In our defense, let me state again that Ice Girl has been figure skating for just 14 months. We're new and this story happened last August, when she'd been skating for just eight months.And, Ice Dad's the culprit, not me!
We were at a competition and Ice Girl hit Ice Dad up for some hot cocoa. He gave her, I don't know, two bucks. She put the change in her jacket, drank the hot cocoa down, and went out for her warm-up.
Skate, skate, skate. Spin, spin...scatter pennies on the ice. Ice Coach held her head as if she'd had brain freeze. Ice Girl scrambled to pick up the change and bring it to Ice Coach. I turned to that husband of mine and demanded an explanation. He pretended innocence.
Last weekend at Badger State Winter Games, some other kid (not mine, I swear), had a few tubes of lip gloss in her pockets. Skate, skate, skate, spin, spin...lip gloss tubes all over the ice. None of the skaters saw it, including Bonnie Bell. We parents in the stands were shouting and gesturing at our skaters to pick up what we thought were markers. Skaters and coaches were bewildered and several girls missed the tubes by inches. Finally a couple of girls realized that these objects were on the ice and collected them.
Bottom line: This one seems pretty obvious, but since my family isn't the only one to have done it, I think telling new skating parents not to give kids small objects before going on the ice is a pretty good idea. Frisking the little buggers before they go on the ice isn't a bad idea, either. I'm not going so far as to sew Ice Girl's pockets closed, but I did consider it briefly. However, I chose to sew Ice Dad's wallet shut instead.
Ice Mom-
ReplyDeleteI've got to tell you, my nearly-5-year-old daughter had her very first lesson on Thursday of last week, and since we've already hired a personal instructor for her, I'm falling into the skating-mom trap! LOL
I did want to tell you though, I check your site regularly, and often tell my husband, "well Ice Mom had said" when we're discussing upcoming practices, purchasing new products, and planning what appears to be a life centered around freestyle skate times...lol
Thank you for sharing your stories!
Thanks, kproc8! I try to soak up as much information from folks around me so I'm not the biggest dork at the rink. I wish your daughter success with skating and I wish you many hours of enjoyment watching her. Bring your blanket! :)
ReplyDeleteI never put change into my pocket, since my jacket is really big on me, and when I jump, the pockets fly up (with the added weight/momentum of the coins) and hit me in the face... lol
ReplyDeleteMy daughter started figure skating when she was 5 ( she´s now 7) and has learnd alot. She is really good at this sport. But here in Sweden there are no personal trainer. Not at this age.
ReplyDeleteDo your doughter practise alot?
I have a question for you. Where can I buy some good figure skating patterns on the internet? I love to sew and are alawys looking för something new.
/Maria Enqvist
Hi, Maria.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! Does your daughter take group skating lessons? You might approach one of the coaches about an individual lesson for your daughter.
Ice Girl skates 12 hours a week, but more if she can talk me into it. She's a nut.
I buy patterns on the Internet all the time. You can buy Jalie and Kwik Sew patterns from http://sewing.patternreview.com/ I don't know how they deal with international orders, though. I also recommend ordering right from the http://jalie.com/ site where you can download .pdf copies of the pattern envelope and instructions.
Some folks have had success with Specialty Sportswear patterns (do a Google search); however, I find their instructions to be cryptic.
Best wishes for success!
Thank you.
ReplyDelete