Whoops., I forgot to put the URL in. Here it is:

http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/0104/03skateside.html

In case they get rid of the story, I've cut an pasted it below:

--------------------------

Volunteer took to the ice late in life

By RODNEY HO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Guys in their mid-30s might react to impending middle age by learning to rock
climb
or buying a Ferrari.

Rob Lichtefeld, a married computer programmer from Lawrenceville, chose figure
skating. And he learned from scratch.

That was seven years ago. Now 43, Lichtefeld competes nationally in adult figure
skating and is a volunteer Philips Arena venue manager for the U.S. Figure
Skating
Championships which starts today and runs through Jan. 11.

"It's the only exercise that has held my interest," Lichtefeld says. "It gives
me an
outlet to work off stress from work." Before skating, he tried running,
weightlifting
and treadmills. Boring, boring... and boring.

As unconventional as his hobby choice is, he doesn't mind teasing. "It's a lot
easier
being a 43-year-old taking flak than if I were 13 or 14," he says.

With wispy sandy blonde hair, earnest glasses and a modest gut, which he covers
with loose clothing, Lichtefeld looks more likely to be balancing budgets than
pulling
off a lutz. And at 6 foot 3, he's far taller than most skaters. But when he
spins on the
ice at his regular practice rink, the Atlanta Ice Forum in Duluth, earlier this
week
during a public session, he shows a surprisingly natural grace.

A young woman wobbling on her skates comes up to him shakily. "You look like
you've skated a long time," she says. "How do you stop?"

Lichtefeld shows her by bending the knees and pointing the skates inward. She
thanks him. "LIttle kids ask me 'Are you a professional?' because I can jump and
spin," he says, bemused.

He is the only man among a core group of adult skaters at the Ice Forum who are
part of the tongue-in-cheek "Geriatric Figure Skating Crew." They meet once a
month for dinner.

"He's incredibly dedicated," says Marcy Drost, 35, a member of the crew who
started skating at age 29. "Watching him skate, you see his passion, his
enthusiasm."

Litchtefeld tries to skate up to six hours a week but given rink schedules and
work,
he more recently ends up doing only two to three hours.

"Unfortunately, the small amount of time I have on ice doesn't negate eight
hours a
day sitting in a chair," he says. "Teaching an old dog new tricks is tough. Our
bodies
just don't have the get up and go of a 20 year old."

He still loves to compete. Last fall, he co-chaired and participated in the
Peach
Classic, an annual Atlanta adult tournament that draws about 120 skaters
nationwide. The highlight of his career: finishing second at an adult
international
competition two years ago in France.

At many competitions, he is one of only two or three guys at his intermediate
"silver"
level. "That's not a bad thing," he says, "because then you're guaranteed to
medal."

His introduction to skating was modest. After doing a casual skate at the Ice
Forum
in 1997, he wanted to learn to skate backwards. He took group lessons. He liked
it.
Soon, he was learning spins and jumps. He began taking private lessons. In 2002,
he bought custom-made boots for $540 with blades another $300.

Helen Ross, his personal coach, said he has impressive athletic ability for
someone
starting so late. "He has all his single jumps down and is now working on
axels,"which involve 1.5 revolutions, she said. "That's a big step for an adult.
A lot
never get that far."

She loves one move he does in competition: lifting one of his legs above his
head.
"The audience goes wild," she said. "He has incredible flexibility."

She says he's also organized and dependable, which is why he was named
volunteer venue manager -- a trouble shooter dealing with TV personnel,
volunteers
and Philips paid staff. All next week, he'll be carrying a walkie talkie in the
bowels of
Philips, responsible for keeping events on time and everybody where they need to
be. It's going to keep him even busier than he already is.

His wife Conchita doesn't mind, but notes, "I'll be taking down the Christmas
tree
myself."



--------------------------


Rob


On 3 Jan 2004 at 10:32, raeskates@... wrote:

>
> Congratulations Rob. Is there anywhere we can go to read it?
>
> Rae
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> compadultsk8s-unsubscribe@...
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.


-----------------------------------------------------------
Rob Lichtefeld
voice 770-513-2117
cell/SMS 678-779-3894

Georgia Figure Skating Club - Secretary
http://www.gafsc.org

Geriatric Figure Skating Crew - President for Life!
http://www.gerfsc.com

2004 US Figure Skating Championships - Venue Manager, Philips Arena
http://www.atlanta2004.org
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I'm too old to die young, and too smart to be happy"
- Kinky Friedman, The Mile High Club