Reality Check?

[Illusiadude]

My skating club does not "allow" contingency testing and I believe that most others have a similar rule. Where such a rules exists, you would not be able to do back-to-back tests of the same type. However, you would be able to take two different tests (pre-pre freeskate and a preliminary "moves") on the same day.

I see... I understand that level you test at for each track must correspond to one another correct? Say, I complete moves up to juvenile. Am I required to complete the freeskate levels on the way or may I focus on one first before moving on to the next?

 

[concorde]

I see... I understand that level you test at for each track must correspond to one another correct? Say, I complete moves up to juvenile. Am I required to complete the freeskate levels on the way or may I focus on one first before moving on to the next?

The moves is a prerequisite for the freeskate but the two do not have to be "in sync."
For instance, when my daughter passed her Senior moves, she had only tested up to the juvenile freeskate level.

 

[Illusiadude]

The moves is a prerequisite for the freeskate but the two do not have to be "in sync."
For instance, when my daughter passed her Senior moves, she had only tested up to the juvenile freeskate level.

Ahhhh. Sounds good to me. Thank you for that! May I ask how many years your daughter had skated prior to passing her Senior moves?

 

[SnowLily]

No, not really. It's really rare for any skater to get to an elite level. Also, most elite skaters have been skating since they were very young

 

[concorde]

Ahhhh. Sounds good to me. Thank you for that! May I ask how many years your daughter had skated prior to passing her Senior moves?

I was curious so I pulled out the paperwork. She passed her Pre-Pre moves 1/30/2011 and her Senior on 4/3/2016 so just over 5 years. She moved through them a bit faster than her peers but she was not the fastest.

 

[Illusiadude]

I was curious so I pulled out the paperwork. She passed her Pre-Pre moves 1/30/2011 and her Senior on 4/3/2016 so just over 5 years. She moved through them a bit faster than her peers but she was not the fastest.

Oh very nice! Congratulations to her!!! Although, it maybe 2 years late haha. Thank you for the insight, Concorde [emoji5]

 

[concorde]

Oh very nice! Congratulations to her!!! Although, it maybe 2 years late haha. Thank you for the insight, Concorde [emoji5]

I think how quickly a skater progresses through these tests is a combination of their ability and their interests. The girl who passed all moves tests in about 3 years LOVED LOVED LOVED to do patterns. Once she finished her moves tests, she then moved onto the dance tests. On the flip side, my daughter is a jumper and practicing the patterns was not high on her priority list.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I think how quickly a skater progresses through these tests is a combination of their ability and their interests. The girl who passed all moves tests in about 3 years LOVED LOVED LOVED to do patterns. Once she finished her moves tests, she then moved onto the dance tests. On the flip side, my daughter is a jumper and practicing the patterns was not high on her priority list.

This exactly. I had to do figures back when I came up through and was a rare one in that I loved them! So I passed through very quickly, and it's not usual.

Then again OP, I had been skating since age 3 and had a proper coach(es) the whole way through. Don't expect to do anything like this w/o a proper coach and no watching videos and trying to teach yourself or asking a random coach at an open skate doesn't count (and I have a hard time believing one of them would risk their coaching privileges to do so).

 

[AndreaRu]

In this area, mostly due to ice time constraints, it's more common for skaters to finish their tests in the last couple years of high school. A lot of skaters don't finish -- it's not common to have a large number of club members get through senior moves and even more rare to for skaters to pass both senior moves and freeskate. There is no rule here against contingent tests since test sessions are hard to find, but if you don't pass the first, you forfeit your test fee (and likely your coach fee, too). This can get expensive. For reference, my daughter passed pre-pre moves in May of 2015 and is now working on Intermediate moves.

 

[Illusiadude]

This exactly. I had to do figures back when I came up through and was a rare one in that I loved them! So I passed through very quickly, and it's not usual.

Then again OP, I had been skating since age 3 and had a proper coach(es) the whole way through. Don't expect to do anything like this w/o a proper coach and no watching videos and trying to teach yourself or asking a random coach at an open skate doesn't count (and I have a hard time believing one of them would risk their coaching privileges to do so).

Totally agree with you. I would never ask a coach to put themselves in that position! But I also mentioned in my initial post that I will begin taking lessons by the end of the month. Just wanted to clarify more on the due processes when moving up the ranks; the USFSA website leads me in circles. [emoji28]

During open sessions, I just approach a coach who does not currently have a lesson and ask them to watch a skill. The transaction usually never goes beyond “don’t drop your left hip” or “you got it, just keep at it”.

Also! I didn’t find it necessary to mention this before, but I used to work at the rink I skate at. Funnily, one of the “random coaches” and I went out for lunch just last week! I spend a great deal of time watching the higher-level skaters at my rink as well, so it never hurts to make some friends. But again, completely agree with you on getting a coach!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Totally agree with you. I would never ask a coach to put themselves in that position! But I also mentioned in my initial post that I will begin taking lessons by the end of the month. Just wanted to clarify more on the due processes when moving up the ranks; the USFSA website leads me in circles. [emoji28]

During open sessions, I just approach a coach who does not currently have a lesson and ask them to watch a skill. The transaction usually never goes beyond “don’t drop your left hip” or “you got it, just keep at it”.

Also! I didn’t find it necessary to mention this before, but I used to work at the rink I skate at. Funnily, one of the “random coaches” and I went out for lunch just last week! I spend a great deal of time watching the higher-level skaters at my rink as well, so it never hurts to make some friends. But again, completely agree with you on getting a coach!

That's nice but please don't teach yourself much more because you're going to have to unlearn bad technique with skills in order to do them properly. This is coming from a former elite skater now pro.

Enjoy skating. Good luck!

 

[Illusiadude]

In this area, mostly due to ice time constraints, it's more common for skaters to finish their tests in the last couple years of high school. A lot of skaters don't finish -- it's not common to have a large number of club members get through senior moves and even more rare to for skaters to pass both senior moves and freeskate. There is no rule here against contingent tests since test sessions are hard to find, but if you don't pass the first, you forfeit your test fee (and likely your coach fee, too). This can get expensive. For reference, my daughter passed pre-pre moves in May of 2015 and is now working on Intermediate moves.

Sorry, I’m lost again. So is the rule on contingent testing dependent upon the skating club?

 

[AndreaRu]

Sorry, I’m lost again. So is the rule on contingent testing dependent upon the skating club?

It would depend on the club that is hosting the test session. Clubs can set their own policy-type rules, prices, etc.

 

[Miss Ice]

I find it hard to believe that someone who (self-taught themselves?) the double axel and is landing it at least semi-consistently is having trouble on their inside twizzle. Like, is that really what I just read? I don't think I can take your questions seriously, OP, unless you show me a video of you doing double jumps.

It took people who are currently Olympics medalists 3+ years after starting to skate to land a double axel consistently, with proper coaching and 24/7 off-ice and on-ice prep, extensive physical exercise, etc, and here you are saying you self-taught yourself all of those things in 2 years while barely having any ice time? You don't even mention if there's any off-ice prep that you do, and that's key. Sorry, I won't believe it 'till I see it.

Also, I'm writing this as someone who self-taught myself all of my singles at 12-13 years old, but ultimately needed at least a few private lessons to land my axel and get it semi-consistent, and as a current skater at the collegiate level who has seen many a newbie adult go through amazing progress. And even with all this info and experience what you are writing is totally unbelievable.

EDIT: Another thing that makes me skeptical is that someone of your level is turning to an online forum for advice, and going "in circles" reading the USFSA site. You should have no trouble finding other skaters or coaches to talk to about this unless you train on some random public session ice and the closest rink with a skating club is too far away. But then, it is even harder to believe you *somehow* learned all your doubles and are aiming for elite MIF tests while using public session ice. It just makes no sense.

 

[jf12]

I find it hard to believe that someone who (self-taught themselves?) the double axel and is landing it at least semi-consistently is having trouble on their inside twizzle. Like, is that really what I just read? I don't think I can take your questions seriously, OP, unless you show me a video of you doing double jumps.

Just jumping in to say that though it is unlikely, I've seen this more than once before - usually involves male ballet dancers who can already do double and triple tours off the ice for many years. When I see someone like this try doubles on the ice, its sometimes on rental skates but often they jump super high in the air, do their rotations, and basically land by chance or have a dramatic fall. It usually isn't that pretty to watch but also very impressive that they're doing it at all.

 

[Illusiadude]

I find it hard to believe that someone who (self-taught themselves?) the double axel and is landing it at least semi-consistently is having trouble on their inside twizzle. Like, is that really what I just read? I don't think I can take your questions seriously, OP, unless you show me a video of you doing double jumps.

It took people who are currently Olympics medalists 3+ years after starting to skate to land a double axel consistently, with proper coaching and 24/7 off-ice and on-ice prep, extensive physical exercise, etc, and here you are saying you self-taught yourself all of those things in 2 years while barely having any ice time? You don't even mention if there's any off-ice prep that you do, and that's key. Sorry, I won't believe it 'till I see it.

Also, I'm writing this as someone who self-taught myself all of my singles at 12-13 years old, but ultimately needed at least a few private lessons to land my axel and get it semi-consistent, and as a current skater at the collegiate level who has seen many a newbie adult go through amazing progress. And even with all this info and experience what you are writing is totally unbelievable.

EDIT: Another thing that makes me skeptical is that someone of your level is turning to an online forum for advice, and going "in circles" reading the USFSA site. You should have no trouble finding other skaters or coaches to talk to about this unless you train on some random public session ice and the closest rink with a skating club is too far away. But then, it is even harder to believe you *somehow* learned all your doubles and are aiming for elite MIF tests while using public session ice. It just makes no sense.

I get that it’s weird how I’m able to get all of this without a coach, but I train as hard as I can off-ice and on-ice. Heck, I do random jumps walking to my car in a parking lot. The reason I am able to do it, I can’t explain to you because now that you’re saying it, I can’t explain it myself.

The reason I am confused about the testing process is that I never thought to actually START competing until the night before I posted. I always wanted to, but I instead kept training without asking anyone about the next steps, which lead me to not realizing how long it all really takes.

Anyway, the reason I am able to do my double jumps but have trouble with my twizzles is simply a matter of what I chose to focus on since I didn’t have a proper coach. So obviously I skipped stepped and foundational skills; my edge-work is much worse than my freeskating. If you would like to see videos of my jumps though, I will go ahead and PM you!

 

[Illusiadude]

Just jumping in to say that though it is unlikely, I've seen this more than once before - usually involves male ballet dancers who can already do double and triple tours off the ice for many years. When I see someone like this try doubles on the ice, its sometimes on rental skates but often they jump super high in the air, do their rotations, and basically land by chance or have a dramatic fall. It usually isn't that pretty to watch but also very impressive that they're doing it at all.

I do come from a background of dance and gymnastics. I also train on edea spinners to work on my air positioning as well as a lot of off-ice jumps (sometimes in inappropriate settings [emoji23]). But I do love doing air tours, but it doesn’t feel as nice when you transfer it to ice.

 

[Miss Ice]

I get that it’s weird how I’m able to get all of this without a coach, but I train as hard as I can off-ice and on-ice. Heck, I do random jumps walking to my car in a parking lot. The reason I am able to do it, I can’t explain to you because now that you’re saying it, I can’t explain it myself.

The reason I am confused about the testing process is that I never thought to actually START competing until the night before I posted. I always wanted to, but I instead kept training without asking anyone about the next steps, which lead me to not realizing how long it all really takes.

Anyway, the reason I am able to do my double jumps but have trouble with my twizzles is simply a matter of what I chose to focus on since I didn’t have a proper coach. So obviously I skipped stepped and foundational skills; my edge-work is much worse than my freeskating. If you would like to see videos of my jumps though, I will go ahead and PM you!

Yes, please, I'd love to see it. There was a guy on youtube who was doing stuff like this while visibly not spending too much time on skating skills, so maybe you're like that. I'm being a little bit of a Simon Cowell of figure skating here, so thanks for humuring me.

Since you mention you are in college, do you guys have a skating club, or some other college/rink nearby probably does...so why don't you talk to the coaches and skaters there? I think you might find a lot more help that way than from a forum where we can't really evaluate anything visually.

 

[Illusiadude]

Yes, please, I'd love to see it. There was a guy on youtube who was doing stuff like this while visibly not spending too much time on skating skills, so maybe you're like that. I'm being a little bit of a Simon Cowell of figure skating here, so thanks for humuring me.

Since you mention you are in college, do you guys have a skating club, or some other college/rink nearby probably does...so why don't you talk to the coaches and skaters there? I think you might find a lot more help that way than from a forum where we can't really evaluate anything visually.

Absolutely! Thank you very much for your input, I highly appreciate it. To answer your question, my school has an Ice Skating class that goes from absolutely nothing to forward crossovers and backward swizzles. We do have a hockey team, but I am a full-time student and a work in healthcare so starting a skating team/club at our university is a little out of my time and budget.

Up until recently I had no idea how important it was to be a member of a skating club, but I am applying to the Pennisula Skating Club here in California. I came to the forums seeking a “reality check” and I got one, but now I’ve pivoted to understanding the process of being a competitive skater to make the discussion a little more constructive on my part. I realize people might be getting sick of all those “how far can I go” posts.

 

[Miss Ice]

Absolutely! Thank you very much for your input, I highly appreciate it. To answer your question, my school has an Ice Skating class that goes from absolutely nothing to forward crossovers and backward swizzles. We do have a hockey team, but I am a full-time student and a work in healthcare so starting a skating team/club at our university is a little out of my time and budget.

Up until recently I had no idea how important it was to be a member of a skating club, but I am applying to the Pennisula Skating Club here in California. I came to the forums seeking a “reality check” and I got one, but now I’ve pivoted to understanding the process of being a competitive skater to make the discussion a little more constructive on my part. I realize people might be getting sick of all those “how far can I go” posts.

Great doubles (sal and loop - the other ones not shown). They are very clean and absolutely no question on rotation. Technique seems to be quite OK too. If you are actually willing to drop everything and do skating 24/7 with a private coach and private off ice coach (due to the strain this will put on your body), I could see triples being a possibility. But the field is not that shallow in the US and you would need to be working on quads to be competitive, for which it might be indeed too late. But if you can get the 2A consistent and land beautiful triples in the next 2 years you might make it *realistically* to Jr. Nationals (and that's not even a given - and I forget, is there a max. age cutoff for juniors?). But I think you would have to train 24/7.

Now my two cents. To be honest if I were you I would consider doing collegiate competitions (they have levels up to Senior where you'd be competing against other college-aged skaters who are landing all their doubles and maybe occasionally triples!) or the ISU adult competitions (I think those are 21+??) where you'd be winning everything but with less strain on yourself and your lifestyle than if you try to go the Jr. championships route. In fact a lot of skaters who've been skating all their life compete in the Jr-Sr levels of the collegiate competitions, so it would be a very cool accomplishment for anyone who has started as an adult to win these competitions -- considering sometimes even college-aged national-level Sr. skaters take part in them occasionally!