Figure skating parents?

[zeferjen]

Hi Everyone - we are relatively new to competitive figure skating. DD will be going to her first Basic Skills competition next month. I have seen some older posts here for figure skating parents, so I thought I'd see if you all are still around. I'd love a place where we can come to get and give advice.

 

[MickeySP]

Not a parent, a grandparent but very involved, since it is my & my SO who got her hooked.

She is 6 and is basic 8. She has skills show tomorrow & also her first routine with music competition tomorrow.

 

[NotUrsula]

If Synchro counts, then yes. DD7 isn't interested in frrestyle competition, but of course she still has to take all the lessons and tests to be able to continue to compete. She is in the midst of her first season with a VERY competitive nationally-ranked synchro program -- DH & I are still shell-shocked by our sudden neck-deep immersion in figure skating culture. She experienced her first team-first-place win earlier this month and is firmly hooked. We have either an exhibition or competition for the next 3 weekends.

 

[zeferjen]

Good luck to your granddaughter !

 

[zeferjen]

If Synchro counts, then yes. DD7 isn't interested in frrestyle competition, but of course she still has to take all the lessons and tests to be able to continue to compete. She is in the midst of her first season with a VERY competitive nationally-ranked synchro program -- DH & I are still shell-shocked by our sudden neck-deep immersion in figure skating culture. She experienced her first team-first-place win earlier this month and is firmly hooked. We have either an exhibition or competition for the next 3 weekends.

Wow! I actually think dd would like synchro but or club doesn't have a team. We are going back to group lessons next week because she is missing peer interaction and she wants to participate in the group number for the spring show.

 

[Iowajes]

skatingforums.com is mostly adult skaters but has a number of skating parents too.

For a basic skills competition, stay simple (basic...)
Most girls will wear a skating dress (some might be in leggings others in halloween costume type dresses). Don't go crazy with rhinestones, that comes later and judges tend to look down on it. Go light on the make up. Tell her to SMILE big.

Mostly- have FUN.

I've judged a number of basic skills competitions, and the placements can be very bizarre because there is so little to rank on and there are no actual points per elements like high level competition. If one kid has a great snowplow stop but horrible one foot glide, but the other kid has a great one foot glide and a horrible stop- what do you do? So make it be about the experience, not the results.

 

[zeferjen]

skatingforums.com is mostly adult skaters but has a number of skating parents too.

For a basic skills competition, stay simple (basic...)
Most girls will wear a skating dress (some might be in leggings others in halloween costume type dresses). Don't go crazy with rhinestones, that comes later and judges tend to look down on it. Go light on the make up. Tell her to SMILE big.

Mostly- have FUN.

I've judged a number of basic skills competitions, and the placements can be very bizarre because there is so little to rank on and there are no actual points per elements like high level competition. If one kid has a great snowplow stop but horrible one foot glide, but the other kid has a great one foot glide and a horrible stop- what do you do? So make it be about the experience, not the results.

Thank you! I have told her that this is about doing the best that she can do and not about winning ribbons or medals. I think she will do ok in this first competition because she signed up at Basic 8 a few months back but has progressed since then and probably should be skating at Freestyle 1. Once she moves up to her appropriate level, I am sure it will be harder. We did buy her a dress on eBay but (hopefully) it is age appropriate and not too 'blingy'. Her coach did ok it before I purchased. I am such a newby, I didn't want to make a mistake

 

[3KidletsMom]

I have two skating daughters One does it more as a hobby, she started older and basically skates to test and competes a little on Test Track. My younger daughter skates at prelminary level and skates four mornings a week before school. I always laugh because when they started skating and were doing basic skills never in a million years did I think we would be getting up at 5am for skating! But she loves it and is appreciative and works hard so it's good

 

[zeferjen]

I have two skating daughters One does it more as a hobby, she started older and basically skates to test and competes a little on Test Track. My younger daughter skates at prelminary level and skates four mornings a week before school. I always laugh because when they started skating and were doing basic skills never in a million years did I think we would be getting up at 5am for skating! But she loves it and is appreciative and works hard so it's good

4 5am wakeup calls! Yikes. My dd does have one early morning skate session but that is because it was the only other time her coach can meet. How old are your girls? My dd is 8yo and I guess she is also considered a 'late' start in this skating world

 

[3KidletsMom]

My oldest is 16, started skating at 11 and my youngest is 11 and started when she was 6. Yeah, seems like the really competitive kids my youngest daughter's age are a couple of competitive levels higher than her, but then again, we are not in it for that and she wouldn't enjoy it as much if she were that serious about it

I like to point out that the biggest majority of kids skating aren't going to make it to nationals or the Olympics and that's ok There is so much more to skating than competing!

 

[zeferjen]

I like to point out that the biggest majority of kids skating aren't going to make it to nationals or the Olympics and that's ok There is so much more to skating than competing!

That is such a good point. It's funny because my ds plays soccer and no one ever asks if the will end up in the Olympics. Somethinga bout skating makes people just jump straight to that, does it?

 

[3KidletsMom]

Yes! Probably because the only time most people ever think about skating is when the Olympics are on

 

[NotUrsula]

Wow! I actually think dd would like synchro but our club doesn't have a team. We are going back to group lessons next week because she is missing peer interaction and she wants to participate in the group number for the spring show.

Maybe you should see if they would think about starting one? Synchro is low-key if your team just competes on the state/local level; and the kids in it have loads of fun together, both on and off the ice. Personally I'd kind of prefer a more low-key team, but as it happens, this is our local club, which is so much more convenient for getting her to practices, etc., so we've decided to go ahead and stay here where she learned to skate -- well, as long as she can keep making a team. Our club fields multiple teams in all age brackets except Senior (and I figure that's just a matter of time.) For us, once you start the second-level team at age 8, private lessons and testing are required. Synchro skaters normally only do single-jumps, but the more advanced levels do lifts, which is something few women get to learn how to do from the lifter POV.

Becoming a skate parent is interesting, that's for sure. Some of the strangest parts have been the little things, like learning how to bun her hair in 4 minutes flat without using any pins. The irony is that I'm very cold-intolerant, so I've volunteered to help with dressing so that I get a dressing-room pass to wait where it's warmer, LOL. The veteran moms can be a bit scary; they have the art of getting 16 antsy nervous little girls identically prepped down to a finely-tuned science; we can have them dressed, booted and made up in just about 20 minutes (we don't use heavy makeup on the young ones, just some brown eyebrow pencil and mascara so you can see their faces.)

Speaking of the Olympics, ISU just issued a new promo film for the petition to the IOC to add Synchro to the 2018 Olympic skating events. Very "Wide World of Sports", but it's pretty fun to watch. I believe that the girls in this video are mostly senior teams; college kids.

Obviously, DD is not at this level; but the older girls in the club are.