How far can the average person get?

[Kelli]

A question I've been pondering:

Take your average kid, between 6 and 10 years old (or whatever age you think is best to start skating). Give the kid the ideal skating situation: basically, quality coaching from a coach he works well with, the right amount of ice time, the right equipment, etc. This is not a super-gifted child, but a kid with average athletic abilities. The kid has drive and devotion to do well, but not above all else. No burnout for our hypothetical kid.

So, how far can the average kid get? What jumps can he or she learn, and which jumps are beyond the abilities of a typical kid? Can the average kid pass gold level (US senior, and the comparable level for other countries) tests?

[jp1andOnly]

there are too many variables to predict. For example, how much will the kid grow when they hit puberty? How much do they weigh? Are they jumpers or dancers? How much ice time do they get?

Most children will do fairly well in dance. Most can obtain their gold dances by the time they are 16-18. Many skaters will achieve a freeskate level of about junior silver (in Canada) This depends on whether or not they can jump. For example, I know one girl who from 13-16 couldn't even do an axel. No matter how hard she tried she wasn't a jumper. However she had diamond dances. I know another skater who freeskated and achieved their golds. In dance the skater was stuck on junior bronze because the skater hated dancing and never practiced them.

I think most skaters will achieve an axel a a few doubles. Again, it depends on how much ice time and natural ability.

[vesperholly]

I think this skater will at least be able to get all their doubles, with the exception of the double axel. Landing a clean double axel takes a little talent along with simple hard work, as well as triples. There are a lot of kids at my rink with all their doubles, but very, very few with a double axel.

Lots of variables come into play here, almost too many to factor. An ideal situation is impossible, something will always happen, so why bother posing the big IF?

[kayskate]

I have thought about this and from what I have observed in my yrs of skating is the kids can usually get an axel and some doubles. They may not be beautiful jumps, but they can do some version of maybe three doubles. I am thinking of one teeenage skater I have known. She was fast and could spin fairly well. She could do the jumps, but they were very ugly. I am thinking of content only not quality. Quality is entirely different. I do not know that the average person is capable of really beautiful skating. Clean, decent skating maybe, but beautiful skating seems to be a gift.

Kay

[barnita]

In my opinion, the average skater may get all the double jumps in freeskate(not consistent though, and not always "clean"), a single axel, (attemps at double axel, but rarely landed clean.) From what I've seen in my area over the years, the average skater will skate in test stream and at Junior Silver freeskate level or less.

Some will get triple gold (dance, skills, freeskate), but they are few and far between. Partnering for Gold Dances and higher is difficult to get in my areaa. By the time the average girl reaches 14 - 16, there are so many changes going on in mind and body, that skating drops off and they eventually quit. Double jumps that they had mastered at 10 - 12 are no longer consistent and freeskate gets frustrating. Even the above average skater (competitive) stalls or stops at Novice level because they cannot land the double axel, which is needed for the Junior freeskate test. Some of these can pass the Gold freeskate test though, as the double axel is not a requirement for that test.

Not too many males skate in my area and those that do are competitive skaters, skating above average hours and $$. None of them skate above Junior.

The average skater can reach the Gold level tests, but as was said in a previous post, there are too many variables to predict if a child of 6-10 would ever reach that level, when they first start out skating. Mainly due to drive to do it, size, coaching, injury and $$. Talent is something else.

[Kelli]

Ok, here's why I asked in the first place. I skate at a rink well known for it's synchro skaters, both nationally and internationally. The majority of the skaters from the teams come from the town the rink is in. It always amazed me that one town could basically produce it's own top synchro teams (with some skaters from other towns, but I'm not sure how many). I wanted to know if this was a case of someone putting something funny in the water (a gold moves bug) or if most skaters, given the coaching and motivation, are capable of passing senior moves.

While these skaters excel at moves and dance because that is what they need for synchro, many haven't achieved the freestyle level predicted. There are some with clean axels and double sals (and some non-synchro skaters with more doubles) but I would say the majority are pushing for a consistent axel. They do skate freestyle most days with the same coaches, so the level disparity could be a moves vs freestyle emphasis, or it could be that skaters have a better chance of achieving high moves vs high freestyle. Or their really might be something funny in the water :lol:

So this is a group of average kids, who are motivated and have access to ice time and coaching. Some are more athletic than others, but I wouldn't say that any are extraodinarily more athletic than the average kid in their town. I just wanted to know what other people's experiences were with the average and maximum abilities of skaters in their rinks.

[skaternum]

Well, that was a little trick. You didn't give us all the info. :) I think most people answered with the assumption that you were talking about skaters who concentrate on freeskating. The skaters you describe obviously concentrate more on Moves, dance, footwork and other non-jumpy skills, because that's what you need for synchro. Also, "the right amount of ice time" doesn't mean "unlimited ice time," which may also have been an assumption. If these kids have a finite set of hours per week on the ice, and they spend at least 1/3 of that time on synchro, they're not devoting that time to freeskating.

I think that skaters who concentrate all their energy, time, and money on freeskating can probably achieve an axel and some doubles.

[Kelli]

Well, I wasn't really trying to trick you, I wanted to see what everyone thought before mentioning specifics. The last part of your post was what I was interested in opinions about.

So do you think that skaters who focus all their time on moves can pass senior/gold moves?

[TashaKat]

To give an example of a rink I used to skate at, one of the coaches had consistent test and competition results in Dance and Field Moves. Some of the kids obviously had talent, others were average. The coach concerned was totally dedicated to her skaters and ensured that they practised and had a disciplined approach to their skating. She strove for perfection which meant that the kids did too. The coach ensured that their basics were top notch and, after that the rest just followed.

I believe that a combination of good coach and enthusiastic kid (or adult) who is dedicated and willing to put in the hours can achieve a higher standard than they possible would with someone else.

With regards to Free skating I do believe that 'anyone' could get to a certain level (?some doubles) with the right coaching and practise but that triples is more likely to be for those who are 'right' for Free.

[tidesong]

Well the average kid that starts skating young enough at my rink gets a few doubles and that makes ISI freestyle 6 or 7 abouts. Few have landed the double axel. Skating quality usually improves after many years but not enough skaters skate long enough for that... alot of them stop skating when they enter higher education.

[Mrs Redboots]

Higher education? Here, we lose most of them when they go to secondary school (at age 11); few seem to survive the transition. Those that do certainly stay until they leave school, but then they go off to university and, unless they choose a university in a town with an ice rink, they are lost to the sport.....

[Elsy2]

I've thought of this for awhile, and agree with the variables that come into play with this question.

My observation has been that the average skater can usually get through Intermediate FS. At our club I see some struggle with the Novice FS due to the 2/2 combo in particular. Although I think a hard working skater can pass Senior MIF, I'm not so sure I would call these skaters "average". I think it takes a bit above average talent and dedication to achieve the speed, flow, and maturity of overall skating to pass the higher moves tests.

My coach is a dance coach, and I've heard her say that not everyone is capable of passing the gold dances. She believes some skaters as good as they may be in FS, just don't have the abilities required in dance to go that far.

For some of our older teen skaters it seems that time runs out as they go off to college. Some come back and train all summer to pass tests. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes not.