Women sharing the uneven progress of learning to ice skate

Pulenaz: a few visits do not make a finished skater

Pulenaz starts her adult lessons holding the barrier, taking small steps while other adults pass. She keeps the awkward parts in her videos: looking down at her skates, wobbling and going back to the rail when the ice feels busy. She is interested in skating for enjoyment, not in presenting herself as graceful from the start.

On a return visit she can move a little way away from the boards, but a busy public session sends her back to the edge to wait. She practices stopping with space around her and shows the attempts that end with her feet still moving. The next time, she gets a slower stop but needs another try to repeat it. Each visit gives the viewer something concrete to look for without suggesting that a few sessions make her an accomplished skater.

Later she works with a coach on edges and beginning crossovers, then brings the same curve back to a public session. She makes a few attempts, pauses at the boards and tries again. That continuity is the reason to follow Pulenaz: the familiar barrier is still available, but her attention has moved from simply standing on the ice to practicing a small figure-skating skill.

Janelle Yoder: a week-by-week adult learner

Janelle Yoder shares her “Jane Learns to Skate” series on Instagram as @thingsofjane. PSM Icehouse describes her adult lessons and the extra practice she added outside class. Its October 2026 account says she had been working on beginner crossovers and had passed Adult Basic 4.

References: PSM Icehouse

Yoder is a useful choice for a viewer who wants a named, ongoing series to follow through successive weeks. Pulenaz makes the immediate experience of a cautious first visit the center of her videos; Yoder’s published progression gives another way to see how an adult learner builds on lessons over time.

Diane Rudnick: returning after 32 years

Diane Rudnick’s Waltz Jump blog says she returned to the ice in January 2012 after 32 years away. Its May 2014 archive includes her practice posts and embedded skating videos; in one post she describes working on a flying camel and a back sit spin. These entries document an adult return to skating, with skills to revisit and develop, rather than a first lesson.

References: Diane Rudnick / Waltz Jump

Rudnick is the choice for someone looking specifically for a long return to the rink. Start with the 2014 archive for her written practice notes alongside the videos. For a first-time adult learning the basics, Pulenaz and Yoder are closer matches.

Sources and attribution

1. PSM Icehouse

   It’s Never Too Late: Janelle’s Adult Learn to Skate Journey in Fort WaynePublished Oct 6, 2026 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

2. Diane Rudnick / Waltz Jump

   Waltz Jump, May 2014 archivePublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026