After the Applause: What happened to our top Figure Skaters

What happens to our believed figure skaters when the applause stops, and the endorsement money does not flow like it used to?  Trouble! It seems to find many top skaters now that they have unlaced their skates.  We have all heard of the Tonya Harding scandal of the early 1990's, that shocked the skating world; barring Harding from ever being part of a USFSA skating event as a skater or a coach.  This was for her role in the Nancy Kerrigan attack.  Now, with Nicole Bobek a former top skater arrested for allegedly being part of a drug distribution ring making headlines, what drives these former Olympians to do such horrible things.  

The main reason for these former top skaters to loose control of their lives is that they were dedicated competitors and skaters from an early age.  Spending most of their time at rinks, these children really did not get the chance to be kids.  figure Skating training takes hours of lessons, and hours away from home.  many children find it hard to continue with school because of the demanding schedule.  a tutor is often hired to get  the child athlete through high school.  Skaters like Nicole Bobek have skated from the time they were young.  She rose to fame as US champion in 1995.  Since then she had almost never been in the news until July 2009 when she was arrested. 

because of this these kids never grew up.  Skating is all they know, and without a proper education they find themselves getting into trouble.    

Learning to Skate

So, you have made the decision to learn to skate but your afraid of falling. Please don't be! Skating is not as dangerous as some may think. All it takes is balance, and patience. When you first step onto the ice you can get a bit nervous but with a couple of tips you will be just fine. The first thing to remember is to tie your skates, and tie them tight. They should be around a size smaller than your shoes. Start from the toe and pull tightly all the way up making sure that you hook the laces right by the ankles. By doing this you will have the support that your whole body needs on the ice. The next step is getting on the ice. This is the part that most people get into a panic over. Take your first step on the ice and bend your knees. Bending your knees keeps you balanced and if you do fall it will not hurt as bad with bent knees.

Once you've taken a couple of small marching steps you are ready to learn to stop. You can do this by putting your feet together, then pushing them out horizontally, your goal is to make snow. Remember, bend your knees for this and you won't fall down. Skating is a great sport to learn, and with some practice you too can skate like a pro.