- end of new posts

You know, I've always enjoyed watching figure skating... something about the graceful athleticisim combined with art just won me over. Then when one of my daughters started to skate I reached a whole new appreciation for the effort involved. It's no wonder figure skating has captivated the hearts of millions of people around the world. So as a blogger who has written extensively about figure skating over the years, it is with sincere gratefulness and humility that I must announce my retirement from this blog.

When I first started writing this, my goal was simple -- to educate skaters and parents about the sport and to share my opinions as a Dad who had watched thousands of hours of skating. I wanted to provide insights and tips that could help young skaters improve their skills and help parents navigate the complex world of figure skating. At the same time, I wanted to share my love for the sport with others and create a community of skating enthusiasts who could come together and share their own experiences.

Over the years, I've written extensively about everything from the basics of skating technique to the intricacies of the judging system. Less concerned with the skating stars or their fandom, I've always focused on the challenge of learning and expressing one's feelings through the sport. While it has been an incredible journey, I've come to the realization that I've written all I can say about the matter.

Don't get me wrong -- figure skating is a wonderful sport that I will always love. But after years of blogging about it, I feel like I've said everything that could be useful. I've pretty much plumbed the depths of Choreo, Personal Growth, Skate Parent Life, the Oddities of the sport, Performing, Style and Presentation, Physics, and the Technical aspect of skating. Rather than continue to write the same things over and over, I believe it's time to step back and let others take the reins.

Of course, that doesn't mean that my old posts will disappear. They will remain here indefinitely for everyone's reading pleasure, and I hope they will continue to be a useful resource for skaters and parents alike. However, I will no longer be reading or approving comments on my posts. I hope that my readers will understand and respect my decision, and I want to thank them for their support and encouragement over the years.

In conclusion, retiring from blogging about figure skating has been a difficult decision, but one that I believe is right. I'm grateful for the opportunities that this sport has given me, and I'm proud of the work that I've done as a blogger. I hope that my words have helped skaters and parents in some small way, and I look forward to watching the sport continue to grow and evolve in the years to come. With love, Jeff.

- novice spectators

Yay, I am once again attending occasional local competitions, now that Covid has sufficiently subsided (although I'm still masking). Since returning however I'm dismayed to find that audience attendance is still rather dismal, just the mom's and some local skating club members, as usual. So in a effort to boost the sport, I wrote an essay titled:

How to Watch, Enjoy and Understand a Skating Competition

Yeah yeah I know this doesn't apply to my regular blog readers (who are mostly skaters and their moms) but consider for a moment how nice it would be to have a full audience that might help pay for the rink time. So if you would, kindly consider sharing the above link with your friends and acquaintances... let's ramp up the excitement!

- blogging

Just so you're not worried, L.A. SkateDad is still here in the sunshine doing fine. Semi-retirement dispenses plenty of boredom and traipse; under normal circumstances I'd be watching more skating. With the pandemic raging though, skate watchings seem to be out of the question. It's certainly one of the tougher things I've missed.

It's difficult for me to write about skating though without frequently seeing it in person. An occasional YouTube videos is a drop of glycerin I suppose, but a video doesn't hold my interest nearly as much as in-person spectating. So for now my blogging is quiescing.

I have a lot of respect for those athletes and their coaches who continue along in their training regimen. Arts and athletics doesn't stop. But as far as I can tell local competitions have vanished, which I suppose is perfectly understandable, as safety comes first.

Before the pandemic struck, my viewing interests were changing (or rather widening) to include synchro and non-competitive small ensemble groups. It'll be pleasant to post about these once skating competitions resume.

I remember reading when this whole thing started that most pandemics burn out after about two years. Hopefully then in about another year or so things will calm down and once again local events will host spectators. Until then I'm afraid L.A. SkateDad is in hiatus taking a brief respite for now. Everyone stay safe, healthy, and in shape.

- stroking

Although it would seem to be one of the most basic aspects of skating, the mechanics of stroking -- progressing forward and backward across the ice between moves -- shows a lot about your polish, and also has a sublime influence on your elements.

Plus it's a pleasure to watch. When you see a skater with smooth gentle strokes it is like chinchilla fur on silk. Every push kisses the ice with such gentleness you can hardly tell exactly when the blade makes contact. It is soundless, rhythmic, and magical. It is fully controlled all the way down.

Just like specialty jump classes, some rinks do have a coach who can offer stroking classes. From what I recall the training is fairly brutal, as physical as running an hour of wind sprints but concentrated on those specific sets of muscles in your legs that position and push.

The immediate influence of this quality is that those who are accomplished at stroking have extra speed to help with balance and stored momentum when approaching jumps. The more sublime influence however is those accomplished at stroking gain this additional velocity without a gain in energy expenditure. Or the other way to look at it is: a skater who strokes smoothly and efficiently can get the same ice coverage as one with rough strokes, yet will be 25% less tired at the end of her routine.

- dedication

When I'm in the general vicinity of one of my rink hangouts the sense of skating is palpable, although I have a tough time explaining why my heart quickens. Nearby skaters are constantly working very hard and seriously with perceivable bodily risk. It's a similar flavor to hanging out near a hospital: it's the sense that extraordinary people are doing incredible things to make the world better, in small ordinary ways. Part of it is the aura from the class of people, some of it is the relief and change they make in the world.

The reason a gal becomes a figure skater feels obtusely parallel to the reason a guy becomes a doctor, along with its accompanying misdirections, temptations, and sorrows. They all have immense concentration to start with, but it takes a very strongly focused personality to be top-level successful in either occupation (a maniacal and extraordinary sort of driven being). I never witnessed this level of total dedication with my friends in other sports -- they were more just very serious jocks, like those of us who were deeply into science.

Skaters are much more than that. They are the doctors of athletes.