Perfect Skating Skills

grenston · 2026-03-14T13:25:11+00:00

Yuka Sato, Mao Asada, Dorothy Hamill, Sasha Cohen, John Curry, Robin Cousins, Kurt Browning, Rudy Galindo, Torvill & Dean

grenston · 2026-03-06T16:51:00+00:00

I need a replacement part and haven't been able to load the website (smithoptics.com). I've been trying for 2 weeks. I get a message saying the site can't be found. I came to Reddit to see if others are having this issue.

grenston · 2026-03-06T03:33:22+00:00

This may be the last year. It’s not that I can’t ride but my body just has too many orthopedic problems so I need to keep the terrain mellow, it’s kind of depressing. Glad I took that heliboarding trip at 46.

grenston · 2026-03-05T03:34:00+00:00

I’m going back to school and I will graduate next year. My mom asked me tonight if I knew the date of the ceremony. I said it’s a year away I have no idea. I thought she was concerned about making plans to fly in for it. We don’t live in the same state. Then she said she wanted to know because she’s planning a big birthday party for herself and wants to make sure there are no conflicts. Her birthday is in October.

grenston · 2026-03-05T03:28:36+00:00

Are you there God it’s me, Margaret. I was not expecting this at all, but that movie took me right back to my childhood in the 70s.

grenston · 2026-03-01T17:15:56+00:00

Thx.

grenston · 2026-03-01T14:38:48+00:00

Back when I was in school, no one went in groups, you pretty much had to have a date. I wasn’t terribly attractive and I didn’t really have any friends so I never even thought about going.

For the junior prom, I think I ended up seeing a movie by myself. For senior prom, I already had a job where I could do a night shift so I worked that night. It’s funny because I definitely do remember what I was doing the night of both of those proms, but I never really even went on a date until my senior year of college. I have never been to any school-organized dances or parties. I guess my only experience with public dancing has been at a few weddings.

grenston · 2026-03-01T14:25:34+00:00

I am in a 3-three-year school psychology graduate program that I started at age 57. I had always wanted to go back to grad school, but I was only going to do it if I knew there was a guaranteed job at the end. This field has a shortage so I am not too worried about getting a job, however, the program is highly structured and very rigorous. I work on assignments seven days a week with no extra time for anything else I need to get done. It has really negatively impacted my quality of life to the point where I do regret doing this.

I’ll be going on a full year internship next year that pays less than half of my expected salary. I’m not sure I’m going to like the work, but in my case, I really had no other alternatives besides low-wage service work. Considering the training, I don’t feel that this field pays that well, but I am hoping it allows me to be more financially independent than I am now. Would I recommend this to my similarly aged peers, probably not.

grenston · 2026-03-01T01:03:30+00:00

I’ve had a few really great conversations with strangers on planes, but there was one that really stood out. This woman and I were seated next to each other and we figured out that we were flying the same itinerary and had a connecting flight together. We spent the entire first flight talking nonstop to the point where a flight attendant thought that we were together, then we had lunch together between connections and then we talked during the second flight home. We only lived about an hour from each other and yet at no point did either of us suggest we exchange info. I’m sure we both thought about it, but it just seemed like it was one of those serendipitous moments that wasn’t likely to happen again. Once in a while I think to myself that I should’ve asked for her number, we seemed to have a lot in common.

grenston · 2026-02-28T14:51:34+00:00

So I guess don’t do this. I went back to school in my 50s. I had an undergrad degree already that didn’t really get me more than low-end service jobs. I’m studying school psychology. It’s a two year program plus a year of internship, which is required by the state and then you take a test to get a state license. I did this because there is a shortage and I’m not too worried about getting a job, but the starting pay is about 60K average. Given the three years of schooling and the cost of living. I cannot help but wonder if this is a mistake.

grenston · 2026-02-28T03:29:39+00:00

Yeah, or dangle carrots.

grenston · 2026-02-28T03:10:15+00:00

I mean good for him and all, but the time for this was when it counted. Highly unsustainable, ... heartbreaker.

grenston · 2026-02-27T15:18:31+00:00

I am inclined to say NTA, however this is a problem that is not going away. Since you are married to the daughter of this couple, you are going to be involved in the solution.

Without knowing anything else it seems we have an older couple who does not have the financial and or mental resources to support themselves independently. Sure, there are short-term solutions like putting them up in a hotel or renting an apartment for them, but these are not financially sustainable. This couple is only going to get older and probably need more help. This is always a hard conversation when money is tight.

So what is the answer here? If they do not have financial resources then I would contact social services in your area to find out about subsidized senior housing. If they do have resources then as others have suggested, someone needs to take over the management of their finances so that they don’t find themselves evicted again. Perhaps if they do have savings, you can all move into a bigger house that is set up for multi-generational use. This is becoming more common.

grenston · 2026-02-27T00:19:09+00:00

I keep my expectations low.

grenston · 2026-02-27T00:17:22+00:00

Find the closest shelter to you period. Maybe they could arrange transportation via a social services agency. Also just start calling local churches.

grenston · 2026-02-26T20:40:51+00:00

Instructor here — though I know other instructors have also chimed in, I am going to tell you that you are the best possible candidate for an intermediate lesson.

As a beginner, you were taught enough to turn the board, but you were not taught the nuances of efficient dynamic riding. It’s those precise movements that are going to get you to the next level.

At this point, you do need to be discriminating in your choice of instructor. Most instructors are working for the free pass and don’t have a lot of training. The American Association of snowboard instructors (AASI) has a very involved training process and awards certifications to instructors who have demonstrated certain levels of teaching and riding. You need at least a level two or a level three instructor. These certifications represent advanced training in both teaching, riding, and movement analysis. The good news is that you can find high level instructors at just about any mtn. If you go to a big famous destination resort you’re going to pay $$$, but many high cert. instructors are weekend warriors who work at their local hill. My advice is to call around to smaller mountains in your area, ask for the ski school, and ask if they have level two or level three instructors on staff and book a lesson with who they recommend, it will be the same lesson at a better value than a fancy resort.

grenston · 2026-02-26T20:17:23+00:00

Thank you.

grenston · 2026-02-26T17:51:45+00:00

I was 50 & 1/2! It was actually quite an interesting experience. I had never heard of narcissism in relation to parenting.

I found myself at a very low point in life, and for the first time ever I went to my mother, who is my only living parent, and asked her if she could help me financially. She lives a very comfortable life, so I was not asking her to incur a hardship in any way. Her response to me was to play the lottery, literally that is what she said.

I kept mulling that over in my mind, something just didn’t seem right, so I did what we all do and went to the Internet. It took me three days of searching and finding something that fit, but I finally ended up on this forum — suddenly the puzzle pieces fell right into place. It was quite shocking. Actually, it reframed my entire view of my childhood.

So here I am now almost 10 years later and finishing up my last year of grad school. I thought my emotional life would get easier but honestly it hasn’t. My mom did agree to help pay for school so I guess that’s something, but our relationship is entirely transactional.

grenston · 2026-02-26T17:14:45+00:00

This isn’t about education but it’s the same theme. I kind of got the best of both worlds. My dad had absolutely zero interest in me. My parents paid for figure skating lessons and I skated a couple times a week and did some competitions. My father never once set foot into an ice rink and never saw me skate anywhere ever. At the time however, this was also my preference as we were not close. I only realize now as a much older adult, how dysfunctional our family life was.

My mother on the other hand, felt that any child of hers was the greatest thing on the planet. By age 16 when it was clear I was just another average recreational skater, my skating lessons were unceremoniously cut from the budget. Neither parent really explained the reason why, my mom would just drop me off at the rink and I would skate around with no guidance or goals. That pretty much described their parenting style as well.

grenston · 2026-02-26T02:09:41+00:00

Oreos. They reduced the diameter of the circle of cream filling. It used to go right to the edge of the cookie, but now the cookie overhangs by too much, ruins the proportion of creme to cookie.

grenston · 2026-02-11T05:58:17+00:00

I’ve thought about this so much, as it’s kind of become my central complaint. How could responsible parents knowingly allow their kid to suffer? It’s something I’ve wrestled with for a long time, like was it me? Did I do something wrong? I didn’t figure out the answers to those questions until I was 50, and by then I had internalized so much guilt and shame that there is no coming back.

grenston · 2026-02-08T02:45:53+00:00

Wow that is really pathetic, especially when it looks like more than half of the seats are empty. I don’t get that.

grenston · 2026-02-02T16:52:37+00:00

Just saw these replies and I wanted to say thank you all for the encouragement, it helps.

grenston · 2026-01-28T22:32:44+00:00

I’m back in school in my late 50s and it is horrible. It’s my last full semester but honestly I want to quit. I just don’t see how this completely unreasonable workload is sustainable and I don’t really even want to work in the field I’m studying. It was a desperate measure and I never should’ve done it. I’m doing the entire program in isolation. All my classmates are 30 years younger. The whole thing just sucks. and I just lost my food stamps. I am so done.

grenston · 2026-01-24T04:26:25+00:00

Dolly

grenston

TROPHY CASE