ice skating mania

My daughter is now hooked on ice skating.Whew!
To think that we are in a tropical country ...
No winter so ....
It means I have to pay for entrance fee in the ice skating rink because we don't have frozen rivers or parks that we could use as ice skating places. huhuhu
But because she is good in persuading me so she always wins...
Ice skating here she goes...
I don't know what's in it in ice skating because I haven't tried it myself but she 's crazy about it.
We go there religiously every Sunday.
She is also planning to go to the next level...learn figure skating...
Anyway, I still have to decide what to do ...

For beginner's here are some tips for you:

1. Don't forget your socks or even an extra socks because ice skating shoes are stinky. You know what will happen next , right?


2. Don't chew gum, carry knives or key rings in your pockets etc. while
skating.

3. Get skates that are at least as small as your shoe size, and if you have
to take a pair a half-size off, go smaller.

4. Lace your skates up all the way, and snugly. If your toes go numb within
a few minutes, you've laced them too tightly. If, when you stand up on dry
land, your ankles flop to the inside, you haven't laced them tightly enough
(or else the skates are too big, or possibly are just worn out). Don't let
your laces flop around loosely. If there is extra lace, do something such as
double knotting them to keep them from tripping you!

5. Wear gloves. They protect your hands in falls

6. Don't use your toe-picks to stop or start. In fact, try to keep off of
your toe-picks.

7. Start out by just "marching" on the ice,lifting your knees and putting
your feet back down flat in the same place. Do not try to step ahead heel
and toe as if you were walking on land.

8. Stand up straight (don't bend forward, it will make you fall forward),
and hold your hands/arms out slightly to your sides. (Don't feel silly ....
look around ... everyone else has their arms out). Your body will THINK that
it's safer with you hunched over ... because you are closer to the ground,
but believe me, it's a lot safer to be standing up straight.

9. Bend your knees. All the time. Maybe "bend your knees" doesn't convey all
it should. Try this. Stand on dry land in shoes. Bend your knees AND ankles,

O

/

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so you look like this from the side. Your feet are FLAT on the ground. Your
weight is behind the ball of your foot. In fact, the flex of your foot
should put pressure backward from the ball of your foot. Your hips are
directly over your heels. Your back is upright. You are looking straight
ahead (not down). Bounce a bit up and down in this position. Your knees and
ankles will bend more, and your hips and upper body rise and fall, but your
hips are ALWAYS right above your heels, and your back and head are always
upright. And your feet remain flat on the ground, with the weight no farther
forward than the balls of your feet, and probably more nearly under your
arch. If you ski, you should be familiar with this "sitting" position.

10. Think about how you walk, stand, stand on one foot, etc. You can't stand
on one foot if you don't center your weight over that foot. Exactly the same
thing applies to skating.

11. Skate WITH traffic. Don't go into the center of the rink where there are
people practicing jumps, spins, and footwork. They are staying out of your
way. You stay out of theirs. Don't stand around next to the boards or in the
middle of traffic.

12. Experiment with your arms. Glide forward on 2 feet, with your arms out
to your sides. Turn your shoulders/arms to the left and notice that you turn
to the left without doing anything at all with your feet. This is an
illustration of the degree to which the upper body controls what happens
with your feet.

13. When you fall, roll over onto your side, get onto your knees, then bring
one leg up so that one skate is on the ice. Help yourself up with your
hands, and stand up on the skate that's on the ice. Don't try to stand up
with both blades touching the ice. They'll just slide out from under you.
Don't stay down on the ice. It's not safe for you or anyone else. Exception:
If you fall really hard, and really hurt, stay put for a minute to let the
shock wash over you before you get up. Then skate to the side and get off
the ice for a few minutes.
PROMISE.. this will happen to you (100 % sure of that)...^^

Happy skating!