Testing Thursday (2-16)

How do you feel about having non-skater people come watch you test? I'm testing Preliminary moves and the Cha-Cha on Thursday. A friend wanted to know if he could come and watch. Honestly, I'm not sure I really want him to. For a start, he will have no idea what is going on. Second, and this is the part that seems on the one hand most important and on the other most mean, I'm afraid I'll be distracted if someone is there. I'm not used to having anyone but my coaches and skaters from the rink I go to watch me test. My parents live nine hundred miles away, so they've never seen me test or even skate with my dance coach except on video. My friends from university likewise, in some cases even farther. I know there are plenty of people watching me when I'm testing, but it doesn't bother me when it's just judges, or other skaters. I'm not used to having someone come just to watch me. I don't know if I should say 'stay away' (not in so many words) or just grin and bear it if he turns up.

Also a bit edgy about some things on moves. I have more than enough power on the crossovers (if anything a bit too much) but I've been getting a bit out of control on the left three-turns (power threes) and flattening a bit on the right. Also, it's so rarely that I get to do a run-through of the back crossovers without having to worry about running into someone that I get rattled easily. My coach says it's fine. (My dance coach has never said anything is outright fine, ever, but he's mostly positive about the Cha Cha and wouldn't let me test it if he didn't think it was passable.) I think I'm overthinking again.

As for myself I don't mind having non-skater people watching me. My son was there for my pre bronze tests and even had the camcorder recording my test.
But it is up to you and what you feel comfortable with.

Good luck on you test and let us know how you did.

Why not tell him frankly that you'd really rather he didn't come when you are testing, but invite him to watch you at a competition, if you have one coming up? Or, if you don't, invite him to come and watch you at practice, and perhaps arrange to have coffee or a meal together afterwards?

Testing is stressful enough without adding to it, and if you think your friend would add to the stress, then be honest with him about it and explain why.

Best of luck, by the way, and do let us know how you get on. I am competing the Cha-cha in the European competitions (Mountain Cup & Vana Tallinn trophy) at the end of May, and find it a difficult dance as it's not part of our test structure, so we are not totally sure what the judges are looking for. Any hints and tips welcome (but I'll start a new thread, because I don't want to hijack this one!).

I don't compete right now--I'm an ice dancer, and only pre-bronze, so no partner yet. I test with my coach.

Heh, I'll suggest he come see my lesson with my dance coach--at 7:30 in the morning. Assuming I pass tomorrow I'll be working on the Swing and Fiesta Tango, so that should be fun...back progressives, gah.

I feel kind of odd asking people to come watch, especially ones that I don't consider really close friends (he's someone I went to school here with, and went out on a quasi-date or two once or twice. IE he thought they were dates, I decided otherwise.)

Update: Pass on the Cha Cha with a combined score of 6.0 (3.0 for both scores), retry on the MIF. Of course, I'm sick, I had to wait over an hour between my warmup and the MIF, and just got so tired by the threes on the line I put a foot down. I did a clean reskate of that but he said not enough power on the back crossovers, either (though I did get a 2.6 for the spiral sequence.) Next test I better not have to wait so long and go in totally cold--I was so stiff and achy by the time I finished I could barely go change.

I also look at it this way--a Gold dance judge from MA gave me a 6.0, a Silver MIF judge from NH wanted me to skate like a freestyler (his words) and plough through things. Who am I going to really listen to overall? I'll test again in a month and will not be sick, and hopefully will not have to wait more than an hour between warmups and testing!

Congrats on passing the Cha-Cha. What moves test did you take?

Preliminary, which is why I'm pissed, sick or not. (Well, that and having to wait so long.) I'll pass it next month. But I wanted to start working on Pre-Juv. My power pulls are already a lot better than they were three weeks ago. And I'm so bored with the Prelim stuff. Maybe I'll get my coach to teach me to spin while we're at it, just to break up the monotony. I'll need to do that eventually anyway.

(If that judge passed the Adult Bronze tester who skated before me and didn't pass me I'll be annoyed. I had a lot more power than he did, and way better extention. And really, what is wrong with "floating?" Again, judge's words, not mine. We can't all lurch through everything like a Slutskaya.)

wow 6.0 from one judge, way to go! that's great!

What does "floating" mean?

He said I was just 'floating' along as if it were a bad thing. I think he means more grace and extension than speed. I was so annoyed with him the next morning I went out and blew through the test at my local rink, just to prove I could, then ran through the back crossovers from the...Novice or Junior test, the expanding circle to a glide across the rink, which I would bet he'd never guess I could do. Next time, assuming this migrating cold doesn't turn from a chest cough to pneumonia and I'm still sick by the 15th, I'll just bull through the power threes and back crossovers, if that's what they want. It'll trade off some edge quality, but whatever.

"Speed" and "Power" that's what they want. The judges forget that we aren't youngsters!

Speak for yourself on the youngster bit! Speed and power I can do, if I must, (and if I'm not coughing up a lung--this cold is getting worse, not better, and if that person at work gave me her pneumonia I am going to be VERY ANNOYED, especially since I don't get sick leave yet--not enough time there--and I can't afford to lose hours, even if I can't breathe) but I'm a dancer--I've had posture and allignment beaten into me. I am almost always vertical. Freestylers have some of the worst posture I've ever seen. How'n heck do you skate at a 45-degree angle? But if they want me to jackknife my body way too far forward and LOOK like I'm pushing, whatever. The three-turns might get a little flat, but no one's looking at tracings these days. Also picked up a bit of a cheat watching a coach at the rink where I practice--add a crossover to the intro steps of the power threes to get up more speed. When I tried it my blade came off the ice in the middle of the three, but that happens when I push them harder than I have been. Not a comfortable feeling, but I'm not falling.

I ran into the test chair for that club at the rink where I work the other night. She told me she was impressed and thought I was great standing up to the judge and basically making him give me a reskate on one element. She also told me he didn't pass a lot of skaters and gave the impression she thinks he's a bit of a crank. I hope that girl who tested Junior moves passed, though. She was so stressed she was crying when she came off the ice.

congratulations on passing your dance!!

did your friend end up coming to watch you?

He didn't, and I'm kind of relieved. I'd have been embarassed for him to see my MiF. When I retest, I'm JUST doing that one, not a dance first, and by then this cold/bronchitis/whatever better be gone. (It really makes me mad when my body won't do what I want it to, sick or not, can you tell? I was the worst patient when I was in the hospital. I got so fed up being tethered in one place for three days I threatened to rip out my IVs if they didn't take them out!)

Oddly, the one person from that school who'd probably appreciate it is the last you'd think--when I did a presentation on ice dance I used a video of Torvill & Dean doing a Tango Romantica as an example of an international compulsory, and this kid, who sounds and acts like a North-end thug, pops up with a question about the '94 dance placings at the Olympics. He not only knew who T&D were, he remembered the whole judging issue from '94 and expressed a preference for ladies' singles over dance. I was floored. He even wrote "Toepick!" as his only comment on my feedback sheet, suggesting pretty strongly he's seen "The Cutting Edge." You never know who's going to turn out to be a FS fan.....now if he were around and wanted to watch, my only worry would be he'd think I sucked!

well i hope you get better soon!! good luck on your retest!!