33sxY67xj5RJoePJouysrpkPlt_HxyczOpbgPf3V7sjOpV0riwLFNt4Ut2yQ_R4TceSdqZsdIZWP2u2ajfiIf1YVWB8tfxkXt1wVRDsu-mMBFcVfoQ62nk749BmTqUI/s1600/ice_skating_spiral_mug.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgO_cMAdaxKFQ33sxY67xj5RJoePJouysrpkPlt_HxyczOpbgPf3V7sjOpV0riwLFNt4Ut2yQ_R4TceSdqZsdIZWP2u2ajfiIf1YVWB8tfxkXt1wVRDsu-mMBFcVfoQ62nk749BmTqUI/s1600/ice_skating_spiral_mug.png" width="200" /></a>There are about a thousand skating mugs <b><a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+figure+mugs" target="_blank">here on Cafepress</a></b> (one of my favourite websites, as I'm sure you can tell!)<br />
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<br />
<b><br /></b><b>7) PJS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>What more can I say? Who doesn't love a good new pair of jimmies? Especially ones with skates on. They can be found <b><a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+i_love_skating_pajamas,952839093" target="_blank">on Cafepress here</a></b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUdcgaxs8rSXJ23NietY7ia2iseSAjq2L_EbzD0RzCG1kW172SmgqZcmRxp8PJAOmfroSJ82AjnKWBLdnLx1ED0UK_SDLVUYspjDJhr02fO3PR0Ah0pyo7vdRxI0zn11vPV-TN4is20I/s1600/pjs2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUdcgaxs8rSXJ23NietY7ia2iseSAjq2L_EbzD0RzCG1kW172SmgqZcmRxp8PJAOmfroSJ82AjnKWBLdnLx1ED0UK_SDLVUYspjDJhr02fO3PR0Ah0pyo7vdRxI0zn11vPV-TN4is20I/s320/pjs2015.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOCmDPbF5upp_w4A2HavCW3XCnsVo3RvaAdEbe3mBdcg7NkEGhDoNZIxjjgPkir98YRprTQAwXuXhWcepHz91-oDwsl_IgdLB364YMlkhkkQ8NgOACCLrrEN8TceSpenz-giKIEdfhsc/s1600/iceprincess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOCmDPbF5upp_w4A2HavCW3XCnsVo3RvaAdEbe3mBdcg7NkEGhDoNZIxjjgPkir98YRprTQAwXuXhWcepHz91-oDwsl_IgdLB364YMlkhkkQ8NgOACCLrrEN8TceSpenz-giKIEdfhsc/s1600/iceprincess.jpg" width="140" /></a><b><br /></b><b>8) SKATING MOVIES</b><br />
<b><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUc_SkVcQtKdyl96UfsLDeVWgMUxsaZWYOSk5ggzV2sQGwvXzyIqfChU1-Ilby0HpWx9wUF8GSJSOmWt0fXtFVtHnjYsHwxkZwbiY7c8UO849TqM_9XDQ7Zs4l9RMrRU8spYG1_DUL5Zk/s1600/bladesglory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUc_SkVcQtKdyl96UfsLDeVWgMUxsaZWYOSk5ggzV2sQGwvXzyIqfChU1-Ilby0HpWx9wUF8GSJSOmWt0fXtFVtHnjYsHwxkZwbiY7c8UO849TqM_9XDQ7Zs4l9RMrRU8spYG1_DUL5Zk/s1600/bladesglory.jpg" width="135" /></a><b><br /></b><br />
Even as adults, we all love those cheesy skating movies. Yes, we sit and pick out the flaws, cringe at all the mentions of double Salchows and know how unrealistic most of the ridiculous moves are... but we love 'em anyway.<br />
<br />
There's a great list of figure skating movies already put together <a href="http://figureskating.about.com/od/figureskatingmovies/" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>9) SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
How about one of these <a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+figure_skating_keepsake_box,22975286" target="_blank">adorable keepsake boxes</a> from Cafepress?<br />
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<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsvoP0MAhVkYnl_kTXqlN5wdGUg6F9tH7RQkjoGbH_TiAMCP_dRZb03u3IiUoXJtKFRaGX_Mmf5hcL5B4OKoeZo-eDdljbT3Bg5LPz_OzzwmSc0SK1nIWnx6BZh1WgABLHFkIAbr2LPk/s1600/figure_skating_keepsake_box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsvoP0MAhVkYnl_kTXqlN5wdGUg6F9tH7RQkjoGbH_TiAMCP_dRZb03u3IiUoXJtKFRaGX_Mmf5hcL5B4OKoeZo-eDdljbT3Bg5LPz_OzzwmSc0SK1nIWnx6BZh1WgABLHFkIAbr2LPk/s320/figure_skating_keepsake_box.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijD_mRaRAQPA5sEj6cixAZbpyh4xOe8l_QiZ81t7NsJxU5-q0JgUy_XLsw_0kGqPrYkvEIIYiXPvgAg6gh6hSttYSrzhGQHt8Qkz5e55_QMfYHizqaAZDt8T-DmmTilMgceHebaFbMvFs/s1600/vintage_skates_keepsake_box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijD_mRaRAQPA5sEj6cixAZbpyh4xOe8l_QiZ81t7NsJxU5-q0JgUy_XLsw_0kGqPrYkvEIIYiXPvgAg6gh6hSttYSrzhGQHt8Qkz5e55_QMfYHizqaAZDt8T-DmmTilMgceHebaFbMvFs/s320/vintage_skates_keepsake_box.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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</tbody></table>
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<b>10) A VARIETY OF STOCKING FILLERS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>This classy <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/zivajaversek/works/8351500-ice-skating?grid_pos=22&p=throw-pillow" target="_blank">throw cushion</a> would make a nice little addition to the gift pile under the tree.<b></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopB0_f1GqfCgWOGobjUtHb0a4WyorYnSR_VwVNbEbD7yDmXVvVnC7Jd1DCwneZyiJWul4HqBs6iGvlQ4MveE01pCEmcW3Ucwp9Cvsd5mhFJpaaBREuqFVoUFzDT8LV8bSccIWyqWNZ4I/s1600/pillow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopB0_f1GqfCgWOGobjUtHb0a4WyorYnSR_VwVNbEbD7yDmXVvVnC7Jd1DCwneZyiJWul4HqBs6iGvlQ4MveE01pCEmcW3Ucwp9Cvsd5mhFJpaaBREuqFVoUFzDT8LV8bSccIWyqWNZ4I/s320/pillow.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OtnqC3KgPvcgIbwidMqSKr8rVkM6MP2hzUMEYiL7endGfE2_2YkVwVCgsuv6YTqGx4w7w7udimWW6_k07rb2NUVlDiWD8AKlTFvTtJgaTibPMdTyQ8EV8omoNOtorRB3NtGMJv1jFdA/s1600/keychainguard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OtnqC3KgPvcgIbwidMqSKr8rVkM6MP2hzUMEYiL7endGfE2_2YkVwVCgsuv6YTqGx4w7w7udimWW6_k07rb2NUVlDiWD8AKlTFvTtJgaTibPMdTyQ8EV8omoNOtorRB3NtGMJv1jFdA/s200/keychainguard.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Equally cute are these titchy blade guard keychains. I've seen these in a fair few skate shops, but for your information you can find some <a href="http://www.loveiceskating.co.uk/figure-skating-gifts/blue-ice-skate-guard-keyring.htm" target="_blank">here on loveiceskating.co.uk</a><b>.</b><br />
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<br />
<b><br /></b><b>11) THINGS TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR TRAINING</b><br />
<b><br /></b>A <b>spinner</b>, <b>Champion Cords</b>, or an <b>ankle buzzer</b> would probably all go down well with the skater in your life. Get your thinking cap on about what would help them.<br />
<br />
<b>12) FOR THE COACH</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Ok, we all know coaches are particularly hard to buy for. Possibly not so much for those of you lucky enough to have a female coach. <b>All women love some smellies or wine, right?</b> But when it comes to the male coaches - yeah, good luck with that. I'm struggling this year I'll admit.<br />
<br />
My best advice here would be to <b>pay attention to them</b> (as you should be anyway!!). They'll probably talk about their likes and dislikes at some point throughout the year.<br />
<br />
Maybe <b>some little ideas</b> could be a bottle of the alcoholic kind (work out what they like), choccies, or a gift card for the coach who comes in every morning with a Starbucks wouldn't go amiss I'm sure.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>13) SOMETHING FOR THOSE HARD-WORKING SKATING FEET</b><br />
<b><br /></b>This category could also work for the coach in your life as well as the skater. It's not rocket science - skaters' feet work hard! Some <b>buffers, lotions, soaks or even a Lush foot mask</b> (think face mask, but for the tootsies) would probably go down a treat after a long day at the rink.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>14) DIY GIFTS</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKO6AZrfbxU6GAsIqTAJGo57yAV_pdpi7k0fg6UC8MQqePiWu295Yhmrh8AIiecvh3iHbeEYkSWXKYW3FKuFLoKWOtiD-Ie-rG9V8ZJkzHLI9LtUy7AUHqWME0oD5QR3UwT6Ppfri-A/s1600/tote.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKO6AZrfbxU6GAsIqTAJGo57yAV_pdpi7k0fg6UC8MQqePiWu295Yhmrh8AIiecvh3iHbeEYkSWXKYW3FKuFLoKWOtiD-Ie-rG9V8ZJkzHLI9LtUy7AUHqWME0oD5QR3UwT6Ppfri-A/s1600/tote.png" width="115" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqBAlzDTQKOq3YW74ibSxgJW9dYBHgVNEMe8AzneOp2aVFDO79tdz72sua9yJYZg0wbHot_HVUCnVO7tecM-BfVYJHTGnCUZiXwjrmz13NmPFxwQKMEBbzvqi3FltjtlCHb622d16F38/s1600/IMG_3428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqBAlzDTQKOq3YW74ibSxgJW9dYBHgVNEMe8AzneOp2aVFDO79tdz72sua9yJYZg0wbHot_HVUCnVO7tecM-BfVYJHTGnCUZiXwjrmz13NmPFxwQKMEBbzvqi3FltjtlCHb622d16F38/s200/IMG_3428.JPG" width="150" /></a>Failing all else, <b>get crafting</b> - make something funky yourself, if you're handy with a sewing machine. Even if you're not that handy, you could probably still knock together the odd thing.<br />
<br />
I made myself and a friend tote bags like this, and a couple of years ago, I gave friends handmade bracelets with little skate charms hanging from them.<br />
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<br />
I also created a little scented pouch, pictured right, for another friend (who also loves music, hence the treble clef in the ice)....So it can be done - have faith!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Enjoy your Christmas shopping!</b></div>
<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-47222792793827255142015-09-06T11:43:00.000+01:002015-09-06T11:43:42.560+01:00Flexibility/stretching tutorialsI was asked recently if I could share some of the YouTube tutorials for stretching that are out there, so here are a few links for anyone it might help.<br />
<br />
I'm not a coach and not qualified in anything of this sort, so if anyone qualified is reading this and sees any issues with any of these videos/tutorials, please do let me know.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Stretches for getting your splits:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1DZP4Ml8fI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v1DZP4Ml8fI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Back stretches:</b></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GeXLIukyPic/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GeXLIukyPic?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
In fact, all of Lisa Maree's videos are pretty good - her channel is here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BalletLisa/videos" target="_blank">BalletLisa</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"The Frog" is really good for opening hips (although it's not the most lady-like of poses!!):</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Au2Vb7NwsbY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Au2Vb7NwsbY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Another for stretching the legs and improving hip flexibility:</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FlV8ca81HPE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FlV8ca81HPE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>If you're really at a beginner level, this is a great video showing you some starter stretches:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BErv-7Zquuo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BErv-7Zquuo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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I hope these help!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-27731353483079677772015-07-05T19:58:00.001+01:002015-07-05T19:58:52.767+01:007 figure skating scenes in movies and TV shows NOT about skatingThe Ice Princess, Cutting Edge, Blades of Glory...every skater has seen at least two out of the three I'm sure.<br />
<br />
I think skaters are pre-programmed to seek out films, TV shows and even adverts that feature figure skating - despite knowing they'll be angered on some level by the unrealistic elements and timescales contained within. Of course everyone can knock out a double axel after three weeks of lessons, right?<br />
<br />
But how many of these little gems did you notice? And are there more? Please do share your own in the comments.<br />
<br />
<b>1) Orange is the New Black</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-SY9PrKQxRofZ1TWM06TL9YpiUIy7x40txsDdheXNZcIuTF0rdF6LS0BBLR5bZfCjogY7_UqGtQdzykd3qaEegzxKWNFOdmLjj8hNJZQEvYc4HIjzG2OlDbuIoF84JtY1YmkZdVaZSk/s1600/uzo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-SY9PrKQxRofZ1TWM06TL9YpiUIy7x40txsDdheXNZcIuTF0rdF6LS0BBLR5bZfCjogY7_UqGtQdzykd3qaEegzxKWNFOdmLjj8hNJZQEvYc4HIjzG2OlDbuIoF84JtY1YmkZdVaZSk/s320/uzo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uzo Aduba (aka Crazy Eyes) in her skating days, left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This scene featuring my favourite character Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren was the inspiration for this blog post, actually. When I saw the episode a couple of weeks ago, I just had to Google the actress, Uzo Aduba, to find out if she was a figure skater. No non-skater could land that lovely off-ice axel, I thought. Sure enough, it turns out Uzo skated for 10 years as a youngster. No surprise.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The first time I saw this scene was long before skating was on my radar, and I recall my younger self thinking what a lovely skater Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) was. Now I recognise the simple but elegant turns for what they really are :-)<br />
<a name='more'></a> Still, it's nice that she still has some of those skills she picked up as a child.<br />
<br />
In the episode, Buffy refers to the "Dorothy Hamill phase" she went through while growing up.<br />
<br />
This scene was from "What's My Line Part 1" - episode nine of Season 2. I particularly like that Buffy then kills the bad guy with her skate.<br />
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<br />
<b>3) Rocky/Rocky VI</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Shockingly, these are not films I've actually seen myself. I probably should rectify that situation, especially after being quite touched by this.<br />
<br />
In this original one, I couldn't help but think skates would have been far easier!!<br />
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<br />
<br />
And as for this scene from Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI), in which Rocky revisits the site where the ice rink once stood with his now-deceased wife's brother, well, I must have got something in my eyes...<br />
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<b>4) Flashdance</b><br />
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More well-remembered for Jennifer Beals' famous dance to Irene Cara's What a Feeling, some might also remember that her main character Alex's best friend, Jeanie, is a figure skater. In this scene, Jeanie takes part in a skating competition (under spotlights, as you do) to the song Gloria. While neither the music nor costume would actually be allowed in a competition, it's a nice scene, nonetheless.<br />
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The skating scene was filmed at Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The same mall was used during the filming of George A Romero’s 1978 film, Dawn of the Dead.<br />
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<b>5) Somewhere</b><br />
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This 2010 film features a young Elle Fanning (sister of Dakota) as the daughter of a Hollywood actor. The character is a young figure skater, and Elle (all credit to her) actually did the skating herself in the movie, despite having to learn it from scratch in about three months.<br />
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As the skating includes little spins, and jumps, this really isn't bad going from Elle (though in honesty, I can't tell you what the jumps are meant to be, as they're extremely cheaty versions!)<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cc7Hw9JI_Jw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cc7Hw9JI_Jw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<b>7) Death Parade (Anime)</b><br />
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Again, I haven't actually seen this series or its related film, but finding this somewhat beautiful clip has inspired me to find it and watch it, for sure.<br />
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Death Parade is a Japanese anime series spawned from a short film, revolving around the premise that souls must do battle in game form to determine their judgement in the afterlife. This character, Chiyuki, is an assistant to one of these "judges".<br />
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She suffers from amnesia, but through this scene she finally rediscover her memories of being a young figure skater. I personally love the song she skates to and will be putting it forward to my coach should I ever need a new program!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-84645431710062530622015-06-24T23:59:00.001+01:002015-06-24T23:59:50.861+01:0010 things I learned from watching BACS (British Adult Championships)A couple of weekends ago, I went down to Sheffield with friends to watch the British Adult Championships. I try to go every year because it's so inspirational to watch other skaters my age and older competing. It was a fantastic event, as usual, and all the skaters were brilliant.<br />
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Here are some things I learned (or had reinforced in my mind) this year.<br />
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<b>1) Adult skaters are paranoid. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A7XLxc7Jwgsjm3xwwHdh2NeQ4Y1eQ-M0y9HeO_hNd3KrWzzN_8eKRs5imsiHsKRS7q_1w6wfjuAEyuub693PzCsgP1j3NdCiEs-Uw6mNIk6tIsW3Z2N-l-yOzEmi-x0cB4DT47BbJ7w/s1600/paranoidcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A7XLxc7Jwgsjm3xwwHdh2NeQ4Y1eQ-M0y9HeO_hNd3KrWzzN_8eKRs5imsiHsKRS7q_1w6wfjuAEyuub693PzCsgP1j3NdCiEs-Uw6mNIk6tIsW3Z2N-l-yOzEmi-x0cB4DT47BbJ7w/s320/paranoidcat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Not ALL adult skaters are paranoid, of course. You can't lump a whole bunch of people together like that, but certainly among skaters <i>I </i>know, this <i>can</i> be true.<br />
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I, and many others I know, often feel <i>judged</i> when we skate. Maybe we are sometimes. But at BACS, there's nothing but admiration for other skaters to be heard. When any skater is called out onto the rink at Sheffield, whatever their ability, skill level, or however long they've been skating, the only comments to be heard are positive ones, or occasionally "constructively-intended" criticism. There's not a bitchy word to be heard. It's refreshing when competitive sport can often be harsh.<br />
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<b>2) </b><b>Adult skaters are extremely supportive of one another.</b><br />
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Basically, see above.<br />
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<b>3) Confidence, or lack of it, shows...</b><br />
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It's true. A confident skater is instantly judged to be a good skater. If they believe in themselves, it comes across. A lack of confidence does the opposite. If a skater skates out onto the rink with head held high and a beaming smile, the audience (and no doubt judges) are already making assumptions about what's to come. First impressions count.<br />
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<b>4) ...BUT if you <i>fake </i>your confidence, it still shows.</b><br />
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Confidence is a state of mind - but it's also an outward impression. If you don't feel confident, try to come out with the head held high and the beaming smile <i>anyway. </i>Who's going to know you don't really feel it inside? The answer is - only <i>you. </i>Those first impressions will still be one of confidence, instantly colouring the audience's and judges' opinions of your skating skills.<br />
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<b>5) Posture makes all the difference...</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNCt3-nBVHgDVyaULUF5jsUGXteyvGRX0OaG3NlDKgET07FKcQEZkMmXZHeeZbiR0E1Qc1Zq-5N6V2k0wI3YnxykG28T5oYsGI2K9g2j3okJWqvCJm-ypZS_3j4wUm4vi0n1g_Wevonk/s1600/Mao_Asada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNCt3-nBVHgDVyaULUF5jsUGXteyvGRX0OaG3NlDKgET07FKcQEZkMmXZHeeZbiR0E1Qc1Zq-5N6V2k0wI3YnxykG28T5oYsGI2K9g2j3okJWqvCJm-ypZS_3j4wUm4vi0n1g_Wevonk/s200/Mao_Asada.JPG" width="133" /></a></div>
This point is again related to confidence. A slouchy skater looks to lack confidence, and therefore skill. If Mao Asada skated out onto the rink with a hunched up back, looking down at the ice, would you have been as impressed?<br />
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But this point also goes further than that. As we all know (or should know), the placement of the upper body makes a world of difference to our skating. My coach must have told me a million times that having my head looking up and in the right direction means I'm more likely to be on the right edge, or not scraping my toepicks, etc etc...<br />
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<b>6) ...As do nice arms...</b><br />
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Even at some of the lower levels in which a skater doesn't yet have the confidence and/or ability to "do" too many "pretty arms" in their program, a nice, straight set of arms looks so much more confident than those with a bend at the elbow, or floppy arms. I see why my coach is a big fan of shouting "ARMS!" at me now. :-)<br />
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<b>7) ...And finally - shoulders. </b><br />
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I actually never realised until very recently what a difference shoulders make to a person's overall posture and look. Even just holding the shoulders a little too high (which happens a lot with nerves and tension) can make a person look ungainly or lacking in confidence.<br />
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<b>8) If you forget your program, make it up as you go along and don't let on.</b><br />
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One girl I know had the "mind blank" issue on the day. I imagine she wasn't the only one. The thing was, we had no idea, watching her, that it had happened, until we saw her afterwards and she was upset about it. It's not an ideal situation, but try to remember that the only person who knows you've messed up is <i>you. </i>Unless you make it obvious, of course.<br />
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<b>9) The golden rule: If you fall, get up - as fast as possible - and carry on.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwI7EfcJjzpi4E5AOp4Cgzdb-u2GN1iGgspNdIEpaIqb0_9N7Rs66hX5ro0PdQlZ0STdURzUNJqOzCX__MA79eXCwIrmouarLeDa7YBcPWsonXJRiy48LfE1IstGv6LrJt_sfmlW59Zo/s1600/skater-falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwI7EfcJjzpi4E5AOp4Cgzdb-u2GN1iGgspNdIEpaIqb0_9N7Rs66hX5ro0PdQlZ0STdURzUNJqOzCX__MA79eXCwIrmouarLeDa7YBcPWsonXJRiy48LfE1IstGv6LrJt_sfmlW59Zo/s200/skater-falls.jpg" width="200" /></a>Unless you've broken a bone, of course. Although, even then, if you can carry on, do. You can pass out later ;-)<br />
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Everyone will admire you when you carry on. Even the best skaters fall in competitions. It means you're skating to your full ability and pushing yourself. Good for you.<br />
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<b>10) A bit different, number 10 - take a damn blanket.</b><br />
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Man does it get cold, sitting in an ice rink for maybe 12 hours, for two or three days straight. And a rink that was warm last time might not be this time ;-) You have been warned.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-17569718283922413152015-04-28T16:57:00.000+01:002015-04-28T16:57:39.212+01:00Those weeks when you seem to go backwardsWe all have those weeks, those <i>bad skates.</i><br />
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But I don't think my tough Russian coach believes in such nonsense as "<i>a bad skate". </i>I distinctly remember saying to Coach A recently that I was "having a bad skate today" and was met with the simple, ever-so-serious response: "Why?"<br />
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It's a fair question when you think about it. Why? The ice is still ice, your boots and feet haven't been altered overnight, so it must all be in the head, right? So although it's definitely not as simple as "Well, don't have a bad skate then" (which was the next thing Coach A said to me, haha!) - it's surely worth a word with yourself about whether you can get your head out of that mindset.<br />
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Think I've needed a few of those words myself this past week.<br />
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So with that in mind, I'm sharing this video of my program practice from about a month ago. It's not great - pretty poor show, in fact, but even this is better than I've been coming anywhere close to this week, so I'm trying to remind myself of what I was capable of just a few weeks ago, and kick my own butt into gear ready for my next lesson!!<br />
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<br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kolSAuwuCOQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-75974215100923993242015-04-25T18:45:00.003+01:002015-05-03T20:27:07.202+01:0010 reasons you should take up figure skating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>People often think of figure skating or ice skating either as a fun activity for children/teens or as something there's no point in taking up seriously if you didn't begin aged five.</i><br />
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<i>Here are 10 reasons to take up skating as an adult - share this with your non-skating friends and encourage them to try something new!</i><br />
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<b>1) Fun</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKsa1Kn0oyTojbCvbnDVrZCs72LCLR85XCRhiml2g0g-vbsyb3LwInvUPjaQyB062fPfRSDTpNU0EAgc4RZTv5Mwt_nAo5TVY4Lwmc5shULS3vNqxvzlA4csAXOOc1BCDrgeINvwFQyE/s1600/IMG_0849.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKsa1Kn0oyTojbCvbnDVrZCs72LCLR85XCRhiml2g0g-vbsyb3LwInvUPjaQyB062fPfRSDTpNU0EAgc4RZTv5Mwt_nAo5TVY4Lwmc5shULS3vNqxvzlA4csAXOOc1BCDrgeINvwFQyE/s1600/IMG_0849.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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If nothing else, skating is fun. Huge bags of fun.</div>
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And the better you get at skating, the more fun you can have with it.</div>
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Say no more.</div>
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<b>2) Friendships</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn3uV40-AsexbpHIx9x5Kd9JDKy-C6Imx9TQMYNOmh5NRz-rVQE9DZNApmCYrlvRTRg7BSoCaHN-f5TddF_C33s6n8vs1SIKVyF6oC5rZjCQ1jMomPmjDesyTzrQbL4lMmQafOPiA6FQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn3uV40-AsexbpHIx9x5Kd9JDKy-C6Imx9TQMYNOmh5NRz-rVQE9DZNApmCYrlvRTRg7BSoCaHN-f5TddF_C33s6n8vs1SIKVyF6oC5rZjCQ1jMomPmjDesyTzrQbL4lMmQafOPiA6FQ/s1600/photo.JPG" height="320" width="317" /></a></div>
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As an adult, it can become very difficult to make new friends, and many of us have found ourselves in a situation where friends have moved away, got married, lost touch etc. </div>
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Taking up a new activity is a great way to make new, lasting friendships with great people. It also means you can start skating alone, because you'll quickly find skating buddies to keep you company on the rink.</div>
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<b>3) Health and Fitness</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbYdKwSCGIFay0D8a4jqosw0KJZzYfBIotV2oHfklMEv-NTuDWr3Dn90SI2fo5jEkm_WaUc-vW_Tsq0xVN2KOg-DxoA5Dfz2dfOk9bM18YAa52q_8DfY5k3P8h_HfwMMdDkMhsTAKEKU/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbYdKwSCGIFay0D8a4jqosw0KJZzYfBIotV2oHfklMEv-NTuDWr3Dn90SI2fo5jEkm_WaUc-vW_Tsq0xVN2KOg-DxoA5Dfz2dfOk9bM18YAa52q_8DfY5k3P8h_HfwMMdDkMhsTAKEKU/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" /></a></div>
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Trust me, when you start to love your new sport, nothing will stand in your way to get fit and eat more healthily, and you'll look and feel great for it.</div>
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Not even chocolate tempts me, most of the time ;-)</div>
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Additionally, scientists say regular exercise makes immune cells more active and ready to fight off infection. People who regularly exercise take fewer sick days than couch potatoes.</div>
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<b>4) Mental Health / Stress Relief</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH9OYhG4MUvrur9ITEruPmwTaBNi7mizLG9VBK_j_N7-YTvQVQiBRUvZq8ZzWRDIzpQQmKrUjrNwlrJpHv2GYHJ3oJvQXnhoLT8yd2CbM5jEpAImpy3lQnRiAK7aKk3Ko4MpPjMaqSlw/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH9OYhG4MUvrur9ITEruPmwTaBNi7mizLG9VBK_j_N7-YTvQVQiBRUvZq8ZzWRDIzpQQmKrUjrNwlrJpHv2GYHJ3oJvQXnhoLT8yd2CbM5jEpAImpy3lQnRiAK7aKk3Ko4MpPjMaqSlw/s1600/2.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></a></div>
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When you've had a hard day at work / you have family issues / health problems / anything else life wants to throw at you, skating is your best friend.</div>
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There's nothing like the cool rink, the air in your face, and trying not to faceplant to take your mind off everything else that's going on. </div>
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Incidentally, I used this picture to illustrate this point because if you look closely, you'll see a bandage on my arm ;-)</div>
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<b>5) Look Younge</b>r</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFWLEL3_FmPBC8IpbZwHGR3f89YTDeaz3J1xGC_NZbNuEdcScXuA6KfQchejSi6iWIR3tBUJ8gp_nJ_PbShChVkquzPtuwTCoRnt7wblefyfusNzOzD6vdwW37xQ3Ax1iCwCiB2ezHmw/s1600/young.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFWLEL3_FmPBC8IpbZwHGR3f89YTDeaz3J1xGC_NZbNuEdcScXuA6KfQchejSi6iWIR3tBUJ8gp_nJ_PbShChVkquzPtuwTCoRnt7wblefyfusNzOzD6vdwW37xQ3Ax1iCwCiB2ezHmw/s1600/young.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let's face it, we women will do a lot of things to halt those wrinkles. Why not skate? Scientists say the increased circulation through exercise gets oxygen and nutrients to the skin more effectively while flushing harmful toxins out. </div>
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<b>6) Live longer</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OikAhoB5nO2wq7XRqwM3eb68_N0yw0JxXavNlyTYFgcZ2xhli70AbnLFEdefWDG3Metx_PZkl6fnFM9xKrEv4P-N6wTSYKqGP6-5ATGOlwishzRl7Eit2ZSL-6h4xNzHSeMyDXcg52c/s1600/oldlady.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OikAhoB5nO2wq7XRqwM3eb68_N0yw0JxXavNlyTYFgcZ2xhli70AbnLFEdefWDG3Metx_PZkl6fnFM9xKrEv4P-N6wTSYKqGP6-5ATGOlwishzRl7Eit2ZSL-6h4xNzHSeMyDXcg52c/s1600/oldlady.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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People who exercise regularly have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and obesity, thus increasing your chances of living longer. </div>
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<b>7) More energy</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIinb2wzsbsID0rIJCrF-HsbkpAKW81gpqIVtkKsI8CTRXVeQR2Epm7m7zT9wyc94urHltZuGjtGbEPJeOmYHgl45tJuaQ9ukGqE837k1s1jYy2e9YOVCRCtuI89As9prc9nOY9BQE10/s1600/energy-boost.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIinb2wzsbsID0rIJCrF-HsbkpAKW81gpqIVtkKsI8CTRXVeQR2Epm7m7zT9wyc94urHltZuGjtGbEPJeOmYHgl45tJuaQ9ukGqE837k1s1jYy2e9YOVCRCtuI89As9prc9nOY9BQE10/s1600/energy-boost.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Ever noticed that the less activity you do, the less energy you seem to have? I feel at my best when I'm up early for work then go skating afterwards. I seem to have boundless energy on those days. I definitely feel groggier and lazier on the days when I sit in front of the TV. Physical activity is a surprisingly effective wake-up call. </div>
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<b>8) Challenge</b></div>
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There's no better feeling than overcoming a challenge, seriously. Challenges make life interesting. And they create growth within us.</div>
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Find out your limits - or that <i><b>there are no limits to what you can achieve</b></i>.
<a href="http://twitter.com/home/?status=There are no limits to what you can achieve Via @noexcusesonice"><span style="color: purple;">Tweet this </span></a>
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<b>9) Life Skills</b></div>
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Skating can teach many life lessons that are useful in other areas of life.</div>
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Hard work pays off, how to set goals and reach them, how to take pride in how far you've come since the beginning, not to be afraid to make mistakes or fall, how to (both literally and metaphorically) get up when you fall, perseverance. The list is endless. </div>
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<b>10) Achievement and Confidence</b></div>
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And finally......There really is no bigger boost to your confidence and self-belief when you realise that something you struggled with a year ago is now just part of your warm-up routine. Skating is a constant wave of achievements, some small, some bigger, but all significant and empowering.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-90430761346416361972015-03-28T14:03:00.000+00:002015-03-28T14:04:18.780+00:00If you can, why aren't you?The title of this one says it all, really. This is the question I've been forced to ask myself, and I'd encourage every other adult skater to figure out if they need to be asking themselves the same.<br />
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I don't know about you, but I think a great coach is one who not only teaches you the physical elements of skating (or any other sport), but also motivates you and/or gives you a metaphorical kick up the bum when needed (on a regular basis, in my case!).<br />
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This week, a few of Coach A's skaters had a talk about knowing what we want out of our skating - what are we aiming for? To compete? To test? To be the best we can be? To have fun and improve steadily? And when we know the answer to that, we need to skate accordingly, he says.<br />
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I get what he's saying, I do. It's easy to think as an adult skater there's nothing for me. I'm never going to the Worlds or the Olympics, or skating in shows, or becoming a coach (a decent one anyway!) - so why take it seriously? I guess that's up to each individual skater. I take it seriously because it's the first sport I've felt any sort of affinity with, the first one I've enjoyed and actually made any improvements in, albeit not as quickly as I would like. And I want to be the best skater <i>I </i>can be.<br />
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I must have taken some of these thoughts in because I had a good lesson yesterday. Coach A said I seemed to be pushing myself more than usual, and I was.<br />
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Then he suggested "a little competition", trying to see who could jump the highest and the furthest (among his adult skaters). I jokingly pointed out that I would win, as "I'm very competitive you know", and it became a challenge. Could I beat myself? After measuring my first attempt at a three jump with his blade, I'd managed "three-and-a-toe-pick" - could I do better? Damn right I could, haha! I made four blades on my second try.<br />
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Coach A pointed out then that this was a test, of sorts. The point being, if you can, why aren't you? If you can push yourself more to get almost a blade further on your jump, why aren't you doing four EVERY TIME? The capability is there when you put in 100%. Point taken. Why aren't I? Why aren't you? Let's try for 100% all the time and see how far we can get.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-1137764084029137552015-01-27T12:05:00.000+00:002015-01-27T12:05:00.192+00:00Who knew? Your coach was right all along...It seems like forever since I posted anything here! It's been mainly because I've been on a minimal skating regimen for the last couple of months so I feel like I haven't even done any skating to write about really.<br />
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I put myself on a skating "time budget" before Christmas because I had two injuries that just refused to heal - neither caused directly by skating, but continuing to skate was probably the reason they persisted as long as they did.<br />
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So I decided that, as the rink would be busy out of term time anyway, it would be a good time to cut down skating to literally my half-hour lesson once a week plus one other short practice session (usually an hour), and I banned anything that really pulled on the muscles, spirals, for example.<br />
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The hip flexor injury's not bugging me anymore, but four months down the line I'm still suffering with a strained adductor..however, it's feeling like it's on the mend finally after the rest(ish) period, so, although I'm not overdoing it, I have gone back to "proper" skating this week.<br />
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I've been making sure I warm up properly before every skate (I was often guilty of getting straight onto the ice before) - running to get my heart going then stretching before I even get my skates on, and I think I've discovered an interesting side effect of the warm up: I skate better.<br />
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It's a strange little phenomenon, because as I'm running, and getting out of breath, and my legs are starting to ache, I'm always thinking "This is a terrible idea. I'm going to be too knackered to skate!"<br />
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But then every time, I've found that by getting on the ice physically warm, not shivering, and already with loosened-up joints, I instantly feel much more energised, and therefore seem to skate a little bit faster, bend my knees more and "bounce" a bit easier (I'm usually so stiff-legged).<br />
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Who knew? What our coaches are telling us is actually right - you really do seem to fare better if you warm up before skating. Haha!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OF5jw_BMXIt6XAd7xqVMtwce1C7Lr5jUfRLtuqpxiARqPE134-8_8b9cp4V2sW0MxPwEfaLxVHJmG9suFDLFw_mPvh9gfZ3AZfrtTU8qKVQMNTBU2AIdFWWd5_4_PphUYL8agFw8RdU/s1600/coachtoldyou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OF5jw_BMXIt6XAd7xqVMtwce1C7Lr5jUfRLtuqpxiARqPE134-8_8b9cp4V2sW0MxPwEfaLxVHJmG9suFDLFw_mPvh9gfZ3AZfrtTU8qKVQMNTBU2AIdFWWd5_4_PphUYL8agFw8RdU/s1600/coachtoldyou.jpg" height="320" width="311" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-40265222990480112502014-12-27T00:30:00.000+00:002014-12-27T00:32:35.220+00:00*A year in pictures - 2014 edition*Not one to break tradition, here's my skating year in pictures for 2014 - hope you enjoy!<br />
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I'd love to see some of your favourite pictures from your skating year so please do share them in the comments or on Facebook.<br />
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I actually haven't taken many skating photos this year (maybe partly because I've had a lot of time off the ice due to injuries). Must fix this in 2015!<br />
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At the end of March, I got a fantastic opportunity (through the work I do) to go to the Dancing On Ice live tour's opening night and also the after party. I took along a friend and we had a great time. I have so many pictures from the night but here are a few of my favourites:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmretXOczfaZp7yDIY0XGMKGpefTGDygLfFwB9mkdL_mVDQ-j1CJmnhX96QwvK7P5kadBA5NRiF_8asnGv4UCPJZBAjTxVRXJdGSE5clYkhqwoeJaiD30lT1PtD1WWFKXx7hLFowTe44/s1600/doi2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmretXOczfaZp7yDIY0XGMKGpefTGDygLfFwB9mkdL_mVDQ-j1CJmnhX96QwvK7P5kadBA5NRiF_8asnGv4UCPJZBAjTxVRXJdGSE5clYkhqwoeJaiD30lT1PtD1WWFKXx7hLFowTe44/s1600/doi2.jpg" height="365" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I also quite like this one from March, which is me mid-3 jump. I loved this picture because it makes my 3 jump look much higher than it actually is ;-)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-wlMGNKtompwXG9ovEgUv8yn-pa-Af1JTF4zhJUxPJeTRzsp-B3nuTy9jdGk3-G_hCdu8XbHac9jdZ6-awtP8SwR-TnXsSj-I7Ens8Ty1DYvLtEqJ2hIYg1-qmaz6fsTvCc8-f51yag/s1600/3jumphigher.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-wlMGNKtompwXG9ovEgUv8yn-pa-Af1JTF4zhJUxPJeTRzsp-B3nuTy9jdGk3-G_hCdu8XbHac9jdZ6-awtP8SwR-TnXsSj-I7Ens8Ty1DYvLtEqJ2hIYg1-qmaz6fsTvCc8-f51yag/s1600/3jumphigher.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNYSf7i1t02ksDtLFi0OO0FrSagxViZsr64HeZ8RRShQ1JOUPT_fifiyorOi8CSmFZaGro4IhWHo1XOdo07eWbRky1GVQMYiRUk-UY2UYhokF4y7gPyCfpjKjYqLat11Km9WMROfPYdE/s1600/_ND34909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNYSf7i1t02ksDtLFi0OO0FrSagxViZsr64HeZ8RRShQ1JOUPT_fifiyorOi8CSmFZaGro4IhWHo1XOdo07eWbRky1GVQMYiRUk-UY2UYhokF4y7gPyCfpjKjYqLat11Km9WMROfPYdE/s1600/_ND34909.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
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In June, a photographer from work happened to be at the ice rink covering a story and he was kind enough to snap a bunch of photos of me and a friend as we practised.<br />
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The quality of his photos was amazing so I was super pleased to have them - unfortunately, out of about 50, only a handful are halfway decent because the quality of my skating was shocking! (It was also a very busy session and the ice was mush). These are some of the ones I liked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2WyvUxm8jryVE74PpZAoo3tm5gH9rg5eCUGSXxAtBBagul9aFSLGNYG_YD4wyugVro_wGgP5JBtR4I-M7Cw8TXk_Dbw4wrb-QPZNIYGzg0Ax3tfxii_RaHeXfCiX4keKD3AJu_HNY5w/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2WyvUxm8jryVE74PpZAoo3tm5gH9rg5eCUGSXxAtBBagul9aFSLGNYG_YD4wyugVro_wGgP5JBtR4I-M7Cw8TXk_Dbw4wrb-QPZNIYGzg0Ax3tfxii_RaHeXfCiX4keKD3AJu_HNY5w/s1600/2.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></a><br />
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In August, I went to the NISA Adult Development skate camp at Sheffield, which was fab. Great times with great friends (and made some new ones too - girls who skate at my rink but who I hadn't got to know previously, and one from a rink nearby). Not a lot of photos (too busy having fun!) but this sums up the fun we had!<br />
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And we had these T shirts made to wear there (because we're 10 years old inside....)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuqdARZvZUIDReWb4PQ2IRBp2bvtK99LLA-WI1-riUeV1xF95tZNEzVIkm6EqJOKrYK5myqciL62yXR29n82BkUQ7gEPdv0b9jCqOk8IHNCF_UMK9G5GllPmsk-LwoHTVhnvcmPO6h7E/s1600/tshirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuqdARZvZUIDReWb4PQ2IRBp2bvtK99LLA-WI1-riUeV1xF95tZNEzVIkm6EqJOKrYK5myqciL62yXR29n82BkUQ7gEPdv0b9jCqOk8IHNCF_UMK9G5GllPmsk-LwoHTVhnvcmPO6h7E/s1600/tshirts.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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And finally, to end the year on a high note, I got lots of skatey gifts this Christmas from some fabulous friends and family members. Hope Santa was good to you all too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUOVylk9FFJU9moVs8Xo44kQpNmkif78nfIcm96xuyPwyfgW2ClI828zqHNE19uqRGKK2qB2qCg1HpNlglaw-ydCdo_Ce3wXbI8mrSAPlrNiiJYCLlq2jQy8fjRmyVW_tJptiNXjcNWI/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUOVylk9FFJU9moVs8Xo44kQpNmkif78nfIcm96xuyPwyfgW2ClI828zqHNE19uqRGKK2qB2qCg1HpNlglaw-ydCdo_Ce3wXbI8mrSAPlrNiiJYCLlq2jQy8fjRmyVW_tJptiNXjcNWI/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>Here's wishing you all super skating for 2015!</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-40524102330535325782014-12-02T00:09:00.001+00:002014-12-02T00:09:45.849+00:0014 Christmas gift ideas for the figure skater in your lifeIt's Chrrrrrisssssssssttmmmaaaaaaaaaaasss! Ok, well, it's December - close enough.<br />
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We skater types always love skating-themed gifts at this time of year. A new pair of Chloes, a skirt, a dress, a hoodie, a jacket, new soakers or blade guards....the possibilities are endless. But putting aside the obvious, what else could you get for the skater in your life? Here are 14 (well, more really, as some categories have a few items in them) ideas for all budgets:<br />
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<b>1) JEWELLERY</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtx8VbOb9jrKSPatrvexPrX-LDufMpeEwXZHnQHA4T7NJXlA2h3zMvt0kz1FSAzPAnA8eZLDsy9t_vSgmcZ23P7w6Om_3L2Ruwg4h90X9W99bGkwJ2hdQ7lUzoPyqRvpwwCMLMjkH6f0/s1600/skates-neck-set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtx8VbOb9jrKSPatrvexPrX-LDufMpeEwXZHnQHA4T7NJXlA2h3zMvt0kz1FSAzPAnA8eZLDsy9t_vSgmcZ23P7w6Om_3L2Ruwg4h90X9W99bGkwJ2hdQ7lUzoPyqRvpwwCMLMjkH6f0/s1600/skates-neck-set.jpg" /></a><b><u><br /></u></b>
Do you know any girl who doesn't love a <b><i>new necklace or pair of earrings</i></b>? There are quite a few bits of skating jewellery out there to be found if you look hard enough. Here are just some ideas.<br />
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Right are<b> Jerry's silver-coloured and gold-coloured necklace and earring sets</b>. I can't find what these are made from, but at £8.99 from <a href="http://www.niceicebabyuk.com/product/skate-necklace-and-ear-ring-set/" target="_blank">Nice Ice Baby</a> (a business local to my rink, and very reliable) they'd make a fab stocking filler.<br />
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There aren't many places you can have <b>bespoke skate jewellery</b> made, but one designer close to where I skate makes fantastic pieces, and still very affordable too. If you caught her very soon I dare <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHpFIJbHCrIvOhFnY0ovscSIfxQgZduhH9C-4_211T8m-N1xI2QCiCnMOyEQ8xwcN15p1VKQhBGmAVPH6b8la4uaIwMfjJs7RH_FeVeDi5N49SUp7W2vIaInk780pBD5IVMKds954Y3c/s1600/DSC01338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHpFIJbHCrIvOhFnY0ovscSIfxQgZduhH9C-4_211T8m-N1xI2QCiCnMOyEQ8xwcN15p1VKQhBGmAVPH6b8la4uaIwMfjJs7RH_FeVeDi5N49SUp7W2vIaInk780pBD5IVMKds954Y3c/s1600/DSC01338.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
say you'd just make it in time for Christmas. The one-woman company (where everything is handmade) is Best Bejewelled, run by Val, and I love working with her to have her create exactly what I'm looking for.<br />
<br />
This, pictured left, is one of the bracelets I've bought from her, but I know she can also do skate earrings, necklaces, keychains, mobile phone charms, etc etc. Well worth a look. She doesn't have a website at the moment, but for info, you can email her on bestbejewelled@gmail.com.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX4N_tbMPRGl_dqzfxu8qjL85yRFNZxVbkWWj6iH00a03RP9MR02LKEtN4fCmxBb2MKx_SVUpTkZMhKpbXIEFkLmrNivZcKQujahr4sseGjQAAeJwhYt1A6vVKN6aq1jLAP4MBc3jnPM/s1600/blue-crystal-skate.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX4N_tbMPRGl_dqzfxu8qjL85yRFNZxVbkWWj6iH00a03RP9MR02LKEtN4fCmxBb2MKx_SVUpTkZMhKpbXIEFkLmrNivZcKQujahr4sseGjQAAeJwhYt1A6vVKN6aq1jLAP4MBc3jnPM/s1600/blue-crystal-skate.png" height="180" width="138" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
For another cheap-ish but <b>cute necklace</b>, check out <a href="http://iceventureuk.com/jewellery/386-blue-crystal-skate-necklace.html" target="_blank">this one from Iceventure</a> - I personally think the blue's lovely.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2) BOOKS</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Skating-Irving-Brokaw/dp/1429090871/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417429964&sr=8-1&keywords=irving+brokaw" target="_blank"><b>Irving Brokaw's The Art of Skating</b></a><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwagbHoI8oMmSedVADhVpcIDjnOMfQAhmf3rgCpJAqv9RspDJsQsNY-wGW0sAalO7wG4AZmkyJV5sVuRYMrfBxVQNeFSCBgo-j4ExW27dxXlTOq0GLT6wwc8N_IrHDuL8qg86yZeAMIZo/s1600/artofskating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwagbHoI8oMmSedVADhVpcIDjnOMfQAhmf3rgCpJAqv9RspDJsQsNY-wGW0sAalO7wG4AZmkyJV5sVuRYMrfBxVQNeFSCBgo-j4ExW27dxXlTOq0GLT6wwc8N_IrHDuL8qg86yZeAMIZo/s1600/artofskating.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
Irving Brokaw was the first American to compete in figure skating at the Olympics in 1908 (the first Olympics to include it as a sport). Including lots of illustrations and pictures, Irving Brokaw's book charts the history and <br />
<a name='more'></a>development of figure skating from its beginnings until the book was published in 1910. It also includes chapters on the moves and elements of that time, so is a fascinating read, giving the reader a glimpse into what the sport once was.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Indelible-Tracings-Story-Figure-Skating/dp/0984602704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417429924&sr=8-1&keywords=indelible+tracings" target="_blank"><b>Indelible Tracings:The story of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team</b></a><br />
<br />
This book, by Patricia Shelley Bushman takes the reader into the lives of all those killed in the 1961 tragedy, including the skaters, coaches, officials and family members and friends who were accompanying them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurkMu-DU3ppbrr7BVp6NPIwqLxYylNxGr0VQp5EMqnNuixarCAKLFZ0GI7nq_SeEfWOsdWIyyTHBU2Yn_AgS5nwlSEYxCw0Ue7wMGqDE6GBRpeYDydKmgmCz_0_MMATRx5YIw0JLgQiw/s1600/hamillbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurkMu-DU3ppbrr7BVp6NPIwqLxYylNxGr0VQp5EMqnNuixarCAKLFZ0GI7nq_SeEfWOsdWIyyTHBU2Yn_AgS5nwlSEYxCw0Ue7wMGqDE6GBRpeYDydKmgmCz_0_MMATRx5YIw0JLgQiw/s1600/hamillbook.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skating-Life-My-Story-ebook/dp/B00JJ9QIZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417429901&sr=8-1&keywords=dorothy+hamill" target="_blank">Dorothy Hamill: A Skating Life; my story</a></b><br />
<br />
Any skater will know of Dorothy Hamill. This book is her easy-to-read autobiography, in which she talks about life as a skater, some of the technical aspects of figure skating, and also her own personal life.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ballet-Secrets-Skaters-Artistic-Competitive/dp/0972672389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417429859&sr=8-1&keywords=ballet+secrets+for+skaters" target="_blank">Ballet Secrets for Skaters</a></b><br />
<br />
If you know a skater who is working on their finesse (who isn't??) - their graceful arms, head positions and how to hold their bodies - but who doesn't have time for a ballet class (or can't find on, like me), this book's a great idea. The author is a Russian trained dancer, choreographer and instructor who shares ballet technique in simple steps.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcome-My-World-Johnny-Weir/dp/145161134X/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417433123&sr=8-1&keywords=johnny+weir" target="_blank">Welcome to My World - Johnny Weir</a></b><br />
<br />
For a slightly more entertaining read, look no further than Weir's autobiography. Enough said.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>3) SKATING JOURNAL</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Most skaters I know like to keep lesson notes, and there are stacks of pretty journals out there that are perfect for the job. Here are just a few of the ones I like the look of, all £7 from Cafepress:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38qqya26C50E7b_gELVvJuhHSnBvj0o6-zgiKFfjElrWZeDmoX7o0sLuQ1YXTPz1sHiKGbGmSCfacKFeDWPD7q0wc5RRrkQ1zSk9jkdssoY-hltQCYbMQHh24d74vk1STQmJ3dObJHS0/s1600/figure_skating_journal1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38qqya26C50E7b_gELVvJuhHSnBvj0o6-zgiKFfjElrWZeDmoX7o0sLuQ1YXTPz1sHiKGbGmSCfacKFeDWPD7q0wc5RRrkQ1zSk9jkdssoY-hltQCYbMQHh24d74vk1STQmJ3dObJHS0/s1600/figure_skating_journal1.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skating journal. Find it <a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+figure_skating_journal,332513423" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lT-ox66SBj9U_NUDcZ26KU2R_4uo6g5ySTPHas_dipkTetv5SDGos2Aa1AvftfBo6IE2QhmirKF6g5nHs8_iHn1yKPMfcFOtVFIQsNHF64CmhUUbJGw4IR3HGaWCRgU-1ccE2_2FqC4/s1600/red_streak_figure_skate_journal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lT-ox66SBj9U_NUDcZ26KU2R_4uo6g5ySTPHas_dipkTetv5SDGos2Aa1AvftfBo6IE2QhmirKF6g5nHs8_iHn1yKPMfcFOtVFIQsNHF64CmhUUbJGw4IR3HGaWCRgU-1ccE2_2FqC4/s1600/red_streak_figure_skate_journal.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red streak journal - find it <a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+red_streak_figure_skate_journal,109651591" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf1a9GW-K0tvr4k0rn7YXlCTyrmhloHM2Gv2IKgnkdlcOzegMDU57jADLA4BhaJa2DEqinLATHmTRF8jJiIYvoWa1MbMq8EmrQz7ohPy91eED-PCLV9efcv_YDP1j28ol0bDAnm54S2A/s1600/skate_cat_journalhorizontal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf1a9GW-K0tvr4k0rn7YXlCTyrmhloHM2Gv2IKgnkdlcOzegMDU57jADLA4BhaJa2DEqinLATHmTRF8jJiIYvoWa1MbMq8EmrQz7ohPy91eED-PCLV9efcv_YDP1j28ol0bDAnm54S2A/s1600/skate_cat_journalhorizontal.png" height="219" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat figure skating journal - horizontal. Find it<a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+skate_cat_journalhorizontal,340144865" target="_blank"> here</a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>4) IPHONE/IPAD/MACBOOK CASES</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvtCn1Gv2jt1FSQ_eJ0QriXVvy7r9ZKNgpO9zgj5NWPmXG69VV7IGoE_kejza_p1iCtgbE-3ojLIK63a8wQJO2tjW5RWBkHncL9QK8lEiYrAyVtb2eGLCHDg3LMXyFFYgsTr4Mwjrkq0/s1600/IPHONE-SKATE-CASE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvtCn1Gv2jt1FSQ_eJ0QriXVvy7r9ZKNgpO9zgj5NWPmXG69VV7IGoE_kejza_p1iCtgbE-3ojLIK63a8wQJO2tjW5RWBkHncL9QK8lEiYrAyVtb2eGLCHDg3LMXyFFYgsTr4Mwjrkq0/s1600/IPHONE-SKATE-CASE.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrs0TT9jM-CA6PXfAyaqX2nDL0QojGH9o6KEzCUcJhdRb1mM9SxcSTJk5EP6hfCAhy0p2J6RMEnsPYuFv1WX56b552L3xgVYqGC2KRSyvn_49lmYD54T3zbWmfrSh-eiFLGWXhmqBZmw/s1600/s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrs0TT9jM-CA6PXfAyaqX2nDL0QojGH9o6KEzCUcJhdRb1mM9SxcSTJk5EP6hfCAhy0p2J6RMEnsPYuFv1WX56b552L3xgVYqGC2KRSyvn_49lmYD54T3zbWmfrSh-eiFLGWXhmqBZmw/s1600/s.JPG" height="200" width="98" /></a>There are actually loads of options for designs for these accessories out there. I love <b><a href="http://www.niceicebabyuk.com/product/i-phone-44s-and-5-cover/" target="_blank">this iPhone case, left, from Nice Ice Baby UK</a></b>, and at only £6.99 it's a bargain. I'm not promising anything, but I'm fairly sure Nice Ice Baby can also print your own design onto the cases. Worth an ask if there's something specific you're hoping for.<br />
<br />
This one, right, <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/ice_skates_figure_skates_in_snow_iphone_5c_cases-179184484798670756" target="_blank">from Zazzle</a>, is a bit more pricey at £33.95, but very pretty.<br />
<br />
Last but not least, I also like this <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/ice_skating_design_iphone_6_case-179950591740852040" target="_blank">iPhone 6 case</a>, below, (though I don't have a 6....), also from Zazzle, and £41.95.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkFgxXnVc97iJZtZkQ-MdCWMQN1HRXN0qz78_TrljjvViq9wGJs9x92H7lMkB_B6YpatWPY53pfMSQoO8rUOIQJflc-9YD7AgqYgdh2RPs4O8PSR_Wp5rc59ryK4qLN-f5OFUySV6bCk/s1600/Captureiphone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkFgxXnVc97iJZtZkQ-MdCWMQN1HRXN0qz78_TrljjvViq9wGJs9x92H7lMkB_B6YpatWPY53pfMSQoO8rUOIQJflc-9YD7AgqYgdh2RPs4O8PSR_Wp5rc59ryK4qLN-f5OFUySV6bCk/s1600/Captureiphone.JPG" height="200" width="109" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjJafN3mzzpcIYUWfKBePTCNqdxCRytR16XN44rEIg3CxbzBJ-Lj2z5OAtNTjQv_kBql7DhFl-VrBMy0AN8YE6ZNSCyK5tuJdy4tSjIjeO0ofy-WsO1yxMADOPia44DUTmW-ldcJsrcE/s1600/ipad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjJafN3mzzpcIYUWfKBePTCNqdxCRytR16XN44rEIg3CxbzBJ-Lj2z5OAtNTjQv_kBql7DhFl-VrBMy0AN8YE6ZNSCyK5tuJdy4tSjIjeO0ofy-WsO1yxMADOPia44DUTmW-ldcJsrcE/s1600/ipad.JPG" height="200" width="105" /></a><br />
<br />
Also some good picks are this <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/figure_skating_ice_skates_purple_with_snowflakes_ipad_mini_case-256692730832000070" target="_blank">iPad Mini case</a>, left, £35.95, from Zazzle, and this very classy Macbook Air sleeve, below, though that one's definitely not for the bank-account challenged, such as me, at just short of £50!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1amRq39AzGI3HY9b_TbIzjMtHo4EyuIVkMD6NvTyPQyk1abDKIsuIgo0Hn5jlz7lzS69Nf0pEhFXRVuLAHf0BgirchNPMTR_fAp-kGXe2HeWag4PvSVzAoLO3yb4hGBFXZQYwdT4TvRY/s1600/macbook.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1amRq39AzGI3HY9b_TbIzjMtHo4EyuIVkMD6NvTyPQyk1abDKIsuIgo0Hn5jlz7lzS69Nf0pEhFXRVuLAHf0BgirchNPMTR_fAp-kGXe2HeWag4PvSVzAoLO3yb4hGBFXZQYwdT4TvRY/s1600/macbook.png" height="236" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5) TOUCH SCREEN GLOVES and IPHONE/IPOD ARMBAND</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
If you know a skater who either a) likes to use their phone/iPad to film themselves/others skating, b) likes to listen to music on their iPhone/iPod while skating, or c) is one of those people who just can't bear to be separated from their phone, this combo is a great idea.<br />
<br />
You don't need me to point you in the direction of either of these things; they're available everywhere, but as an example, here are some<a href="http://www.next.co.uk/g403318s1?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_search&utm_campaign=googleps&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwPCjBRDZp9LWno3p7rEBEiQAGj3KJu3iD37Z2o_070NXDsMKKLpIiN5WmgTKbQ9syc4IvOMaAsfI8P8HAQ#448679g40" target="_blank"> touchscreen gloves from Next,</a> at £7, and I recently bought myself an armband for when I jog from <strike>Primarni</strike> Primark and it set me back the grand sum of about £1.50.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>6) MUGS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Who doesn't love a good mug?? Or is that just me with my massive obsession?<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREQhbacs7ns7cxGW4RfDSHuAZkLXNQKXpjBIrkZMVBChncqVQE0mW8JjdmkYbAPbMD3dR0fBNIEBRbOKaK70Wg5_wvV2fJvSyI7FDbdqFoQH2MUMhfnV2hn9II5SN2a10DjRP1_8UCyk/s1600/believe_in_yourself_skater_mug.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREQhbacs7ns7cxGW4RfDSHuAZkLXNQKXpjBIrkZMVBChncqVQE0mW8JjdmkYbAPbMD3dR0fBNIEBRbOKaK70Wg5_wvV2fJvSyI7FDbdqFoQH2MUMhfnV2hn9II5SN2a10DjRP1_8UCyk/s1600/believe_in_yourself_skater_mug.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Anyway, it's the easiest thing in the world to find a variety of fabulous skatey mugs out there on the World Wide Web.<br />
<br />
Even better - dress it up by adding some hot chocolate-making<br />
accessories into it and wrapping in pretty cellophane.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgO_cMAdaxKFQ33sxY67xj5RJoePJouysrpkPlt_HxyczOpbgPf3V7sjOpV0riwLFNt4Ut2yQ_R4TceSdqZsdIZWP2u2ajfiIf1YVWB8tfxkXt1wVRDsu-mMBFcVfoQ62nk749BmTqUI/s1600/ice_skating_spiral_mug.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgO_cMAdaxKFQ33sxY67xj5RJoePJouysrpkPlt_HxyczOpbgPf3V7sjOpV0riwLFNt4Ut2yQ_R4TceSdqZsdIZWP2u2ajfiIf1YVWB8tfxkXt1wVRDsu-mMBFcVfoQ62nk749BmTqUI/s1600/ice_skating_spiral_mug.png" height="200" width="200" /></a>There are about a thousand skating mugs <a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+ice-skating+mugs" target="_blank"><b>here on Cafepress</b></a> (one of my favourite websites, as I'm sure you can tell!)<br />
<br />
Or if you want matching bits and pieces as stocking fillers, you can get the mug to match the iPhone case from Nice Ice Baby UK <a href="http://www.niceicebabyuk.com/product/ice-skate-mug/" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>7) PJS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
What can I say? I'm including this category because I really, really want these. They can be found <a href="http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+womens_dark_pajamas,1435712263" target="_blank"><b>on Cafepress here</b></a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijM0gTUBurtV7j6pkJEvow7Jknjq4AnoO9nfLx0Y6glCTGjTO6txUkpEp2mchqPhgBy8QW4K0oS-uU9-Af6O9ZDwFBOEYUBR3A8tqPgUlWtg8ASu02JoDJ-IRFDbOFYCRekMcZ7cjKu18/s1600/pjs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijM0gTUBurtV7j6pkJEvow7Jknjq4AnoO9nfLx0Y6glCTGjTO6txUkpEp2mchqPhgBy8QW4K0oS-uU9-Af6O9ZDwFBOEYUBR3A8tqPgUlWtg8ASu02JoDJ-IRFDbOFYCRekMcZ7cjKu18/s1600/pjs.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOCmDPbF5upp_w4A2HavCW3XCnsVo3RvaAdEbe3mBdcg7NkEGhDoNZIxjjgPkir98YRprTQAwXuXhWcepHz91-oDwsl_IgdLB364YMlkhkkQ8NgOACCLrrEN8TceSpenz-giKIEdfhsc/s1600/iceprincess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOCmDPbF5upp_w4A2HavCW3XCnsVo3RvaAdEbe3mBdcg7NkEGhDoNZIxjjgPkir98YRprTQAwXuXhWcepHz91-oDwsl_IgdLB364YMlkhkkQ8NgOACCLrrEN8TceSpenz-giKIEdfhsc/s1600/iceprincess.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a><b><br /></b>
<b>8) SKATING MOVIES</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUc_SkVcQtKdyl96UfsLDeVWgMUxsaZWYOSk5ggzV2sQGwvXzyIqfChU1-Ilby0HpWx9wUF8GSJSOmWt0fXtFVtHnjYsHwxkZwbiY7c8UO849TqM_9XDQ7Zs4l9RMrRU8spYG1_DUL5Zk/s1600/bladesglory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUc_SkVcQtKdyl96UfsLDeVWgMUxsaZWYOSk5ggzV2sQGwvXzyIqfChU1-Ilby0HpWx9wUF8GSJSOmWt0fXtFVtHnjYsHwxkZwbiY7c8UO849TqM_9XDQ7Zs4l9RMrRU8spYG1_DUL5Zk/s1600/bladesglory.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a><b><br /></b><br />
Even as adults, we all love those cheesy skating movies. Yes, we sit and pick out the flaws, cringe at all the mentions of double Salchows and know how unrealistic most of the ridiculous moves are... but we love 'em anyway.<br />
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There's a great list of figure skating movies already put together <a href="http://figureskating.about.com/od/figureskatingmovies/" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
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<b>9) FOR THE MEN - Clothes, cufflinks, ties etc. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oJ-GLUCROiF_mmm6FDoFROvcaqv6qdiPgPwn63rFXPll_WKK7lcAu3junAY99hlJAj0nynMyp8ncuZKufzuTDKOGQM7MaU_iLQGKFQ7p-M5v6F-MWstPq0wbfrNUPzkhFYAzCA__380/s1600/ice-skating-boot-cufflinks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oJ-GLUCROiF_mmm6FDoFROvcaqv6qdiPgPwn63rFXPll_WKK7lcAu3junAY99hlJAj0nynMyp8ncuZKufzuTDKOGQM7MaU_iLQGKFQ7p-M5v6F-MWstPq0wbfrNUPzkhFYAzCA__380/s1600/ice-skating-boot-cufflinks.png" height="121" width="200" /></a></div>
There aren't enough male skaters out there, but we need to show the ones there are that they're valued.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXrVRWrH_MpINZrT8yRaw76m03I8jVr6tYR8ugMCS-ga0qSKY28MukHWH-aj2KyWjns9y8PBdAI6QbexGeE4MGsN1Hvp1L10FVx5G4kA-Dhv_vASLpDDEXGFo9mru7kBMjeP7h84ALoI/s1600/tshirt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXrVRWrH_MpINZrT8yRaw76m03I8jVr6tYR8ugMCS-ga0qSKY28MukHWH-aj2KyWjns9y8PBdAI6QbexGeE4MGsN1Hvp1L10FVx5G4kA-Dhv_vASLpDDEXGFo9mru7kBMjeP7h84ALoI/s1600/tshirt.png" height="200" width="194" /></a>I'm guessing the men rarely get skating-related gifts, but there are a few options out there, including <a href="http://www.thecufflinkstore.co.uk/794-ice-skating-boot-cufflinks-.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiAneujBRDcvL6f5uybhdABEiQA_ojMgjsGnhEMhFHAyjVc4ACe0BNVYBV9NGVd2PQ1z6tyqJ8aAv3L8P8HAQ" target="_blank"><b>these cufflinks</b></a> and this slightly different <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/ice_skater_deadly_ninja_by_night-235794638089608554" target="_blank"><b>hoodie</b></a><br />
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<b>10) A VARIETY OF STOCKING FILLERS</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Kd-LRrEMNYlTUuBfzu7mNnZb8qHfj82VPYcj2g700FkQlgAuEh2A9HAyHyK_DFm7ehmd_jDcD81sO_vfmgjmx79G1Od1SJDu_9-jbkRwm70383dHFGQMI7vQh7cosW6iA_s2SRj5o98/s1600/bookmark.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Kd-LRrEMNYlTUuBfzu7mNnZb8qHfj82VPYcj2g700FkQlgAuEh2A9HAyHyK_DFm7ehmd_jDcD81sO_vfmgjmx79G1Od1SJDu_9-jbkRwm70383dHFGQMI7vQh7cosW6iA_s2SRj5o98/s1600/bookmark.png" height="100" width="49.5" /></a><b><br /></b>These skate <b>bookmarks</b> are cute - you could even get one to accompany one of the books mentioned above. There's no direct link to the items, so they're about halfway down <b><a href="http://www.justicedance.co.uk/Novelty-Gifts---Bits--n--Bobs.html" target="_blank">this page.</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU0xnpkPMyJf9ZKzXw7pStpOFFebPZKHq2r4HN3jqVw9JYq19m-pGKs26fiL32Mfy4yfXKw6s4ACUa_DPy2ILTF5vGnXOv-QSQRcoE5x1jCsLbmwCqfaW5rNaqFux_KcgaZ23XepbnWg/s1600/KEYCHAIN.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU0xnpkPMyJf9ZKzXw7pStpOFFebPZKHq2r4HN3jqVw9JYq19m-pGKs26fiL32Mfy4yfXKw6s4ACUa_DPy2ILTF5vGnXOv-QSQRcoE5x1jCsLbmwCqfaW5rNaqFux_KcgaZ23XepbnWg/s1600/KEYCHAIN.png" height="100" width="60" /></a>Equally cute are these furry skate keychains, right, £5 <b><a href="http://www.niceicebabyuk.com/product/skate-keychain/" target="_blank">from Nice Ice Baby</a>.</b><br />
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For the skater who drives, how about a car window decal? <b><a href="http://www.loveiceskating.co.uk/figure-skating-gifts/bielman-figure-skating-car-window-white-decal.htm" target="_blank">This one</a></b>'s just £4.50 <b>from loveiceskating.co.uk</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eYxg94_24kBUJ0XUr3XE2JAeTyGYS49PsaPBthc5ZFZifrrP3YM_fYN984boOnAwbevOWIuBvIo3de3CJWiUU3VPsmR5vb20C4m5ugGVEpFNfDpZPgQXP39XRJJiRn1nkaMhEuG6OMQ/s1600/mousemat.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eYxg94_24kBUJ0XUr3XE2JAeTyGYS49PsaPBthc5ZFZifrrP3YM_fYN984boOnAwbevOWIuBvIo3de3CJWiUU3VPsmR5vb20C4m5ugGVEpFNfDpZPgQXP39XRJJiRn1nkaMhEuG6OMQ/s1600/mousemat.png" height="165" width="200" /></a>I also like the many "arty" accessories that are available, such as <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/www_garcya_us_stylish_people_5_800x600_ai_mouse_pad-144031061922115338" target="_blank"><b>this mouse mat</b></a>, left, £11.95, and<a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/ice_skating_1885-189049880944339743" target="_blank"> <b>this cushion</b></a>, both from Zazzle - though you'd have to <i>really </i>want the cushion for £42.95!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTerhjK1ZKxWoseAxc0KK8TJQ5xTyMznS1E4iOj3ahUNEw2Ad-tKL0lGlKulpK9j2Dcg0QR6fJe6qJHaOZjXZ_pfLO-SQ4_uh67Iw9OpsohSPCIzyIata_0pFkzVVN9pdT8i5K7QthbgY/s1600/compact.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTerhjK1ZKxWoseAxc0KK8TJQ5xTyMznS1E4iOj3ahUNEw2Ad-tKL0lGlKulpK9j2Dcg0QR6fJe6qJHaOZjXZ_pfLO-SQ4_uh67Iw9OpsohSPCIzyIata_0pFkzVVN9pdT8i5K7QthbgY/s1600/compact.JPG" height="185" width="200" /></a><br />
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Or how about customising a compact mirror for touch-ups on the go? <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/ice_skating_design_compact_makeup_mirrors-256070796762886939" target="_blank"><b>This one</b></a>, right, comes in four different shapes and is £13.95.<br />
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<b>11) THINGS TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR TRAINING</b><br />
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A <b>spinner</b>, <b>Champion Cords</b>, or an <b>ankle buzzer</b> would probably all go down well with the skater in your life. Get your thinking cap on about what would help them.<br />
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<b>12) FOR THE COACH</b><br />
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Ok, we all know coaches are particularly hard to buy for. Possibly not so much for those of you lucky enough to have a female coach. <b>All women love some smellies or wine, right?</b> But when it comes to the male coaches - yeah, good luck with that. I'm struggling this year I'll admit.<br />
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My best advice here would be to <b>pay attention to them</b> (as you should be anyway!!). They'll probably talk about their likes and dislikes at some point throughout the year.<br />
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Maybe <b>some little ideas</b> could be a bottle of the alcoholic kind (work out what they like), choccies, or a gift card for the coach who comes in every morning with a Starbucks wouldn't go amiss I'm sure.<br />
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<b>13) SOMETHING FOR THOSE HARD-WORKING SKATING FEET</b><br />
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This category could also work for the coach in your life as well as the skater. It's not rocket science - skaters' feet work hard! Some <b>buffers, lotions, soaks or even a Lush foot mask</b> (think face mask, but for the tootsies) would probably go down a treat after a long day at the rink.<br />
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<b>14) DIY GIFTS</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKO6AZrfbxU6GAsIqTAJGo57yAV_pdpi7k0fg6UC8MQqePiWu295Yhmrh8AIiecvh3iHbeEYkSWXKYW3FKuFLoKWOtiD-Ie-rG9V8ZJkzHLI9LtUy7AUHqWME0oD5QR3UwT6Ppfri-A/s1600/tote.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKO6AZrfbxU6GAsIqTAJGo57yAV_pdpi7k0fg6UC8MQqePiWu295Yhmrh8AIiecvh3iHbeEYkSWXKYW3FKuFLoKWOtiD-Ie-rG9V8ZJkzHLI9LtUy7AUHqWME0oD5QR3UwT6Ppfri-A/s1600/tote.png" height="200" width="115" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1cn9ZQqEekaxQcRjputBMBSudPQgWKOaFXPqrRQMlc5VnEL3dxqpD7cGcPo-4jlIxmSh34BE7r-cbhj6S7gDuC5AmwjuTuRw1wSjlU7aQmbCyHGpXctCyMX9lWg7xZnE5oDyRLcZCnk/s1600/photo+(39).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1cn9ZQqEekaxQcRjputBMBSudPQgWKOaFXPqrRQMlc5VnEL3dxqpD7cGcPo-4jlIxmSh34BE7r-cbhj6S7gDuC5AmwjuTuRw1wSjlU7aQmbCyHGpXctCyMX9lWg7xZnE5oDyRLcZCnk/s1600/photo+(39).JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>Failing all else, <b>get crafting</b> - make something funky yourself, if you're handy with a sewing machine. Even if you're not that handy, you could probably still knock together the odd thing.<br />
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I managed to make myself and a friend this tote bag, left, following an online <br />
tutorial, these matching soakers, right, and last year, I gave friends handmade bracelets with little skate charms hanging from them. So it can be done - have faith!!<br />
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<b>Enjoy your Christmas shopping!</b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-86577938450941715642014-11-25T12:38:00.000+00:002014-11-25T12:38:31.379+00:0010 signs that you're an adult figure skaterIf you're one of those skaters who juggles real, adult, life with a hobby more often geared toward children, you'll no doubt recognise a few of these...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w8PI9WZJmAPtab3vY7Gru_JzSbvmwA-5d2rja4TRgjGCTV_NNlb8r-Fa3dLMCgPlxKS3Y_f2tiUF2dgZyrArrnbwA2WpW_xhkjAUt2aDYQsnIasXkEQO0NMY_J-iYjsqSuaeDuS9Ul8/s1600/DSC01316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w8PI9WZJmAPtab3vY7Gru_JzSbvmwA-5d2rja4TRgjGCTV_NNlb8r-Fa3dLMCgPlxKS3Y_f2tiUF2dgZyrArrnbwA2WpW_xhkjAUt2aDYQsnIasXkEQO0NMY_J-iYjsqSuaeDuS9Ul8/s1600/DSC01316.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><b>1)</b> When friends invite you out and the main factor in whether to have a few drinks and risk a hangover is if you <strike>need</strike> want to skate the next day.<br />
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<b>2) </b>Your definition of success is: Finding that perfect outfit that can work both in the office and on the ice for those skating days when there's no time to change....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HJezg-xqt2-zrKmuiP7duxmJYQrTNz6bLBna5aa1hu4TANd-Iewd1GbYHTs5xpXye1feoqUOKv0pczxW57LJ3PkCE-zRjJUleP-HnoI1IKpwvzrUITIcvnu6MDXX9kw0L7F2AFVIlMc/s1600/yesno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HJezg-xqt2-zrKmuiP7duxmJYQrTNz6bLBna5aa1hu4TANd-Iewd1GbYHTs5xpXye1feoqUOKv0pczxW57LJ3PkCE-zRjJUleP-HnoI1IKpwvzrUITIcvnu6MDXX9kw0L7F2AFVIlMc/s1600/yesno.jpg" height="197" width="200" /></a><br />
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<b>3) ...</b>And when you go into a clothes shop, you judge any potential outfit on whether you could skate in it.<br />
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<b>4) </b>You can't listen to a song without analysing its potential as skating music.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPjeHJcilV5vSdrqQQUKNVhsdmVEN1v63aaYMiHof5HYQ8Wf1r1adWMui9fLTt1BnFQZKMTawfiVajYpZ-yicl_4R1Yfo4d5iCicIlST8JptBoAmoOt6ULu476tdB-qTUVj83baiZyTk/s1600/Mohawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPjeHJcilV5vSdrqQQUKNVhsdmVEN1v63aaYMiHof5HYQ8Wf1r1adWMui9fLTt1BnFQZKMTawfiVajYpZ-yicl_4R1Yfo4d5iCicIlST8JptBoAmoOt6ULu476tdB-qTUVj83baiZyTk/s1600/Mohawk.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a><br />
<b>5) </b>If you're driving somewhere that's in the rough direction of where you skate, you often end up at the rink by mistake.<br />
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<b>6) </b>When someone talks about a mohawk, you realise you no longer immediately associate the word with a dodgy hairdo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVaI7tcq_kSl8wXj7AzRNdIIii8GLH2Hwxh2HVBdD5NQHN5p_McNih7EAlbAzXm_x4b72sqOIgdZ2cfgBLBbzfQU9g8kZ8Y3mzg-bi0ozlLXSofGQL-jzZP3dso5EjG0h98PJx-JY55c/s1600/asdabiel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVaI7tcq_kSl8wXj7AzRNdIIii8GLH2Hwxh2HVBdD5NQHN5p_McNih7EAlbAzXm_x4b72sqOIgdZ2cfgBLBbzfQU9g8kZ8Y3mzg-bi0ozlLXSofGQL-jzZP3dso5EjG0h98PJx-JY55c/s1600/asdabiel.jpg" height="166" width="200" /></a><b>7) </b>You worry whether wearing heels will shorten your hamstrings and ruin your hard-earned flexibility.<br />
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<b>8) </b>Speaking of your hard-earned flexibility: You work on it everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. At home while cooking, while watching TV, at the photocopier during work, in the queue at Asda....there's no such thing as just standing anymore.<br />
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<b>9) </b>There's, at some point, (maybe more than once) been THAT ONE element that you felt was the work of the devil himself. You spent hours going around in circles (or standing on a circle) trying desperately to pluck up the courage to do it.<br />
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<b>10) </b>No matter how old you are, your coach is some kind of god to you, who has the ability to make you feel like a badly behaved schoolgirl/boy with one withering look. Then you try harder, because disappointing him/her feels worse than disappointing your parents ever did.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-90692215023213367572014-11-10T22:19:00.000+00:002014-11-10T22:22:02.076+00:00Hand care for figure skaters (or anyone who spends time in the cold)Ok, this post is a little different to the kinds of things I usually blog about, but it's getting to that time of year where the combination of the freezing cold ice rink and my centrally-heated home, plus pulling on rough laces three times a week, is beginning to show on my poor fingers.<br />
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It's probably not just me with this problem, so I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite products.<br />
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An important thing to note is you really shouldn't use harsh scrubs or products on cracked skin, but I do as long as it's not broken to the point of bleeding. I'm not advising you from a medical/dermatological point of view, purely from skater to skater and sharing my personal favourites.<br />
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It's important all year round to look after your hands, after all, they do a lot of hard work on a daily basis. The skin on the hands and feet is thicker than other parts of the body, which is why you can get away with more when it comes to using household cleaning products etc. But in the winter (and especially in the cold rink) they need a little extra help.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUikA2SlEMAPPyJkFnloGVQ7pycU55R7Bu-DTVvppSTOvTiHuhlaNAzxJqrz20JmNkc5VSIafx1XMYAKbGH2q7eO9c8PI_OWIlukFGEIf_uphSqbyws6hw5bTGpKY5-pjfF5fm6R6GLWg/s1600/handfood.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUikA2SlEMAPPyJkFnloGVQ7pycU55R7Bu-DTVvppSTOvTiHuhlaNAzxJqrz20JmNkc5VSIafx1XMYAKbGH2q7eO9c8PI_OWIlukFGEIf_uphSqbyws6hw5bTGpKY5-pjfF5fm6R6GLWg/s1600/handfood.png" height="200" width="79" /></a></div>
<b>1)</b> My favourite <b>all-round hand cream</b> has to be Hand Food by Soap and Glory. This contains Shea Butter, Macadamia Oil and marshmallow (!) - and no, you can't eat it, as tasty as it may smell.<br />
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I use Hand Food on a daily basis. All hand creams work best just after you've washed your hands as they're designed to lock in moisture. The best time to do that is after your hands have been wet (but thoroughly dried too), because they've just absorbed water into the skin. The cream will then lock that in. This is especially true for oily products.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEr2RW0oMCzR6F42ZrHD7zm6yaqAAOnZuZ9Vsr9hLXw1jwJrnQOp-dFUmQT-XuSDLHJefobFFe8qp3bVMpMWkJNs7QsZYGxXu4tKrisUteHEuAi1tGu-NXwytgzNxfbhwMI01cewkga1E/s1600/Strawberries-Cream.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEr2RW0oMCzR6F42ZrHD7zm6yaqAAOnZuZ9Vsr9hLXw1jwJrnQOp-dFUmQT-XuSDLHJefobFFe8qp3bVMpMWkJNs7QsZYGxXu4tKrisUteHEuAi1tGu-NXwytgzNxfbhwMI01cewkga1E/s1600/Strawberries-Cream.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>2)</b> A little-known brand compared to some of the others, but (no pun intended) I love 'I Love Cosmetics' products. This strawberries and cream hand cream is particularly tasty smelling. I prefer some of the other hand creams for consistency but nothing beats the smell of this one, and it's <b>a nice one to have on your desk at work or in your Zuca</b>.<br />
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Because they're a smaller company, the products are really affordable too. This hand cream is only £1.99 on the I Love website. You can also get it in most Superdrugs and some branches of Boots.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTngonqzcOJVdCO0KRyDI-gD2E__oPuNlDtx_ByuE71_QmYXZ5lzeEyza4joqrbCng5JHzAtkt0aQf-yYBdNYhVx-IZ51XSYoGo9OStDMToxPfwKpPfDsFKlbPqO0NMe1ECnhaN3SNcCc/s1600/aquaphor.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTngonqzcOJVdCO0KRyDI-gD2E__oPuNlDtx_ByuE71_QmYXZ5lzeEyza4joqrbCng5JHzAtkt0aQf-yYBdNYhVx-IZ51XSYoGo9OStDMToxPfwKpPfDsFKlbPqO0NMe1ECnhaN3SNcCc/s1600/aquaphor.png" height="200" width="102" /></a></div>
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<b>3)</b> This one's a little bit more costly but nothing beats Aquaphor<b> for really badly cracked skin</b>. It feels a bit oily, but with a couple of days of use (and you only need a tiny bit) it very quickly clears up your sore bits and softens everything up. This works well on conditions such as eczema and psoriasis too. Aquaphor has no smell as such as it's very mild for use on damaged or delicate skin.<br />
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<b>4)</b> If you've got to that point where you feel you need <b>a scrub to work off any flaky, hard or cracked bits</b>, Sanctuary's Ultra-refining Hand Polish is my absolute favourite thing to use. The grains in it are fine, but not so fine that you feel you're getting no scrub benefit. The polish is also incredibly soft and creamy and leaves your hands feeling absolutely gorgeous every single time. It also smells lush.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7vlC9EGGM3VthYY0vsVF48NZ1BAS_-weTGO114y1w8_5LwGWY1vG3UCRJisYhw0ajUaUR1IjE7S4N72C09RoqOpsySPGfQkonLXRqChDV_E_HBGsf7hHinf7CSoTWUDQtdVBUK2MLs4/s1600/candy-cane-scrub-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7vlC9EGGM3VthYY0vsVF48NZ1BAS_-weTGO114y1w8_5LwGWY1vG3UCRJisYhw0ajUaUR1IjE7S4N72C09RoqOpsySPGfQkonLXRqChDV_E_HBGsf7hHinf7CSoTWUDQtdVBUK2MLs4/s1600/candy-cane-scrub-07.png" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
<b>5)</b> I adore this <b>home-made sugar scrub</b> from The Idea Room, both for hands and for the rest of the body. I made a batch of these as Christmas presents last year and they went down a treat. I also often make it for myself just without the essential oils - it doesn't really need to smell nice, it's just a bonus. There are a number of different variations of this scrub on <a href="http://www.theidearoom.net/" target="_blank">http://www.theidearoom.net/ </a>- all as lovely as each other. The Idea Room even has free printables you can use for the stickers. It's a great little blog.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59pmqjk1rot7S1mz8hY3-SCO0_KkuFbA1qWJk-wfAMz7S73Y_KJ2sEPyZ1L8L2GoDP3PeOR0f-FG3R7ftLfya07Si6AVYuxd-aeC1bs9mzhBu9P4krLuruH9kmVAs4dFoJFshekhbJms/s1600/coconut-oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59pmqjk1rot7S1mz8hY3-SCO0_KkuFbA1qWJk-wfAMz7S73Y_KJ2sEPyZ1L8L2GoDP3PeOR0f-FG3R7ftLfya07Si6AVYuxd-aeC1bs9mzhBu9P4krLuruH9kmVAs4dFoJFshekhbJms/s1600/coconut-oil.jpg" height="158" width="200" /></a><br />
<b>6)</b> Last but not least is one of the ingredients from the sugar scrub above - coconut oil. This is <b>a great natural moisturiser</b>. At room temperature, coconut oil is solid so it's really easy to scoop out a bit with fingers - just be aware it melts into oil with the heat of your hands, so rub it in before it drips all over the floor! Although it's an oil, it doesn't feel oily and is lovely to use.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-47800115695349027582014-11-04T09:52:00.001+00:002014-11-04T09:59:10.448+00:00Can you really improve flexibility as an adult?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece and not to be taken as any kind of medical advice. Always see a professional if you're planning to change your workout routine, or it's at your own risk!</i><br />
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The truth is, you don't have to be flexible, strong or fit to be a figure skater, but it certainly helps. When I started skating three years ago I was none of the above. People have always assumed I'm fit because I'm slim, but the two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. I'm just lucky to have ridiculously good metabolism (though even that's starting to struggle more with age).<br />
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As I'm sure was the case with many others out there, I quickly began to realise getting in some sort of shape was going to be necessary the more my skating progressed. It's not so much of an issue when you spend<br />
<a name='more'></a>an hour standing in a circle praying for the courage to try a 3-turn - but as soon as you start putting elements together and actually moving around the rink it very swiftly becomes apparent how unfit you are.<br />
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Fitness, by all accounts, is a relatively easy thing to improve. A few minutes of doing something - anything - to get your heart beating faster even just three times a week can make all the difference.<br />
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My coach recommends always warming up before a skate (I don't know about you, but for me this goes in spurts. Sometimes I warm up every time for months, then I'll go weeks where I just get on the ice and go). Part of the reason for this is that the warm up increases blood flow to your muscles thus making it much less likely you'll do some damage. And when we're 'playing' a dangerous sport, this could be vital.<br />
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But what about flexibility? As a beginner skater, and having never danced, done gymnastics or taken part in any other bendy activity, my flexibility was (and is) somewhat lacking. It's only within the last year or so I've really begun to notice it and really want to improve it, mainly for spirals. I currently can't do any kind of decent catch-foot as I just don't bend that way.<br />
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I've heard it said many times that it's impossible to become more flexible as an adult if you never were as a youngster, but I don't believe that's true. It may take more effort than it would take a younger person, but impossible it's not. As you age, your muscles lose strength and elasticity so it's important to take it slowly, and it WILL take longer than it would if you were 18 - but persevere if you really want it and you will see the rewards.<br />
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This became more apparent to me this week when I attended an adult stretch class down in Sheffield with the wonderful off-ice coach Kelly. A little part of me genuinely believes Kelly possesses some kind of witchcraft, but in reality she just makes you warm up <i>really </i>well and helps guide you in the stretches patiently.<br />
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In one 90-minute session I went from being a million miles off my front splits to almost on the floor. I also got hold of my skate in a Biellman position for the first time in my life, and while not even at head height yet, it really wasn't far off. Even just getting my shoulder round that way was a huge achievement for me, and it's sent me off with the confidence of knowing it CAN be done, I just know I need to keep working hard on it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9FgS2jugDNGfAGZXrLe-2lTT7GbybK0sczs_uamPBcEOmCsgkKyuXc-2s2KflIpQkx5kCEG2uV4tSFUM4Mq1pl_fMJV47AHJqFcVfipcOfiLFaWz00d6JJfzr_96-W6CngKyJ3QkQY0/s1600/splitoct14.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9FgS2jugDNGfAGZXrLe-2lTT7GbybK0sczs_uamPBcEOmCsgkKyuXc-2s2KflIpQkx5kCEG2uV4tSFUM4Mq1pl_fMJV47AHJqFcVfipcOfiLFaWz00d6JJfzr_96-W6CngKyJ3QkQY0/s1600/splitoct14.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of weeks ago. This was the very best I could do, and it HURT. And this was already a million miles better than when I started a year or so ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the class this week. A different angle but I'm sure you can see there's a big difference (look at the difference in how close to the ground my hands are, for a start). It was also more comfortable than the one a few weeks ago. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time Biellman</td></tr>
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It's amazing to think if I can become so much more flexible from just the beginning of one session to the end, the possibilities are endless if I actually stretched properly and thoroughly every few days, or every day even. I'd thoroughly recommend Kelly's classes - and what a shame we don't have these things available at all rinks. If we did, maybe figure skating would be in better shape as a national sport! Of course, if you can't make it to a class near you, there are countless DVDs, YouTube videos and tutorials out there on the beautiful internet.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-5014065328857302632014-10-20T23:57:00.000+01:002014-10-20T23:58:33.772+01:00It's all in the name: no excusesI'm very aware that I haven't posted for quite a while. This is mainly due to life getting in the way - between work, freelance work, family stuff, friend stuff and, of course, skating, there isn't a lot of time left over for posting.<br />
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However, I read a really interesting article on another blog today that I wanted to share with<br />
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This blogger, a former show skater, I believe, writes about making sacrifices in order to become the best skater you can possibly be. Her post is based around the belief that "Most people who don’t want to sacrifice will find excuses. The people willing to make sacrifices will find solutions." I think that's probably true.<br />
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The original post is really about young skaters, children, trying to make it professionally or through the competitive ranks, but I would say it applies to some extent to adult skaters as well. Ok, we don't NEED to make sacrifices for skating since we're never going to the Olympics, but if we have a desire to be the best we can be in the sport we love and stay fit and healthy, sometimes we are in positions where we have to choose between a night out or skating practice. I know which I'd rather do (most of the time!).<br />
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What are your thoughts?<br />
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You can read the full post here:
<a href="http://skatinginspirations.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/school-skating-sacrifice/">School + Skating = Sacrifice</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-76050985718874106342014-09-10T21:32:00.001+01:002014-09-10T22:26:10.336+01:00Ok, manned up....now man up some more....I probably posted about me trying to be a new, braver me and feeling like it was working. I still do think it's working to some extent...I'm certainly doing more on the ice now than I would have dared even just a few months ago. It may sound like nothing to a lot of people, but for a nervous ninny like me, mohawking at any speed faster than standstill is a great achievement.<br />
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So now my coach has started putting together a program for me, I feel like these things are really starting to come along because (most of the time) I just do it. My new principle is to embrace the fear, if you like. I feel the fear, ignore it, and do it anyway, then panic afterwards (while overheating through the fear sweats). A few months ago I would have felt the fear and stopped dead in my tracks, the end.<br />
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Ok - it didn't quite work out in one of my lessons last week. In a rather amusing moment, I panicked and chickened out of a move - three times in a row. What it meant was, instead of doing the mohawk-thing I was supposed to do, I two-foot turned. A big no-no. I recall an earlier conversation with Coach A where he said "what was THAT?". My reply of "a two-foot turn" was greeted with "Excuuuuse me? What level is that on? (4) and what level are you on? (Gold).....ahem." *Cue face of disappointment*.<br />
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This time, that two-foot turn just happened to be at a point EXACTLY in front where he was standing, watching from the barrier. Bad times. "Oh come ON. Really?? I'm standing right here." Fair point, Coach A, fair point. To be fair, I fixed it. What choice was there?<br />
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Anyway, so in my most recent lesson, Coach A very kindly, I must say, called my backward crossovers "absolutely brilliant". Those words will stick in my head for all eternity I think, since I never in a million years would have expected such an accolade. He then politely pointed out, however, that I don't do them in my 'brilliant' way if ANYTHING comes after them. On their own, yeah, great. But they slow down to a snail's pace in anticipation of what's to come next if I'm expecting a jump, spin - well, anything really. And he's totally right.<br />
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So guess what I'm going to try working on this week....cue many splats. Anyone got a spare ambulance ready?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-39226569052191582752014-08-26T14:19:00.001+01:002014-08-26T14:19:27.459+01:00Cheer Up TuesdayWith the ice bucket challenge being EVERYWHERE right now, today's Cheer Up post had to be something related to this craze, right? If it doesn't cheer you up enough just knowing it's raised more than a million pounds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association - and that's just in the UK - this challenge is sure to make you smile. It made me smile anyway, not to mention stare in awe at how fit and well this man seems for a centenarian! Enjoy and take inspiration!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RLQ9RThux3g?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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And for a little more on his story, see the story here: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2734494/Pensioner-102-Britain-s-oldest-bucketeer-complete-ice-bucket-challenge-celebrated-glass-whisky.html#v-3749378193001" target="_blank">Britains-oldest-bucketeer</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-38859963822794579872014-08-20T22:19:00.000+01:002014-08-20T22:19:44.549+01:00A new generationBrace yourselves - this is going to be a controversial one. If you're easily offended I suggest you look away now.<br />
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Of course I'm always interested to hear differences of opinion - after all, this blog is just one person's opinion and there's nothing to say it's fact - so disagree to your heart's content. There's nothing wrong with a bit of debate on a subject.<br />
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For a while now, I've been debating whether I wanted to tackle this subject, then a news article I read today made my mind up for me. I'll link you up to that shortly, but here goes -<br />
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Does anyone else think lots of skaters - but especially young ones, tween and teenagers mainly - just love to talk about themselves? I know, I know - this coming from the girl who blogs to talk about herself....(haha!) But I am serious.<br />
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Now, I'm not talking about discussing the intricacies of elements or asking for tips or help from others, I'm talking about the ones who volunteer information purely on their own performance without being asked, but go far beyond the realms of normal, everyday conversation.<br />
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You hear this kind of thing: "I've been practising my program. It's quite difficult and there's a lot to remember. I've always found mohawks especially hard; I just can't seem to get that edge out of it" (we're ok up to this point - this is still normal conversation) but then they add: "There's a right outside three turn then I have to step forward and do four pushes then go up into my spiral. When I come down from my spiral, I do a left mohawk cross, then a right m.....".etc etc<br />
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I'm not sure in these kinds of conversations what exactly the person talking thinks the listener is doing with that information. It's not being stored up for future use, nor are they picturing your every move for entertainment purposes. In perfect honesty, I suspect I've been guilty of this kind of over-sharing myself. It's so easy to get lost in skating that way and I plan to make a conscious effort to curb myself!<br />
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There's also - and this is the one that's irked me a number of times - the younger generation's apparent need to put others down, seemingly in order to make themselves feel better.<br />
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Have you ever had a conversation that starts "Can you do X? I can."<br />
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And rather than just telling me you've passed your gold - to which I would reply genuinely "Congratulations, well done you" - why must you begin with "You haven't passed gold yet have you? Guess what? I have." Believe it or not, what this does is takes my "pleased for you" feeling and twists it into "Oh shut up. Your coach must be an easy one to please." No one likes to have bitter thoughts like that, but really, there are very few other reactions that conversation could naturally provoke in a human being.<br />
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Something I seem to suffer from personally, and I'm not too sure what I do or say to provoke it, is "let me help you" syndrome. Don't get me wrong, I'm not averse to the odd helpful tip if I'm very obviously struggling with something. But most of the time, I'm just learning - that's all - just practising and learning.<br />
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There's nothing that knocks confidence more than someone's - probably well-meaning - "Oh don't worry, I'm no good at those either". Just please keep in mind that if that person had actually been feeling a little bit better about that particular element, you've essentially just implied that it still looks rubbish. Being corrected all the time by anyone and everyone - however well-intended - can just serve to make people suspect everything they're doing looks appalling.<br />
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As skaters, we all complain from time to time about just not being able to grasp this element or that, and what we're looking for usually is perhaps a bit of reassurance, a reminder, that if you keep practising it WILL come.<br />
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By all means, celebrate your achievements; be proud of the things you've done, because you've worked damn hard for it, but don't do it by knocking others down.<br />
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And finally, the odd compliment doesn't go amiss either. Not everyone who's negative about themselves is "compliment fishing" - that's just an easy assumption to make. People these days, more and more, seem to have confidence issues.<br />
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If someone's down on themselves, don't go over the top but perhaps point out that it doesn't look as bad as they assume it does, or that there were other things they struggled with previously that they can now do beautifully. Or just offer encouragement to keep trying as everyone started at the beginning. A little bit of human kindness goes a long way and costs nothing.<br />
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And on that bombshell, I'm half expecting to feel like Liz Jones of Daily Mail fame - i.e. hated for having a strong opinion - but I'm willing to take that if it makes a few people examine the subject.<br />
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And here's the article that sparked all this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2727999/Are-mobiles-making-obnoxious-Under-25s-likely-inflated-self-esteem-exaggerate-thanks-social-media.html<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-55990271065938836932014-08-19T22:22:00.001+01:002014-08-19T22:22:15.597+01:00This one time, at skate camp...This weekend, two friends and I headed to Sheffield for this year's NISA adult development camp. I came back three friends better off and having tried my hand at not only skating, but also at being a showgirl, a ballet dancer and so much more.<br />
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Ok, so I also had it reinforced to me that I'm (stealing a friend's term here) severely choreographically challenged (!) - but I actually didn't fare as badly as I would have suspected.<br />
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If you haven't been to a camp and are thinking about it, I would absolutely urge you to grab a couple of friends and get yourselves there. We had an absolute blast from beginning to end.<br />
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The classes<br />
<a name='more'></a> finished earlier in the evening than last year, so we still had time to get showers and change, then head for food and the pub. Last year, there was barely time to eat before just going straight to bed.<br />
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I doubt the poor pub landlady was so grateful when we decided it was a good idea to practice our new moves in there....And when a group of superheroes walked in - yes, actual superheroes - mid-dramatic ballet routine, well that just made our night. If only we could have got pictures of Batman's face. The "ballet" will have to do:<br />
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If just taking the on ice classes into account, I didn't really feel I learned a lot this year to be brutally honest.<br />
This was the opposite of last year. But, for me, a lot of it was a repeat as I was in the same "low" group both times so we worked on all the same things.<br />
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The coaching was great, but the way the days were organised meant we were only on the ice for half an hour at a time for most sessions, which was a bit of a faff on - boots on, boots off, boots on, boots off....<br />
<br />
In total honesty, I'd say there were still a few issues with the camp that I'd like to see ironed out for next time.<br />
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The dancers were on the ice at the same time as the free skaters at some points, which in my opinion was nothing short of dangerous. I did put that in my feedback last year, but the same thing happened again. Just try 15 people all heading off to do Salchows just as a herd of pattern dancers are cutting through the middle of you all. Not cool. There were quite a few times when I didn't even do whichever element the coach had asked for because, with the limited time, plus the dancers, I often ended up doing a few backward crossovers, looking for a space, then just running out of time before I'd even jumped etc.<br />
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There was also an issue of having two different coaches throughout the day, but neither knowing what the other had done specifically, so I heard the same advice repeated and was given some repeated exercises to do. I appreciated the coaches asking what we would like to work on rather than just coming in with a lesson plan, but I would have liked to see more edge work or fun 'different' exercises. I can't help but feel when it's left up to skaters, all they can think to say is "salchows" or "toe loops".<br />
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All that said, the coaches WERE great, and it would be pretty tough to please all the people all the time. To some extent, I guess it's perhaps a good thing that I didn't feel I learned an awful lot - other people DID feel they learned a lot - so maybe that just tells me I already have a super-duper coach who gives me all the right advice and exercises.<br />
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The off-ice, just as last year, was fantastic. It was also different to last year, which was great. We did some stretching and flexibility, jump exercises and balance with one of the coaches, then tried out different kinds of dance with another. And despite going into the dance classes with a feeling of pure undiluted dread, I actually found I really enjoyed it and didn't even mind looking a total fool because it was so much fun anyway.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-81623974677993846092014-08-12T23:15:00.002+01:002014-08-12T23:15:57.218+01:00Cheer Up TuesdayFirstly - sorry it's late.<br />
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There's nothing else for it today really, is there? Equal parts makes you smile and makes you sad, but it's got to be done. R.I.P. Robin Williams - you will live on forever through your talent and in the hearts of all who've grown up laughing at your films.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-42987936061832454942014-08-05T22:47:00.003+01:002014-08-05T22:47:54.128+01:00Cheer Up TuesdayAfter the worst skate ever today, I think I need cheering up myself. A combination of I was already exhausted and it was really busy on the ice meant I wasted an hour-and-a-half basically skating around in circles waiting for space to practice things. Hate that! BUT, can't complain too much - because a) it's my own fault for letting myself be affected by other people, and b) had a really good practice yesterday. You can't have it all!<br />
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Anyway - here it is, today's little bit to make you smile (I hope). Some are a little bit cringey, but it's worth it for the very last one which, for some reason, made me almost cry with laughter the first time I saw it. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/amFT2N53qO4?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-12965148124553509042014-07-29T20:29:00.001+01:002014-07-29T20:29:10.305+01:00Cheer Up TuesdayThis is equal parts funny, cute and heartbreaking...Baby girl's reaction to her daddy shaving off his beard.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_k0fnTiKEMc?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-61748605037131869782014-07-26T22:37:00.001+01:002014-07-26T22:37:50.383+01:00Out of my comfort zoneRemember that program I was so excited about finally getting? Well, my coach has started to put it together for me now, and it's definitely the massive challenge to my confidence that I thought it was going to be.<br />
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But I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. It's great to have something else to work on; I like that I'm being forced to do my best to skate "with flow" (I suppose that's the phrase), and faster - though when I used that phrase to Coach A he did get his serious face on and insist "this is <i>not</i> fast" :-) I'm inclined to agree with him, but, <i>for me, </i>it is!<br />
<br />
When you first started to put things together into a sequence of any kind, above just the skate uk level you need, did you <br />
<a name='more'></a>just feel on the cusp of being out of control at all times, and within inches of splatting onto the ice? That's how I feel at the moment. I know Coach A can see that too - I can see the little half-smiles every time I have that moment of panic - he can obviously see it in my body language and face. It's quite amusing really. I can hide nothing when I'm skating!<br />
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Additionally, I wonder if there are other adult skaters out there who feel completely out of their comfort zone with anything resembling artistry the way I do?<br />
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By this I mean ARMS. Goddamn, bloomin, far-too-much-to-deal-with ARMS.<br />
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Figure skating is the first thing I've ever done in my life that required any kind of grace, art, fluidity of movement, etc etc. I have never danced, done ballet, gymnastics - anything at all of the kind. So trying to look graceful seriously does not come naturally to me. Coach A hasn't been too ambitious just yet with the bit of programme I have so far, and I'm so far only required to move my arms one time - but it's one time too many. Having caught glimpses of myself practising it, it just looks <i>so awkward!</i> It's so frustrating! I can only carry on and hope it looks a little better in time! If anyone has any tips on not looking so stiff and awkward in the meantime, I'd be delighted to hear them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-13586150053865799032014-07-22T22:16:00.000+01:002014-07-22T22:16:00.521+01:00Cheer Up TuesdayI'm not sure this actually really needs words; this guy just cheered up my day by being so phenomenally random. There's clearly a fella who can actually skate a bit underneath all that crazy-eyes-thing, and he's certainly bringing a smile to some faces - if slightly wary faces...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8102320897370673287.post-52936761865286094562014-07-15T20:04:00.000+01:002014-07-15T20:04:00.780+01:00Cheer up TuesdayI'm sure we've also seen videos like this before, but I loved this one. She's just so pudgy and little...and fast!<br />
<br />
Her music is irritating beyond words, but this little skater is ever so cute. I'm not sure I like whatever those "forward" jumps are that they seem to have the tiny ones doing at this competition - I do fear for their lives I'll admit. But I would love to see competitions (or even just showcases, not necessary that they compete against one another) for really titchy skaters in this country in the future - it's got to be great fun for them and a great introduction to competing.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QG4702aAkcQ?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01162139557864158214noreply@blogger.com1