I'm thinking of maybe taking my first test in late fall (my waltz 8 needs a lot of help still). my coach thinks I should go on the adult track. I'd like some other skaters opinions what track I should go on. Is it true that testing on the standard track is very tough? personally, my goal is to skate the very best I can with good quality, what tests I pass is really irrevelant and I have no plans to go competetive.

adult track yes judges will be unforgiving with standard track, i unfortunately have experienced it , adult is given some lee-ways, if you look at a trial judging form and see what it says on "adult expectations" you will feel better, heck I did, it was a relief knowing they wont tell you how many times your edges skid and your toe scraped the ice

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Tim David's Website

Not exactly!
Some adult moves tests are judged just as tougher than the kids' are! My Bronze moves test forms from March have comments about scratchy toe picks and three turns placed too early.
I've also heard the same from fellow adult skaters- that the adult moves tests are judged as if it's a standard track test!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Would you like to tell that to some of my skating judges over here in California?

Trust me, in MY neck of the woods, they're just as strict as the standard track skaters on moves. And I've made sure this time that the moves I have now are strong enough to pass standard...

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

are some club testing sessions more tough than others? I'm currently with the SCNY (skating club of new york).

well I guess I got lucky with some panel of judges lucky you guys

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Tim David's Website

I heard that one specifically!!! OMG

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Tim David's Website

great my darn luck. although my coach is really nit picky with edges so I'm used to trying to skate under high expectations but I still do need some mercy.

anyone out there who has tested with SCNY let me know what your experience is...is it worth looking for another club to guest test at??

I'd go with the adult track if I were you. Chances are, if you are like most adults, you have limited ice time, coaching resources and maybe some physical barriers.

The adult track is designed just for us. It's not quite the same thing as having easier standards. Standards are relaxed, but there are still standards. You have to be able to do the moves correctly. More leeway is given, but you can't just do anything.

And so much depends on the club where you test......

Try guesting with North Jersey FSC, they are extremely nice and welcoming. its my home club too. I know its too late and you already are a member of SCNY, its just far too expensive, its just the name and comes along the expectations... join us at NJFSC next season ... who do you take from? and where do you skate?

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Tim David's Website

if you dont plan to compete just test standard- there are more levels and you never know how good you might get.

pulling up the handy usfsa website: the adult track freestyle tests don't look to challenging and while i bet in competition gold level skaters are probably above an axel- if you dont plan to compete you'll have the opportunity for more levels as you improve.

One of my mother's friends tested up to novice level in MIF and Intermediate FS and she started skating in her twenties i think.

You CAN test both tracks at the same time. And some test sessions are tougher than others, because you have different panels of judges -- and each judge has his/her own standards. The judges are supposed to be judging within the guidelines listed on the test forms (read those on the test form.. it will give you an idea of what quality the judges are looking for) -- but one judge's idea of what is "fair" and what is "good" may not be the same for all judges. I notice here in California MOST judges hold adults to the same standard as the kids on the various elements and tests. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Aren't you lucky to have an adult track to test! In most countries, you test standard track or not at all....

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Also remember, once you pass your Gold tests you can continue on the standard track beginning at the Intermediate MIF test. It enables adults to get a Gold test medal when they can't do doubles.

Wow, talk about a snarky - and misinformed - post.

The adult FS tests are basically the same as the kids' tests at the corresponding levels. To an advanced skater, Pre-Bronze FS may not look "challenging", but I guess so would Pre-Preliminary FS - and that advanced skater was a Pre-Pre once. There are a few minor variations - Bronze FS requires a toe loop instead of the flip on Prelim FS; OTOH, on the Bronze FS test, your forward upright needs to be 4 revs, whereas on Prelim, it's 3 revs. Silver is very similar to Pre-Juv (I think the only difference is a change-foot spin is optional in Silver (as part of the combo spin) and in Pre-Juv it's required. Gold and Juv are identical, I think.

If adults improve enough to pass the higher-level tests, as techskater pointed out, they can just move to the Intermediate tests after passing Gold.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

As many others have already said, do adult track now. You can always do standard track later, or even overlapping your adult track progression. Even if the judges on your panel use the same test expectations for the particular move as they would for that move on the standard track, you at least don't have all the same moves. For example, in the adult track, we don't have to do those dreaded three-turns along a line (which are in Preliminary; they used to be in pre-bronze with an allowance for a two-footed transition, but were taken out as of Sept. 1 of last year).

Those prelim alt-3's ARE dreadful... BUT they did come in very handy for those power 3's later on in the Bronze Moves test (well, at least the FO3 portion of the alt 3's...)

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with standard vs. adult moves. I was considering doing going off adult moves for a while and take advantage of the grandfathering system b/c it's easier for me to get the building blocks needed to work up to higher level moves. (Back power 3's, for instance, which are NOT on any of the adult track moves test, will defnitely be needed for the Int. Moves tests.) But... I WANT THAT GOLD PIN TOO!!!

How's this idea? I was thinking about skipping Silver Moves to work on the standard track up to Juv and then get back into adult track working on Gold Moves for that pin! (Hmmmm? Can I flip-flop like that...or do I have to stick to a track? What's the offical (judges) word on this? Do you guys frown on "track hopping?")

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Gold level skaters are above an axel b/c the axel is on the Gold FS test! In fact, I believe at the Championship Adult Gold level that you can skate up to a double loop IIRC.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

I would imagine you could do this, but you would have to pass Silver FS after passing Juv MIF. Then, your next MIF test on the adult track would be Gold, b/c being at Silver FS level would prevent you from having to take Silver MIF.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

But is it because you're taking the adult track test or is it because you're an adult? My guess is that it's because you're an adult, and if you were an adult taking a standard track test, they would be even less forgiving.

Or you can have your coach teach you all of the Pre-Juv and Juv moves and you can practice them but not test them. That way, you don't have to deal with the higher passing standard on the standard track tests, but you still get the benefit of the extra building blocks. My guess is that it will take you less time to pass the Adult Gold test by keeping all your actual tests on the Adult Track. Then you've just got to learn the back power 3's and you can test Intermediate after Adult Gold.

If you want to compete as an adult, even later on, I'd do the adult track. If you want to test for testing's sake, it does not matter, with the understanding that the passing scores may be different. Also, even if the passing requirement is lower, it doesn't mean you can't skate well above it! It does get complicated going back and forth!

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Is this true??? I thought you can just work on the next Adult track moves afterwards and that the FS test is independent of which moves test you're eligible to test for. (i.e. Ultimate goal is I want to get my Gold pin in Gold MIF and later on for Gold FS.)

True... I could do that. I'm not too fond of testing anyway. It's something to talk to the coaches about.

The other reason I'm considering it is mainly that I want to avoid a situation a couple of years back where all the adult track moves got changed around. I'm thankful that the Bronze Moves was NOT impacted much by the changes. But I don't want the situation where I'm working on Adult Silver Moves elements and then finding out a year down the line that I wasted time working on a move element that's now obsolete and having to pick up a NEW moves element to learn. If it takes me this long to have a remote chance in hell at passing Bronze Moves, I don't wanna imagine how long it would take me to pass Silver Moves...never mind having to deal with the distractions of moves elements changes.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Nope, no need for silver FS:



Page 343 in 2006 rulebook (TR 19.02 C):

Adult skaters who have passed standard track moves in the field tests will not be required to take adult MIF tests per the table below:

Standard track MIF passed.................Adult MITF test not required
Preliminary MIF....................................Adult pre-bronze MIF
Pre-juvenile MIF..................................Adult bronze MIF
Juvenile MIF.......................................Adult silver MIF
Intermediate MIF.................................Adult gold MIF



As you can see, if you pass juv MIF, you can straight test gold MIF, no need to take silver FS in order to do it.

jazzpants: that's what I most likely will end up doing - passing juv MIF, then taking gold MIF, then back to intermediate.

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--renatele

I would check on that. My understanding is that only applies to what FS tests an adult is eligible to take if they skated as a kid and passed some of the lower-level tests (so not Masters) so they don't have to go back and start testing from the beginning when they become old enough to take adult tests (it's a 3-part crossover rule). There is a rule about needing to take MIF tests in order, so it would seem that in order to take Gold MIF, you would need to either pass Silver MIF or be "grandfathered" into Silver FS w/o needing to take Silver MIF (such as by passing Juv MIF).

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!