RSBC Unseen Podcast | Figure Skating with Aarifah | S.04 E.09

In this episode of the RSBC Unseen Podcast, Juliette chats with Aarifah about her journey into figure skating as a vision impaired skater. From discovering the sport through anime to finding freedom on the ice, Aarifah shares the challenges, triumphs and joy that skating brings, along with her hopes for future competitions.

 

 

 

Juliette Parfitt  00:00 

Hello and welcome to the RSBC unseen podcast. My name is Juliette, and I work here at Rsbc, and today I'm joined by Aarifah. Hey Aarifah! 

 

Aarifah  00:08 

Hey! 

 

Juliette Parfitt  00:09 

how's it going?  

 

Aarifah  00:10 

It's going good.  

 

Juliette Parfitt  00:12 

So today are going to be talking to us about figure skating, which I am super excited to hear about, and how she kind of does it as a visually impaired person. Aarifah, what is figure skating? For those who don't know 

 

Aarifah  00:26 

figure skating, is it used to be very popular, not so much anymore, but it's like kind of ice skating. But figure skating specifically is where you do long and short programmes, which is kind of like a dance routine, but it has spins and jumps and footwork in it to make it look pretty. And it's in also in the Olympic Games, which is coming up in 2026 in Italy. So keep an eye out for it 

 

Juliette Parfitt  00:48 

Very nice. So is it, do you do it with a partner, or do you do it like by yourself? 

 

Aarifah  00:52 

I do it by myself, but you can do pairs in figure skating. That's also a denomination of the sport as well 

 

Juliette Parfitt  01:00 

Nice. How long have you been doing it for? 

 

Aarifah  01:03 

So I think I've been doing it for about a year and a few months now. I started in February 2024 

 

Juliette Parfitt  01:10 

so how did you get into it then? 

 

Aarifah  01:13 

So to be to be honest, I'm 21 now, but I wanted to start when I was 15, because when I was 15, I was kind of like an anime nerd. So a lot of figure skaters might actually say that they watched an anime called Yuri on Ice. And when I saw that, I was like, oh, I want to give that a go. So then I started talking to my friends, and I made them all go ice skating with me. And I went so many times, and I was like, I want to do lessons. But because I was 15, I had to ask my parents, and unfortunately, my parents said no. So after that, I kind of just forgot about it, until I started university. And when I went to university in Nottingham, they had a society for figure skating specifically. And I ended up being like, okay, maybe I should try doing this again. And then I fell into a rabbit hole of watching the Olympics. And then I found the figure skate who I really, really like. He's called Yuzuru Hanyu. He's retired now, but he was like, he's still the goat of, like, figure skating. Everybody loves him. He does everything perfectly. So when I started watching him, and like all the Olympic programmes from 2018 and 2022 I was like, okay, maybe I want to do this again. So I ended up going to a Christmas market rink, which are known for being really, really bad, but I went anyways, with my friends. And then I ended up being absolutely terrified, where a worker literally had to pull me across the ice to get me off, and then I got off, and I was like, okay, maybe I want to do that again. So I kept going to public sessions. I think I went three times with three different people, and then I was going to book group lessons at the National Eye centre. And I wasn't gonna book it, but my friend forced me to book it, so I booked it, and then I ended up going, I had to ask around and be like, Okay, where do I go? I went for my first lesson, and then I was like, oh my god, maybe I'm gonna carry on doing this. So I did it. My I passed level one in two weeks. And then I was like, from there, it's just history.  

 

Juliette Parfitt  02:59 

What did you expect when you first started, like, what did you think it would be like?  

 

Aarifah  03:03 

to be honest, I had no idea what to expect, because going to these group lessons, I had no idea what I was doing, because I'd never seen them before, even on the public session. So when I did go, I ended up just staring through the window being like, where do I go? And then I saw another girl, so I just asked her. I was like, okay, hey, I'm, you know, doing I'm level one. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know where to go. She told me where to go. I got my skates on, and then there's people at the side of the rink, and they tell you where to go on at because when you have your lesson in your level, there's also three other levels going on at the same time. And you have the people that work there, they put you where you're supposed to go. The thing that was different I didn't think about the sport, was I joined group lessons because I wanted to know what it was like. But group lessons also help you find friends, which is really important in this sport, because having friends on the same level and doing like progressing together. You have your like jumps and your spins and stuff, even learning the basics together. You have people cheering you on, and it does really help you as well.  

 

Juliette Parfitt  04:09 

Oh and like encourages you like to keep to keep going, and you can kind of, like, see how other people are finding it as well.  

 

Aarifah  04:12 

Yeah and it's like, it's really helpful, because it helps with, like, your mental blocks as well when you can't do something, because you have your friends cheering you on, and you on, and you you do it, and then they cheer for you more, and it's like, Oh, that's really nice. Like, I made a friend, literally in level two. Been friends with her since we both started, and I still see her now that I've graduated university, she comes down from Nottingham to come see me so we can still skate together. So yeah, biggest friends do last 

 

Juliette Parfitt  04:41 

I have to say, I love that. Like, your first experience was like, No, I didn't enjoy the ice at all. Oh, well, how can I go and do more like I love that. Has there been anything surprising or unexpected about doing figure skating that you've kind of discovered as you've been doing it? 

 

Aarifah  04:55 

I think the most unexpected thing that I had for myself, and I know a lot of. People do struggle with it as well is that figure skating and ice skating in general, it does take a massive toll on your mental health. Sometimes, like, it would depict my day if I had a good practice, I'd have a good day afterwards. If I had a bad practice, I'd have a bad day afterwards. And you'd get, like, mental blocks, and you'd feel frustrated if you can't get a certain mood move, and it would make you, like, upset. For example, I struggled with a basic footwork technique called a mohawk, also known as a C step. And I really, really struggled with these for like, multiple sessions, and it would bring me to almost the point that I wanted to start crying about it, but you have to keep on going. And I ended up being able to do it in the end, because I kept at it, but and one of the other things as well is in the sport, because there are on the ice at the same time as you, there's people that are different levels, that are better than you, you start comparing yourself, and everybody struggles with it. And everyone says that comparison is like the thief of thief of joy, which it is, because even I still compare myself to people, and I have to remind myself that everybody is different, and everybody progresses at a different rate. No one is the same. Everybody's you do stuff at the different times, and it also depends on what age you started, because obviously, as a kid, you most kids, aren't afraid to start jumping around and just throwing themselves into it. But as you get older, and it just gets worse from there. So that's the mental health aspect of it, but also, figure skating has also helped with my mental health, because I started in my second year of university, I was struggling to keep up with all my assignments that were all the due dates were coming up. But I also had to start applying for internships, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do one. So then when I started figure skating in the next term, it gave me something to be like, Okay, I've got this on Saturday, I can go to my lesson, and I can just chill, and I don't have to think about university or my internship or anything. And it just gives you that time to feel free, like, when you step on the ice, all your problems, about, like, homework, if you're at school or, like, work stress, your home stress, anything, it just goes out the window, because all you're thinking about is, okay, I need my feet to be here. Need my arms to be here. I need to do this jump perfectly. And like, the joy that figure skating, it brings you so much joy when you can actually, like, do the trick that you've been working on, or land your first jump, or do your first spin. It's just like, it's such a great feeling. And it's just, it's really nice sport, 

 

Juliette Parfitt  07:26 

even if it's something you've chosen to do, like figure skating, like, it must be really scary, because you're like, right? I'm wearing like, knives on my feet, and I've decided to go on this slippery surface, and, yeah, I'm going to jump in the air and do spins and crazy stuff. And it's like your your brain is still a little bit like, whoa. Are you sure you want to do that? So it's like that, almost that, like determination to override that, like inner fear and be like, No, we're going to do this. I'm absolutely determined to learn how to do this. So it must be like, such a high when you, like, progress and get it 

 

Aarifah  07:56 

Yeah, it's crazy. Like, even sometimes I come home after doing something, I look up my skates, I'm like, How did I manage that? Because our blades are, like, really thin, and not to scare people that want to try it, but when you are skating, it's not like a flat blade, like a knife. It's like a concave shape, like a bridge. So you're literally on two edges. You have your inside edge and your outside edge, and everything is on those edges. Like everything is down to those edges. You're not just on a flat blade. So it's even more like, Oh my god. How do you do that? How did I do that? 

 

Juliette Parfitt  08:30 

I love what you were saying about like, having it take up your whole concentration, and have that be like, a bit of an escape when you're when you were studying. Because I think it is like, that's one of the main benefits. If you find an exercise, you really get into it, does? It takes up your whole brain, and it's like, oh my God, I've just done that for two hours, and I haven't thought about this thing that I was worried about, or, like, this piece of work I've gotta do. I just, like, got to move my body and, like, really focus on that.  

 

Aarifah  08:56 

Yeah, And it's also so it also helps with, as well as it being fun and just exercise, it also helps with, like, your health, and it gives you, like, something to do, to work on your body, because when I first started figure skating, I could not do it's like a pistol squat. I don't know if people know what that is, but it's like a one legged squat, where you go all the way down and your other leg is in front of you, straight. I could not do that for the life of me when I first started. So then when I started figure skating, started going lower and lower, and now I can go all the way down, no problem. And people are always like, are, how do you do that? I'm like, I don't know. I just sit down.  

 

Juliette Parfitt  09:35 

You must have like crazy core strength and like crazy leg strength.  

 

Aarifah  09:39 

the leg strength is insane. It also gives you arm strength as well. Like, muscles in my arms have grown. It's because of all the when you're spinning and you're spinning, you're fighting against the force of the spin. So you have to, like, pull your arms in to go faster and it you have to, like, tense up your whole body to make sure that you don't fall out of that spin. And then, like. Even just going forward, like, forward stroking you have your arms out to the side. But when I had my first private coach, she'd make me put my arms out to the side, and then she'd, like, push down on it, and if your arm would flop down, she's like, are tense your arms. You're not doing it right. You have to, like, tense your arms, even just in that simple position, so it you grow muscles everywhere, places you wouldn't expect it.  

 

Juliette Parfitt  10:20 

There's like a whole body experience That's amazing, that's sounds like so much fun. What adaptions or considerations do you have to make as a VI skater? 

 

Aarifah  10:29 

I think you do have to think about what rink you go to, because you don't expect how busy. You never know how busy the rink will be on that public session, because the National Eye centre, for example, is where Torben and Dean the Olympic skaters came from that one in the Olympics. And because of that, the National Eye centre is really, really popular. So on a public skate, you can have close to over 100 people on at the same time. So you do have to think about, okay, there's going to be this many people. So that's one consideration, is you've got to find out how busy your home rink will be. So then you can make your adjustments and be like, okay, can do this. I can talk to these people to see what they can put in place. Because some people that work at the rinks, they will put like cones out in the middle of the rink for people to practice their like figure skating stuff. So then the public, people from the public, won't crash into you, basically. So you can ask for that app. Oh, that's cool, yeah. And then when you do group lessons, you never know how big the group will be. So you do want to, when you're going there start the lesson, they'll take your name most of the time, and at that point you can, like, take them to the side, maybe if you don't want to talk to it in front of everybody Of everybody, and be like, hey, so I've got this visual impairment. It affects this. Would you be able to, you know, help me out? And most of the time, the coaches will be really, really nice, and they will make sure that you're safe. And then they will come closer to you when they're demonstrating the skills on that level. And it really does help. And then when you move, if you do want to move on to private coaches, it's even better. I loved my private coach coaches, because when I told them about my vision impairment, they were, like, really supportive about it. And when I went on patch ice, which is figure skating ice, just for figure skaters to practice, everybody's going really, really fast, my coach would make sure that the people that are like running their programmes, because they get right away, that I don't get in their way, and I'm don't run in into other people. And also, when the private coaches are teaching you something, instead of just showing you, she would put me in the position that I'm supposed to start in, and then she'd Grab my hand and she'd pull me through that skill so I know what it feels like, not just what it's supposed to look like. And that was also really helpful. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  12:45 

That's awesome. So they were, like, super open to working with you. So I think sometimes the difficulty for us when we want to do a new activity is essentially getting the instructors on board. Like, if you go to somewhere, and you go, Hey, I'm visually impaired. I want to learn to do this thing. Sometimes people will be like, Whoa, no, I don't know. Like they, they mean, well, but they get scared, and they like, can't picture how you're going to do it. But it sounds like with your coaches, like they were just like, Yeah, this is going to be fine. Like they were super open to it 

 

Aarifah  13:15 

yeah. Most of the coaches are really, really nice, actually. Nottingham, there is a guy who does have a vision impairment, and He's amazing. He's like, my role model as well, because he's doing, like, I think he's doing his axles and doubles and triples. He actually went on Disney on Ice. Don't know if you  know. He went on Disney on Ice. And He's like, my role model. And he's like, really nice. So he coaches as well. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  13:39 

love that. 

 

Aarifah  13:40 

There are loads of people that do do the sport, that do have vision impairments, and you can get really, really far, like he goes on patch ice. No problem. I'm still scared of patch ice. Can't lie, because I'm not as advanced as he is, but he he's fine in it. He thrives. He's great. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  13:54 

i guess it's like everyone's starting at different levels as well. And I think, I guess maybe, if you, if your visions change, like, I maybe someone who's had like, low vision their whole lives, they're just like, well, I've done everything like this, so I'm just going to carry on. Like, I think it opens you up to stuff a bit more. 

 

Aarifah  14:09 

Yeah, it really does. And most of the time, everybody at the rink is really, really, really nice. Like, I've never met someone that's been mean to me. So everybody is usually inclusive, and they're supportive. And you just, you just, you just talk to people. And people like, really nice. They give tips and tricks and like, if you tell them you're visually impaired, like, I've had to tell people, if you're waving at me from a distance or you're smiling at me, I will not do anything, because I will not be able to see you. And they're usually like, Okay. And then the next time I see them, they come up to me instead of them just standing from a distance 

 

Juliette Parfitt  14:41 

That's so nice! Do you think it's helped you articulate and advocate for your needs a little bit more then, because it's like, well, I want to do this thing I love, and I need people to understand and adapt, so I'm just going to have to tell them, because sometimes people that can be something that people aren't confident doing. Do you think that's kind of helped you improve your confidence to to, advocate for yourself? 

 

Aarifah  15:01 

I think so. Yeah, because even at school, I was terrible at it, because I had people doing it for me, so I never did it. And then I went to university, and I still wasn't doing it with my seminar tutors very often. But I mean figure skating, I was like, Okay, I have to tell them, because obviously in a classroom, how are you going to get hurt? It's not as like a high risk, but on the ice, you kind of like, okay, I need to tell them, because I want to do this, but I can't do it if I can't see them doing it, obviously you can't do it if they don't show you how to do it. And obviously if they're too far away, you won't be able to see them. So I have to be like, Hey, could you do that here, please? Because I couldn't see you from over there. And most of the time they'd be like, Yeah, sure. It's fine. I'll do it. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  15:41 

And it's like, taking responsibility for your experience, but also, like, your safety and everyone's safety. How do you hope to progress with the skating in future? 

 

Aarifah  15:51 

Hopefully one day, I do want to start competing in competitions, because I want all the pretty dresses and the makeup and the hair, and I want to get some medals, maybe, and, like, just have, you know, time to dance around on the ice, because I've never been able to do that before. So I want to go to adult nationals, because they do have adult competitions. So even if you're because people are always scared to start figure skating, because they're like, Oh, I started too late. I can't, you know, go to competitions or go to the Olympics. Like, yeah, I started at like 19, I can't go to the Olympics, but that's not my dream. My dream is just, you know, go to a couple competitions, like nationals. They're usually held in like Sheffield, but sometimes your rink will have like, little competitions, like Coventry, had a spin spiral and jump competition, and so did nottigham. I didn't enter because I wasn't where I wanted to be, to be able to perform, but next time, I will be entering those so to see what it's like. And then hopefully I can do my skills tests, and then go to adult nationals, if I was to say I was on skate, UK silver skate. UK silver is like a toe loop. It's a kind of jump, and then you've got your backspin. It's like a one revolution. It's not that much. And your spirals, which is kind of like it's called an arabesque and dance, but you call it a spiral, it's where your chest is parallel to the floor, and then one of your legs comes up behind you, and it looks really pretty. So that's skate UK silver. But then the next level above that is gold, and in gold, you learn a loop jump, and you do a scratch spin, and you do a backwards spiral, so it is by level. So hopefully one day I can get somewhere in there and win some medals, and then maybe one day I might become a coach for people with vision impairments, as well as, um, people that are lefties, because I'm a lefty in this sport, and that means I spin on my right leg, and I spin clockwise, but most people in the sport are righties, and they spin anti clockwise. And it really does. Would help if you had a coach that could do lefty things, because all my coaches are like, Oh, I've got to switch this arm. Hang on. You go the other way, don't you? I was like, yeah, so yeah, maybe one day I'll be a coach and be able to do that, because I do teach some of my friends at the moment, and they they say that I'm pretty good at it, because I've taught them quite a few things. So hopefully, if I can pass the test for becoming a coach, might be able to do that. And if that doesn't work, then, currently, I'm learning how to sew figure skating dresses. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  18:20 

I love me a spangly outfit as well. You know, they they always look great figure skaters. I like that there's like, different levels that you can come in from. Like, it seems like there's the right like level for all skills. Like, it's not like you have to wait to be incredible to start competing. And I love that. I I'm a big fan of sports that are like, just come and do what you can like, and still compete and still progress. But they don't put the bar too high to start 

 

Aarifah  18:46 

yeah, because so when I started, I always look at like, the eight year olds and nine year olds and 10 year olds that are, like, jumping, triple jumps, and you're like, Oh, my God, I can't do that. And I'm like, double, triple their age. But then you got to think, it's like, okay, you start late, but it doesn't mean you can't go anywhere, and you don't have to compete if you don't want to, you can just do it as a hobby, like you don't have to force yourself to compete if that's not something you want to do, because there are some people that do it to help with, like, their anxiety and like, to just give them some time to, like, find joy and like doing tricks or whatever. So 

 

Juliette Parfitt  19:18 

get them endorphins. Is there anything you would want to say to any like, young, visually impaired people who might want to give skating a go?  

 

Aarifah  19:26 

I'd say go for it. If you want to, like, just go for it. Literally, go to a Christmas market, go to their rink, or go to, like, your home rink, and go on a public session and just like, try it out, maybe, like, talk to some of the figure skaters that are there, because there will be people like me that are just hanging around the edges, learning their jumps and stuff. But they will be really nice if you just want to go up and talk to them. And sometimes there will be coaches around you can talk to them too. And then maybe if you do like that public session, just book those group lessons you can, I know planet ice in the UK, they do, um, like, six week blocks. So if you don't want to carry on after those six. Weeks, you can just don't rebook it. And then Nottingham has, like, direct debit, so you pay every month for a couple lessons per week, like a once a week. I did once a week for 60 pound, but you get, like, um, free public sessions whenever you want. So yeah, just go for it. And like, you don't have to do figure skating, like, if you don't feel comfortable jumping and spinning and leaving the ice with both your feet. You don't have to do figure skating. There's also ice dance. You can do ice dance, which is more like a dance routine, and it's more like twizzles, which is kind of like spinning, but you go across the ice that they are difficult, I struggle, but they look really, really pretty. And ice dance is like, the footwork is amazing, and like people look so it's just a great sport to go into as well. But also you don't have to do ice dance. There are so many other things as hockey, you can go into hockey, or you can go into speed skating. And there's also like Synchro, so you can go to Synchro if you want to. So yeah, and it's also, don't let other people tell you what you can and what you can't do, because only you really know what you can and can't do. But even if you tell yourself that you can't if you're going to fix it, and you're like, Okay, I can't do this jump. Yes, you can, because I always tell myself I can't do it, and then I end up doing it. So it's just pushing yourself and persevering, and it will, you'll probably end up falling in love with it, and then it'll become like your whole life, like it has become mine. It's taken over everything. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  21:23 

I love that that's amazing. You're making me want to give it a go. You might have to see find my local ice rink and go and have a try. I've not ice skated since I was a teenager as well, so I think that would be quite interesting to do 

 

Aarifah  21:36 

Go! its quite fun. It is a quite an expensive sport. So I'd say that if you do want to get into it and you do really, really enjoy it, go to a skate shop. Do not try and measure yourself online. Go to a skate shop so you're not wasting money and getting the wrong pair. Because every brand has a different they make it different for each foot. So I've tried things in the same brand that don't even fit me right, because each level that you go up, they get stiffer for more ankle support, and the boot is different. So I've switched three brands in the time that I've been skating. I had graf when I first started, and then I had rye sport, and I've got a dayo. So make sure you do go to a skate shop, because skates can be very expensive. 

 

Juliette Parfitt  22:20 

Thanks Aarifah for chatting to us about doing figure skating. I imagine we'll have some people definitely up for giving it a try. And good luck when you start competing. And keep us posted on how it goes. 

 

Aarifah  22:32 

 Thank you. Thanks for having me as well. I enjoyed it  

 

Juliette Parfitt  22:36 

our pleasure. Thanks very much. Bye.  

 

Aarifah  22:38 

Bye.