Coach Linda’s Corner

Hey, y’all! Coach Linda here, and I’m so excited about the new skating season, I’m doing my happy dance!  Join me! Go ahead… you know you want to! (Queue your own music… I’ll wait…may I suggest Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”!)

Whew! Did you get your heart rate up? I hope so! That increased stamina will serve you well on the skating floor. Now that you’re warmed up, you’re ready to start thinking about your skating goals for the next year. Yes, it’s that time!! 

September has been the beginning of the year for me since I was in grade school.  Not only does the new school year begin in September, but the new SKATING SEASON starts on September 1st with the release of the official competitive requirements for the new skating season. Even if you’re not involved in the competitive aspect of the sport, most skating rinks unveil a new schedule in the Fall and getting back to the rink and reconnecting with old friends helps get back into the groove of a regular skating schedule. 

As many of you know, the summer of ‘24 was one for the books for me personally. I skated my first Regionals in 50 years last June, and won 4 gold medals qualifying for the National Championships in July. My 70th birthday was in August, and my 50th wedding anniversary is in September. So I’ve been a little busy this summer, which is my excuse….err…explanation for why this year our season will begin in October. 

Behind the scenes (in between those summer adventures), we’ve been busy creating a redesigned and revamped Learn-to-skate program, including in-person classes, workshops and private lessons, in addition to online skating tutorials. Holli has applied her expertise in marketing and project management to build us a new website that offers a “one stop shop” for skating instruction, news and views from and for our skating community, resources and articles of interest to artistic skaters, and celebrations of past and present artistic roller skating heroes.  

We’ve also been in the rink making video tutorials which will debut later this fall, with class modules available on YouTube and our site as well as Instagram reels and Facebook stories. We will also be offering video lessons for our remote skaters that want to have one-on-one instruction via zoom. Our website will have more details as we get the program going later this Fall, but don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can help you along your skating journey.

Whether your skating interest is social or competitive, or you just want to learn some skating basics to enjoy an occasional roll with the family; we have something for everyone. Join us for our mid-day Social Skates on Tuesday and Thursdays, our all-ages Skills Class on Thursday afternoons, or specialty classes for modern dancing or traditional dance. Please join our mailing list to keep up with our local and world-wide skating community. You can also stay in touch on Instagram @artisticskaterlife, Facebook at Facebook.com/artisticskatingcentral and our developing new site www.artisticskating.com. 

Can’t wait to see you at the rink or online! 

I teach adult roller skaters, beginner as well as long-time, accomplished athletes. In a sport like roller skating, the potentiality of falling is always present…no matter how accomplished the skater. So for adults that break more easily than youngsters, I am ever-mindful that there is a measure of courage involved in taking up a sport that could reasonably result in injury.

Besides the basic safety precautions and proper technique, teaching adult skaters also involves instilling a healthy respect for staying present while skating. There is no time on the skating floor that a skater can forget they have wheels on their feet and even the best skaters can get knocked down, clipped by another skater, or roll over something on the floor that stops your wheels as your body careens into a wall or the floor uncontrolled. Teaching how to fall is helpful, but often older skaters don’t want to practice something that hurts to do, and to react instinctively requires practice. Skaters that started when they were children more often have those automatic responses to falling, but there’s still always the possibility of an unexpected fall. 

So given that painful fact, an adult skater must have the mental ability to move past that potentiality with courage and determination. That’s where a competent skating instructor can help. Building confidence in one’s skating ability and understanding (and accepting) limitations such as reduced range of motion and other physical abilities will help the adult skater practice more effectively and with less possibility of injury. However, over-confidence can be the end of one’s skating career. 

My job as a certified roller skating instructor is to inspire, motivate, and work with my students to instill a sense of confidence and “sure footed-ness” – especially to my adult skaters. However I often have to curb the enthusiasm of newer skaters who want to do all the tricks and skills they either 1) used to do or 2) have seen others do and make it look easy so “how hard could it be?” I’m not saying that adult skaters aren’t capable of skating to a high degree in whatever discipline they favor… I’m just saying that adult skaters should take the time to focus on fundamentals before hurling themselves onto the floor with abandon. This can be hard for some skaters… especially those who have been accomplished skaters in their younger years and their brains are telling them that they can do the same skills they used to do in their youth. Sometimes the brain and body aren’t simpatico, and even muscle memory can make us think we “still have it” when we’re actually skating beyond our current skill level. 

So begin at the beginning… you can’t skip steps when it comes to becoming a proficient roller skater whether you’re skating for fun or even competitively. If it’s been awhile since you skated, be kind to yourself and work your way up to your previous skating level. And find a good skating instructor… one that will inspire and motivate, but also tells the truth about the risks you voluntarily take when you put on those beautiful roller skates and step onto that big open skating floor! One that will point out when you are pushing too hard or too fast for your body to catch up to your brain, while setting you in the right direction to build on progressively harder skills. Oh, and one that will make the journey an enjoyable one so that you will want to be patient with yourself as you gain more and more confidence on your skates. 

I know that we often feel we are learning too slowly (or perhaps even can’t learn) as older athletes, but with persistence and patience progress will come. Take the time to learn and practice to your own schedule. If you are in a class setting, don’t be concerned about keeping up with the quickest adapter. A good teacher will let you progress at your own speed, and there should be no pressure to attempt skills that feel dangerous or beyond your current level of proficiency. BUT – don’t let yourself get stuck in a mindset that you’re too old or inexperienced to stretch your abilities, either. It’s all about balance; the kind you learn on your skates, and the kind of balance that results from maturity, acceptance, courage, and being grateful to be able to do the things with our bodies that make us feel fully alive! Do what you can with what you have right now, enjoy the journey, rejoice in your body and the miracle of flying on wheels!

See those spectator seats on the right? That’s where my grandma used to sit when I was skating at the legendary Oaks Park Rink in Portland, OR. From the time I could walk (and some say earlier), I ”performed” for my grandma who sat through all my classes, lessons, practices and sessions from the age of 2 to 11. In the evenings my mom would get off of work and come by the rink to watch my lessons, so both of them would sit there and I always had my own little cheering section. Every move I perfected and every routine I ended, I faced toward this side as I bowed to my mom and grandma.

Many years later, the year before my mother died, I decided to put on my skates again and see if I could still perform. The memory of speed and flying and joy came rushing back as my body moved to the music… and I looked over to see my mother watching from the sidelines, just like when I was little. That was about 10 years ago, but the memories of performing for my loving audience were still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

Life has changed a lot since my mother and grandmother ascended, but I still feel their presence as I achieve little successes throughout the day (got the house cleaned – take a bow!). Every child should have that feeling, and for that matter – every adult. How wonderful to feel that one ALWAYS has a cheering section of beloved “fans” to witness life’s clean landings (and encouragement after the falls). It is comforting to know that there is always someone “in the stands” watching and encouraging all the little wins in my life. Who is in the stands for you?