I think at Champs Camp next year the USFSA must address why so many American skaters lack basic speed. Are they not doing Power Stroking Clinics any more?
Skaters reach the elite level in the US training at scores of different rinks with hundreds of different coaches. Some may do power stroking classes, or stroking classes in general, and others don't. Some may advocate figures practice, most don't these days.
It's not like Japan or Korea which are geographically much smaller countries with few training centers, or like Russia where most serious training takes place in two major cities.
Centralized training camps only get the top skaters together a week or two per year. Otherwise, training is spread out all around the country. Some training rinks have enough figure skating ice time and enough high-level skaters to support training sessions that permit high-test or elite skaters only on the sessions, or to support an academy-style program at least a few hours a week that offers group instruction in stroking and similar skills. Others have limited ice time available that must be shared with lower level skaters.
There's no way for the federation to micromanage the way all coaches teach all year long.
There isn't a single training curriculum in the US. The only think that is mandated is to pass the Moves in the Field tests.
Those will make sure that a skater can execute all the turns and can achieve so-called "senior power," but what qualifies as senior level in turns of passing the tests is far from what's required to succeed in international competition -- or even in national or sectional competition.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many US rinks are NHL size (and sometimes even smaller). If you train year-round in a smaller ice surface and often compete on a smaller surface, you won't be as used to filling an Olympic-sized rink as those who train and compete on the larger surfaces all the time.
Why are basic stroking skills not a priority any more? Because it is starting to show in the Juniors. I"m not just talking about superior skills of the Japanese, Russians and Koreans, even many of the skaters from third world countries have more flow and speed than the American skaters.
Starting to show? When do you think this started?
One thing the US did a couple years ago, for better or for worse, in trying to get competitive skaters to skate faster, is to adjust the way PCS are scored at the lower level.
Juveniles are now scored by only three program components (Skating Skills, Performance, and Interpretation), with Skating Skills counting for 60%. Intermediates have four components, adding Composition, with Skating Skills at 55%. Novices have all five components, but Skating Skills are worth 45%. The other components, proportionally, have much lower percentages, in some cases lower than the 20% for each of the five components at Junior and Senior levels. And there is an added criterion for Skating Skills at these levels: "Speed is maintained in and out of elements."
The theory is that valuing Skating Skills so much more than any of the other components at developmental levels will encourage skaters to prioritize training those skills. Is it working? I don't know. But we should see skaters who came up with these priorities getting to junior level by now.
Not the fastest skater but, she really fully rotates hers jump and that is huge. Looking forward to watching her the rest of the season.
She barely did anything but jump and spin. She’s so much better than this empty program. The judges agree; she only received 57+ in pcs. She needs to show more personality and confidence and swagger.
