What do you think it might be like to have a Skating Partner?

[FSWer]

Ok,I don't think we've talked about this for a while....But,what does everyone here think it might be like to have a Skating Partner? Please specify what you think it might be like,but also if you'd do Pairs,Ice-Dance,or both. For me....What I think it might be like to have a Partner is that I believe I would feel very,very close to her,on AND off Ice. (LOL,of course she would have to be a Sweetheart first). What I also think it might be like is looking for a really Great Friendship in her. Anybody else?

[overedge]

If you don't like your partner and/or aren't friends with him or her, the partnership isn't going to last very long.

[Clarice]

My partner and I are each married to other people. We get along fine, but we're not super close the way you're describing. In fact, I have another training partner who works with me on harder things. He has his own competition partner. We're all good friends, but we all have other friends, too. People don't always date or fall in love with their skating partners.

[sk8er1964]

I have had two dance partners. One I see occasionally off ice, usually with a group of other skaters. I consider him a good friend. The other I have never seen outside of the rink, although we are, of course, friendly. Both are very nice men, and both partnerships worked out well. Unfortunately, both got injured so no more dance partner for me.

[ioana]

I would be a lot more concerned with their schedule and ability to train together (always hard to do with two adults involved) and how seriously they'd take training. You also need to be able to get along since you'll see each other on the ice on a regular basis and communicate well. Anything else -like developing a close friendship off ice- would be nice, but not at all something I look for.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I think it would be hard work - when I work with someone on something, they have to be focused on the job. I guess a skating partner would have to have the same work ethics and that can be difficult.

[aliceanne]

I did an ISI spotlight program with another adult and it was fun. We both had the same coach and her lesson was right before mine. I had competed before and she had not, and did not want to do a solo program. I cut the music and did the choreo, but I left it up to our coach to teach it to us and polish it. We did a mirror image program (that way we could practice individually). We started at opposite ends of the rink and met up in the middle. Some of our steps were different, as we were on different levels. We used our full lesson time to learn the program, but once we learned it we took 10 minutes off the end of her lesson and 10 minutes from the beginning of my lesson to rehearse with the music and our coach. We were on a moderately attended public session. It was a nice change from practicing by myself.

I do ice dance for fun with 2 male partners if I happen to meet up with them on a public session. I learned the first 5 dances from a group class. For some reason in my area there seems to be more adult men without partners than women. I think it is because the men are more interested in competing. I enjoy dance, but there are too many tests, and as others have said, the logistics of practicing with a partner can be difficult.