The Socialization of a Figure Skater

The Socialization of a Figure Skater

My parents put me into figure skating at around 2&1/2 years old, and I continued on until in clubs, lessons, shows, and competitions until I was 18. Looking back now at all my years on the ice, I realize just how much this shaped my identity as I grew up. In the very beginning, I had a hard time, as most toddlers do, with persevering through the early stages of learning how to skate, though I quickly fell in love with the sport. Figure skating is a challenging sport, you have to keep yourself in the right headspace in order to accomplish things you might feel are not physically possible for you. Early on, my dad kept me in this headspace by telling me how important it was for me to practice and get up after I feel down, he told me to stay tough and that I would be able to keep going no matter what. I feel that this really conditioned me to keep this mindset in other areas of my life as well, that I would just have to keep pushing to get what I wanted, especially in an academic setting. 

Figure skating itself can also be quite a social activity especially if you did it in the way that I did, practicing mainly for shows to support the club. Almost all of the show numbers I was in were group numbers of as little as 2 people to as many as 20+ people. In this way, we as club members begin to socialize one another. We started to hold each other accountable for showing up to practice, showing up early for conditioning, and trying to stay on task at practice, especially when we were in the final few weeks leading up to a show. We were all working toward a common goal, and we wanted to make sure that everyone did the best they could so that our shows looked as flawless as possible. If you weren't up to the challenge and commitment of making the time to do all of these things, the other girls involved would usually say something, for the most part, it was positive encouragement of why it is so important to do your part, but sometimes the comments could be more hurtful if you really seemed like you simply did not care. This type of treatment was the norm for the club, and as you got older and involved in more difficult numbers, most of us understood what was expected of us as a whole. 

The culture in figure skating is a little like school in the way of cliques and what is or is not cool when it comes to material items. When you entire in you'll notice quickly what is acceptable or not to wear while practicing or what types of bags, skate guards, or other accessories are popular to have. There is an unspoken pressure to have certain things or dress a certain way. However, these specific things stay at the ice rink, once you're in school the same rules don't apply, it is its own group or culture in that way. 

Looking back on it today, I believe that for the most part the implications of this group and the way they socialized me as I grew helped me. It was a good structure in my life that encouraged hard work and perseverance. I internalized a lot of what being in that world taught me and still use it regularly as it is applicable in many situations. I am still able to understand that I need to be accountable in my life for the things that I sign up for, especially in school. I also understand that you need to work hard in order to get the things you want out of life. This experience has made me a responsible person and I was in that mindset for so long that I do not need other people to keep me in check. 

As far as a functionalist perspective goes, I believe that figure skating and the culture surrounding it is very beneficial for those in school or other academic institutions. They teach a lot of the same values of accountability and responsibility, especially in regard to working with others as a team. I believe this particular skills could also be helpful in a number of other social institutions such as a work environment or being a part of the community. The basic people skills you get from figure skating are applicable in so many ways. However, from a conflict perspective, I believe that this sport like many others may contribute to the inequalities between those of different economic statuses in sports. Figure skating can be an extremely expensive sport, especially as you get older, you have more things to pay for like costumes, annual fees, you have to pay in order to go to competitions, travel time, etc. There are some ways to help like fundraisers and what not but this only covers so much of the cost, after that there is still a lot to pay for in the world of skating increasingly so with the better you get at it. This sport, depending on who is involved in your club, could also possibly contribute to feelings of inequalities that many people feel as they are going through puberty in regard to weight. There can be feelings of tension between those that are smaller and those that are bigger, that arise when you get into upper-level skating. Again, this depends on who you are skating with and how they react or contribute to things like bullying or peer pressure but I would not say that the rate of this is equal in all clubs or organizations in figure skating.

All in all, I believe that the sport of figure skating itself is very beneficial. While keeping you physically active, it teaches you and socializes you to understand and internalize a multitude of skills that you can use throughout the rest of your life, the importance of being responsible and accountable, while remaining tough in the face of adversity. I believe that the organization and my peers socialized me in the right way, even with some things that I wish were different but I am able to look back on now and understand that they do not have to affect me. In this way, I think it is like most other sports in what it teaches, but also what it reinforces in the community surrounding.