Master Level skaters only

[jazzpants]

How many of you are former child skaters? (And as a former child skater, I mean you had a coach (or coaches) and/or started skating competitively when you were under 21...)

If you don't fit into either category (i.e. in my case, I skated as a child for two years as a recreational skater, but I seriously can't consider myself a child skater b/c I did not have proper coaching. I learned everything from a book I borrowed in the school library.)

I have posted one for Gold level skater as well.

Also, please post how many years you skated as a kid and how many years you skated as an adult. By that, I'm mean how many years you've competed standard track.

Thanks much!

[pedonskates]

I started skating when I was 13. I skated ISI throughout HS and competed locally. I could do an OK double loop when I went to college. I joined a club my freshman year and passed Prelim, Juv, and Intermediate free as well as prelim figures. This was pre-MITF.
I skated very sporadically my last 2 years of college and had no coach since I had no car and the grad student who used to take me to the rink had graduated. My senior year of college I got a stress fracture in my fibula of my landing foot and couldn't jump.
When I started med school I joined the local club and started to look forward to adult skating. I started MITF at the beginning even though I could have started at Novice having somehow passed my Int. free in college. I also took adult FS tests as soon as I turned 25 (pre adult MITF). I competed once at North Atlantic regionals in Gold. Then they changed the rules, and I had to skate masters because of the Int FS. I have consistently been at the bottom of the pack in that group, but it does push me to skate better.
I have passed through Int MITF as well as second figure and adult silver figures.

I think it's hard to separate out former kid skaters and adults who started as adult skaters. Some people are athletes in other sports and just seem to "get it" more than others. There are others who used to be roller skaters. Limiting jumps seems to make some sense.

Trying to choreograph a new program will be interesting.

Pedonskates

[Csk8er]

I started skating when I was 6. Growing up in Florida, the ice time was not readily available so I spent my summers skating in Delaware. I passed my 5th figure and Junior FS (tried the 6th figure in the summer of 1990, but didn't pass--this was around the time when figures were no longer required to compete).

I competed in regionals through Novice. I continued to skate in college (at BU) competing in the intercollegiate competitions held in the New England area (this was when they were pretty new) as well as doing Collegiates in 1993. I didn't compete after I got out of grad school again until I turned 25 and was able to compete Adult Nationals. During that time was when I seriously got into trial judging.

I haven't really been training that much in the past 2 years which is partly the reason why I didn't compete at AN in 2005 & 2006. I'm trying to get myself back into shape (for that 4 minute program) to compete next year, especially since my club is hosting Adult Easterns.

[SkatingOnClouds]

I started skating when 21, skated about 2-3 years, on and off then stopped because I moved to a place with no rink.

Started again recently at age 46. I put myself in the Bronze category because I passed the Bronze medal test under the old Ice Skate Australia test structure. That level no longer exists, so I don't know what level I am for competition. Looking at the requirements for Master's comps in Australia, I reckon I'm around the Master's Bronze, or possible moving up to Silver.

I only competed in one competition all those years ago. It was an Artistic competition, and as it was classified by age group, I had to compete in the Open category. Bronze for me.

Karen