Adult Gold Moves test

[climbsk8]

Has anyone out there taken this test yet? Anyone working on it? I'm confused because the test standard is the same as juvenile, but the moves are mostly intermediate w/one novice. I'm getting ready to take it and I'm a little nervous about it...

OK, a lot nervous.

[LoopLoop]

I tested gold moves this weekend. Unsuccessfully. I passed three of the moves and failed three of them. The sense I got was that even though the passing *score* is the same as for juvenile, scores are basically arbitrary and the judges were expecting a higher mastery of the skills. For example, when I passed my juvenile MIF last year I got 3.0 on the forward double threes, the passing standard for juvenile. Now they are *much* better, and all three of the judges passed me on them, but the score was still 3.0. And the backward double threes, I've been told that mine were good enough to pass intermediate, but the judges gave me 3.0 on those as well... in other words, they thought my double threes in both directions were right AT the level they want to see for this test.

As to the other moves, I wasn't aggressive enough on the forward power circles, my terror of the novice move showed :oops: and I messed up my brackets. The mistake on the brackets bugged me because they're normally one of my best moves; again, I've been told that they're better than what most of the kids do when they test intermediate.

So the summary of this long post is, a gold test is a gold test, and the judges will look for not just competence at the moves, but command of them and attacking them. At least in my area. :)

[climbsk8]

Thanks for the report! I'm really in the same boat as you...I've already passed juvenile moves, some of these moves are good for me...and some of them scare me to death.

My sister always tells me "Fake it till you make it." I guess that means smile and pretend you're not scared of the moves, whether you are or not. I need to work on that more! :)

It's very helpful to me to hear that the testing standard (3.0) is still kind of...well...floating out there. I think I'm just going to have to accept that it will be that way until more judges get more experience with this test.

Better luck next time...and thanks SO MUCH for offering up your experiences!

[sk8er1964]

I took the Gold MIF last October. In my case, I don't think the judges had ever seen an Adult MIF test before. I passed by two of the judges and was really failed by the third. It was almost like they were watching a different test. (Apparently the judge that failed me didn't want to let me reskate the brackets, but the other two did. If I hadn't have gotten that reskate, I would have failed the whole test.)

I'm working on my Intermediate MIF's now, and my coach is really driving me to a much higher level of competance on these things than I got away with on the Adult Gold. (Of course, he was crossing his fingers that I would pass the Golds - we were pressed for time because of the AN deadline or he would have never let me take it when I did). I hope to take the Intermediate next month.

One warning - that test was more exhausting than I expected. I had been doing double runs of the test prior to taking it, but on test day by the time I got to the brackets I was so tired that my legs were shaking. (Because of nerves? Probably.) Fortunately I got to rest a little bit before the reskate on them.

I guess the moral of the story is do your best and don't worry about the judges. They are going to do whatever they are going to do, and you can't change that. If your coach thinks you are ready, then you are ready. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

PS - LoopLoop - you'll get them next time!

[climbsk8]

thanks to you too for the advice! This is quite helpful.

I am concerned, too, about the stamina involved. I know they put the "figure" moves after the "power" moves for a reason...just to see if our legs will turn to jelly!

[MissIndigo]

So on the judging front...

If you are passed by two judges and failed by the other, as long as you have attained the overall minimum passing average for that particular test, do you still pass then? I'm a bit unclear on that.

I'm getting ready to test Bronze moves for the second time. Eep.

[backspin]

Miss Indigo:

with 3 judges, you have to get 2 passing you in order to pass the test. They don't add up all the scores of all the judges--they just look at each judge's score for you.

[CanAmSk8ter]

I think the bottom line with the Adult MIF, like when the regular MIF were first instituted, is that it'll be awhile before we start to see much consistancy in the expectations of them. I skate in an area with lots of adults, but I think my club has yet to have an Adult Gold MIF test, and I'm not sure we've even had a Silver test yet. Especially at the higher levels, since the judges see fewer of them, I think there will be discrepancy for quite awhile.

Even now, I've tested (standard) moves at one club about five hours away from home, where I've seen lots of moves pass that wouldn't have passed at my home club. Same for dances. Region to region always tends to vary, and I think with the newness of the adult MIF, that will be more pronounced for awhile.

[spicyicey]

I wouldn't worry about stamina. You can always stop and catch your breath, take a sip of water, blow your nose, etc. if you need to - I've done this, and it does feel a bit awkward sometimes, but it's worth it. At the beginning of tests, the judges usually tell me that I can take breaks if needed. Moves tests are hard, and it doesn't help that the standard seems to change at every test session. But if you can, try to relax - that's when you'll skate your best!

[pennybeagle]

The inconsistency of what is "passing" on adult MITF tests really irks me. I have yet to take the Gold test, but on my last silver test, I saw the "same" move done by different skaters that didn't look anything like each other that both passed with the same score and basically the same comments from three judges (the move was supposed to be the backward cross strokes...one skater was doing what looked more like back outside edges, with very large lobes leaning backwards, and another was doing a step-behind kind of "stroke" with a bend at the waist and lots of scraping.) While I am happy for both skaters that passed, it doesn't give other skaters or coaches much of an idea of what the judges are REALLY looking for at all, since neither of those back cross strokes looked like the back cross strokes that skaters at the Juvenile level were doing...

That said, I actually have a burning question about the brackets on the adult gold test...

How fast are they supposed to be? I have two coaches who are telling me different things. One treats the brackets as if they were figures--take them slow, be very particular about the placement of the turn and getting equal lobes. My other coach disagrees and says that this is not a figure test, and that the judges want good edges but with some speed, covering the ice well.

No one at my rink has taken the adult gold MITF yet, but I see skaters at the Intermediate level doing it both ways. Any comments as to which way I should practice this move for a test?

[jenlyon60]

The bulk of the Intermediate MIF tests I've seen over the past 2 years have done the brackets fairly slow. Probably not quite as slow as doing figures brackets, but not FAST and Attacking.

[LWalsh]

I agree with Jenlyon60. I was at a moves seminar given by judges during a competition and that is exactly how they demonstrated them to us. Not quite as slow as figures but definitely not fast.

Lara

[KJD]

Ok, I haven't posted in a bit (too much work) but I'll share my experiences for what they are worth. I have taken this test 4 times. 3 right in a row last winter and then once in June. I failed all 4 times. I too, have passed juvenile moves and have intermediate moves that have been ready for quite some time to test, but we have elected to wait to pass Adult Gold first. Here are my thoughts on it.

1. The standard is MUCH higher than what you might expect. My coach actually brought a judge out before my last test, who tore my moves apart. She is notorious in our region, as perhaps the pickiest moves judge on earth. That said, her opinion is that this is the same as a senior level moves test...but for adults. It should have lots of flow, tons of speed, no hesitations, no scratchiness, and nearly perfect turns! She got me on the novice move and the back double 3's. Interestingly enough, a week later on test day, she passed me (the first time that's ever happened with her) and the other two judges, who are new to our area and have apparently never judged an adult moves test before, failed it. My coaches were really upset. It was , or so I'm told, a good test. I got a reskate on one element (which in our area means you are "in the running") and still failed.

2. There are a lot of judges who have not much experience with these tests. We have an international judge who judges the upper level moves tests in our area. He failed me twice in the winter. His comment to my coach was that for an adult, it was very good. But he said he just isn't comfortable judging adults. Therefore he will judge as if it were a kid. He told her it was a GOLD test - and so should be passed only if its what he thinks of as GOLD level.

3. If your area has a "rotating" panel of judges, that makes things infinitely more difficult for everyone, as they don't get a consistant exposure to the test. So, for instance, we have one judge who is also an adult skater - and she's a relatively high level judge. She failed me the first time, and passed me the next two, one of those by almost a full point over the total passing mark! But each panel has been a little different, with this lady as the one judge who was there before and then two totally new ones. The new ones are the ones who I have not passed.

4. The juvenile passing standard or intermediate standard are in no way related to the Adult Gold standard. Even though the intermediate and novice moves are supposed to be judged 0.2 to 0.5 lower than their kid counterparts they aren't. I was told, for example, that the novice move, will be skated at novice speed, with no jumps or scratchiness or no pass.

So, the silver lining on this is that despite feeling oh so, very depressed to fail again in June, the efforts have made my moves much better. I can keep up with the novice skaters doing their moves! And the moves are much better than when I started. Also, my coaches and I have learned our lessons. We will now apply those at a test session in an area with a lot more experience with adults after September 1 - so I can help my 8 year old get through passing her juvenile moves before the regionals deadline.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[tazsk8s]

Originally posted by KJD
4. The juvenile passing standard or intermediate standard are in no way related to the Adult Gold standard. Even though the intermediate and novice moves are supposed to be judged 0.2 to 0.5 lower than their kid counterparts they aren't.

For what it is worth, this was my experience on the Silver moves as well.

and I have learned our lessons. We will now apply those at a test session in an area with a lot more experience with adults after September 1 - so I can help my 8 year old get through passing her juvenile moves before the regionals deadline.


Good luck on both fronts! My daughter finally got through those pesky juvenile moves last month after failing them twice. Boy, was she happy. All three judges passed her, either right on or .1 over. One was a judge who had failed one of her previous attempts. Very nice to see that she's really improved and isn't just the beneficiary of a different judging panel.

[KJD]

Taz,
that's wonderful about your daughter! Believe it or not, I actually thought of you this weekend as my daughter took her Juvenile moves for the 2nd time and failed. The last time she got stiff because she was nervous but didn't miss by very much. This time, what really got me, was she skated a beautiful test. I know its hard because we are the parents and we are biased, but I also skate and know when a test is good or not. We had 12 juvenile moves tests on Sunday, of which hers was one of the best. Problem was she skated 2nd out of those 12 and because she's quite little for taking these (8), they were harsh! She passed one judge and failed the other two.

Its a bummer and everyone was stunned. She is trying this test because she and her new pairs partner want to skate juv pairs at regionals. They failed his moves too. They were both so depressed. They have one more shot on Sept. 1 but my daughter is really in the dumps about it. We've been telling her just to keep at them and make them the best they can possibly be but her response is "so what, that's no guarantee I'll pass". Its really hard to explain to an 8 year old that you're in an area that doesn't really want to pass folks. And I make that last statement based on what I see as fact (I think). We have 40+% fail rates on pre-juv, almost 50% on juv and a whopping 70% on Novice moves.

That was why I got on the soapbox a bit on the adult moves. I think moves tests are absolutely the right thing for everyone but there seems to be no standards, and a shifting "finish line" depending on the area and the judging panel. After the test, our "head" judge told my daughter's coach, "well she really was one of the best ones out there in retrospect" and her coach said "well why didn't you pass her then". Response: " I just wanted her to wait another month".
That's really a tough thing to do to a little kid.

[PattyP]

I'm testing Adult Gold MIF on the 19th of Aug! I'm really nervous about this as I have never taken a Moves test before. I must be nuts!

I don't think anyone in my club has taken this test yet so it will be interesting to see what happens.

My coach is confident enough to have me sign up to test my Gold FS at the same session, I wish I shared her optimism.

I will post what happens on the 20th.

Patty

[skaternum]

Good luck, PattyP!

[jazzpants]

GOOOOO, PattyP!!! Good look on the Moves test!!!

http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/kao/otn/pcheerleader.gif

[tazsk8s]

Originally posted by KJD
Taz,
that's wonderful about your daughter! Believe it or not, I actually thought of you this weekend as my daughter took her Juvenile moves for the 2nd time and failed. The last time she got stiff because she was nervous but didn't miss by very much. This time, what really got me, was she skated a beautiful test. I know its hard because we are the parents and we are biased, but I also skate and know when a test is good or not.

Awww, MAAAAAAAN. :( Sorry to hear that. Sounds a lot like what happened to Junior. We knew her first attempt probably wouldn't pass anyway, but it seemed like a good idea at the time to try it since we'd pulled her out of school to test Pre-Juv FS anyway. But it was fairly close so her coach thought we'd capitalize on the momentum and try again a month later. She also had one judge pass that attempt, and the other two fail it.


They have one more shot on Sept. 1 but my daughter is really in the dumps about it.


Ugh - at least we had the luxury of time. The second attempt was back in January and after that I told her coach "no more tests" until after school was out. No way was I going to keep pulling her from school for this. I think even back then the plan was to have her do Regionals at Pre-Juv this year anyway, so we weren't trying to beat the clock at all.


the area and the judging panel. After the test, our "head" judge told my daughter's coach, "well she really was one of the best ones out there in retrospect" and her coach said "well why didn't you pass her then". Response: " I just wanted her to wait another month".
That's really a tough thing to do to a little kid.

AAAAUUUGGGGH!! WHAT is the point in making her wait??!! Is there any guarantee that you'll even have this judge again next month, or that she's going to pass her then? AARRRG.

Sorry to shout. I feel your pain. If it makes you feel any better, you can channel Taz Jr. during her next test. ;) Since the two of them seem to be leading parallel lives as far as this test goes, your daughter should get through just fine.

[PattyP]

Originally posted by PattyP
I'm testing Adult Gold MIF on the 19th of Aug! I'm really nervous about this as I have never taken a Moves test before. I must be nuts!


I will post what happens on the 20th.

Patty

Okay, I already posted in the "lesson/practice" thread. But I'm so excited that I have to post it here too :roll:

I passed my Gold MIF test today!!!! I'm sooo glad that its over. I was really nervous about this test.

Don't ask me about my FS test...it did not go so well. *%#%%$* axel :x

[Michigansk8er]

Bravo!!!!!! :D That is one tough moves test.

[icedancer2]

That is so awesome!! Congratulations!!

[sk8er1964]

Great job - welcome to the Gold MIF Club! :D :D :D

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by PattyP
I passed my Gold MIF test today!!!! I'm sooo glad that its over. I was really nervous about this test.Patty, well done! That really is marvellous.Don't ask me about my FS test...it did not go so well. *%#%%$* axel :x Never mind, you'll pass it next time. Rejoice in what you did achieve, and be pleased with yourself.

[Black Sheep]

I passed all the Adult FS tests before the MIFs were instated. However, I dread having to deal with the Intermediate MIF and FS tests in order to move up to Masters Novice--MIF just aren't my thing....:roll:

Way to go, Patty, for passing the Adult Gold MIF test! 8-)

[jazzpants]

Congrats to our new Gold Moves Lady!!! :D

http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/kao/otn/pconfetti.gif

Don't feel too bad about the Gold FS test!!! You got plenty of time to take it in time for Sectionals!!! (Unless, of course, you want to take a chance competing Gold at Skate SF... Of course, I'll bless the ice if you're coming!) ;)

Besides...some of us WISH that they could take the Gold Moves test! (In fact, some of us would like to take the Bronze Moves test "sometime" in their lifetime... :roll: :x)

[Skatewind]

Originally posted by KJD
My coach actually brought a judge out before my last test, who tore my moves apart. She is notorious in our region, as perhaps the pickiest moves judge on earth. That said, her opinion is that this is the same as a senior level moves test...but for adults. It should have lots of flow, tons of speed, no hesitations, no scratchiness, and nearly perfect turns! She got me on the novice move and the back double 3's. Interestingly enough, a week later on test day, she passed me (the first time that's ever happened with her) and the other two judges, who are new to our area and have apparently never judged an adult moves test before, failed it.
Judges in my area don't judge skaters for tests if they have given them a recent evaluation, especially only a week earlier. While technically it can be done, it doesn't seem appropriate & it's better when they recognize there's a conflict in this situation & take themselves out of the mix.

[KJD]

The rule in our area seems to be not less than a week. This was actually exactly 9 days before.