Observation of skaters

On Friday, I skated my last session at Ice House. I mean, last for this trip, of course! I'll definitely go there again when I am back in NJ... but for now, no more beautiful ice and large rink.

In this one week here, I made some observations about skaters.

Adult skaters skate because we love it. We may not be the most impressive, but we are willing to try and work at it. AND we have a tendency to plan work schedules around skating! I also find that adult skating in the US has gained much respect, and more popularity.

I was also on some sessions when Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman practised their programs. It was a pleasure watching them, but more impressive was how it looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves!

There are different types of little girl skaters, from those who throw tantrums, to those who argue with every instruction, to those who obey every word... Oh well, not so different from in Singapore.

I was impressed by one girl. She looks barely 12, yet I dare say she seems more sensible than most of the teens I see at home. I skated on a couple of sessions when she was having lessons. She listened and performed - difficult variations, repetitions of the same moves, improvements to the moves... everything. And she communicated well with her coach, showing an understanding of what was required. It must be wonderful to teach her. :-)