At An All-time Low

[jamie_rae352]

OK, I just had to spill my story. I've had this bottled up for so long. OK, I'm really not liking my skating, because I can't land any of my doubles, I can barely land my Axel, and I even can't land my single lutz. My club is very discouraging because there are all kinds of small girls (in age, not stature) and it's been really discouraging. Especially since my mum won't let go competitive. Well, she says she will, if I'm landing up to my double Lutz consistently. Which I'm not. I am also thinking where I'd be right now if I had started with another coach who is better than mine. I also told my coach that my mum said to have me landing everything by december, and I haven't improved at all. I like my coach and all, but I really want the other one. My coach is all "Go out there and have fun, I don't care where you place. but that's what I did last year, and it got me only a couple of medals. now Im all business, but my coach is still in lala land. how do i tell this to my mum? :( :cry:

[96.23??]

Aw, Don't be discouraged when I was starting the axel all that went through in my brain was why am I doing this? I'm never going to get it... But you WILL be able to get these jumps just keep trying!!

A change in coaching can help a lot.. I switched coaches about 2-3 years ago and I've noticed a big difference, with my old coach ( who is like your coach .. all about fun and not so so much on progressing) I couldn't do much ,maybe a waltz jump and a very sad looking toe loop, switching coaches was hard but I thought in the long run it would help and it's good that you noticed you might need a change.

Tell your mom that you don't feel you're progessing with this coach and that you feel a change is in need, that you need someone to help push you along.

Maybe your coach doesn't know that you want to go competitive or that you really want to improve more, you can always ask your coach to work on what you want to work on.

I hope this all works out for you!!

[jp1andOnly]

it is up to you to motivate yourself. Your coach should encourage you to have fun, however you are the one who has to do the work. So if your coach is encouaging to have fun, be sure to. And when you aren't in a lesson, than remember to work hard. Another thing you can do is to sit down with your coach and your mom and have a goal setting session. I agree with your mom not going competitive at the moment. If you did you would compete at subs and then if you didn't make it on your season would pretty much be over. Girls in prenovice (if thats your level) are landing double axels and attempting triples. Why is your mom saying she wants all your jumps done by Dec? Have you set any goals yourself. If she wants that then perhaps you could explain that you feel you wont get your jumps with this particular coach and you would like to try someone new.

And why are you worrying about all the other girls in your club? So what if they are little. You are there to do your own thing. Perhaps you can skate on an open session which might have some higher level skaters or perhaps you could skate one day a week at another club. Bascially whatevr tests you have passed dictates your skating level. At least thats how most clubs work. It's for the safety of all involved. For example, on my session yesterday, it is all adults who have consdierable skill level as well as a pair team. A young girl got on the ice and though we watched where we were going, it was obvious she was out of place. She quickly got off which was a relief because we were all worried she would get hurt or we would.

[Jade]

Hey jamie_rae dont be discouraged!
Everyone goes through a point like this where they simply cant do anythhing at the level they are supposed too!
Actaully i am going through it right now....
Im supposed to be working on my lutz axel double salchow but i can barely land my lutz and sometimes not even my flip!:)

Or maybe for you it could just be a bad streak!
Dont worry youll get over it :D:D:D

Anyways what about this coach thing?
I have 3 coaches and i like all mine!
Have you talked to your mom about this??? Or is it just she dosent listen to you??!!!??

I think you need to be firm with her and tell her that this coach is not working for you and not helping you with anything!
There is not point paying a coach if she isnt doing what you want her too!
Tell your mom that you would feel more comfertable with the other coach and tell her why!
Also tell her that you do care what place you come in in competions!

Im sure shell understand! :D:D;);)

[sk8er1964]

jaime -

Here's a few thoughts.

Maybe your coach is telling you to go out and have fun because you are stressing too much over the technicalities of our sport, and not remembering why we do it in the first place.

We do it because it is fun. Because jumping and flying is a wonderful feeling. Because spinning is something nobody but a skater would understand. Because there is nothing better than working on that footwork, or test, or whatever and finally learning it so that it is smooth and perfect. The gliding...the freedom.

Also, your post mentioned "if I had started with a coach different than mine". That is called "what if" thinking. It can be very self destructive. You cannot change the past. What if you had started with a different coach? You may be at the same place, or you may not, but the fact of the matter is that you are where you are at this point in time. There is no sense in thinking about "what if".

(In case you are wondering where I am coming from here, I had anxiety disorder and "what if" thinking is a very big part of this problem. It can cause people to worry about what might have been, which is counterproductive because you cannot change the past. You can certainly learn from it, but you cannot change it.)

If you really want another coach, then make the change. Do it smart and don't burn bridges. Coaches understand when students want a change - they may not like it, but it is part of the sport.

I feel for you, because most of us will get to the point that you are in skating. I did, at 15, and quit the sport. I was lucky enough to find it again as an adult. I hope that you can look at the fun side of the sport - look at setting goals, not deadlines, and enjoy what you are doing. Good luck, have fun, and let us know how it is going. ((((((hugs)))))

[Mrs Redboots]

Jamie-Rae, lots of people have trouble with the lutz jump, and with their double jumps. One girl I know, a little older than you, had trouble because her basic skating simply wasn't good enough to support her jumps. She changed teachers, and worked very hard on her Field Moves - what in Canada I think you call Skating Skills - for a long time before she did any jumps, and she has just got to the stage of landing most of her doubles. But only just.

The thing about skating is that it's meant to be fun. It is hard work, of course, but that's part of the fun. If you don't enjoy it, then don't do it any more - or, perhaps, do something different. There is always ice dance. Again, one of the girls at our rink, who was having the most awful trouble landing her doubles, did ice dancing for awhile. She went on with her free skating, but not taking it quite so seriously as she did dance. This year, she qualified for her level at the British Solo Ice Dance championships and did very well indeed, finishing in the top half of the class. And what's more, all that work on dance has made her jumps a lot better, and you don't see her crashing to the floor nearly so often!

My teacher, incidentally, tells me that landing a double jump is very difficult - even when your technique is spot-on, you don't actually expect to land it, and often you fall because your body simply doesn't know how to handle landing it! Can you practice in a harness, just to give you the feel of landing?

But do remember that skating should be fun, and if it's becoming a burden, maybe you should go and do something else for a few years. You can always come back, after all.

[arena_gal]

It's worth it to change clubs if you're feeling that you're surrounded by little jumping beans. There's clubs like that and it's great if you're a 9 year old working on your double axel and surrounded by other 9 year olds, but much harder if you're the only teenager around. Maybe a coach change too but you need to have a reason to go to someone else, not just that you don't like who you have.

Competitive isn't all that it's cracked up to be, as jp1andonly said, if you don't get out of sub-sectionals/sectionals your season is over by November, and yes girls at prenovice are landing clean double axels and easy triples. (heh, girls at Novice are landing double axels and easy triples, some days I can't see the difference between pre-novice and junior)

However, I think it is a good idea to try competitive for a year. To say that you've done it and what ever happens, happens. I know several girls that have tried it and were better for the experience. It is very expensive because of the commitment to the year-round training but if you think of it as a year long project and have goals, that should be okay with your coach and parents. You will need to have your jumps by December because planning starts right after Canadians in January for next year's competitive skaters.

[jamie_rae352]

Well, it seems I'm out of my slump, thank god. That slump was about a season and a half long! I landed my Double Lutz yesterday, a jump I've never landed before! I'm still working on my double loop, though. I have a whole new outlook on my elements now, I really thought and contemplated what I was doing, and did some experiments, and now I'm better than ever! Thanks for all the input you guys had! Oh, and my coach, had a whole new outlook about my jumps, she's gotten right down to business. I haven't been on the harness yet, which she says will help me, but I'm gfoing on tomorrow. Wish me luck!!!

[Jade]

yay!
Wel done im out of my slump now 2 !
Jus gettint the axel down now!

[Jade]

yay!
Wel done im out of my slump now 2 !
Jus gettin the axel down now!
Wish me luc!

[sk8ergirl]

Jamie Rae: Glad to hear you have landed that double lutz, that should be a real boost to your confidence. I am a year older than you, and went through what you have been going through last year and a half. Just stick at it...the jumps will come and go...two summers ago I lost everything because I had a growth spurt, and it took me two years but now i have got back my double flip, toe, lutz, and loop.
I wouldnt be so hard on your coach...notice that you are getting your jumps back she is pushing harder...what was the point in her doing that when you didnt have the jumps. I find most good coaches are in touch with a skaters rhythm...if you are skating well, with confidence, they know they can push you to high goals, but if you are in a slump the good ones know that pushing at that stage only makes you more discouraged. Anyhow, whats wrong with your club. I skate out of two clubs near Toronto and both are great!

[Mrs Redboots]

Yeah, well done Lisa! Hope you were able to celebrate that double lutz - are your parents the kind of parents who know what an achievement that is, and will throw a (minor) celebration for you?