Figure skating - yay or nay?

[Babiole]

I'm thinking of trying figure skating this winter since I have a friend from Russia who is into it. The problem is that in the West, people consider figure skating a sport for women and gay men. (It's also not popular where I live since winters are pretty short here.) My father doesn't mind me taking it, but I'd like to hear your guys input.

(My Russian friend is a guy, BTW.)

[James Dean]

What do you think? That's all that matters. Yeah to be honest it isn't really a manly sport, but so what. It still requires lots of talent and dedication and it might be rewarding for you. Go for it and give it a shot.

[Captain Canada]

Basically what Celt said. I personally play hockey and don't find any appeal in figure skating but people consider it "graceful" and what not. If your into that, go for it If you aren't but you want to try, once again, go for it!

[ImCoolBeans]

Do what makes you happy. I always found ice skating extremely difficult, but very cool. I would love to be able to do it well. Good luck!

[sweetcake]

I think it's awesome. I've always wanted to try learning it.. But no winter in my country:'(
and the ice rink here is way far from home. To me, guys doing figure skating look so deep and emotional. Go for it, you'll be great.

[SethfromMI]

well it is not for me, but if you want to go for it, then go for it man!

[Uranus]

^^ I agree with Seth. Just go for it!

[Emerald Dream]

I say go for it as well. I have always wanted to learn how to skate, but my balance is terrible :lol:

[Taryn98]

If it's something you're in to then go for it. Who cares what everyone else thinks.

[Charlie48]

If you want to do it and have the enthusiasm then don't let anyone stop you :)

[jordanhardy]

It's not my sort of thing, but if you want to do it and enjoy it then who cares what other people think. I'm sure there are straight guys out there who figure skate.

[Emmaaa]

If you want to try it please feel free and don't let anyone else stop you!

[JamesSuperBoy]

If you can then try it - why not. I do not think the winter being short is important surely there are ice rinks that are open all year I guess the only thing is you would need some help/ an instructor.

[mrmee]

Figure skating is HARD. The way i do it isn't exactly the graceful, arty whatnot, but whatever. I just do tricks with them. like going full speed and start spinning in circles, sprinting on the ice using the brakes, and going as fast backwards as someone else goes forward.
For everyone who plays hockey for fun, try figure skates sometime. They're wayy better for accelerating, stopping, and speed.

Go for it. It cant hurt. aside from falling on your ass many million times.

[Cangirl]

Yeah you should try it if you want for sure. Don't worry what other people think about it. But yes there are a lot of gay guys in figure skating but theyre also a lot of straight or bi guys to right? And also if somebody ask, Elivs Stojko who is from Canada and I think a world champion a couple times is also a black belt in karate. My point is that not every guy is gay or fem :)

[Batman42]

I would not like it

[goodnightxmoonx]

Go for it! As a female figure skater, I can tell you that you will probably be really popular at the rink, because there aren't many male figure skaters around. At least that has been my observation..

Have you ever heard of/seen the show Cheerleaders by AwesomenessTV? Yeah, cheerleading doesn't seem like a manly sport either but those boys are able to make some great friends and experiences. (Just a comparison).

[Hideous]

I say go for it, who cares what other people think of it.

[TroyH]

It is similar to dancing here in the west - people see it as gay but there is no reason to actually perceive it at such. Besides, you get to hang out with tons of women so if you are straight all the better! Who cares what others think. As others have said it is very difficult especially if you do not know how to skate at this juncture. If you're 16, can't skate and want to get into it now... sorry to tell you but you won't get very far. Those who are successful in skating sports have been skating since they were 4 or 5 years old. Myself for example, I do not remember learning how to skate one bit. Yet most times when I step on the ice I am the best skater on the ice surface. But if you want to give it a whirl I will certainly wish you the best of luck!

[Remey]

Go for it!

[StacyL]

Interesting enough there are NHL players out there who did figure skating before hockey as it was a way to strengthen their ankles and learn other skating techniques.

It can help with the way you use your edges for hockey and increase your speed as in most cases figure skaters have been known to be faster both backwards and forwards compared to hockey players.

[Hudor]

As the others said go for it if you like it. I personally find it hard to keep my balance on skates so it seems really cool to me. Plus it's quite graceful and pleasant to watch C: