PPF testing...

[IceAngel725]

do you need a program for the prepreliminary testing? if not, how is it done?

thanks,
Mel

[dbny]

No program is needed or allowed. The elements are skated one at a time. Usually you do the first, wait for the judges to signal for you to go ahead, and then procede with each element in the same way. This is a pass or retry test with no scoring.

[Kelli]

You also might be on the ice with other skaters, in which case you may alternate doing all of the elements, or do them simultaneously depending on how many judges there are. Or the judges might have all of the testers run through all of the test moves individually, it just depends on the number of testers and the judges preferences (and maybe their ratings as well).

[IceAngel725]

thanks :)

[lisabelle]

i just took this test last week and the judges asked me if i wanted to just do all the elements or if i wanted to stop in between. she also offered to call out the elements to me, in case i forgot them. its an easy test and they are generally really nice about it, since its the first freestyle test.

[singerskates]

You American skaters are lucky. No such thing here. We don't have a pre-prelim FS test. You go from nothing to having to test all the elements up to the flip jump, backspin and camel spin in a skating program to music that you choose. It's a tall order to have all of it before testing. Here in Canada you can go for years as an adult before being ready to test your prelim FS test because of this. And once we do pass it, we are ready if we could to test your US Adult Silver test.

I'm still trying to get my sit, back and camel spin along with my loop jump before testing. Yet, my footwork is beyond prelim with double threes forward and back and so on. And until I pass my prelim FS, my coach is making me continue to compete in Adult preprelim/prebronze. It's hard to get the sit going because my legs are so stiff from being on my feet all day at work before skating. And my camel is badly distorted and deformed. Poor animal! LOL My back spin has only one rotation before I either fall out of it or change to a forward spin, which would be a combo spin and isn't allowed in preprelim/prebronze competition. Although I could do it in my interpretive FS.

Here's hoping that Skate Canada gets a testing system for adult skaters like the USFSA has.

Brigitte

[kayskate]

A couple of my adult skating friends took PPF and had little "routines". They were not done to music but were arranged by their coach so the skaters could do all of the skills in an attractive context. When I took mine, there was a little girl on the ice w/ me (maybe two, I don't remember). I just did each move individually.

Kay

[arena_gal]

Singerskates, do you have to have passed the complete Preliminary Freeskate test to be able to compete at the Adult level in the USA that you want? Some of the things you write about for Prelim FS, loop jump, camel etc are just needed for the elements, the freeskate portion can be considerably less, 3 jumps and a combo and two spins I think is the bare bones. If you can compete at Adult with just having taking the freeskate test, then do so and forget the elements for a while.

There's a whole lot of skaters out there now that have done either elements OR freeskate but not both because completing the entire test puts them in a higher category and they're not quite ready to move up (or are sandbagging, take your pick). But when it comes to adults, and in different countries, it might be something to look at, half a test might be all you need.

[singerskates]

My coach won't let me compete in anything higher than preprelim/prebronze until I pass my prelim FS test and it has to have all the jumps up to flip in it and at least the sitspin and backspin in it. I can do the element portion of the test separate but still my program has to have all the jumps. I just can't wait until I get the loop, flip, sitspin and backspin working in my program. Then I can test. This will allow me to compete at the prelim level in Canada and at the Bronze level in the US.

As I head to my first competition this year I already know that I will be doing OK even though I have a set back with my toe loop in it's quality (not getting the spring I had last spring) but I do have my elusive salchow back and in combination with a toe loop. I'm trying hard to get my arms to co-operatein the timing with my legs in my loop and flip. I'd really love to get the loop going so I can change the salchow/toe combo to a salchow/loop combo. And I want to get a flip/toe combo in my FS program. In my interpretive, I won't be going for combinations since interpretives are not about jumps. I just found out that I have to have a shorter Canadian interpretive than what Skate Canada said according to the COS Adult Spring Competition rules. So I changed my music from "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morrisette(sp) to Amy Grant's 1981 song, "I'm Gonna Fly" and it's now just 2 min 30 sec instead of the 3 mins I had before. I'm still using Crystal Lewis' "Come Together" for my US interpretive though. The max length for COS interpretive is 2 min 30 secs.

Brigitte