- Joined
- Jul 26, 2016
My young skater wants to quit and I suspect that there are a few factors, but the two that I might be able to control are:
1) The coach
2) The training facility
I am not one to push my child to do something they absolutely don't want to do, but I have heard from many parents that sometimes a change of coach and/or training environment is what they need to fall in love with the sport again. Mine appears to still be very interested in everything figure skating, except does not want to go to practice anymore.
My skater is a very young boy (competing, but still lower-level), so lack of any other boys on the ice is an issue for him. I think the coaching relationship has also broken down and what worked in the beginning transition to figure skating might not be the right fit for his age and disposition going forward.
A few parents have suggested to just change the coach, but that doesn't address the lack of boys. My inclination would be to make a bigger change where he has the right coaching *and* feels like he isn't so lonely out there on the ice. Meeting other boys at competitions is a big deal for him because he doesn't get that interaction at our club.
Does anyone have any practical advice/experiences on how to find out in more detail about the overall culture of a club (not just how one particular coach is?) Do you call up the Skating Director at a club and talk to them about the situation? Do you reach out to a coach at a club? For a boy, what are the things that I should be asking and/or looking for both in a club and a coach? Is it even appropriate to start cold calling coaches at other clubs? I don't come from competitive figure skating myself, so this is all new to me.
We sort of fell into the current club and coaching situation by default because that is where my skater started learning to skate. There was very little guidance on how to find a coach other than "they all have their emails posted - see who wants to take your kid."
Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated.
1) The coach
2) The training facility
I am not one to push my child to do something they absolutely don't want to do, but I have heard from many parents that sometimes a change of coach and/or training environment is what they need to fall in love with the sport again. Mine appears to still be very interested in everything figure skating, except does not want to go to practice anymore.
My skater is a very young boy (competing, but still lower-level), so lack of any other boys on the ice is an issue for him. I think the coaching relationship has also broken down and what worked in the beginning transition to figure skating might not be the right fit for his age and disposition going forward.
A few parents have suggested to just change the coach, but that doesn't address the lack of boys. My inclination would be to make a bigger change where he has the right coaching *and* feels like he isn't so lonely out there on the ice. Meeting other boys at competitions is a big deal for him because he doesn't get that interaction at our club.
Does anyone have any practical advice/experiences on how to find out in more detail about the overall culture of a club (not just how one particular coach is?) Do you call up the Skating Director at a club and talk to them about the situation? Do you reach out to a coach at a club? For a boy, what are the things that I should be asking and/or looking for both in a club and a coach? Is it even appropriate to start cold calling coaches at other clubs? I don't come from competitive figure skating myself, so this is all new to me.
We sort of fell into the current club and coaching situation by default because that is where my skater started learning to skate. There was very little guidance on how to find a coach other than "they all have their emails posted - see who wants to take your kid."
Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated.