Competing Nerves

[Luckster013]

Hi!!!

The other day there was a christmas skating competition at the local ice rink and i went to watch. I wasnt even competing and i got sooooo nervous for the skaters.
I have my first competition in February, and I usually dont do good in front of crowds. I am going to be so nervous!
Do you know any good ways to keep calm during the competition?

[Mrs Redboots]

Take Dr Bach's Rescue Remedy
Breathe deeply, taking your breath right down into your stomach. Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 8. Repeat as necessary.
Drink plenty of water - your mouth will go very dry, so make sure you have lots with you.
Make sure you're thoroughly warmed up off-ice. See if you can have a run-through under "competition conditions" - only a brief warm-up before you do your programme.
Make sure you have had a dress rehearsal, so you are confident that there will be no last-minute wardrobe malfunctions.
Remember you can't control what the other skaters do, and you certainly can't control what the judges are going to think; all you can do is go out there and have fun!
Remember that at our level it's only a game. If you make a mess of it, so what? And it's fine to burst into tears afterwards.... I always do.
Relax - it's only a game! And when it is over is a great time to eat chocolate.

[twokidsskatemom]

I asked my daughter and she said this....
Mom, I take the butterflys in my tummy and use them and all my energy on the ice and in my program.Sometimes nervous energy is good !!
In Three years she has competed alot !!Just gotta get used to it :)
We also use the remember the people watching are someone brothers and sisters,moms and dads. And of course the judges in their undeware !!!

[Skate@Delaware]

Visualization helps, along with breathing exercises.

I skate in ice shows and I also agree that remembering that most of the people there are loved ones there to see their darlings skate! And, they don't know how your routine is supposed to look...which is a good thing (at my last competition, my mind went blank and I forgot part of my routine...but the crowd was a great one and I was comforted and spurred on to finish instead of freaking out8O . They never knew what elements I skipped!)

I also like to treat each competition as my personal show "solo" piece (which I never get <g>) and they are great fun so have fun with it!!!

[Rusty Blades]

Do you know any good ways to keep calm during the competition?

I'll be doing my first competition in the spring and I am thinking a half a bottle of wine would be about right . . . . 8O

[Skate@Delaware]

I'll be doing my first competition in the spring and I am thinking a half a bottle of wine would be about right . . . . 8O

Nah, TEQUILA!!!!!

[Rusty Blades]

Nah, TEQUILA!!!!!

Half a bottle of Tequila and I wouldn't even remember being AT the competition! :giveup:

[doubletoe]

In addition to deep breathing while waiting to take the ice (I do in for a count of 8, out for a count of 8), I also find technique cue words to be immensely helpful for keeping my mind on what I'm doing, no matter how nervous I am. I come up with one or more technique cue words for each element I do, including my stroking/crossovers (I think, "butt down, butt down" on my crossovers so I get a deep knee bend and good speed). I make sure I say each cue word in my head whenever I practice that element and skate my program, and then make a list of all of them on my competition day. As I stand there breathing deeply, bending my knees and shaking out my legs, I go over my list of cue words just like I'm studying for a test, and I find that keeps the nervous thoughts away while helping me stay focused on my technique throughout the program.

[Team Arthritis]

My biggest nerve problem is forgetting to breath! I have to choreograph breaths into my programs:frus:
Lyle

[looplover]

I ate a Kahlua truffle before my competition.

I don't think it really did anything because I only had one left to eat (maybe if I'd rationed them and had five or so).

I was way too nervous though, so next time I will eat at least six Kahlua truffles.

:lol:

[mikawendy]

One thing that I realized was making me more stressed out before tests, competitions, etc. was that I was thinking that it is bad to be nervous and that I should try to have 0% nervousness. So, now I approach it like this--I accept that I may feel a little nervous but I don't freak out about the fact that I'm nervous at all.

I don't know if that explanation made sense, but it made a difference in terms of how I felt before my first test (serious BIG case of wobbly knees and shivery shakes) and how I've felt before each subsequent test and competition. I also discovered before a recent competition that I can feel a well of confidence behind the nervousness. When I would feel butterflies in my stomach, I thought about the confident feeling behind the nervousness and concentrated on that.

[aussieskater]

Make sure you have had a dress rehearsal, so you are confident that there will be no last-minute wardrobe malfunctions.


I'll vouch for the dress rehearsal - my first-ever Xmas show is on this weekend (eek!), and last weekend's dress rehearsal had my friends in stitches...I usually safety-pin my locker key to my skirt just above the hem of my top, so it doesn't show. It's never mattered before if it did show, and I never thought anything more of it until...back spiral ==> locker key hung down dangling in the breeze and tinkling as it went. As I came off, my friends, still in stitches, were all saying "locker key. Good look, that." :P :D Note to self: remove locker key and give to DH to put in pocket.

[aussieskater]

Half a bottle of Tequila and I wouldn't even remember being AT the competition! :giveup:

Is that the idea?? :P

[Skate@Delaware]

Is that the idea?? :P
Then you'd HAVE to get the video....as proof you were there...and to watch your skating...ummmm, maybe not 8O

sometimes it's hard to tell the nervousness from excitement; possibly it's a blend of both!!! That's how I felt last time

[miraclegro]

You guys are TOO funny! I have the Christmas show this Sunday and i don't drink at all and i purchased a teeny thing of wine. Problem is, now, sleeping the night before, since i've already started not sleeping and it's only Wednesday! oops Thursday! (12:40)

[Thin-Ice]

Nervousness and excitement are actually the same chemical reaction in your body... more adrenaline than you're used to. It just depends on how you decide to react to it whether you call it nerves or excitement. Besides, it's good you feel SOMETHING before you go out to perform... you don't want it to look like "oh yeah, here's some stuff, I don't want to be here, I don't want you to watch, why are we all wasting our time?". And I find if I tell myself it's good and normal to be nervous/excited before a performance, that way it's not lifeless. And it's true, you CAN skate just fine, even if you do feel excited/nervous... just remember what you normally focus on.. and keep going!

Best wishes for a GREAT performance! I hope you get off the ice so happy you want to do it again RIGHT THEN!!!

[Mrs Redboots]

Nah, TEQUILA!!!!!Nah, one of Becca's specials..... or several.....

Actually and seriously, I've learnt to take a hip-flask to competitions - not for pre-skating nerves (I'm not too bad with those), but for post-skating adrenaline crash, which I'm awful with. I am far worse afterwards than before, as anybody who knows me will tell you. Whisky helps, as does lots and lots of dark fruit-and-nut chocolate!

[Mrs Redboots]

I'll vouch for the dress rehearsal - my first-ever Xmas show is on this weekend (eek!), and last weekend's dress rehearsal had my friends in stitches...I usually safety-pin my locker key to my skirt just above the hem of my top, so it doesn't show. It's never mattered before if it did show, and I never thought anything more of it until...back spiral ==> locker key hung down dangling in the breeze and tinkling as it went. As I came off, my friends, still in stitches, were all saying "locker key. Good look, that." :P :D Note to self: remove locker key and give to DH to put in pocket.
ROTFL! Oh dear..... the image.... wipes tears from face and coffee from keyboard.

[doubletoe]

Nervousness and excitement are actually the same chemical reaction in your body... more adrenaline than you're used to. It just depends on how you decide to react to it whether you call it nerves or excitement.

Actually, that's a very good point. If you are "pumped up" when you get on the ice, you can find yourself jumping higher/bigger than you normally do in practice, and oh boy have I made THAT mistake, LOL! When you jump higher, your timing and even body position will be different and you can end up having no outflow on the landing, or worse, botching the landing altogether! :roll: I have found that the best strategy is to recreate exactly what I do in practice (which is why the technique cue words have been such a lifesaver for me!).

[Team Arthritis]

(which is why the technique cue words have been such a lifesaver for me!).

OK I've tried this but how do you remember the cue words - I blank when I'm nervous and improvised more than one program :oops:
Lyle

[Isk8NYC]

Someone on this forum suggested RECORDING the cues into a copy of the song and putting it on your iPod/mp3/extra CD for practices.
(I, of course, hear the voices without that assistance.)

[doubletoe]

OK I've tried this but how do you remember the cue words - I blank when I'm nervous and improvised more than one program :oops:
Lyle

That's why you write them down, memorize them, and say them to yourself every time you practice each element (especially while practicing your program). That way, you develop an automatic association between the elements and the cue words and you get used to thinking about nothing but your cue words whenever you skate your program.
Whenever I work out a problem on an element, I give myself a cue word that reminds me of the proper technique, then I test the cue word and make sure my body responds to it the right way when I do the element. If it works, I write it down in my notebook when I get off the ice and look at my notebook to refresh my memory on my cue words the next time I get on the ice. So, as different things start working and new problems need fixing, my cue words tend to evolve and change.

[Rusty Blades]

(I, of course, hear the voices without that assistance.)

So do I but it has nothing to do with skating! 8O

[Team Arthritis]

If you are "pumped up" when you get on the ice, you can find yourself jumping higher/bigger than you normally do in practice, and oh boy have I made THAT mistake, LOL! When you jump higher, your timing and even body position will be different.
Well we had the typical botched dress rehersal last night, you know, tripped on toe pick, blew the pull through, etc, all the easy stuff went out the window and the hard stuff was fine. I really messed up our placement on the ice when my first Waltz jump went 50% farther than usual! My wife said I just disappear as I jumped right out of the spotlight and landed all the way at the end of the rink. I didn't do anything different, I swear, must have hit a pocket of thin air! http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/engel/c025.gif
Lyle

[Mrs Redboots]

Actually, that's a very good point. If you are "pumped up" when you get on the ice, you can find yourself jumping higher/bigger than you normally do in practice, and oh boy have I made THAT mistake, LOL! So have I! Not so much in jumping, but when we did a lift in our free dance.... he lifted me far too high, we slipped, and over we went in one of those falls where all the audience holds its breath in case you are badly injured. Luckily, neither of us was, although Husband was very stiff and sore for several days afterwards.

[fmh]

-eat a banana(at least 45 minutes before you compete..i just added this in to avoid people getting sick haha) (believe me...it works)
-make friends with the people you're competing against, then you'll more likely go and skate for yourself knowing that no one wants you to mess up
-remind yourself that skating is a beautiful sport to watch, and no matter how you do you will live up to that

[Team Arthritis]

-eat a banana
http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/nahrung/n045.gif
I have a very tender tummy and believe it or not bananas right becfore a workout will make me sick. I told a group of latina women this one day at the park watching our kids and they laughed and said many babies have this problem and that I need to scrape off the outer dull white layer first. They were right, it works, and if you taste that outer layer it is terribly bitter.
FWIW http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/nahrung/n045.gif
Lyle