3 year old vs my lessons

[littlekateskate]

I dont mean to be a downer, but Im not sure how you think your 3year old pre alpha is taking anything serious.You have no idea if she wants to compete or how she will feel in 6 months, a year, two years.
I think if you want to learn how to skate, this would be the time to do it !!Your daughter doesnt need a 90.00 hour coach.
And yes, I have been though it, both my skaters started early.:) and competed early, and still do 4 years later.


I put serious in quotes because its obviously not that serious. And I would love to spend a little less money on my daughters coaches. Before we moved the rink we were at had the (senior level competitiors) who coached kids who were not yet freestyle and it was only 12.00 for a 20 min lesson! It was awesome if it were only that cheap at the new rinks! Its insane that I have to pay this price for a coach if i want my daughter to have a program and routine. But I definetly am not spending that kind of money on myself to just know the basic fundementals.

And I do hope my daughter continues to love the sport. She is yes only three (4 in august) but is soon taking her alpha test and will begin her backward crossovers ect. She has a lot of talent I personally think for her age. Maybe not, I dont know much about skating. But I dont see many kids her age skating in the beta class. But you guys are the ones that have been around skating much more and have worked with young children. So maybe she doesnt have a special talent and we are wasting our money. But for now she loves the sport and I will continue to be her motivator and support until otherwise.

[Skittl1321]

So maybe she doesnt have a special talent and we are wasting our money. But for now she loves the sport and I will continue to be her motivator and support until otherwise.

If your daughter enjoys it and it is not creating financial hardship- then you are not wasting your money. But if you are considering the money as an "investment" towards a future career as a skater- at that age I don't think the privates vs the group lessons have a huge benefit.

For comparision we have one (that I know of) who just turned 4 years old at our rink who has passed through Basic 8 and is working on Freestyle levels. She can do a toe loop, salchow, waltz jump and is working on a flip. She has an okay upright spin and is starting to work on a camel (I believe). But she can't do a mohawk (not sure how she passed Basic 7, but that's not for me to ask). The muscle groups are just not developped for her to be able to do that. I think her mom said she does 2 groups and 2 privates a week. But you can tell she enjoys every second of it- so that's what matters!

I teach tots and most 3-4 year olds are snowplow 1 or 2 (pre-alphaish). But if your daughter has a program, than she's ahead of most of the kids her age at our rink.

[twokidsskatemom]

ect. She has a lot of talent I personally think for her age. Maybe not, I dont know much about skating. But I dont see many kids her age skating in the beta class. But you guys are the ones that have been around skating much more and have worked with young children. So maybe she doesnt have a special talent and we are wasting our money. But for now she loves the sport and I will continue to be her motivator and support until otherwise.


There is no way of telling if a 3 year old has talent. That doesnt mean she doesnt.Moving though levels fast or being 3 is no indicator of talent at her level.I didnt say you were wasting your money.What I DID say was that you cant tell if your 3 year old is serious about skating or not. What I DID say was if you want to learn , this is the perfect time to do so.
There is also a big difference in knowing how to do elements correctly in a level and just knowing how to do them.There is also in ISI at least, coaches that put kids in levels just to move them along.Again, not an indicator of talent in a 3 year old.
Like I said, My kids did start young. My son competed at age 3 with a program. My kids did start privates early, as group classes here are limited. I have been down this road.I never thought my skaters were talented until parents of kids that skated against made comments about how well they skated.Until I had a guest coach who had no ties to us, said so and wanted to follow my daughters path..Not based on me being their parent.
Just trying to give you a heads up.Dont look at it as talent at this stage. Just let her enjoy skating.:)

[Tennisany1]

This is not directed at the original poster.

I find it facinating that you could put a young child (say 3) in swimming lessons, have them take to it quickly, and based on learning to swim a length on the their front (no back swimming yet) you would never hear parents discuss whether or not the child has any talent. What is it about figure skating that has people worry so much about talent. Why is it any different from swimming lessons? Why do parents look so far ahead when it comes to skating but will allow their kids to just enjoy other sports?

Again, I realize that littlekateskate is not obsessing about her daughter's talent; I'm just making a general comment. Perhaps I just don't go to the right pools; maybe swimming parents are the same. I'm hijacking this thread a bit, but has anyone seen this kind of parent behaviour in other sports (not hockey!)

[dbny]

Isk8NYC has also coached swimming. Perhaps she can offer some insight here.

[twokidsskatemom]

This is not directed at the original poster.

I find it facinating that you could put a young child (say 3) in swimming lessons, have them take to it quickly, and based on learning to swim a length on the their front (no back swimming yet) you would never hear parents discuss whether or not the child has any talent. What is it about figure skating that has people worry so much about talent. Why is it any different from swimming lessons? Why do parents look so far ahead when it comes to skating but will allow their kids to just enjoy other sports?

Again, I realize that littlekateskate is not obsessing about her daughter's talent; I'm just making a general comment. Perhaps I just don't go to the right pools; maybe swimming parents are the same. I'm hijacking this thread a bit, but has anyone seen this kind of parent behaviour in other sports (not hockey!)
I THINK you would also find these feelings in any sport based on the PARENTS.Watch how many 3,4, 5 boys dads think they are the next It baseball boy/football boy ect.
How many moms think their girl is the next IT model, popstar ect.
I dont think its just ice skating. Maybe WE see more of it if our kids skate kwim?

[Mrs Redboots]

Tennis parents? It's Wimbledon at the moment, and you get the usual quotas of horror stories about pushy fathers (it's usually fathers when it's tennis).

And, of course, the "stage mother" is an archetype based very much on reality!

[littlekateskate]

I think that its not just with skating. I will be the first say kids are talented or not. Even other kids i see. It doesnt matter what it is that they are doing if they are doing well for their age I would say oh wow they have some talent.

I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years and If my daughter could swim down and back in any stroke for the full 50 m i would defintely think she had some talent lol. At three you just dont see that. But just because they are talented now doesnt mean anything.

Maybe I personally just use the word to much or loosely. Or maybe its just because of my daughter who is very gifted in everything she does. I have never pushed academics on her and yet she doesnt turn 4 until August and has taught herself to read.

But I as well will be the first to know if something is wrong with my kid and they are behind lol. My DS is way behind and in therapy for everything lol.. :)

[Isk8NYC]

I find it facinating that you could put a young child (say 3) in swimming lessons, have them take to it quickly, and based on learning to swim a length on the their front (no back swimming yet) you would never hear parents discuss whether or not the child has any talent. What is it about figure skating that has people worry so much about talent. Why is it any different from swimming lessons? Why do parents look so far ahead when it comes to skating but will allow their kids to just enjoy other sports?Another member asked me to comment on this statement. I taught swimming for years and coached three different swim teams. The difference is that there are far more swimming parents than skating parents at a lesson. Not many people want to get involved with skating - they know (or think they know) how expensive it is and how much time is needed.

Most people want their kids to learn to swim, even if it's only to make them a little safer at the pool or beach. Parents usually don't put their kids into lessons with the goal of a swim team. Frankly, it's not as glamourous as skating, although parents and coaches encourage skin-tight suits because it'll make the difference in a race. B******T - nine year olds lose by feet, not split-seconds. ROTLOL Plus, there's only so much you can do with suits, goggles and swim caps. Yeah, they can write stupid stuff on their arms and legs with markers, but there ain't no rhinestones in swimmin'. LOL

As a result, you get many more relaxed parents at swimming, whereas skating attracts fewer "let's try it" parents.

I can tell you about swimming parents that had their kids swim year-round, take private lessons, and practice with the US Swimming team (travel, competitive). They never swam a meet for that team, instead they dominated the recreational league and didn't see anything wrong with that. (The kids did because those swimmers never came to a practice, but were always winners. They felt it was unfair and I agree.)

Swim parents' attitude toward sportsmanship was actually WORSE than any parents I've ever met through skating. (Well, expect one family. But they're banned from the rink now.)

My favorite story was the 5-year old who climbed up onto the racing block like a pro and stared down the kid in the next lane. She succeeded in psyching the other girl out, who stepped down from the block in a fit of hysteria. It took me 15 minutes to calm the worked-up child down and get her to swim her next race. Sad? Yes, especially since they were teammates! Want more sad? The father was so proud of his DD for doing that, he was a-bragging up in the stands. (Just like skating - someone always finks back to the coach. Say nothing you don't want the coach to hear.)

I made the kid sit out the next two meets - father screamed in my face and threatened to go to the principal (school league) and league officials. I told him to go ahead, I had already told them my side of the story and they agreed it was a disgusting display of poor sportsmanship. After all, THIS WAS THE RECREATIONAL LEAGUE. I also told him to have her swim meets at the other (US Swimming) team, where she belonged.

Many swimming parents felt that they'd spend and do whatever it takes to let little Johnny or Suzie get that NCAA Div 1 college scholarship. As a result, those kids no longer swim because they had rotator cuff injuiries at 11 years old or they just got burned out by high school.

I was so happy that my twins didn't like swimming races, but loved skating. We keep it low-key and let the kids be kids. My skating students' parents appreciate my approach. I let the future olympians go to the coaches who give supervised skating practices three hours/week/student. They're making more money from each student, and their parents are always complaining about the costs, but I sleep better at night. I know that I've taught my students to practice on their own and accomplish things themselves. I earned more than money.

[Tennisany1]

Wow! I stand corrected. I guess we have just been lucky with the other sports my kids are involved in. Thanks.