This is nearly 9 minutes of your life that you will never ever be able to get back.
Still, I like to think you will walk away armed with just a tiny bit of precious knowledge about an unsung sport that combines athleticism, power, raw talent and grace—elements that will soon become alarmingly clear to you that I possessed nearly zero knowledge of myself.
Enjoy!
Glory Days (I was a teen-aged figure roller skater) from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.
Bev says
I really enjoyed that! As the mum of an ice skater, I can totally relate to much of that, including the ‘why can’t I land that’, ‘because you didn’t train properly’ comment.
Mindakms says
okay, now I’m late for running, and I have tears in my eyes from laughing at your commentary. Could it have been 2nd place Cathy? You are so funny!
Angela H. says
Your commentary is hilarious! However, you are definitely too hard on yourself! I skate a lot, but I certainly couldn’t have skated that well, either at 17 or now! Thanks for sharing – makes me want to go roller skating. Forward. In regular clothes.
Kendra B says
OMGosh you crack.me.up! with your commentary!!!! But hey I totally give you props for even getting out there, so don’t be hard on yourself!!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Shanon Gibson says
Loved it!!! Girl, you had great legs! I can’t skate or dance so I admire those who can do both, at the same time. Great job!
Tracy says
I was a competetive ice skater for 10 years – I totally get the whole “I was so done mentally” thing! Roller skating looks way harder, too – especially the falls. You looked to be competing at a freestyle 6 or 7 level (equivalent in ISIA). Scotty was my boy, too! Thanks for sharing. PS – in my last competition video – I wore a black dress, too – and couldn’t land my axel for beans!
Lee Currie says
I relate to the missing the butt … and those legs! I wish I had old video of my tennis days, if only to show my kids what life was like when dinosaurs roamed the earth 🙂 Thanks for my morning smile, great commentary!
Laurie says
So fun. Thanks for sharing.
krys72599 says
As great as it was to watch you then, it was more fun to watch you and LISTEN to you in the now! Your comments were absolutely worth those 9 minutes!!!
Thanks!
Keianna says
Loved the intervideo commentary 🙂
francesca di leo says
girl, i absolutely loved watching that. you just crack me up. how you managed to spin on roller skates, 10 out of 10 from me. you’re first in my books… lol.
Dorothy F says
I am so impressed with your talent. I didn’t know you could do all that on roller skates. I laughed myself silly from your commentary. You are so real. Thanks for sharing.
ale says
(lol) so, so funny, cathy! i loved to watch you watching the video. don’t be so harsh on yourself – i think you were great. by the way, nice legs!
Lorraine says
God, I absolutely love your blog! You are hilarious – you need to be on a talk show or a host of a late night show. And I so could not skate to save my life – so I thought you did great – and wish I could’ve seen you when you were “into it”. Thank you for sharing and for the continual inspiration on scrapbooking and life in general. (P.S. You’ve inspired me to quit smoking – now I just have to DO IT – LOL, but well running is another story…LOL)
Leslie @ {Tiny Wings} says
Oh, Cathy — I love you!! You’re a hoot!! (I choked on my coffee with the Michelle Kwan comment!!) I do love the whole “let’s talk to our 17 year old self” aspect of it — I think of that each time I run. I scold my high school self for wimping out in cross country!! WTH! If I can do it at 41, I certainly could have done it at 16! Wuss. You, on the other hand, had some skillz! How fun to watch!
Tiffany says
Awesome!! It brought me back;D
Mariangeles_Spain says
Thanks so much for sharing this with us 🙂 I’ve always wanted to learn how to skate but too scared to fall down…
Congrats!
Rita says
that was so much fun!! You’re brave to put it all out there~
Madeline St Onge says
Thank you for making me laugh. Love your voice and your commentation on the video. I fall down just walking so you did great
Michelle S. says
Loved it! You so need to do more videos with commentary. I don’t even care what the video is about, I’d watch it! Thanks for sharing.
Siân says
Cathy, seriously, is there no end to your talent? Who knew you could do that stuff on roller skates! Loved the commentary too.
Jenny Alfonso says
hilarious! what an awesome way to start my day! I’m totally cracking up by myself here 🙂
cathy says
I was in Junior ladies (Age 15 and up, IF you win a regional event prior to hitting 15, and I didnt. I had to win in Sophomore ladies the previous year, where all the not so good skaters ended up! ha!)
cathy says
Sian, i know, i know. Its a blogging GOLD mine, i tell ya. ; )
cathy says
Minda, how did you guess that?
; )
cathy says
well, i was hoping it would pay off for you… ; )
cathy says
oh yeah, smoking… THAT insidious thing. Youll do it when youre ready, and heres a tip: dont think of it as quitting for the rest of life. Seriously. One day at a time. Just like an alcoholic. I did it when i was ready. It was really, really hard. I loved smoking beyond measure. It can be done.
deb says
Well, if you ever decide to give up the whole scrapbooking/graphic design gig, you should definitely look into figure skating commentary as your next big career move. Hi.lar.i.ous. And I thank you for my Monday morning giggle. 😉
Diane says
Cathy dear, there is NO SHAME in Silver. No shame…
I actually enjoyed that very much…especially your commentary! =)
Shannon says
Hehe. You’ve made my morning. I was a dancer for over 15 years and my sister and I always do commentary when reviewing the home videos of our old performances. Of course, it’s never this funny! Thanks for a good chuckle 🙂
AngMomof3 says
HA! Love it! Inspires me to drag out the drill team videos. Any chance that, like me, when you hear the music from your routines the choreography pops back in your head and you’re able to pull off a few sweet moves? It’s amazing what my brain will remember…
Holly Denghel says
Oh, that was awesome. You are a funny woman. I’ve always thought that figure skating on roller skates looked a lot harder than ice skating. You did have nice spins!!
cathy says
Oh, it IS harder! ; )
At least the way I did it! LOL!
Angie says
Not many comedians make me laugh out loud…you do!
Dana says
You make me laugh so hard, Cathy!
Leora says
I LOVED the play by play. And, for the record, I could never have done any of that. I am so impressed. And I am smiling. You made my day!
Leora
Dorothy Sica says
Very Cool Cathy!
on a different note, are you still planning on getting out a template for recipe? I remember a while ago you were planning that?
thanks
dorothy
cathy says
hey dorothy, i am planning it, but its not coming together presently! sorry. its on the list. Im just not happy with binder choices, and cant decide on the size. I have to be able to use it myself to properly say, Yep, its a keeper!
Teal Myre says
I TOTALLY understand the mentally done! I used go hang out with my loadie boyfriend when my parents thought I was at figure skating practice. Didn’t go over so well when they found out.
Darlene Taylor says
Funny, I was thinking, “Do all roller rinks look the same because that looks JUST like Skate Palace in Salem.” Then I heard you mention Oregon. Yep. You graced my state with your presence and I missed it. So. Very. Sad. (I think I’d still love to roller skate!)
Judy says
TEars and gasps….coffee all over my screen….
That was priceless! Thanks for the fun.
Jen S. says
I so loved watching you watch yourself – you look hawt by the way! Your self-depricating commentary is the best and provided a much needed afternoon break. BTW – I,too, could really rock the roller skates in my youth. I was both a figure skater and roller skater, but I really shined at roller skating. I never participated in any competitions, but if I had I’m confident I would have totally taken the bronze medal had I been the 3rd skater in your competition 😉
cathy says
Oh man, it might have been! I cant remember for the life of me. Although I think it was in Gresham. Maybe its coming back to me now…
cathy says
Ha! Love it. We needed a third!
cathy says
ha! that is HILARIOUS! : )
Donna says
Oh my gosh…you’re such a riot!! You did better then I ever could have, This coming from the girl who broke her tailbone roller skating & didn’t walk normal for weeks afterward : ) Thanks so much for sharing…I needed a good laugh.
Margaret C says
I LOVED THIS !!!!
And you’re too hard on yourself, I couldn’t have done that at 17 !
And the butt and legs ? Wasn’t fixating, but I could see why you were ( and i didn’t hae those at 17 either !!)
SHOW US MORE !!!
Gypsy says
Oh 9 minutes well spent for sure! Serious funny!
Jules says
As I was watching this I couldn’t help but think how grateful I am that I have NO videos of my ballet days. I commend your bravery watching it for the first time in years along with us. Too funny.
Jenell says
Loved every minute of that video but especially your play by play commentary. Hilarious!
anna says
ahh cathy. the commentary, so worth it! you are super funny and i just love that you posted this.
i wish you had a tv program or something. 🙂
thanks for the fun 9 minutes! 🙂
a
molly says
Well, that was hilarious!
The fact that there were two of you and you were second cracks me up- because my mother loves to remind my aunt (her twin sister) that in 5th grade she (my mother) was the smartest student in 5th grade. Guess how many students there were in 5th grade? 2, hence the only other student in my mother’s class was her twin sister.
I agree with the other commentator that you need your own talk show. I would TIVO that in a heartbeat!!!
Sarah Bowen Shea says
My favorite line: “Get me in the frame, Dick,” which, of course, comes across as, “Get me in the frame, dick!” Then you nonchalantly explaining, “the man who was filming this video was named Dick.” Yeah, sure. Likely story.
cathy says
I swear to God. His name was really Dick. Some things, my dear Sarah, you just cant make up on the fly that are THAT good. ; )
Jamie says
It may be the wine, but dammit I cried thru this whole thing. Oh thank you for sharing this! 😉
Pilbara Pink says
This was gold! Reminds of our girls’ dance videos which we love to watch now and recommentary – always leaves us in stitches. At the time I couldn’t understand why they never placed – looking at the videos they were so totally underperforming I can’t believe I didn’t see it at the time! Talk about `mentally checked out” – and that was while they were still taking (and I was paying!) for lessons!!!
scrapper al says
Best nine minutes I’ve had in a long time! Thanks!
Priya says
Fell on my behind…..twice…..and it hurt……a lot……that was enough to make me run a mile every time I saw skates. But you made it look so easy. Best 9 min of my day today. Thanks to you, Cathy.
Petra from NL says
“and she stood up”…. FUNNY!
c@rol w says
As I watched you in practice, my first thought was “hey, I’m watching Nascar!” You know, go fast, turn left. But then I saw your performance and wished I had half the talent you do. Who cares about the falls – you had the courage it takes to show ’em your stuff. Great job! I’m so glad I watched for 9 minutes. 🙂
Wendy says
I still have my plaques from the Tiny Tot division. Yes, I was a figure roller skater at the age of 5. That’s it, no further than age 5. I wish I could have gone on to do the jumps and turns like you did! Thanks for sharing and giving us all a laugh with your commentary!
cathy says
oh Tiny Tots! I love that! I forgot it was called that!
: )
alexa says
Yep, you’re right. You had natural grace, Cathy. Make that ‘has’ – grace shows up in more places in your life than the roller skating rink.
Toni Brockliss says
Oh Cathy! So funny with the commentary.
I have no idea how you could even lift a leg up. Skates are heavy.
I remember when I got my first pair of boot skates. I came home from school and Mum had them on the bed for me. They were white with rainbows on the side and I used to wear them with my long flowing skirt and leg warmers….just like Olivia Newton-John from Xanadu.
sigh.
Sadly the long flowing skirt used to get stuck in the wheels. Very un-xanadu.
Marty says
You crack me up!! Thanks for sharing — I think you were a lovely skater! 🙂
cathy says
awww. how sweet are you? : )
Dianne K. Nelson says
Two Words: Roller Derby. Think about it. 😀
Smiles,
Dianne
tena says
This was pure gold….loved it. I thought I was the only other person who had a past in “serious” roller skating. at least serious enough to have my own skates, special outfits semi private lessons and medals. You took it to a much higher level than I ever did. I skated at a rink called the Rolladium and I dreamed of auditioning for the performance dance team there the “Rolladiumettes” alas it was not to be. Damn I wish I had video footage of those times. This brought back some great memories, as always I love your commentary…. your rocked that rink Miss Cathy. Definitely Legendary.
Kathie Simmons says
Oh, the awesome awesomeness of it! I was mesmerized. Heartbroken that you gave up your skating career, but thrilled that we get the running, biking, scrapping awesomeness of the Cathy of today. Absolutely awesome!!
Emma says
Love it! Looking at that I’m actually in mourning for the legs I never had, ha!
Seriously though, I’m sure if they’d had that commentary back then, you totally would have scored first place..
Jen says
That’s so cool!! I was into figure skating at the same age, but I didn’t get anywhere near as good as you (!): I managed to damage my knee ligament after a few weeks, and was on crutches. My knee has never been the same again, and although I took part in the end-of-year show, it was as a 1920s flapper who had to kind of shimmy out to a cafe table and chair in the middle of the ice, and stay there watching the show. Oh yes, the highlight!!
Claire says
Oh, Cathy! That is so excellent! I just finished watching it with my roller-skating 12 year old daughter. We went to Nebraska this year so that she could compete in Nationals. We LOVED the video and the commentary, and, as my daughter, rightly pointed out, “That is one funny lady!” Yes, you are!
cathy says
oh my gosh, a fellow skater? You know, even i remember they do nationals either in Lincoln, or the year I competed, Fort Worth.
Sigh. Is your daughter in Elementary or Freshman girls?
Claire says
She has just finished Elementary and will be moving up to Freshman next season.
Love your blog – between you and the Cake Wrecks blog, I get my daily on-line dose of laughter.
Brenda says
Oh my god. I have not laughed that hard since my last weekend with the girls. My husband came upstairs to find out what was going on — I started the video again and the two of us were helpless with laughter.
I love the “you …. never…. have…. to… skate…. again”. My moment like that was in tap dancing. NO good can come of a dance style that has a move called a “fallap”. I think “F” in the upcoming Me: The Abridged Version will be “Fallap”.
tara says
anna and I just sat and watched. She wants to be you. 🙂
*I* want to be you.
cathy says
Ha! Love it. LOVE it.
Brenda in Sunny SoCal says
For the record, My first competition program was to a “Like a Virgin” / “Xanadu” (Title song) medley.
Amy Kroeger says
This is so funny! Your little head in the corner and commentary reminds me of Mystery Science Theatre! And I do have to tell you that your skating actually rocks as compared to 99.9% of the population, so take comfort in that. I used to just skate around in circles and try not to fall. 🙂
TamiK says
Flipping through your blog Cathy and can’t believe I found this! HIlarious and touching because I used to skate!! 😀 I sucked at freestyle though and gave it up after breaking my wrist on a double flip. Stuck with dance and figures….got 4th at regionals in Junior ladies figures TWICE in a row and said I’m DONE. So close yet so far away from World Class….thanks for sharing…loved your commentary on the screen!
cathy says
Argggh. The double flip. You know, I think I rotated it once, maybe twice. NEVER landed it. Sigh.
TOO funny that you know about roller skating. I loved dance and figures, but I sucked at both! LOL! Thanks for sharing your comment. What part of the country were you in at the time?
ken kuhlman says
When was this. I found this to see if I could find anything from while I was employed at the fantastical location of Skate Palace in Salem, Oregon. granted the mural never changed even though it showed the visible mountains of the area (and as pointed out by me St. Helens still had a peak – not since 1980).
Cathy Zielske says
Oh my God, it WAS the Skate Palace, wasn’t it? Didn’t even make the St. Helens connection. It was in 1983, so they must not have changed the mural. I was 17.
ken kuhlman says
So well before I was employed there. (2000 – 2003) but probably some of the only video capturing it in all it’s glory (it is now a KIA dealership).