u/blissfullychicago

Anybody else think that Zhu’s Navy Pier set was incredibly disappointing?

I’m usually in the camp of ‘if you think it’s boring then you’re boring’… but my god I felt like I was watching a YouTube set from 2018, and everyone was recording every second like COVID was about to start back up. UGH

I’ve been skating since March and am feeling very confident in my skating, but I’m a former ballet dancer used to spotting, so I get REALLY dizzy with spinning, and sometimes get bloody noses from the centrifugal force.

I know it’s time to incorporate spinning in my off ice training to get used it faster, especially because I only skate 4-6 hrs a week.

I live in a big city so there’s not a lot of space in my apartment, but we do have a very nice gym in my building with plenty of space and it has a vinyl/wood floor, so I’m looking for a spinner that wouldn’t damage the flooring.

Can you please recommend your favorite spinner that feels the most realistic for the price, any advice on how to protect the flooring, and I am practicing both 1 and 2 foot spins do I need to buy 2?

Hey everyone! I’m a newer adult skater that started in March (but skated for a few years when I was very young) and my goal is to re-teach myself through Adult Basic 6. I’m currently working on LTS Adult Basic 5!

I did ballet for a decade so I notice that I tend to linger on a specific skill longer than a lot of people that I skate with in open freestyle/public skate. Ballet taught me that perfecting the fundamentals is more rewarding in the long run because you have a better foundation and are building strength for more difficult and demanding movements you’ll learn later on. I’ve carried a lot of that practice into my skating. For example: I spent 2.5 months really working on my forward crossovers and depending my knee bend/confidence in my edges. I’m such a perfectionist, I put all my pads on and I fall over and over to try to push myself until I find I’m happy with my control and how a movement looks/feels. I break it down very slow and gain comfortability going fast, and won’t move onto another new skill until I feel like I have great control and a solid base to continue on.

Now to my question: Do other skaters do this? Do you prefer to follow a ballet mindset of practicing what you know and refining 1-2 new skills at a time and strengthening, or do you try to refine a bunch of different skills over a set period of time (I.e. comp program skills)? Of course, as skaters, we’re always refining, but at what point do you allow yourself the win to move onto the next new skill?

Edit: I appreciate a lot of the comments mentioning productive vs unproductive repetition. I’m definitely only continuing to refine skills in a single session if it feels productive and I am able to try/make meaningful adjustments. I’ll also do different drills if I realize my posture or edges are off to switch it up (i.e. forward undercut spirals really helped me get better control/deeper edges on forward crossovers. I see a lot of videos of adult skaters that have been skating for a few years and it seems like still struggle with clean execution but they know a high level of skills, and I guess I’d rather have clean execution and progress slowly. Also because my current boots aren’t rated for jumping and I’d like to get another few months out of them.

Edit 2: I skate for 2-3 hrs in a session and I definitely don’t spend more than 30 minutes on a single skill unless it’s spinning (because I just started spinning). I have a lot of endurance and strength from dance, climbing, and beach volleyball so it takes a lot to tire me out.

But from the comments, it sounds like the overwhelming advice is that figure skaters don’t spend as much time in a session on single skills as beginners unless it’s spin-related. That’s super helpful to know and I’ll try to find a better middle ground!

Anybody else wish their autism was never affected by the need to assimilate to the masses? I worked so hard to learn the social skills to be accepted and now I just desperately want to go back to being 100% myself, happy with my high IQ and ability to entertain myself for years with special interests.

Most neurotypicals are what I like to call “oatmeal people”. I love many neurotypicals that I find interesting and can appreciate how they operate differently than me, but the vast majority are so boring and lack a personality. Why did I ever want to be accepted by them?

I’ve spent the last 2 years unmasking and learning to be more myself again, but the part that never goes away is my “tools” for communicating. I miss the days when I could just walk away from people that bore me without being aware that I might offend them (because I am very empathetic). I also miss the days where I dominated conversations with my special interests and info-dumping. I feel like it naturally attracted queer, neurodivergent, and creative/passionate types of people. Now I just have a handful of generic (but definitely amazing good-hearted) people in my life that I don’t have much in common with, and I’m too guilty to just go MIA. It’s exhausting. Life was easier when people had to take me as I was or we mutually left it alone.

Hello! I’m a sewing beginner and intermediate crocheter (31F), and have generally been avoiding zippered projects because it’s always seemed so intimidating to me! I’m FINALLY feeling brave enough to try, but honestly have no clue where to start.

I saw some advice online to buy a bulk pack and just practice a ton making laptop sleeves, little pouches and bags for utility/gifts, etc. or with crochet purses/bags.

I’ve also seen advice to start with nylon coil since they are cost effective and durable for inside-use projects.

What would you suggest getting as a starting point for 10-15 practice projects (maybe gifts if they turn out really well)? Also any advice for rolls or pre-set lengths? Help!!