A question about evaluating Learn to Skate.

[FSWer]

Say fokes!!! I have a question. Since Learn to Skate Programs Cat. their levels from what you are...Adult1,2,etc. and different things are learned in each cat. Does anyone know how they evaluate a more gifted Learn to Skate skater who is found to natually be able to do something in the next cat. level? Even though they have not learned everything all the way through the first part? Or what they do if a skater is found to be so gifted they can excede (don't think I spelled that right) and be able to do something that is NOT on the Learn to Skate Program list? For example....If someone in Adult 1 like me was able to surprise them by doing say a forward Pivot (which is listed as Adult2. (I'm reading from my Learn to Skate Evaluation). Or even if someone was able to surprise them by doing let's say...a sit-spin. Which is not on the list. Because of the fact that they took time to just read up on them and memorize how to do them. What do they do? Does anyone have an answer? Thanks.

[Clarice]

It all depends. Where I teach, if a skater can do a thing or two from a higher level, but can't pass all the things on the list for the level they're on, I still won't pass them. They won't be able to learn the higher level skills that are based on the lower level ones they can't do yet. If a skater can do everything on the list for their level except one thing, I might let them move ahead anyway, depending on what the skill is and what needs to build on it at the next level. If a skater's skills are truly all over the place, so that they don't really fit into any level, we usually suggest that they take some private or semi-private lessons to catch them up on the things they're behind on. When they've caught up to the level of their highest level skills, they can move back into group classes if they want.

[jskater49]

Second the answer that you need to be able what is on the stated level before going to the next level - they really have studied and found that following these levels is a tried and true way to "learn to skate" for the majority of thousands upons thousands of folks who have gone through it.

And I'm just going to warn you...maybe you can do these skills just fine from reading up on them, but there's also the possiblity you will have to unlearn the way you are doing it and relearn them the "right" way.

I speak from experience as someone who thought she could do crossovers from years of skating for fun before I took learn to skate. Crossovers turned out to be the most difficult lts skill for me because I had to relearn them

j

[cathrl]

Everyone can always do some types of skills better than others. It's normal to be able to do some things from levels higher than the one you're in. My daughter is a good skater, and had a lutz well before a loop. I'm a slow learning adult, and I'd passed half my gold figure passport before I got the bronze level spin (which is possible in the UK system, where you pass skills individually but only get the badge when you've passed all at the level). If someone's so gifted that they don't need to be in the LTS program, I'd guess the coach would tell them they didn't need to be in it, and recommend private lessons. I know several people, both kids and adults, who never did LTS lessons, it's not a prerequisite to having private lessons no matter how gifted you are. But, from my daughter's experience, what the coach does if you have one great skill is say "that's great - but you need to get your other skills up there to pass this level".

[FSWer]

Oh,I see. Does anyone know however if there are Learn to Skate classes that do credit you at least in some way? VS. what Clarice has said?

[Virtualsk8r]

In the Skate Canada Canskate system (learn to skate) badges are awarded for seven stages....stage one is rank beginner with stage seven being close to the elements for a pre-preliminary. However, the skills for each stage are divided into separate skill compartments......go forward, go backward, jump, turn, stop, speed, spin ( I may have missed one ). Skaters working on stage 3, for example, who are stuck working on 3-turns -- but are great at stopping - can pass the Stop badge elements on stage 3,4 ,5, 6 & 7 - and be awarded the Stop badge!

Think of it as a crosswork puzzle...stages across and skills down. Since 3-turns are part of the turning badge, not passing them doesn't affect a skater passing say Go forward or Stop or Go backward!

In theory it works well -- and in practice it can be a useful tool for skaters stuck in a skill rut!

[Clarice]

Ooh, what a cool system! So, it's like all the skills are arranged in a grid like a checkerboard, and you can either pass according to rows or columns. Have I got that right? So when you've passed everything, you would have a badge for each level, as well as a badge for each skill-set? Anything that can help validate a student's progress sounds like a good idea to me!

[Skittl1321]

Oh,I see. Does anyone know however if there are Learn to Skate classes that do credit you at least in some way? VS. what Clarice has said?

Learn to skate is not an extremly formal program in many places. If you can do all the skills but one at a level, chances are they will move you up anyway. Decide very carefully if you want to be moved up I kind of zig zagged between LTS, Adult LTS, and ISI because of moving rinks. As such, I missed a few components. I managed to do LTS in what I consider a short time (passed Basic 1,2 as part of a pre-lesson evaluation, 3 in 2 classes, Basic 4 at the end of that session, Adult 1,2 at the end of a session, Delta in a session, and then Basic 7/8 in a session) but I missed one or two things or were given a "pass" on things that were actually rudimentary.

NOW, I have to pay expensive private lesson rates to go over things like T-stops and Mazurkas that were covered, but not mastered, in LTS. Sometimes skipping over things that are "okay" but not mastered is not in your best interest.

Still, if you are clearly ahead of the class, it is likely the LTS director will bump you up. Although USFSA has a curriculum that all LTS programs use, it is not as formal of a program as the standard track tests. The level of passing varies widely rink to rink, and tests are done in an informal manner. At our rink it is not uncommon for someone to move up the second class if they appear to already have the skills.

[CanadianAdult]

I could do a toe loop before I could do a three turn, I just used to do back crosscuts and stick my toe in. My adult class was somewhat informal so we didn't follow a badge system, we were all "pre-preliminary test" but when I did my first real back three turn, I demanded my Canskate 6 badge ;) and got one. I had my Preliminary freeskate test by that point.
My point and yes there is one, is that formalized learn to skate curricula are good for the majority of people, the rest need private lessons or some sort of combination of both, and a good skate coach or program director will identify those skaters and explore the best fit for them.
I know skaters who have high test levels without being able to do some of the required elements, like a sit spin, they have beautiful programs and would never had gotten the opportunity for free skating if someone had said that they needed a sit spin before they could move onto the next class. Private lessons sidesteps a lot of the mandatory requirements of learn to skate, but it doesn't mean that private lessons can ignore those things, they're taken into consideration of the bigger context of the skater's ability.