00:00I'm Lucy Fink.
00:01I'm a video producer at Refinery29, but every so often I like to try other people's jobs.
00:13Today I'm at the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink to see if I have what it takes to be a professional
00:18figure skater.
00:19This is Lucy for Hire.
00:22I've been ice skating a handful of times in my life.
00:25I went to a few ice rink birthday parties as a little girl, and I even find myself visiting
00:30some of New York City's top skating spots in the wintertime.
00:33But when my audience challenged me to try becoming a figure skater for the day, I was honestly
00:39a little nervous.
00:40I've never felt very comfortable on ice skates, and I'd never attempted any risky moves before.
00:45So today we changed that.
00:47I met with a professional figure skater and we spent the day together at the Chelsea Piers
00:51Sky Rink.
00:52I've been skating for 29 years, definitely an intense sport.
00:56It takes power, endurance, flexibility, stability, so working your whole body.
01:03My first challenge was to warm up.
01:05We are prepping to get onto the ice, so we're going to get your heart rate going, we're going
01:10to stretch.
01:11Oh, that's about as far as I go.
01:13That's okay.
01:14Warming up for the ice rink is pretty particular.
01:16We did a few stretches that can warm you up for almost any sport, but then we focused on
01:21certain moves that are specifically tailored to ice skaters.
01:25That's beautiful.
01:25Cool.
01:26We played with my balance, flexibility, and coordination.
01:30And even before we stepped foot on the ice, I was wiped out.
01:35Oh, already?
01:36My second challenge was some basic skating.
01:40Many people feel a little bit shaky the first moment that they step out onto the ice.
01:44So, I started out with a helmet on, just to be safe.
01:47We began with a quick lesson in how to fall.
01:50So, if you ever feel like you're going to fall down, to catch yourself, you want to bend
01:54down and grab onto your knees.
01:56So when we fall, we never want to fall backwards.
01:58Right.
01:58You're going to try to fall on either side.
02:01And slide.
02:02Woo!
02:03Ooh!
02:04Let me get back down.
02:07Oh, yeah.
02:09I think I had a little bit too much fun with this one.
02:13Angela then guided me around the rim of the rink until I was finally starting to get the
02:17hang of it.
02:18She taught me the forward swizzle, the foot stomp, the toe touch, and then she taught me
02:26how to skate backwards.
02:27I told you you can go backwards today.
02:30I'm doing it!
02:31We also did a little bit of edge work where she had me skating on one foot and putting
02:36pressure on a specific edge in effort to turn.
02:39Hold it.
02:39Hold it.
02:39Hold it.
02:39Hold it.
02:40Oh no!
02:40This was a lot easier for me on my right foot.
02:42My outside edge is a little rusty.
02:45And then it was time for my third challenge.
02:48Tricks.
02:49By this time, I was feeling a little more confident on the ice, so I finally took my helmet off.
02:54Okay, maybe that was a bad idea.
02:56Learning tricks was a lot scarier than I thought it would be.
03:00Angela taught me the bunny hop jump, the lunge, a twirl, and how to come to a complete stop.
03:10Wow.
03:11I practiced these moves various times and also hit the ice various times.
03:19As long as you remember how to fall, you should be okay.
03:22I'm an expert baller.
03:24My final challenge was to perform a short routine.
03:28As I know from watching both the Olympics and I, Tonya, the final performance is everything.
03:34You're judged not only on your skills and grace, but also on your appearance, including your choice of outfit.
03:41Angela walked me through a basic routine and I practiced the choreography a little bit on my own before I
03:46was ready for the final presentation.
03:51Dun-da-na-na.
03:52I changed into a beautiful skating costume.
03:56And then I was ready to perform my routine.
04:07There were parts of the routine that I needed Angela for.
04:10It just wouldn't have been wise for me to attempt them on my own.
04:14But other parts, I nailed.
04:19Ice skating for the entire day wound up being one of those experiences where I started feeling muscle soreness during
04:25the activity.
04:26So you can only imagine how my body felt the next day.
04:30To be honest, this was the first episode of Lucy for Hire where I truly felt like I was just
04:35not made for the job.
04:37Not as easy as it looks.
04:39Lucy did much better than I expected.
04:41Not to say that I was expecting anything bad, but she really was a quick learner.
04:46Would I hire Lucy as a professional skater?
04:49Maybe not yet.
04:50If she keeps practicing and hones those skills, then I don't see why not.
04:56You know how they say Rome wasn't built in a day?
04:58Well, Lucy definitely didn't become a professional figure skater in a day either.
05:02This is a tough sport that takes a lot of practice and years and years to master.
05:07But at least I had fun trying.
05:10Let us know what job you want to see me try next, and we'll see you then on Lucy for
05:13Hire.
05:15Bye!
05:16Hey YouTube, thanks for watching.
05:18Comment below and let me know what other jobs you want to see me try.
05:22And click here to subscribe to R29 on YouTube, here for another video, and right here for my personal YouTube
05:28channel.
05:28Bye!
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