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Skating Newsletter Article I could write about impressive motivation. I could write about the advantage of good fitness for beginning skaters. I could write about the success of my first GetFIT program last summer. If I wrote about all of these, I would still be telling you about Bryan and Lui.
It all started with a free lesson
Coincidentally, Bryan Mayberry and Lui Torellli both signed up for a free introductory lesson with me through the FreeSkateLesson.com program launched nationwide last spring. They had never met before; Lui lives near San Jose, and Brian in Berkeley. To keep up the momentum after that first lesson, they individually took private lessons from me, and when I announced my new Get Rolling - GetFIT program, both signed up without hesitation. Yes, I'd hoped for more students, but I hadn't time to properly spread the word after my recent FIT certification through the IISA. So besides meeting their own goals, Lui and Bryan also helped me fine-tune the program for Spring 2004.
Amazing motivation
I saw continued commitment and motivation from Bryan and Lui over the entire fitness training course. In addition to commuting many miles in evening rush hour traffic to Danville to take my 1.5-hour clinics, they both made a personal commitment to several hours of skating on their own each week to increase their endurance, confidence and skating skills. Fortunately, both of them had a solid exercise habit to build on, and were willing to purchase heart rate monitors to check and adjust their exercise intensity according to their personalized training plans.
Bryan shocked us about halfway through the program by showing up in a new pair of 5-wheel fitness skates! He decided it would be a good idea to get them during the GetFIT course to maximize what he was learning and get used to the longer frames. He looked like a speedskating pro--I was so proud to be the instrument of that transformation!
Earlier in the summer, Lui had joined the Lake Tahoe Multisport Zephyr Tour, and shared some of her adventures during our breaks. About the same time the GetFIT program started, she also enrolled in the MarathonSkating.com program (sponsored by Zephyr) and registered for the Long Beach Marathon and Cactus Classic Marathons!
Success and pride for all
Our GetFIT training ended with a successful weekend roll of about 20 miles, followed by an awards presentation and poolside buffet lunch at my house. The true culmination for Lui came as she crossed the finish line of her first-ever marathon in Long Beach at a fast 2 hours and 15 minutes a few days later! Bryan cheered her on, preferring to save his first marathon experience for next year, which would give him more than a few months of training time to prepare for it. I just beamed with pride.
Does a skater have to be like Lui and Bryan to join my GetFIT program? Absolutely not! The only real requirement is that you can skate forward confidently on a bike path. I will fill in the remaining skills as we go (turning, stopping, hills, endurance training).
And I'm sure I'll feel like a proud mom the day I send you off to skate 20 miles, too!
Comments or questions? Ask Liz