Skating Fridays

Passed: Fourteenstep!

Many, many moons ago, when I was in 8th grade, I took weekly figure skating classes at the University of Delaware. My Learn to Skate class consisted of two parts: a portion where we learned the standard curriculum (like edges, turns, jumps, and spins), and a dance section.

I remember loathing ice dance. Picture this: I was (and still am) a short individual, and our dance instructor was this 6+ foot giant. His name was Brad, and I remember him being super tall and lean. Because he was a lot more powerful than me, he’d literally have to drag me across the ice. I wasn’t able to properly keep up with him and didn’t like the feeling of him steering me (what choice did he have, though?).

However, one dance that I absolutely adored was the Fourteenstep. The dance was at a tempo that felt comfortable, and it was fun to skate. During the practice sessions between classes, I would go to the music box and play the music for the Fourteenstep and skate to this non-stop. I even roped a few classmates into it so I wouldn’t have to dance by myself.

I never that the opportunity to take this test (I got through ISI Dance level 3) but I recently did a few weeks ago. My dance coach and I took a chance and sent in this video.

I’m excited to share that I passed this test! I skated the partnered follow steps and tested this on the standard track. My goal is to continue testing on the standard track until it gets too difficult – at that time, I’ll likely switch to the Adult 21+ track (which is typically easier to pass). Until then, I will keep dancing like I’m a teenager!

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