Alysa Liu’s joy and love of skating is something I have been thinking about. It made me think about why figure skaters eventually retire. The fun of skating disappears and skating becomes a job.
When I was 20 years old, I decided it was time to stop being a competitive figure skater ice dancer.
Training during the middle of the night at the Broadmoor took away the fun part of skating. I wanted to be a “regular kid” just like Alysa Liu wanted after the 2022 Olympics.
I certainly did not miss training in the middle of the night. It was fun to make friends and just be a college student.
At 22, I got married. I told my husband I missed skating and ice dancing and we put an ad in Skating Magazine looking for an ice dance partner.
I had no idea how much money my parents spent on my skating, so competing again probably would have not worked out since I was now a married woman.
Then, my husband Dan told me the very idea of another guy holding my hand was a concern for him, so we dropped the whole idea of me competing again.
We were married for four years when I decided to teach skating when I was 26 years old. I worked for Ice Capades Chalets and yes, it was work, but I discovered I loved teaching skating and skating again so much that it did not feel like work.
My love of skating returned. There was no options in those days to compete after an amateur skater “turned pro,” so I did not look for a partner or compete again.
I do think that once skating is no longer fun, that it is time to quit or do something else.
I still skate and I’m almost 70. My daughter Rebekah just completed a seventh tour with Disney On Ice. My son Joel skates and plays hockey when possible around his very busy skiing/snowboarding teaching schedule. My daughter Annabelle also skates when possible and loves getting out on the ice with her husband Ben. It’s fun to still be a “skating family.”
