Ice Skipping

On December 26th we were due for a major snowstorm here in the Northeast. I live on a lake. The lake was frozen. I went out before the snow began to fly and walked across the lake, the water was crystal clear. I wished I knew how to skate at that point because it was like a mirror, you could see right down to the bottom and the ice was like glass, not a bump or indentation. Perfect for skating. ALSO, perfect for skipping.

I don’t know what came over me and I quite frankly did NOT care what my neighbors thought. I started skipping back to the shore and across my yard. I was picking up branches that fell from the high winds the night before. I was truly enjoying the most wonderful time acting like the child, you know, the one that is in each of us and yet rarely comes out to play. Mine did that day and she had a great time. Albeit too short, but really fun. I thought to myself, I should do this more often. I am so thrilled to see your site. What a very cool thing to do – I shall think of you whenever I skip and I have indeed been skipping a lot lately.

My skipping reminded me of Phoebe on “Friends” in an episode where she was jogging – just running and swinging her arms. Such a free spirit. I was like that a whole lot more when I was younger – I think I’d like to revert back to that stage of not a care in the world. Living in the moment is great, but really enjoying it and BEING in the moment – PRICELESS!!!! -T.L. in New Jersey

Prison Skipping

After healing from an injury that caused me to leave my last job, I landed up working in a woman’s prison. I work in the Mental Health Dept. as a Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant. On Thursdays, we go to the gym. We often walk around the gym to warm up before other exercise. I had been skipping some of the distance which the women though was silly. But, eventually, one copied me and found it refreshing and then one more and one more. I wish I could send you a picture of this maximum security facility and the women with felony crimes skipping around the gym. It brings me joy just thinking of how they float along. -NC Skipper, PJ.

Skip on Spokane!

We recently caught up with Spokane skipper Patty Sanders after she gave this excellent talk about skipping at Ignite Spokane…and we asked her about the inspiration behind it. Here’s what she had to say…

When did you start skipping as an adult? When my kids were little and we would skip together and I realized how happy it made all of us.

What do you love most about skipping? What I love about skipping is that you can not be anything but HAPPY when you are doing it. It is real live fairy dust. Skipping produces happy thoughts and gives you the thrill of flying.

Do you skip for fitness or for fun? Skip for fun!!! If you skip FOR fitness then you have expectations and then you set yourself up to being let down if the expectations aren’t met to your satisfaction and then you will quit skipping. You skip for FUN you will never stop skipping and you will become fit.

What inspired you to create the skipping talk you gave at Ignite? I wanted to do something FUN and different. Since it isn’t an every day occurrence that you see skippers I figured there wouldn’t be a lot of us competing for that subject matter…and skipping is the most fun you can have…Just thinking about it makes you happy.

My Passion is HAPPY…my motto in life has been “when the fun runs out run with it” but I might have to revise it to “when the fun skips town skip with it”. The reaction to it was wonderful. I was happy to hear how receptive everyone was to it. Many people said they are skippers already.

What would you say to someone who is hesitant/too embarrassed to skip in public? To the hesitant and embarrassed skipper I tell them GRAB a kid and skip with them. I also remind them how happy it makes them to see other people skip…you are doing that for people when you skip…it literally is the greatest public service you can do for your community. It just makes everyone happier!!!

Skipping on Water?

The Crawfordsville (Indiana) High School Swim Team and the Sugar Creek Swim Club both do skipping as dryland work nearly every day, using it to build coordination, rhythm, and harmonic flow. We skip forward, backward, with swimming arms, without, basically any combination we can find. We also skip in the water, doing all of the above and more, including skipping into swimming, which is very cool. We skip for meet warmups, even for this year’s Indiana State Swimming Championship. No one has a clue what we are doing, ha ha, but we just skip away and then swim fast.

Keep skipping! Kent Menzel, Crawfordsville High School Swimming

Safeway Skippers

“I work at a Safeway In Northern California. At work when a customer asks where something is we are required to ask them if they would like to be shown where the item is. Sometimes when they say yes, I start walking a few feet then I will turn to them and ask “Would you like to hold hands and skip? ” ( I must admit I only ask women) Sometimes they say “Yes!” So… off we go, and usually they start laughing and I’ve got a pretty big smile on my face too!! I think it’s fun !! Just thought you might like to know this story. Skip On!”

A Perfect Day in Mesquite, Texas

I have an unusual, but simple story. Doesn’t happen every day.

Last year, I’d started a new job and had to take the bus for a couple of hours to get there. I noticed I was feeling down before I got off the bus and said to myself…”This can be a bad day, or a really great one. It’s my choice!”  So I started singing quietly to myself the theme from Legally Blonde, “It’s a Perfect Day,” and skipped across the street as I got off the bus.

I’m 39, so this must have been amusing to the people in the 3 lanes of traffic it took to get to the median. I had to stop there to wait for the other 3 lanes of traffic to get the rest of the way across. I looked to my left and saw a piece of paper on the grass. I assumed I’d dropped a receipt and then looked again and noticed it was money….I thought I’d dropped a dollar as I’m always digging in my purse and bent down to look.

I’m never completely awake until 10 or so, so I thought my eyes were just kinda fuzzy. I unfolded the paper and saw a $10, but continued to unfold it and it was a $100 bill. I really needed the money, as I had just started working and hadn’t got my first paycheck yet. I saved it ’til the end of the day, just in case some one were to come into the office and claim it. No one did, so I ended up with the new shoes and a dress I needed to look presentable for my new job. Talk about Divine intervention! Whoo!

It might seem a little shallow to some, but that is my skipping story. I also encourage friends to skip with me. They all think I’m crazy, which is not far from the truth, but I find that every time I skip, something really great happens! It’s true! -Dawn in Mesquite, Texas

Boogie Oogie Oogie

The other day I was walking and running around the lake enjoying the beautiful morning, so into my music and then “Boogie Oogie Oogie” by A Taste of Honey played. Before long I realized I was skipping and dancing down the road. I got laughing at myself, especially when a passing car honked at me and cheered. It had been awhile since I heard this song but when I do I automatically start to skip so I thought of you and decided I must shared this song with you. You can’t help but skip to the music. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Happy Skipping,

Donna Cunningham
Keene, NH

New York, New York

I’ve been running for the past three weeks and today I remembered why I stopped running in the first place… because I HATE IT!

So, I decided to SKIP instead! What a refreshing and wonderful exercise! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner! It immediately made me smile and lifted my spirits!!

Mel in New York City

Skipping the Dog

I decided to skip when I walked the dog. I learned how uncoordinated I am and I need to practice a lot more now, but it was really fun and I think I will get in the groove. Thanks for the reminder of a possibility long forgotten. -Vivian Komori, host of The Broad Persepctive Radio Show.

UK Skipper

Next Page »