Figure skating?

i want to find something that will be my main sport and i want to be dedicated.





when i was little i always use to watch Michelle Kwan figure skate in the olympics and ive always wished i could be like her.


My parents said that i should start figure skating but they never sent me to classes.





now that im 13 ( 14 in the summer )


is it too late?





I take tap and ballet classes currently but i only have 2 classes a week and its just something I do for fun.


The classes there are pretty expensive. Probably around 5k in total





so i want to switch to figure skating.


how expensive is it?


like estimates for classes ( private and group )


and blades, skates, getting them sharpen, and the attire.





thanks!|||It is never too late.


http://thetripleaxel.blogspot.com/2008/0鈥?/a>|||figure skating is a very expensive sport.


since you're just beginning, skates shouldn't be too expensive, but as you get better and better skates can cost more than $1,000.


for now, you should probably skate 2-3 times a week and take group lessons.


you should get private lessons later, and those too get pretty expensive, AT LEAST $30 for 30 minutes.


if you skate everyday, you should sharpen your skates every 2 weeks, if not probably every month and a half or so.


%26amp; no, its never too late to start skating. its a fun sport !|||practice before Ice Skating Lessons is really good! also try stretching a lot every morning. this is what I did =)





I'm in Lessons that cost 100$ and I get Rentals, but will get my own very soon =D





Ballet and Gymnastics and getting strong will help you A LOT in Ice Skating too!|||No you are not too late.


Johnny Weir (Three time national champ) started at 13.











Okay cost:





Skates:


new at the sport- about $500


very competitive: $800 to $1,100





Sharpening:


Where I go $15. You should get them done every two weeks.








Private Lessons usually a dollar per minute. (With a good coach)


And if you want to be serious about it like you say you should get about 5 a week.











You should skate evryday for two hours with five lessons atleast.








You also need a choreographer, spin coach, moves in the feild coach, a off ice training coach and usually ballet and off ice.








I have all those and skate about 18 hours per week.

















* Now remember I am talking about if you are taking this sport very seriously. (Obviously I do)


If you just love it and want to compete then you wouldn't need all the extra coaches but you would still need the good skates.


And if it's just for fun then it cahnges the story dramatically and would probably cost much less.|||It's never to late to start figure skating. I started when I was younger, but for some, it doesn't matter. The sport generally requires stamina, dedication and stuff like that. Taking tap and ballet classes definitely help with your posture and flexibility and with the art of figure skating.





Anyways, figure skating is usually a little more expensive than ordinary sports. To start off with figure skates, you don't want to buy cheap ones that are at general stores. You may want to go to a skate shop or look online. Good brands for figure skates are Reidell or Jackson. I always swore by Jackson skates.





For classes, this depends on which figure skating club you join. Most ice skating rinks have figure skating clubs, and the rates differ for coaches, whether you take group or private lessons. I recommend private lessons as you become more advanced. Getting skates sharpened usually doesn't cost much, anywhere between 5 and 20 dollars. My dad always sharpened mine, so.





For the attire, you can go online and look for skating dresses, but be sure to know what size you are.





I've been skating for over 10 years and I love the sport. I really hope that you have fun with the it as well. Just remember that it takes time and dedication. You won't start off doing double axels.





Feel free to e-mail me at go4thegold91@yahoo.com


I can pretty much try or attempt to answer whatever questions you may have, so. :)|||i started when i was ten and im thirteen now so i would say you are young i mean there are 40 yr old moms who skated as kids and stopped then after they had kids and got married they started skating again. for the first year i would say just do a class skating lesson with other people. at my rink they arent very expensive they are like 25 dollars a month for seven months privates of course will b more my privates are 10 dollars for 1/2 an hour and 20 for an hour . of course you will have to check your local rink. im guessing they shouldnt be too expensive


tap and ballet will help you with figure skating a whole lot with figure skating skates are on the more expensive side of things but these are the skates i have and i love them i would get them i f you want to become a dedicated skater cause you dont wanna spend eighty or ninety dollars on a cheap pair of skates then get more into the sport and have spend more to get another better pair http://www.figureskatingdeals.com/bootsk鈥?/a>





when you sharpen your skates go to a skate shop not a place like your get your everything sporting goods store or something like that. you should get your skates sharpened every fourty-ish hours of skating. sharpening only costs at an average of 20 dollars.





for attire wear layers not bulky clothes and keep things somewhat tight so your skates wont get caught.





when you start skating and get more into it you will learn a lot more things than what ive told you but i hope it helps!





good luck with your skating!!!: )





(p.s. e mail me with your progress!!: P|||what joel-mick said was totally not true for a beginning skater.


of course its going to cost less or more depending on how much you skate.





If you buy new skates that are appropriate are about 100 dollars.





You can just wear leggings, a sweater and gloves, so you don't have to buy anything over about 30 dollars. Unless you want to compete, in which case you will need to buy a dress and tights (about $50-$100)





Group lessons are usually between 60 and 100 dollars for 11/2 hour lessons once a week for 6 weeks.





Once you have learned the basics in group lessons you will switch to private lessons which, for coaching are between $30-$100 per hour. Ice time, which is paid for seperately from lessons is usually about $10-$20 per hour.





Getting skates sharpened is only about $5-$10 per time. Skates are sharpened usually about every 4-8 weeks depending on how much you skate and how sharp you like them.





Don't worry about it being too expensive before you've even learned the basics, go to public skating (about $3-$6 for about 2 hours) to practice.





It's never too late to begin skating. You'll be be gliding across the ice in no time!


Good luck.|||if ur not gonan be competetive, u dont need to do extreme training....in ur class or lesson or watever u choose, u'll learn how to skate there. im 16, and this winter i taught 2 of my friends how to figure skate with some lessons. it takes time, and alot of practice. doing tap and ballet will probably help you with ur balance and such. its not too late, my friends just started learning thi winter and they're 16 and 17. it depends on which club you skate at. in my area, we have a pretty inexpensive skating club, but in barrie at mariposa they are a bit more expensive then us. for the coaches, it all depends on what level of skating your coach has reached. at my club, we have 2 coaches who are at the same level (level 1) and charge a little less then my 3rd coach who is a level 3 coach. i think they're around 8-11 dollars an hour or half hour, i cant remember. sorry to tell you, but if u want good quality skates and skating attire, its gonna cost u a fair bit. they arent cheap. expecially if u want really good blades that arent from wal-mart or sumthing. sharpening them isnt too expensive. the attire, it can range between such a wide variety of costs. from 80 to like, 500 dollars. once again...it all depends. i hope i helped a little lol.|||well just because your already a teen doesn't mean it's too late. Im also a teen and i want to go to the olympics too. im 13 and i just started skating.


i dont take ballet or tap dancing so you have god backround in the sport.


the sport of figure skating is really expensive but if your family is willing to put in the money and the sacrifices into the sport of figure skating then your really lucky to have supportive family. But not all families are supportive


anyway here is what the average skater spends:





skates- $500 to 800


blades- $500 to 800 so in total 1300 for the boot and blade


sharpening-$10


clothes- maybe $1000


ice time fees- $12 for one freestyle session


coaching fees-100 $ for group (8 or 10 lessons) and private is maybe 80$ for one lesson.





The only way you make it far in the sport is dedicating yourself to it. practice everyday and do your best everytime you skate. find a coach who will always be with you. And since your already a teen i say skate alot like maybe 4 or 5 hours a day and train alot off ice.Dont let anyone not even your mom or dad tell you that you cant be a figure skater.








if you go to my profile you will see alot of my questions are about figure skating theres only like two or three question s that are not about figure skating. So go to my site theres some answers there that are pretty helpful.


i might add some things here when other things come in my mind.


so good luck i hope to see you in the olympics. maybe 2014 or 2018|||I wanted to find a sport to be dedicated as well, and I chose ice skating too! But I'm already 15. It's not too late, we're older so we learn things much faster than little kids, and you'll be able to progress a lot faster. You'll still probably see some little kids there that are really good but don't worry about it. You'll be just as good if you are determind and keep trying!


The tap and ballet classes will be helpful, especially ballet because you have to be flexible and graceful to figure skate.





Figure skating can be very expensive, but it doesn't have to be. In the beginning, you start out with group lessons. My classes are once a week for 30 minutes. Each session is 8 or 9 weeks long, 2 months, and 8 week sessions are $112 while 9 week sessions are $126. Since you will still be a beginner, you can just wear clothes that are easy to move around in, you don't have to buy skating dresses or anything fancy. Beginner skates aren't too expensive either, mine were $130 for the skates, blade guards, and skate bag. In a couple years you may need more expensive skates, but you will want to make sure you really want ot continue with skating before you purchase them. Also, getting your skates sharpened only cost $12 for me. In the beginning, skating should really not cost that much money. In a couple years when you get really good, it'll cost more money, but in the beginning, it shouldn't be that bad. (btw, at my rink, private lessons range from $20 to $40 per half hour, but most people only take private once they become more advanced, although its your choice)


I hope you have fun skating, it really is a fun and awesome sport! Good luck! :)





Oh, and you can just sign up for classes without having to go ice skating first because they will make sure to teach you everything.





And for hours of training, I think it all depends how good you want to get. I go once a week for lessons, then skate about 3 hours a week during the public session.