How much do coaches expect parents to know about figure skating. I really don't know much about the sport and my daughter started skating less then a year ago. She really likes it, but are coaches turned off by parents who don't know the difference between different competitions. I am starting to do more research on this, but I fear I may have already done damage by my lack of knowledge.

I know, I am ultra paranoid about making a good impression. Always have been. So forgive me for sounding like a dum dum.

Most people don't know much, especially when their skater is just beginning. Don't worry - you'll learn as you go along. If you have specific questions, ask the coach. Ask other parents - they usually have a lot to say! Ask on this board - lots of us will try to explain things to you.

Your skater can teach you the difference between the different jumps as she learns them. I was really proud of myself when I could tell the difference. You might also consider taking a session or two of adult group classes yourself. It would give you a real appreciation of what your skater is trying to accomplish! But beware - Adult Onset Skating Syndrome is real! When I took that first group class 15 years ago, I got totally hooked! I spend almost more time at the rink these days than I do at home!

Fairly ignorant parent here as well and it has probably been to my daughter's detriment - but - learning as I go along and we don't make the same mistake twice.

E.g. coach told me to enter a particular competition - solo dance - hadn't realised it required free, original and compulsory programs and dresses - hadn't realised what it involved choosing the &*^%!!! music and daughter ended up learning 3 dances (and aquiring 3 dresses) 6 weeks before a competition! Now - that won't happen again - because now I know this. Recent competition was at a different rink which wasn't full size so daughter missed an important part of step sequence - while I would have hoped coaches would have sorted this, I will now check the size of rinks where she competes and make sure coaches make necessary adjustments! I could go on and on and on.

Yes - it is VERY annoying and I think my ignorance has probably altered my daughter's potential skating pathway but guess at the end of the day she still loves to do it and while she does that I'll try and support it and learn while I go along.

Web sites like this one are a major source of information and learning and have really, really helped me!

There is a new site called www.gofigureskating.com that has every bit of information about skating that you can imagine. It was started by a skating mom who was frustrated that there wasn't a site like it already. Great info! Even explains PSA ratings and more....

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We knew nothing and we have had to learn a great deal. It took effort and time, however, listening, watching, reading helped, plus having very bright kids who taught us along the way. We made lots of mistakes at first, in terms of skates in particular - those were the biggest goofs made, but, we didn't ask the right people, and that was a lesson learned. A good skate fitter is important!

Also, a good coach will respect a parent's lack of knowledge and will ensure that they check for understanding when it comes to skating. Some coaches, though, will take advantage (IMHO) of a parent's ignorance in terms of spending the parent's hard-earned dollars - and that to me is highly unethical. I overhear many things at the rink that make me shudder in terms of coaches misleading parents, but that's with many years of knowledge whereas when we started it wouldn't have even been something that I would worry about ... fortunately, these coaches are not that common, and their reputation tends to become known. Some coaches are not "malicious" however, they just don't think about parental ignorance, and so you do have to admit that you don't know what you are doing, ask lots of questions, and READ EVERYTHING THREE TIMES BEFORE YOU SIGN!!!

Get a coach you can trust, and who takes the time to talk to you and explain things, and be honest about your budget, your knowledge, and your need to understand goals and expectations. If the coach doesn't work with you, then, keep that in the back of your mind when thinking about the coaching relationship - if you know what I mean? Our first coach was taking advantage of our ignorance, and it harmed our kids - when we changed coaches to one who we could trust and rely on, things became far better on every front, and although we spent more, we gained a great deal as well. There are lots of good, fantastic and great coaches out there - it's worth waiting to make a coaching decision until you find the one that works for you, as we found out.

Most good coaches would rather have you admit you don't know what you are doing and have you ask for clarification, instead of ending up with an annoyed parent, unhappy skater, and a bad relationship. Just ask politely, and respecting the coach's time (i.e. not in another skater's lesson); perhaps arrange a time to chat, or e-mail, or phone, and discuss resources and learning curves. Coaches like kids, for the most part, and they really want to see your kid succeed; you won't be the first (or the last) new-to-the-sport parent out there. Welcome to the sport, by the way - it's quite something to be involved with, and we have grown to be quite happy with it!

I agree that a good coach will keep you informed and educate you on what is going to be needed. I am an adult skater and thought at first that the coaches (I had at the time) just figured I'm an adult and I'd figure it out. Which I did. But I would have appreciated some help.

I don't get it either why coach's (not all) are not CLEAR as to WHAT competition to enter, how much is thier fee if they come to the event, ect.

Some coaches are extremely clear about fees, competitions etc; we get a sheet listing which ones we are going to and if they are "mandatory" or "optional"; we get a fee agreement on charges up front; and we know pretty much how our coach will charge back to us to cover her out-of-pocket fees. Which is why we appreciate her. It's a good thing to ask before you sign on, I know that fees for such activities range WIDELY, and I've been charged, say, $56.30 for a competition for costs for the coach; another skater has been charged $250 by their coach, for the same competition and the same flight in the competition, for out of pocket costs!

BTW: my coach isn't a junior one either; she's a top national-level one with years of experience, and from what I've found out, she developed her strategies to help out her stress level too, as it cuts down on misunderstandings and grievances.

I think that as a parent, it's important to know about the different levels (so when your kid's coach wants them to test, you have some idea of what's going on), it helps to know how to recognize various jumps and spins. It also really helps to know what makes a good program versus a weaker program so when your child competes, you have a better understanding of why they placed where they did.

If your kid is skating under IJS, it also helps to know a little bit. When I was coaching synchro, IJS was very new (first year the levels I was coaching used it) and it was rather frustrating. I see parents of singles skaters who don't understand why their kid placed how they did under the new system, so they blame the coaches or the choreographer. It's not the choreographer's fault that your kid didn't hold spin positons long enough, and not the coache's fault when they drill counting revolutions into their heads in practice.

I had a bad experience with parents not knowing the judging change well when I coached synchro. I spent a great deal of time and money learning the new system (flying across the country to PSA conferences, studying like crazy, watching videos, etc). I tried to teach the parents about the new system the best I could at the start of the season. Then we got to the first competition and they saw that every team had a line that pivoted, a circle that traveled and changed directions, a triangle intersection with the same steps going through, and every team had the same wheel that traveled and changed directions. I got a lot of criticism from the parents because our program looked just like everyone else's (and they claim that the previous coach NEVER put out a program that looked similar to another team, and that they had "signature moves" that the team had "invented" [they weren't and they didn't] that were not in the program). We were doing a mix of competitions where they needed an IJS program and others that were 6.0 and some of the teams we were against ONLY compted locally under 6.0, so our program was "boring" in comparison. Yet my kids still won. They had speed and edges and not goofy-looking cutesy fluff like the other local teams, and they were rewarded for it. The other coaches I worked with had NO CLUE about the new system and refused to educate themselves, and tried to stay on the parents' good side by blaming me for the choreography. In fact, it was not my fault, it was the fact that IJS at the time really restricted any creativity and made every program like a short program. I actually had compliments on the coreography from judges and other coaches. And the team placed well. That same season I worked with a collegiate team that had similar choreography and they placed well at nationals despite a shaky skate with 2 falls, so I was obviously doing something right.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

oh thank you guys. I am so glad I stumbled across this site. You have so much info. And thanks for the link. And you are so helpful.

What happened was a coach mentioned that she was going to Grand Prix so I asked if she was competing there. I know about regionals and sectionals and nationals through reading the usfsa website, so I did not know that really high level skaters compete there. She kind of looked "on the spot" and she said she was attending. I felt like I put my foot in my mouth. I just pond skate so I think everyone I see on the ice is better than me!

I am still grappling with a coach change. I got it, kind of, but not completely. My dd's synchro coach is her primary and I don't think it is good for her freestyle skating. I think she needs a more obvious delineation.

The politics though, one coach doesn't want to step on the toes of the other.