The USFSA "any" skater

[Query]

In response to the thread on USFSA Basic Skills testing standards, I looked up what they were.

TEST GUIDELINES...
Adherence to standards - The standards required for moving to the next level are within the reach of any skater who cares to devote a few minutes to their practice, even if they only skate once a week.
USFSA Basic Skills Program Instructor's Manual (revised 2003, sent out within the last couple years.)

"A few" usually means about 2 or 3. Now consider that the skills covered in that work include 3 turns in which you are required to stay along the same arc (many skaters work on that forever), some spins, many single rotation jumps, some basic lifts, some synchro patterns, and the first 6 ice dances.

I am definitely not an "any" skater!

In USFSA terms "any" is a pretty elite group.

:D

Would someone like to offer Any Skater badges and tee shirts?

[Skittl1321]

I would LOVE if I could get my basic skills skaters (when I teach non-tots) to practice "a few" (even if you take that to mean 2 or 3) minutes outside of class. But, even without that, most skaters who continue coming to group lessons eventually make it through Basic 8.

There is an adult in my (as in I take it, not teach it) freestyle class who is now in about Freestyle 2- and she doesn't practice outside of class, nor does she have a ton of natural athletic talent, but she's managed to make it that far, so adults can do it too. That paragraph doesn't say anything about moving to the next level QUICKLY- just that it is within reach.

Dedicated practice is a huge help, but even without it the basic skating skills are reachable to many.

[Isk8NYC]

I think it's better to be an "any" skater than a non-skater, lol.

I used to skate when I could, which often meant 15 minutes or a half-hour here and there. I'm glad I did because it kept me from being discouraged while I was able to find more time.

I know that, when my group students go to the public session, they only practice for a few minutes. They spend the rest of the time hanging out with friends, which is fine too. It keeps them interested and involved, right?

I think the "few minutes" remark was intended to encourage the skaters to practice, so they downplayed the importance a bit. I'm sure there would be readers who would think "Yeah, sure. That's because you want to sell freestyle and public ice admissions!"

The truth is that PRACTICE DOES MATTER. I see it in students all the time as well as my own skating.

[Isk8NYC]

Did anyone catch the promotion during NBC's Worlds coverage for the USFSA Basic Skills DVD?

http://nbcsports.seenon.com/detail.php?p=87217&v=nbcsports-nbcsportslogo-dvds

I think it's the same one we previewed at our staff meeting earlier this season.

It comes across as a "self-help" tool.

[Skittl1321]

Did anyone catch the promotion during NBC's Worlds coverage for the USFSA Basic Skills DVD?

http://nbcsports.seenon.com/detail.php?p=87217&v=nbcsports-nbcsportslogo-dvds

I think it's the same one we previewed at our staff meeting earlier this season.

It comes across as a "self-help" tool.

Interesting. The girl on the cover looks like her magic table is a bit to high!
So what did you think of it? (Did I miss that post?) Can it be used as self-help? (Lots of people teach themselves to skate and can skip the first few basic skill levels. I haven't noticed it as a problem until Basic 4 where they start teaching themselves bad habits- crossovers and 3 turns!.)

[Isk8NYC]

It was okay as a "test standards" video. If it's the same thing, I'm not sure you could teach yourself from it, but many people like to say they're "visual learners" so maybe it would work.

Just a quick recap on [the USFSA Basic Skills] DVD. The USFSA used computerized graphic "skaters" to demonstrate the elements. It organizes the elements not by test level but by category: jumps, spins, turns, etc. as they relate to basic skills. Each element had a voiceover along with nice slide-show bullet points along on side, so you could hear/read as you watched the demos.

The graphics were okay; the blades disappeared from their skates a few times but the most disturbing image was watching the skater enter spins from back crossovers. S/he turned completely around before the entry edge - never went "back to center." There were a few things described, such as the kick through on a jump, that was stated/bulleted, but not really demonstrated by the CGI skater. *shrugs*

[jskater49]

Susan Wherlie from USFS came to speak to our club and she showed us some of those videos. It's really kind of interesting how they made it. It's one female and one male real skater and then they did animation to make them look like a lot of different people.

Joelle

[Sessy]

I know that, when my group students go to the public session, they only practice for a few minutes. They spend the rest of the time hanging out with friends, which is fine too. It keeps them interested and involved, right?

LoL. Reminds me, at some point we had these trainings right before a public session of 2 hours on a wednesday night. Well yeah DUH, I said to myself, of course I'm going to the public session too. As did lots of other skaters from the class. Then they were like, "Wait, you're not going with a friend?" No, I said. "But what will you be doing all session?!"
I was like, blink, blink, sorry, what did you just ask? LoL and indeed, they hung out eating ice cream and drinking soda pop... I claimed a nice little rink piece between the hockeyers and the ice dance grandpa&grandma x2 club, all to myself and practiced till I couldn't feel my toepicks anymore, hehe. (Friend of mine with very centered spins used to do a similar thing, claiming a circle, the hockeyers used her as an obstacle in their practice... lol)
The reward was of course looking smug when the coach asked *me* to show the rest of them how edges were done *properly*. LoL, not sure I"d call my edges proper, but nonetheless.

I agree. Practice, even on bad ice, even during publics, even half an hour, whatever - it matters.

[AgnesNitt]

I made it my goal for April to skate Tu, Thu, Fri, Sat (lesson), and Sun for the whole month. I'm signed up for freestyle sessions, all paid for.
So, if I don't show any improvement, I'm going to be really ticked.
You can't get more 'any' than I am.

[vesperholly]

I made it my goal for April to skate Tu, Thu, Fri, Sat (lesson), and Sun for the whole month. I'm signed up for freestyle sessions, all paid for.
So, if I don't show any improvement, I'm going to be really ticked.
You can't get more 'any' than I am.
That's great, you will definitely improve with that much ice. :) I don't even skate that much!

I would suggest writing down how your skating is going right now, so you can look back at the end of the month. I find that I forget what I've accomplished easily, and only focus on what I can't do. I've also found a lot of success (and sanity) by making a final goal, then breaking it down week-by-week.

[dbny]

Actually, after seeing a rather wet-noodle, fairly untalented, type kid go from basic skills thru Sr MIF, I've decided that Sr MIF are within the reach of almost any skater who has the determination, time, and money to go for it.

[CoachPA]

Actually, after seeing a rather wet-noodle, fairly untalented, type kid go from basic skills thru Sr MIF, I've decided that Sr MIF are within the reach of almost any skater who has the determination, time, and money to go for it.

I agree in the sense that Senior MIF are probably the easiest of the USFS Golds to achieve followed by the Gold dances and then the Senior free skate.