Why did they create separate adult tests?

[Arwen17]

So why do you think they created separate tests for adult figure skaters?

Why did they create separate tests (Adult Pre-Bronze thru Adult Gold) for Moves-in-the-Field (MIF) and Free Skate tests?
At the Intermediate test level, the adults go back to using the same thing as the kids, but they are allowed to pass with slightly lower scores than the kids. Why didn't they do that for the lower levels too? Why not keep the same tests (pre-pre thru juvenile) for adults and just let them pass with a lower score? I don't get the point of creating separate tests with slightly rearranged elements. Is this just a marketing ploy? To make it seem more adult-friendly by putting the word "Adult" in the test name?

Because I'm obsessive and bored , I made a comparison table you can view here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vOTqC4oDTLiZRzIxt-68U4IoCl-bxkLN_1doMel1HJ8/edit?usp=sharing

All of the elements are just slightly shifted around for the adult track. Seems silly and pointlessly complicated to me. For example, my rink's coaches like to do "group" MIF lessons where you have several private lesson kids learn the same exercise together. Being the only adult skater at my rink, my exercises don't perfectly overlap with the kids' exercises since the Adult track is different. AKA I can't always join the group-lesson, either because its an exercise I've already done or an exercise that I shouldn't focus on just yet. It would be a lot easier for everyone's exercises to just be the same at the same time in the same level, and then let the adults have slightly lower passing scores for the actual test. Do you agree or disagree?

 

[gkelly]

Originally:

Adults who had already passed standard freestyle tests (or figures tests before freestyle tests were introduced the late 1970s) as kids could compete at the comparable adult freeskate level. Adults who began skating as adults could take adult freeskating tests to compete at those levels.

Adult Gold freeskate, which required an axel but no doubles, was/is more or less comparable to the current juvenile freestyle test (which didn't require an axel until 1994), so slightly overlapping with intermediate-level skills.

Adult Gold freeskate is the "graduation" from the adult testing track and earns the skater a gold test medal, similar to the medals for standard senior-level tests. The idea was that that skill level was achievable for most youngish physically fit adults who took up skating in adulthood and put in the hours and years of practice, but higher freestyle levels that require double jumps are not realistic for most adults.

So the three (bronze-silver-gold) later four (adding pre-bronze) adult freestyle tests were approximately equivalent to the first four-five standard freestyle tests.

Moves in the Field tests replaced school figures on the standard track in 1994-95.

In the 1990s, no figures or moves tests were prerequisite for any adult freestyle tests or competitions, although most former-child skaters had passed some and some new skaters who were adults did choose to test standard moves.

Some of the standard moves (notably, the alternating threes on the preliminary MITF test) were notoriously more difficult for adults to achieve than for kids.

In the early 2000s, TPTB decided that too many adults at adult competitions who had started as adults or returning to skating with relatively low levels of basic skating skill were focusing more on the jumps and spins and not so much on basic skating. So they decided ca. 2001 or 2002 to require adults to pass moves tests as prerequisites for adult freestyle tests and adult competition.

At that time, the solution to the fact that adults had a harder time with some moves than kids was to leave out some of the standard moves entirely and to place some moves on tests with lower passing averages (preliminary moves on the pre-bronze test, prejuvenile moves on bronze, juvenile or temporarily one intermediate move on silver, intermediate moves on gold) so judges' expectations would be lower. That also allowed them to include 4 1/2 tests worth of standard moves on 4 adult tests.

For whatever reason, it was not decided simply to make pre-preliminary moves the prerequisite for pre-bronze, preliminary for bronze, etc. Maybe because they wanted the gold test, which was the graduation from the adult MITF testing track that would earn the skater a gold testing medal, to include some intermediate moves.

Meanwhile, some adults who had started as adults or who had reached middle test levels as kids and come back much older wanted to pass more moves tests, even if passing intermediate or higher freestyle tests was unrealistic for most. So they were allowed to cross over from gold moves to standard intermediate moves, but there was no consideration for adult age on those higher standard tests.

Then in 2010 there was a major revamp to the standard moves tests, making the higher level tests even more difficult for everyone. Finally it was decided to give lower adult and masters passing scores to those higher standard tests.

It might have made sense at that time to scrap the adult moves tests and give lower passing averages for pre-preliminary through juvenile tests as well.

But then which test would allow adults to earn a gold medal for moves? Juvenile at a lower-than-3.0 passing average, which was less than the previous gold test but would probably become the prerequisite for the Gold freeskate test? Or Intermediate at 3.0 standard, which would not be required for any adult level freestyle test or competition?

That question will become even more thorny next year when the 6.0 test scores are eliminated and the judges just give pluses and minuses for each aspect of the tests, with lower expectations for adults not based on 6.0 scores.

 

[sandraskates]

I started skating in my very late teens a very loooog time ago. There was no Adult track at the time.
A person starting to skate at a later age had very few USFSA competitions that they could compete in and there way virtually no way they would ever pass the highest tests (8[SUP]th[/SUP] figure and Senior Freestyle back then).


ISIA had more testing and competitive opportunities for older skaters.


Finally, US Figure Skating recognized sometime in the 1980s or thereabouts that “Adults Skate Too” and began competitions for us and a test track too. One that was not as difficult as the regular track yet challenging enough to motivate us to attain those Adult Gold tests.


Marketing ploy – I don't think so. Opportunities and satisfaction to keep Adults skating – YES!
And I - for one of thousands - am very happy that Adults are recognized as serious skaters, to the point of now having an Adult Nationals (I competed in the very first one).


Arwen17 - I think you're very luck that your rink offers a group MITF lesson. And even if you're not ready to execute some of the moves at the moment, perhaps at some time you will and then you'll be ahead of the game!

gkelly - That's quite a history lesson!

 

[karne]

Be grateful that you have separate tests.

our Adult levels are linked to the MITF test you've passed. So we have to take the standard MITF tests. And there is no lower standard for the adults, we have to pass at the same level. Yeah. That's why I'm finding it so hard to get to Silver, because that blasted Elementary test is hard.

 

[jf12]

gkelly, learned a lot!

 

[Arwen17]

yeah, holy crap gkelly, that is a very thorough history lesson! thank you!!!

@sandraskates
Our rink is doing group MIF private lessons because we have so few coaches and so many students now. It's wonderful our club is growing, but I don't know how our poor coaches are going to keep up with the demand. And most of the coaches will leave eventually since most of them are in college and will graduate and get real jobs. Hopefully, enough of our current teens will stick around to do some coaching.
I can do the exercises they're working on in the group lessons since my actual skating skills are better than my current test level. I just started taking tests, so my test level hasn't caught up with my actual skill level yet. But coach just doesn't want me focusing on exercises that won't be on the test since I should be focusing on exercises that WILL be on the test. In the meantime, I've started doing some stuff from Adult Gold (brackets) for fun inbetween the other stuff. Brackets were the only things from Pre-Bronze to Gold I hadn't done yet. And this will give me a bit of a headstart so I won't be totally green (in regards to brackets) when I'm finally studying for Adult Gold.

@karne, is this the british system?
I'm happy we have lower passing scores (just in case), but I don't think completely different tests are required.

 

[karne]

@karne, is this the british system?

*looks at the flag under her name again*

 

[twirlingblades]

Originally:

That question will become even more thorny next year when the 6.0 test scores are eliminated and the judges just give pluses and minuses for each aspect of the tests, with lower expectations for adults not based on 6.0 scores.

Wait... what is going to happen?

 

[jf12]

*looks at the flag under her name again*

Sometimes you can't see the flags depending if you're looking on what mobile browser or app you're using

 

[gkelly]

Wait... what is going to happen?

Next September

http://www.usfigureskating.org/content/Test Refresh - FAQs - Club PowerPoint.pdf

 

[Seren]

It's also worth noting that some of the elements are moved around in the adult tests based on things that are easier/harder for adult skaters. For example- the alternating 3 turn pattern is not in any of the adult tests (as many adults lack the open hips to complete it) while brackets are pulled from the intermediate freeskate test to the gold test.

 

[treesprite]

As a returning adult skater who didn't skate for almost 2 decades, I can tell you that I am great ful that we have separate adult skating levels now. Even if I am able to get back most of what I used to do, I will never be able to do things as well as I could at my age with all the body changes, adult-only inhibitions, and stuff. I don't feel like I am way behind everyone else this way. We have a very active set of adult skaters here, and I think having a separate adult skating track somewhat encourages adults to have similar goals since reaching the top level is more do-able. It would be discouraging to always know that a person will never be able to reach the higher levels if all their was was standard track.

 

[vlaurend]

Gkelly gave an excellent detailed explanation, but the short answer to the original question is that standard track MIF and FS tests are designed to be developmental; i.e., they are designed to build skills in a certain order for young skaters who hope to be Olympic ready someday. Those starting as adults are not going to the Olympics unless they buy tickets, so the emphasis is on building skating skills while accommodating the more limited adult body. This is why you won't see anything that requires a lot of flexibility or power generation, especially on the lower level adult tests.

BTW, I got caught in the test changes in 2002 (when MIF were first required for adults) and 2010, just before the adult passing standard was introduced on Intermediate MIF and above. In 2002, just a month before the new MIF requirement took effect, I took my Pre-bronze and Bronze FS tests. I got a "retry" on the Bronze test because my sit spin sucked. So then I had to spend the next 5 months learning the Adult Bronze MIF so that I could pass the MIF test and then get a chance to take the FS test again.

Over the next two years, I passed my Adult Silver MIF and Adult Gold MIF on the first try, but then it took me 6 tries to pass Intermediate MIF! That was in spite of the fact that most of the Intermediate moves were the same as the ones I'd just passed on the Gold test. The one that kept giving me trouble was one that had not been on the Gold test, but even my scores on the brackets and back double 3's were below Intermediate passing standard on my first 3-4 tries. I am proud to have passed Intermediate MIF at the standard passing level at age 45, but I would rather have had the choice to take the test at the adult passing standard and saved myself the agony (and money) of testing 6 times!