One year progress! My first year of figure skating: 36 year old beginner adult (w/a few more clips.)

After skating here and there on ponds as a child, which I hardly recall doing, and once at a rink in Montreal, I saw some inspiring skaters in person and on KZbin at the Bryant Park rink in November or December 2020. In January 2021 a municipal pond reopened nearby after more than 30 years absence, and I bought some skates to try it out…
I LOVED the feeling of skating and spent every hour I could at the pond. Covid restrictions had shuttered most rink skating options, but I was able to sign up for a Learn to Skate class in the spring at one of the nearest rinks, an hour from home. Frustratingly, the half hour class and half hour practice time was the only ice time I had each week, thanks to Covid. Well, at least the class was happening! At the last session I had made it through adult LTS level 3, ready to start at 4 if I stayed in NY. But…
We moved to Europe about a week after the last spring LTS class, and I spent some time in June getting used to the ice again. Thankfully a rink was easy to get to! I noticed a coach who seemed very skilled and also lighthearted and pleasant while instructing, and one day I approached him about lessons. Since mid July I have had at least one lesson a week, and I skate at least five days a week for and hour and a half, usually.
Here are clips that show my progress in the span of a year!
I have a lot to work on, but I am really pleased to be tackling cross rolls, Mohawks, and all kinds of things that seemed impossible at first. 3 turns are the thing I least enjoy working on and struggle the most with, but I am plugging along with all kinds of stuff and hope to see some cool skills coming together after another year in 2023. :)
I actually posted a slightly shorter version of this last night but had a lesson today and decided to add a bunch of clips since Coach Awesome had me try a lot of new things out.
#AFI Cotroceni #Cotroceni on Ice

[@torimcgurgan7924]

I can't believe they let someone skate while they were re-icing, haha! Everyone is ushered off where I'm from 😅

[@salsatosalchow7294]

Yayyeee!! More adult skaters! That’s so exciting! You look like you have really nice balance from the beginning. Love your edge work! Keep posting!

[@BarbaraDanelle]

Thank you for sharing your progress! It's so nice to see another 30+ adult skater who is farther along than I am thus far. I'm 37 (about to be 38) and just started skating six months ago. I just finished level 4 (LTS), and still feel pretty awkward. Looking forward to a time when I can be a bit more graceful, and less fearful of falling. HOT TIP for all of us adult skaters, one thing that's been helping me lately is balance training on a Bosu ball! ;)

[@lucyli1679]

Your story gives me so much courage. I am 45, and I just started to learn skating.Hope one year later, I will make a great progress like you! Thank you for posting!

[@justadditude4537]

im shocked no one is saying this.. I was surprised to see your waltz jump you pull your left leg up then jump ive never seen that in person and i always lift my right for momentum-- either way thats cool!

[@lilianmatheson3664]

I love seeing th progressions your coach's support. I am 42, I have been skating for almost 1 year now. I rally wish I had more time that I coukd go. With work and family it gets a little hard. Good job on your progress.

[@46bigguys]

I love it we need more adult skaters 1 because there way nicer then teens and 2 because it gives hope to others who wanna start skating

[@peterpollard4162]

Good for you! I'm a beginning windsurf at 74.

[@GriziDaWiz]

aww man, itd be so cool to have frozen lakes to skate on. Where I live there is one rink within 30 minutes and it is usually packed to the brim every time.

[@Bodtaib]

Alone girl on the ice. So beautiful... 😊 😊 😊 😊

[@yushenyu7670]

Lovely, it is never to late to skate. go go go.

[@lefrancaisavecmomo..]

Bravo !!! 🎉🎉🎉 It's impressive 👏👏👏. I admire your goodwill

[@7of9123]

I've come back to this video a few times over the past year. For me it's now 14 months of skating. Thank you for sharing!

[@CiaraSymbollic]

Thank you for sharing this. I will be 27 this year and I'm currently pregnant with my second baby. I LOVE skating and have rollerbladed since I was a child. Figure skating and inline figure skating has become a new love of mine but I haven't been able to do it since having children. I'm really looking forward to a time when things slow down so I can finally get back on my skates. I miss it so much and you make me feel confident in picking it back up even if I will be a little older. You're an inspiration. It's never to late to start something. ❤️✨

[@TT-ce9sm]

Thank you very much for posting your progress.

[@Just_Call_Me_Tim]

I love seeing your progress! You look like you belong on the ice!

[@barbarab202]

I love seeing progress of other adult skaters. I just started skating at 44 and am in my 5th month of group lessons (3 of us progressing very similarly). I’m just finishing CanSkate level 6 and cleaning up backwards crossovers. Mohawks are slow, and 3 turns are my nemesis. Hoping to move on to StarSkate next (Canadian system).

[@linyan9299]

It’s better than my 3 years. It really depends on how often you go on ice and practice.

[@chandramaulana1076]

Those progresses are really cool ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[@kristyskirt9015]

Good work. You have open heart ❤️ and a true love of flying on the ice. Well me too I still skating over 65 yo. Yet I keep up with the young freestyle whipper snapper figure skaters, Just got my Riedell Flair 910 figure skates oh boy new skate break in.