Skating while pregnant

Last night, I finished up my last lesson (coaching). When I got to the rink, one of the skaters' mother asked, "you are not going to skate, are you?"

Is skating dangerous when pregnant?
The greatest danger is the risk of falling. Figure skating certainly isn't something one would start to learn while pregnant, but I have had enough experience on the ice to be able to control and not present a danger to myself. In fact, I have felt entirely comfortable on the ice so far - those blades are really quite stable! ;-) However, what others do is beyond my control, and that's what everyone at the rink fears...

Will the pregnancy affect one's skating ability?
I was told that one's CG would change during pregnancy. I was told that one might feel a little off-center. I was told that one would tend to be a little less balanced... a little clumsy. Well, I am now fast approaching the 3rd trimester, and up 'til last week, have been getting on the ice regularly, about 2 to 3 times a week, to coach. I haven't felt any change to my balance - perhaps it will come later, or perhaps I'm just lucky! In any case, being on skates hasn't been difficult as I had thought.

What's the most difficult thing about skating while pregnant?
Getting my boots on! I can't really bend over forwards, and I can't see the hooks - I just hook the laces over whichever hook I can feel next, and hope its the right one!

What can I do at this stage?
Certainly all jumps are out. My upright spins and backspins are still ok. Basic turns and some footwork are fine. I was a bit tentative on a spiral, but it wasn't too bad.

Meanwhile, I suppose I will still skate on-and-off while I can. As another skater told me, "you will know when you have to stop". And so far, I do know that I won't even attempt jumps (though I still land double toes in my dreams).

Murphy, Finagle and Hanlon

The well known Murphy's Law is most commonly stated as
Anything that can go wrong, will.
There is a corollary of Murphy's law, namely Finagle's Law
Anything that can go wrong, will - at the worst possible moment!
Finally, Hanlon's Razor, a corollary of Finagle's Law, states
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Needless to say, ALL these laws apply in figure skating too!

• It is all-clear as you are setting up for the most perfect Lutz - then there will be someone in that corner when you get there!
  
• It is only in front of an audience that you forget to take off your guards before stepping on the ice.
  
• Whatever you are working on feels good, except in front of your coach!
  
• When you are all dressed and ready to get on the ice, you realise that you desperately need to go to the bathroom.
  
• Little kids on push bars are always attracted by spins - the one that draws them closest is the camel spin.

I am compiling a list of them, if you have any to contribute, do leave a comment or drop me a note!

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. :-)

Balance and the eyes

Today, a colleague of mine was describing an exercise in his yoga class:
  - stand on one foot
  - pull the other foot up to mid-thigh
  - hold the hands, palms together, above the head
  - hold the position for 5 seconds, then close your eyes
Apparently, it was supposed to be "difficult to balance" with the eyes closed. Sure enough, the eyes are commonly used as one of the auxiliary instruments of balance.

From MedicineNet.com,

The eyes observe where the body is in space (i.e., upside down, right side up, etc.) and also the directions of motion.

[Reference: MedicineNet.com.]

From BBC's Science & Nature,

To keep your balance, you don't only rely on the two sensory organs in your inner ear. Your eyes also deliver important information about your body's position, as do receptors in your muscles and tendons.

[Reference: BBC Science & Nature: Human Body & Mind.]

Much of skating, it is about being able to "feel the balance". That means, training the sensory receptors in our muscles and joints to play a larger role in balance. We should be able to look anywhere (or even shut our eyes) and still be aware of where we are and where we are going.

How many times have I been told (and told my students) not to look down?
We look down because it helps us observe where we are and where we are going. It give us comfort. It gives us immediate reassurance that we are still standing! Forget the fact that it is not necessary - we have gotten so attuned to it that we do it.

Really, it is just a bad habit!

It is really not so much about "not looking down" as it is about "keeping the head up". Keeping the head up maintains the alignment and posture that makes it easier to balance.
Remember, the ice is less forgiving than the ground!

PS: For the record, I did keep my balance in that yoga pose.

Three not-so-skating-related incidents

When I got to the rink tonight, and the cashiers handed me a note which was neatly folded and stapled. I chipped my nail trying to get the staple off, so I asked one of the guys at the skate rental if he had a nail file. He asked if scissors would do. When I shook my head, he pointed to the skate-sharpening machine!

GRRR!!!

After skating, I changed out of my boots, stretched, picked up my skates to go home, and promptly twisted my ankle - by stepping on the edge of the rubber mat!

SHEESH!!!

As I was walking to the taxi stand, there were two ladies walking in front of me, and nobody at the stand. Now, taxi stands here have metal bars demarcating where the queue should be. And we had to walk around to enter the stand and get to the front of the queue.

The first lady one had a bunch of flowers (the 'flower lady'), and she walked around to enter the stand. The second one was talking on the phone (the 'phone lady'), and just walked straight up to where the front of the queue would be, and stood beside the bar. Of course, the phone lady, not having had to walk around, was already there before the flower lady got to the front.

I followed the flower lady, stood behind her, and wondered if the phone lady was really waiting for a taxi. When the flower lady got into the first cab, the phone lady was utterly disgusted, claiming she "got there first".

HUH?!?

Anyway, skating was still fun this evening, though I don't really like to skate in the evening 'cos I am already tired from a day's work. Maybe I have gotten used to skating when not yet fully awake!

Figure Skating - our unusual sport

Figure skating is an unusual sport.

Any child can kick a football.
Any group of children can get together and play a game.

Any child can run.
Any group of children can get together have a race.

Any child can put on skates and step on the ice...
BUT not many attain figure skating skills that would allow them to skate a program. At least not immediately.

Figure skating competitions are highly structured. Test levels are created to place competitors in the "right skill level". Lower-level competitions impose restrictions on what elements competitors may do, as skaters are judged not just on how well elements are performed, but also on the difficulty of elements successfully performed.

Imagine a tennis competition with a category where "no topspin is allowed" so that beginners not adept at hitting the topspin would not be disadvantaged.

Or a basketball competition where 3-point shots are not allowed...

Travel restrictions

It has been 4 years since I brought my skates on board with me when I fly. And I thought it was bad for us skaters...

Until today, when I read an article in the New York Times about the problem orchestras face:

The violin virtuoso and conductor Pinchas Zukerman said security officials had even asked him to remove the strings of his 1742 Guarneri del Gèsu. "I've had unbelievable discussions at certain airports," he said by telephone while waiting at the Atlanta airport for a flight with his wife, the cellist Amanda Forsyth. "They want to stick their hands in my instruments, and they say, 'It's my job.'"

[Quoted from "Tighter Security Is Jeopardizing Orchestra Tours" in The New York Times]

I can't imagine security asking me to remove my blades... though they're welcome to stick their hands in my boot if they like!