Austin Scholar #35: Why Every Kid Needs A “Just For Fun” Hobby
& Why I Decided To Become A Figure Skater
Hey, y'all!
I started figure skating too late to be a competitive skater. I was 15. I may never even compete in a local competition.
And yet, learning to figure skate has been one of the most valuable things I've ever done.
The lessons I've learned have carried over into everything I've done in my life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
This week from Austin Scholar...
Austin’s Anecdote: Why I Decided To Become A Figure Skater
Why Every Kid Needs A “Just For Fun” Hobby
Scholar’s Sources: My Favorite Resources For Choosing Your Perfect Hobby
My high school, Alpha, has a “six weeks on, one week off” school schedule, and this past week we’ve been on break.
I’ve tried to use my time off to do a complete “system reset.” I organized my room, created a Notion page for academic planning, and time-blocked my Google Calendar.
Reflecting on these first six weeks of the year, I’ve been pretty stressed pretty much every week. I’ve tried to create specific time blocks every day that connect every single one of my goals. This way, I (hopefully) won’t be stressed about when I’m going to get things done, since I’ve got a fancy schedule.
(Also, it’s ACL this weekend, and I’m super excited :) )
Austin’s Anecdote: Why I Decided To Become A Figure Skater
My sister's anime obsession changed my life.
Two years ago, I was doing pretty much everything in my life because it would “get me something.”
Joining National Charity League? That will look great on my college applications.
Writing short stories? Winning writing competitions is a fun thing to mention when applying for college.
Taking an extra math class? Get. Into. College.
It’s not that those things are bad, necessarily. But each thing I did for fun also had an element of stress, because I needed something from them.
Around the same time, my sister began her volleyball journey because of Haikyuu. And one day, in her anime binging, she dragged me into the living room and forced me to watch an anime called Yuri On Ice!!! with her.
I had no idea how much that one TV show would impact me.
Yuri on Ice!!! is an ice skating anime about three figure skaters: Yuuri, Viktor, and Yuri.
And wow, was I enchanted by their skating.
They flew and glided and danced on blades. It was actually incredible.
So, obviously, I had to try this for myself.
On one crowded, Christmas season Saturday, my sister and I donned rental skates and stepped on the ice.
And fell.
Apparently, it's not as easy as it looks.
But, I was determined. I wanted to dance and glide and fly like those lovely animated characters.
So three weeks later, I began lessons.
I was wobbling around the ice, barely managing to stop before ramming into the boards, but I was having the time of my life.
I embraced the cold air and the stinging ice for those moments of exhilaration when I managed a new trick.
And throughout my mess-ups and failures, my coach was there with her kind, but firm voice correcting my form.
I knew that I started skating too late to be competitive. I was just skating for fun. I went skating whenever I had free time–usually three times a week.
At this point, I was still using rentals. After I started learning crossovers, a skater came up to me and asked why I hadn't gotten my own skates.
Apparently, you should have your own skates by the time you learn crossovers.
Okay. Decision time.
Did I want to invest in my own skates? Did I want to really commit to skating?
The ice rink was my safe haven, and I still wanted to learn to dance.
So, yes. I did.
And so, I got my own skates (I walked around calling them my babies for two months. Ask my friends.) and I attacked skating with a renewed vigor.
I was putting in the time to become a better skater, and I wasn't worrying about skating competitions or meeting certain skill benchmarks or anything like that.
I was skating for me.
One and a half years have passed since I got my skates, and I'm flying above the ice with my Salchow, gliding (ish) around with my power pulls, and dancing with my spirals.
I still skate for four hours every week, and I still love every second.
I'm not competing. I'm not doing tests.
I'm skating because I love to skate.
It’s something that I’m doing strictly for fun. There’s no stress while I’m on the ice. I’m free.
Why Every Kid Needs A “Just For Fun” Hobby
The reason that I continue to adore ice skating is because I have no expectations. I’m not trying to make money off of my routines or win gold in competitions.
These days, most high schoolers are doing everything for someone or something else. Whether it’s trying to make their parents proud, fit in at school, get into a good college, or land a solid job, they don’t tend to do things simply because they like to.
And if they do have a hobby or interest they just like to do, they’re pressured into making it profitable.
All of the things that they do for fun create a dark cloud of stress and responsibility, trapping them in a storm of expectations with no escape hatch.
At its core, a hobby is that escape hatch.
When everything gets too stressful at school and work, your kid can do something cool for themselves with their time. Something that brings them energy.
They’ll feel more fulfilled with their life when not everything they do is about getting results or being productive.