14-year-old beginner

SwankyUnicorn · Jan 20, 2017

Ok hi I'm new. I want to know if 14 is too old to be able to start training to be a competitive figure skater? I've suffered with a lot of mental illnesses but right now I'm well enough to do something with my life, I just hope I'm not too late. I've had two SKATING lessons already and people say I'm a natural. Sadly I don't have enough money for fancy coaches and practicing everyday. I know Johnny Weir started out, do you think I can be the first to start at 14?

lynnems · Jan 20, 2017

It all depends what you mean by a "competitive" figure skater. In the US, there are many competitions you can enter at different levels. Learn to Skate competitions are a great place to start and you could try those after a few months of practice. At the next level (though sometimes at the same competition), there are non-qualifying competitions. It would take you a few years (at minimum) to be able to enter qualifying competitions - the ones that lead to nationals.

With a year's worth of practice you can have a better idea of just how "competitive" you can become.

jf12 · Jan 20, 2017

If you mean by competitive by skate at senior nationals (if you are in the US), even aside from age, you would need to skate 5-6 days a week and get coaching every day. Even kids who start at 6 years old must do this if they want to be competitive, so imo no matter how talented, your statement that you can't practice often is the biggest disqualifying factor in what you say.

However, recreational skating and lower level competitions can be hugely fun and rewarding, as well as exercise helping with many forms of mental illness. You should still consider taking up skating!

karne · Jan 20, 2017

SwankyUnicorn said:
Ok hi I'm new. I want to know if 14 is too old to be able to start training to be a competitive figure skater?

I assume by competitive you mean Grand Prix/Nationals/Olympics etc. Yes, it is too old.

SwankyUnicorn said:
I've had two SKATING lessons already and people say I'm a natural. Sadly I don't have enough money for fancy coaches and practicing everyday.

"I'm a natural" is a dangerous attitude to take onto the ice and one the ice will make you pay for. Skaters who are aiming to make it to the top of the sport have to train every day and have coaching. There's no escaping it.

SwankyUnicorn said:
I know Johnny Weir started out, do you think I can be the first to start at 14?

Weir started late. He was 12. He was also incredibly talented. Like, second-week Axel levels of talented. And he still practiced every day and had private coaching.

I know what it is you want to hear. I'm not in that business. Is 14 too late to start skating? No, never. But you have to be realistic with your expectations. Expecting to start at 14, when you are also unable to practice every day and have private coaching, and still make GP/Nationals/Olympics, is NOT a realistic expectation.

Mathman · Jan 20, 2017

karne said:
Expecting to start at 14, when you are also unable to practice every day and have private coaching, and still make GP/Nationals/Olympics, is NOT a realistic expectation.

But then again, making it to the Olympics is not a realistic expectation for 99% of skaters who start at age 3, get private lessons, and practice 10 hours a day, either.

karne · Jan 21, 2017

Mathman said:
But then again, making it to the Olympics is not a realistic expectation for 99% of skaters who start at age 3, get private lessons, and practice 10 hours a day, either.

Agreed, which is why it is doubly unrealistic for a fourteen year old.

jenaj · Jan 21, 2017

karne said:
Agreed, which is why it is doubly unrealistic for a fourteen year old.

Why not let someone try? The poster didn't mention the Olympics. Most competitive figure skaters compete at a lower level.

karne · Jan 21, 2017

jenaj said:
Why not let someone try? The poster didn't mention the Olympics. Most competitive figure skaters compete at a lower level.

Most newbies to the sport refer to that top level as "competitive" figure skating (sometimes they call it "professional", just to mix things up). The OP clearly mentioned Johnny Weir and then said "do you think I can be the first?". I think it's pretty obvious that that was what the OP meant.

Seren · Jan 21, 2017

As others have said, making it to the Olympics or even top levels Nationally is realistically not going to happen. That does not mean you can't become a really good skater. You can work on your tests and still compete- nonqualifying competitions can be a blast. I know someone who started late and skates for Disney on Ice, it's not a common thing, but not impossible.

I think realistic expectations are important, but that doesn't mean don't have dreams. When I was in the second grade I wanted to go to the Olympics like many little girls and realized pretty quickly that wasn't going to happen- instead I focused on making it onto my clubs highest level Synchro Team (we were an ISI club). To me, reaching that realistic goal meant so much, and all the hard work I did working towards it taught me a lot. Skate because you love it!

And you can be a competitive skater at your level. I consider myself a recreationally competitive adult skater. I like to compete and I do want to do well in my competitions. No they are not the level of the elite skaters but competing among my peers is really fun and rewarding.

Skaterfrancesca · Jan 23, 2017

If it is financial problems then do remember you can get jobs at your local arena: coaching, cleaning, selling food and always be the first to get on and the last to get off and maximize your ice time don't waste it standing still or working on little things. And whenever you can get free ice time because the Zamboni guys don't come lol. It's never too late to do anything you want to do if you give it 100% but to be a competitive skater you would need to start off ice training, ballet and 25 hours or so a week or on ice practice and remember there are coaches who are willing to donate their time from the kindness of their heart!!

karne · Jan 23, 2017

Skaterfrancesca said:
If it is financial problems then do remember you can get jobs at your local arena: coaching, cleaning, selling food and always be the first to get on and the last to get off and maximize your ice time don't waste it standing still or working on little things. And whenever you can get free ice time because the Zamboni guys don't come lol. It's never too late to do anything you want to do if you give it 100% but to be a competitive skater you would need to start off ice training, ballet and 25 hours or so a week or on ice practice and remember there are coaches who are willing to donate their time from the kindness of their heart!!

Quite a bit of this advice is either incorrect or irresponsible. First, while the rink might have jobs going, they may not actually want to hire figure skaters. My rink refuses to. Getting or staying on the ice during a planned Zamboni period may well be regarded as "stealing" ice time and could be frowned on by rink management, even perhaps causing her to get kicked out. Coaches don't generally "donate their time from the kindness of their heart"! They're people who need to earn a living. Time they spend coaching someone for free is money they don't earn. Relying on free coaching is a terrible idea.

Recommending that a rank beginner - and the OP has never even been skating before - jumps straight to 25 hours a week is not only a bad idea it's a completely irresponsible suggestion. That is how people get injured.

davincisoprano · Jan 24, 2017

karne said:
Quite a bit of this advice is either incorrect or irresponsible. First, while the rink might have jobs going, they may not actually want to hire figure skaters. My rink refuses to. Getting or staying on the ice during a planned Zamboni period may well be regarded as "stealing" ice time and could be frowned on by rink management, even perhaps causing her to get kicked out. Coaches don't generally "donate their time from the kindness of their heart"! They're people who need to earn a living. Time they spend coaching someone for free is money they don't earn. Relying on free coaching is a terrible idea.

Recommending that a rank beginner - and the OP has never even been skating before - jumps straight to 25 hours a week is not only a bad idea it's a completely irresponsible suggestion. That is how people get injured.

The only time I've ever had any form of "free coaching" was when I came back to skating, and was practicing on a very quiet public session. A coach was on the ice and came over to give some tips on my scratch spin and tweak some little things. A few months later when I could afford it, she became my coach. If you're getting tips and stuff from a coach and don't currently have one, be kind and grateful, get their business card, and never ever expect to get free coaching. Some will give tips out of the goodness of their hearts, yes, but ultimately they are running a business and are most likely trying to build that roster.

You can be a "competitive" skater without 25 hours of skating a week. There's many local competitions that are for fun, but you're technically competing.

Enjoy the journey. If you want to be "competitive" one day, that's great, but don't focus on that being the end all be all. You might do a small competition and find you absolutely hate competing, and that's totally fine, too.

14-year-old beginner

SwankyUnicorn

lynnems

jf12

karne

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Mathman

karne

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jenaj

karne

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Seren

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Skaterfrancesca

karne

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davincisoprano

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