Things I’ve learnt as a skater that almost never make it to fanfiction
Because I’ve read enough fics to cringe when the figure skater throws their very expensive skates in their bag and run off somewhere because nobody ever treats their skates like that.
You dry off skates with a towel so that you protect the leather and so that the blades don’t rust
You put your blades in soakers (aka basically socks for your blades) so that the condensation gets absorbed somewhere and doesn’t rust the blade
AIR YOUR SKATES they smell when left in a closed bag
It takes like 10 minutes putting on skates and like 15 minutes getting them off because you need to wipe it down
YOUR SKATES NEED TO BE REALLY TIGHT SO THEY NEED 10 MINUTES TO PUT ON
From the board huggers to the pros doing jumps and spins everyone falls and that’s natural
The number 1 cause of falling
You can be talking to someone and then end up face down on the ice the next moment because toe pick
Stabbing yourself with a toe pick is not fun but extremely common to do so
Stabbing yourself in the boot is literally the most heartbreaking thing it’s like stabbing an expensive bag with a fork
Boots need to be replaced often if you’re skating at a high level cuz the support breaks down faster than you’ll see physical wear and tear outside of the boot
Blades need to be sharpened every 30-ish hours of usage (around once every two weeks-ish if you skate everyday)
Blades can sometimes cost as much as a boot
There is a break-in time for boots because they’re sooooo stiff
Some people wear their new skates around the house to quicken the break-in time
Boots have different stiffness ratings and you can’t get any random boot you like because you need to make sure it has sufficient padding for your foot
You can’t randomly get custom boots made for someone without their foot measurements
Boots need to fit on your feet like a damn glove
You can’t use anyone else’s skates unless you’re both the same size
Rental skates are pieces of shit
No matter how pro you are you’ll never be able to skate normally on rentals
The ice gets super cut-up and falling without gloves on can scrape your hands
It’s extremely painful when that happens
Especially if they’re learning something new
Pads for your butt, pads for your knees, heck even padded gloves
Padding protects your joints especially if you have joint problem
Like smashing your knees against the ice frequently causes you problems
A one-way ticket to old lady knees
Say goodbye to unblemished legs
Your knees will forever be bruised
Things people put in their skate bag:
Waterbottle, towels, band-aids, exercise tapes, extra socks, extra gloves, extra layers/clothes, hair-ties, skate guards, soakers, gels for blisters
You’ll notice that Olympic pros use luggages and that’s cuz they literally lug their entire house with them
Costumes, exercise mats, exercise gear, clothes, tracksuits, makeup etc
Whatever looks easy on screen is actually really freaking difficult to do
Katsuki Yuuri should technically not have been able to land the Quad Flip on a whim without practice unless he actually trained for it in Detroit
You can’t learn stuff on your own
Like you need a coach or an experienced skater to teach you the correct techniques
You need someone to spot your mistakes cuz you won’t be able to tell on your own
People record themselves for this reason
Throwing yourself in the air and spinning is difficult like try jumping and turning more than 360 degrees on land and see if you can do it well
WHY DOES EVERYONE FORGET THE ZAMBONI
Skating on fresh ice after a zamboni is a religious experience
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
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