Basic Skills program

[jestemkkool]

What is the general consensus here?- Is it worth the time to finish the basic skills program? I'm thinking about continueing group lessons but starting to test at the USFSA levels (Pre-prelim.-senior). I feel that with some work on those test elements, I would be able to pass Pre-prelim and prelim soon. What have other people done about the basic skills programs- completed them or skip the remained of the levels(i have only 2 more(freestyle 4)).?

[CanAmSk8ter]

If the group lessons at your rink are well-taught I would continue them. Obviously I've never seen you skate and I don't know your coach, but frankly I've never known a Freestyle 3 skater who was close to being ready to take pre-pre moves. I know that when I think of the Freestyle 3 group class I just finished teaching, I can't imagine any of those skaters even taking their moves yet- they'd never pass. I live in a region that's notorious for difficult judging though, so maybe in other parts of the country a Freestyle 3 skater would be more like pre-pre level. I assume you're in private lessons- what does your coach think about the group lessons? Does he/she feel like you're benefitting from them?

I don't see anything wrong with stopping the Basic Skill program and starting to work more on your MITF, provided that you're fairly patient by nature (I, personally, am not ;)) What I mean is that if you're only Freestyle 3 now, it may be awhile before you're actually ready to pass your pre-pre moves. Will you be able to motivate yourself to skate and work hard on the moves knowing that there won't be goals like the Basic Skills tests in between to work toward- things that will come up on a more regular basis to let you see your progress?

I'd discuss this with your private coach as soon as possible. He/she can point out other advantages and disadvantages to continuing or stopping the group lessons, and can also give you a better timeline of just how long it might be before you'd be ready to start your moves tests. Regardless of the timeline your coach gives you, I would deifnitely ask to start working on your moves if your interested in doing that. The earlier you start, the earlier you'll be ready to test!

[SkateGuard]

Do you take private lessons? Do you have a coach?

Before making this decision, I would take some privates with a coach. The basic skills are very different than the traditional or adult test track. A coach would better able to make an evaluation.

Now if your coach said you are ready for this point, then I would base the decision on money, time, and how much you truly enjoy the group lesson environment. If you're enjoying the basic skills lessons, stick with it.

When I got a coach and private lessons, we started with the solo dances. I continued freestyle in group lessons. My move from group lessons was actually economically motivated--I was laid off. Now I have a new job that pays much more, and I am in an adults-only patch and moves class. I love it! I like the group environment--when you're frustrated, it's fun to be frustrated together!

Erin

[jestemkkool]

I do have a coach and am taking private lessons. I want to start on my moves and stay with group lessons until I pass my pre-prelim FS test. BTW, my club has group lessons for advanced freeskate skaters(pre-prlim-juv.) I need to talk to my coach about starting my moves aftre we finish with show practice. I just feel that if I spend my time trying to pass the traditional test track tests instead of the basic skills tests, my time and money would be better spent.

[Elsy2]

I think that if you are older, then yes, go ahead and move on to the regular track. My daughter went from basic skills 5-6 right into testing pre-prelim. No problem. Often an older skater can advance through those levels very quickly.

If you are intending to compete, you need to be looking ahead and be aware of what elements are competitive at those levels. They are far beyond what tests require.

[jestemkkool]

I am the second oldest skater at my club. I have been skating for a year and am 16. I don't enjoy skating with kids that are 4+ years younger than me. Also, I do wish to be a competitive skater. Typically I don't like being in the public eye but when I skate, it's different. That's why I like it so much-it is just me and the ice :D

[Elsy2]

Well best of luck to you, I think you should go ahead and work hard and enjoy it.

I have to laugh a little about you not liking skating with those 4 or so years younger than you though.....When you have a late start, that's the way it goes. I skate with kids 40 years younger than me! 8O

[CanAmSk8ter]

Ok, now I feel like I understand the situation a little better. Here's another $.02 from me:

If you want to compete, I'd stick with Basic Skills and do some of those competitions before moving into USFSA. If you're Freestyle 4, yes, you probably could pass your pre-pre freestyle very soon. But what a lot of new skaters don't understand is that test level and competition level are not as closely related as would make sense. Kids competing in pre-pre freestyle are usually far beyond what's on the pre-pre test, both in jumps and spins and in basic skating skill. Most of the pre-pre skaters I've seen have looked capable of landing an axel, even if it's not in the program yet. They have good speed, spin combinations, and usually a pretty good lutz-loop combination. Remember, too, that you can pass your moves tests hgiher than your freestyle and still compete at the level freestyle you've passed; I've known kids competing pre-pre who are actually working on their Juvenile moves. There is a HUGE gap between the higher Basic Freestyle levels and competitive Pre-Preliminaries. Being 16, you may close that gap faster than, say, a nine-year-old, but it will be a lot of work. I finished Basic 6 the week I turned twelve (there were only 6 levels then) and competed Freestyle 4 eighteen months later (there were only 4 Freestyles then too). But it was ANOTHER eighteen months before my coach thought I was ready to compete at pre-pre. She was right to hold me back, I think, and once I started competing I understood why. It really is another whole ballgame.

Also, keep in mind that most competitions won't let you skate Basic Skill events once you've passed your pre-pre moves, even if you haven't passed the freestyle.

[jestemkkool]

The situation is that I graduate high school next year and will be at college. During that time, if I was able to compete, that would be great but I probably won't have the time, especially if I do end up majoring in pre-med. However, after college I would like to compete and from what I understand, I have to be atleast at the novice level to enter a qualifying competition (because of age restrictions). Also, if I do decide to join a college team, I would have needed to already have started the traditional test track(around my area, the college team members are intermediate+). So if I stick to the Basic Skills program, may not be eligible to even try out for a team. So far, I have done three basic skills competitions and have gotten 1st at all. Also, I doubt that next year I will compete, I would prefer to work on testing and improving my footwork and artistic(presentation) side of skating. BTW, at the basic skills comp's around my area, allow up to the ppm MITF test and some have a ppm comp.
Thanks for the great advice(again), I will talk with my coach and friend about this!

[SkateGuard]

Oh, you're 16 and planning on pre-med in college...some advice from a late-blooming skater (who has a BA in chemistry):

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A NOVICE AT 22 TO COMPETE QUALIFYING!!!! At 25, you can enter the Adult test track and you can compete at adult events. Also, the adults are trying to have a "young adult" division for skaters who started as teens and are too old to compete at a lower level, but too young to compete adult. You would be a perfect candidate for that.

You may want to see if you can get in the adult group lessons. If you're mature and don't mind being the youngest in the class, adult group lessons will be a lot more fun than traditional basic skills. But I would be very careful on the testing...are there any adult skaters at the rink? Any coaches who have worked with competitive adults? The test tracks are very different, and depending on how much you test by 25, you may be forced to re-test if you decide to compete as an adult. I have a friend who had to go through the entire sequence (pre-bronze moves and FS to gold) just to compete because she passed ISI 6 as a teenager many moons ago.

If you're going to college soon, you won't have a lot of time to keep up your skating (though I highly recommend it for stress reduction). However, you most likely won't have the time or money to be competitive. Wait until you have that huge doctor's salary to compete. ;) When I was in college, I had to quit sports because my chemistry lab reports were always due on Saturday at noon. :P So I had no time for sports (and no fun on Friday night!)

Now if you're talking synch, it depends on the team. I have a friend at Notre Dame, and she started skating _to join_ the synch team. (It was started by a couple of Chicago Jazz members who wanted to have a team.) Now, if you want to go to Miami (OH), that's another story. However, according to USFS, synch team levels are divided by age, not test level. Each college has a different requirement, and since they are trying to get NCAA recognition, lots of girls who skated on teams as kids try out for the college teams. The idea is that if you have skated synch for years, you should be able to get scholarship money for it!

I hope some of this information helps. Maybe we'll see you in the adult ranks in the future.

Erin
(who used to skate group lessons with 10 year olds...for fun!)

[Isk8NYC]

I guess you feel that the group lessons are slowing you down a bit, and I can understand that. They're also an economical way to learn new skills in a structured setting, with a bit of comraderie added for good measure. Given your upcoming lifestyle changes, I see why you would want to finish what you started and move on to more challenging.

That said, you do not have to take group lessons to complete the remaining Basic Skills tests. Why don't you take a look at the requirements for each test and talk it over with your coach? You and s/he can work on those elements and sort of "get them out of the way" so you've passed the levels. Most programs will let you "test out" of levels. That way, you can move to a more challenging skating group or test level.

Once you've finished those levels, your focus should be on the higher level tests beyond Basic Skills. If you find you are dominating at competitions, it's probably time to focus on moving up.

[CanAmSk8ter]

Just wanted to point out two things:

1. As of this year (or is it next year?) you do have to have MITF tests to skate synch. I think the requirement is Intermediate to skate Senior, Juvenile to skate Junior, Pre-Juvenile to skate Novice, Prelim to skate Intermediate, and Pre-Pre for Juvenile. Of course, the age requirements are all still in place too. I don't know if that affects collegiate teams too, or if it's up to the team to decide on those requirements, or what.

2. To skate standard qualifying competitions (Regionals, Sectionals, Nationals) there are age limits up to the Intemediate level. Juveniles can be no older than 12 and Intermediates can be no older than 17 as of the application deadline of September 1st. Some regions offer Open Juvenile events (it's up to the host club to decide whether to offer it, along with other non-qualifying events like Pre-Juvenile Pairs and Dance) but at least when my club had Regionals the Open Juvenile event was still limited to under-18s. So yes, to skate in a standard Regional Championship the original poster would probably have to plan on skating Novice since she is already 16.

[jestemkkool]

There are no adult classes close to me(and I can't drive yet). I know I don't have to but I want to make it to a national competition(or even international) before I turn 25 and have to move to the adult track. I want to do synchro to help make my edges stronger and allow me to perform/compete more. As with the basic skills, if I'm allowed to, I might start the MITF ppm-juvenille(or however high I can get) while finishing levels FS4-6 and then I will start the freestyle test.
My summer goal is to land an axel and a double jump(have already landed 1 1/2 rotation on aggressive skates).
I will base my college plans on skating-If i get to junior or senior(sometime in college), I will go into sports medicine and do competitive then proffesional skating. If I don't get very far, I will continue with pre-med.
BTW, the only thing making group lessons not as fun is that I'm in with some kids(ages 7-9) that aren't as serious about skating(there for recreational). I feel bad when I ignore the kids because I am trying to practice(theY come up and try to talk to me right when I am going into a spin or jump)-I have asked them not to come up to me when I'm trying to do somthing(I do talk with them a lot otherwise)-is it wrong that when I want to do something I don't want them to purposefully get in my way?

[Clarice]

There are no adult classes close to me(and I can't drive yet). I know I don't have to but I want to make it to a national competition(or even international) before I turn 25 and have to move to the adult track.

Just to clarify - you don't *have* to move to the adult track when you're 25. There are/have been plenty of eligible skaters over that age. It's just that you *can't* skate the adult track unless you are at least 25. If you want to do standard track, fine - you can be there as long as you want.

[jestemkkool]

Thank you for clarifying that.

[SkateGuard]

I know I don't have to but I want to make it to a national competition(or even international) before I turn 25 and have to move to the adult track.

I don't want to be mean, and I don't want to discourage your goal, BUT

You have an extremely difficult road ahead. To compete at the national level as a novice, you typically need to have two different triples. To compete nationally in Jr/Sr, you have to have five different triples. Now you can pass your senior free without triples, but you won't be competitive at Regionals.

You are giving yourself nine years to go from never taking a USFS test to competing on the national level. That's a tall order, but not impossible. Johnny Weir, our national champ, has only been skating for 6-7 years!

If you're serious, get out of group lessons. You are going to have to work extremely hard to get to that level, both on and off the ice. And it may require a sacrifice for college...go part time, delay going so you can work for more skating $$$. Matt Savoie and Tim Goebel both entered college (as H.S. honors students) as pre-med majors. Both changed their majors when they realized that they coudn't mesh the lab science courses with their skating schedules. Sarah Hughes quit skating for Yale, and she's always been interested in a lab science degree.

Now these are skaters at the highest level nationally (and are at a pretty high level internationally), but I've noticed (and others, please chime in), that skaters who make final rounds at regionals, qualify for sectionals and nationals, etc., put about the same amount of time in their training on a day-to-day basis. (3-4 hrs on ice; 1-2 hrs off-ice, 5-6 days/wk.) It takes YEARS of that kind of work ethic to be a great skater.

Now if you're interesed in pairs/ice dance, it's a whole different ball game. Mainly because the peak age for dancers is late 20's-early 30's...you have more time. And pairs skaters tend to be in their early to mid 20's.

And if you decide along the way that you don't want to go through all it takes, you are more than welcome to join us "old folks" at 25...even if you do pass your senior tests!

Erin
(who hopes that jestemkkool has the talent and preserverence to reach her goals)