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Last year was kind of a big question mark for me, skating-wise, so I can’t say I had defined goals or even plans — I was just glad to resume skating again after being out with an injury, and relieved when my skills started to come back. I also went coachless for the better part of the year, and skipped competing and programs altogether, so it was only fairly recently that I started to look forward with concrete goals again.
For 2018, I would like to:
- Compete my silver free skate at Adult Sectionals. I have no idea how I stack up against the field so my goal is purely personal: skate everything clean and get credit for every element.
- Go to Nationals. I’ve wanted to go every year but something always came up (or I decided against it at the last minute because of the expense), but I have my eye on going this year. Fingers crossed I can manage the scheduling!
- Practice the axel. I’m not aiming to land the axel, but I know that there’s zero shot of that ever happening if I don’t even attempt to practice it! I have padding and guards and I feel like I’m ready to move on from prep drills, but I have a hard time mustering the courage to actually practice it.
- That said, I also need to be careful about axel practice, because I was recently attempting them and tweaked something in my bad hip (that I had surgery on). It’s hopefully a minor thing, but it scared me into remembering that I’d rather skate forever without an axel than to reinjure myself, require more surgery, and have to quit skating! I haven’t figured out where the line between challenging myself and being protective/careful is, because I’m not ready to give up on axel hopes yet. But I will if it comes to it.
- Test Intermediate moves in the field. I’m not in a rush to pass tests, but Intermediate has several overlaps with Gold, which I passed, so only 3 new moves to learn. I think getting this sometime this year is a reasonable aim.
- Double twizzles in all directions, triple twizzles on the easier ones. I’m getting more comfortable with the forward (1-and-a-half) twizzles on the Intermediate test, but my coach challenged me to try for triple twizzles, because “Once you’ve done triples, the test will be a breeze.”
- Get 3 revolutions in a flying back camel spin. I’m making good progress on the back camel, but currently I’m at the 1-revolution-and-fall-out phase of the flying version.
- Level up the spins. My coach was going over all the spin possibilities for my Silver program, and it’s kind of mind-boggling all the combinations and variations that give you levels. I feel like a Level 1 would be within reach; Level 2 is a stretch goal.
Sarah on Ice 
Love hearing about these goals, Sarah! They definitely make me think about all the different things one can do with skating–always something good to work on, and never ever boring! The mind-body possibilities are endless. Happy 2018!
Thanks Jo, I definitely agree that I could always find something to work on and be challenged and engaged, even if certain skills are out of reach. Happy 2018 to you too!
These sound like fun goals! I hear you on the, if you don’t at least practice it, you’ll surely never get it. I have one move that I would LOVE to get, it’s so pretty. But holy moly, I cannot do it. But then again, because I can’t do it (and because it’s such a painful move), I don’t practice it regularly. That’s one of my goals for 2018 too, to attempt at least one every session. Maybe by the end of 2018, I’ll have it? We’ll see. Good luck!
Ugh I hear you — you want the skill, but it’s painful, and at what point is it worth the pain? (I can’t do outside spreadeagles, for instance, and I’m not sure it’s worth possibly injuring my hips in pursuit of that goal.) For the most part I don’t envy the younger skaters their higher skills or faster learning rate, but I do really envy their ability to heal from injuries!
Great goals, Sarah! Keep us posted if you go to Adult Nationals. I am hoping to go too and would love to meet you and watch you skate!
I’d love to finally meet you and see you skate, too! FIngers crossed that I can make it out there this year!
Hi Sarah, good luck calculating that risk/benefit ratio for the axel. I’ve scratched it off the list myself. I still have some hopes of going back to jumping at some point though not the axel, but not this season.
It’s tricky, isn’t it? We’ve only got one body and it’s deteriorating anyway without any help from impact or high-injury sports, so I’ve got to do what I can to protect it!
Similar to you… I would really love to go to nationals and compete. I haven’t competed either since my injury and it really sets you back when you are an adult. Also… figuring out where that line is between practicing a skill you want and being careful is difficult. If I feel off in any way I stop these days and move onto something easy. However, sometimes the temptation is there to just push a little bit more! LOL but like you I would just like to continue skate for a long time rather than injure myself again.
Hi Sarah, I’ve just come across your blog, looking for fellow adults who began skating as adults! I took my first group lesson last week after years of wanting to do it. Finally taking the plunge felt scary but so good and I can’t wait to learn! I feel encouraged by your blog already!