Your first competition?

Skittl1321 · #1 03-16-2006, 10:27 AM

I have a LONG way to go before I can begin to think realistically about competitions- but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about them already.

What was your first competition? How far did you travel for it? How did you do? What's your favorite thing about competiting?

Or conversely- Why do you choose not to compete?

Kristin · #2 03-16-2006, 10:39 AM

Hi Skittl,

My first competition was a local one here in the Detroit area. I was a Pre-Bronze adult and it was scary! I was so nervous, but still did fine, placing 3rd out of 4 ladies. The whole performance was over so quick and I felt like I was skating in the twilight zone. But I started competing because I wanted to challenge myself to do more than just the basic adult figure skating, and I figured that if I could do all these elements in a program, while my knees were shaking & nervous, then that meant that I really did have them! My fav thing about competing is setting my own individual goals & meeting those goals. When I have to go out there and land a new jump for the first time in comp or a new spin, it really makes me feel very accomplished no matter where I place. The only thing you can control is your own performance. I can't control who I am competing against, or the judges who will be on the panel, so I figure the best thing I can do is to just go out there, do my best and try to catch a good performance on tape or get some really nice pictures of me in my skating dress! It's a hoot! Then I can see how the hard work is paying off and how I am improving.

Since I started, I have competed many times, have passed many tests in Dance, Field moves, and Freestyle, have gotten a chance to travel to visit friends in other towns because of skating events, met tons of new people all over the US, and just had a plain old blast! This is all stuff I would have missed out on if I didn't start competing.

Kristin

Careygram · #3 03-16-2006, 10:53 AM

Oh this is a fun one. Let's see, my first competition was the Hershey Open in 1993 and I had been skating for about a year. They didn't even have bronze, silver or gold then, it was just Junior and Senior and I don't even know what the deciding criteria was. I was pretty okay until I took center Ice. I thought "oh damn, I should have gone to the bathroom again" despite the 6 trips in the five minutes preceding my turn. And then my music came on. My legs were quivering and I was sweating. I took a big splat on a Flip-Loop and started giggling. I finished my program pretty strong and with a big smile. When I got off the ice my coach said "my God, I've never seen you skate that FAST!". Which is why I finished on time even with a messy splat. I managed to place 3 out of 7 and it was about 5 years before I even thought about competing again! I would suggest a tranquilizer or drink right before...

flying~camel · #4 03-16-2006, 10:55 AM

My 1st competition was when I was 13 skating at the ISI Delta level at my then home rink in the Chicago area.

I made it through the entire program only to fall while coming out of a lunge right at the very end. I spent the next 5-10 minutes bawling in the locker room, convinced I had come in last place. To my suprise, when I saw the results sheet, I had actually gotten 1st place!

After that experience, I was hooked! I competed all the way through until I was 18, when I quit skating to go to college. When I started back up again at 23, the competition bug bit me again and here I am getting ready for my 1st ANs!

Skate@Delaware · #5 03-16-2006, 10:58 AM

My first competition was at Annapolis, about an hour and 15 minutes away from my house on the 5th of March. I wasn't nervous until the warm-up. My mouth was soooo dry, and I had left my water bottle down by my skate bag, which was, on the other side of the rink. I skated first so I had no time to get it. The ice was much softer than my home ice. I skated against the book, ISI Artistic 1. I placed first. Comments made were "graceful" and "very high spiral" as well as "tentative jumps" yeah.

I just platered a smile on my face and tried feel the music, which is at the heart of Artistic. When I finished, my legs started shaking so bad, I was afraid I'd toepick and fall before I left the ice (oops!). My coach was very proud of me! She prefers her students break-in on ISI comps the first few times before doing any USFSA. I can see why. The whole atmosphere was very friendly. I got lost of applause for almost every move!

I had lots of fun!!!

Oh, yeah, I'm 44.

jazzpants · #6 03-16-2006, 11:20 AM

First comp was Skate San Francisco in 2001. I competed at Pre-Bronze and went against one of our local ladies. Yup, I got the Silver!

(Shhh... no need to tell it's 2 out of 2!

) Yup...scared to death too... particularly when during the warm-up I heard the coach of my competitor say "Okay, now do a lutz..." WTF!?!?!

She's now a Bronze lady. I'm still stuck at Pre-Bronze...

(but I've at least had a decent try at a lutz now!)

Melzorina · #7 03-16-2006, 11:45 AM

My first competition was in January 06! I skated against 13 people in my group, and came third! It's got three parts to it, so I've got the second section in May!

I was absolutely terrified, I thought I was going to be sick because figure skating is my world.

Mel On Ice · #8 03-16-2006, 12:10 PM

My first competition was at the 2001 Grand Rapids Open. I was a pre-bronze skater skating up to bronze ladies. I was living in St. Louis at the time, and travelled 500 miles to compete. Why, you may ask? I had just moved south, GGR was my original home club and I hadn't met the St. Louis adult skating community yet.

The worst part of competing was I was so scared I decided (or rather my stomach decided) it best not to eat for oh, 3 days prior to competing. I was on a liquid diet as that was all my body would allow, I was that terrified. I also sat in the stands, SWEATING (an impossibility if you have ever sat in the stands at Patterson Ice Arena) arguing with both sides of my brain. "It's okay to withdraw, you're not ready, you're wearing brand new skates.." countered with "you did NOT just drive 500 miles to quit! don't be such a chicken!"

What were my elements... alternating outside 3s to a forward spiral, a 1 foot spin with 2 revolutions, waltz-tap toe-waltz, fussy footwork to a half lutz/toe loop combination, back crossovers to a forward spiral, a crappy half loop, what was supposed to be waltz 3s turned into 3 waltz jumps into a salchow and a two foot spin. I came in 8th out of 9 and got an orange "horse show" ribbon. Man, I remember thinking I was Michelle Kwan out there, when the reality was a scared 31 year old stuffed into a black velvet dress tripping over her toepicks.

The best part of that competition was the fact I approached the event from an attitude of "let's be friends" to my fellow competitiors, complete with frosted acrylic roses (a buck at Walgreens) and teddy bears for everyone. I was worried that my "rah, rah go us" mentality would be met with

but on the contrary, some of the ladies in that particular group have remained my friends to this day. I ran into the woman who won that group last year at AN, and I was surprised to know that she remembered me for my skating (yikes) and my spiritedness afterwards.

I may not win gold, but I always have a lock on Ms. Congeniality.

doubletoe · #9 03-16-2006, 12:25 PM

My first competition was exactly 3 years ago: Pacific Coast Adult Sectionals 2003. I had taken group lessons for 5 years with a few privates thrown in from time to time, then I'd quit completely for 5 years. When I came back, I found out there were now adult competitions, but I didn't like the idea of competing, I just wanted to become a better skater. But my husband convinced me that competing would make me a better skater faster, so I decided to give it a try. I took my Pre-Bronze test, then put together my very first program and took my Bronze test, but messed up and had to re-take it, along with the new moves-in-the-field (which became a requirement the month after my first testing attempt). So I had to spend 5 months learning the MIF, but then I took the Bronze MIF and FS tests and passed both. A few months later, I competed at Sectionals and was amazed to end up 2nd out of 13 in Bronze II (the 36-45 age class, now called Bronze III)! And you know what? It DID make me a better skater faster!

doubletoe · #10 03-16-2006, 12:26 PM

P.S. Forgot to add, I traveled from L.A. to San Francisco for my first competition. I think that's something like 360 miles.

TashaKat · #11 03-16-2006, 12:32 PM

Hiya

My first comp was with my ex-dance partner. We did compulsories ... I still remember them; the Foxtrot, the 14 Step and the Fiesta Tango. If I remember rightly we drew the Foxtrot and 14 Step.

We actually skated quite well (even though I do say so myself

). I wasn't at all nervous which shocked me a bit AND the rink had 'better' (aka bigger) corners than our home rink so it was easier to get in and out and if you messed up you didn't get stuck!

The warm up didn't go so well ... my partner pulled me over on the foxtrot mohawk and ricked my neck. Thankfully the two dances didn't really require me to do much in the way of head movement! Thank goodness we didn't get the Tango

After we'd finished we saw that we'd got good marks for our first time out but didn't think much of it, there was a reasonably big field so didn't expect much at all. We were just happy that we'd danced well.

I was about to take my boots off when the presentations started. My coach said to stop faffing around and watch the presentation so I did. They came to our class and started to announce "from Alexandra Palace". We were shocked that the other couple from our rink had *only* got 3rd as they were winning everything in sight at that point. Then they read our names out

We were at the opposite side to the rink so we set off running to get to the entrance of the ice. I was half way across the ice ... on my own ... before I remembered to wait for my partner

Anyway, we got a bronze and were very shocked but very pleased

The rink was Bracknell (lovely rink) and the comp was the Adult Opens that they have there (great comp). I'm not sure how far away it was, maybe 30-40 miles? It seemed to take forever to get there, I remember that much!

So ... it was a good start

We went onto get another bronze and two silvers in our next comps so we must have been doing something right

Ooooooh, I do miss skating

TreSk8sAZ · #12 03-16-2006, 01:17 PM

I don't remember my first competition as a kid, but my first competition that I I did when I came back to skating was at my home rink. I did pre-pre (I wasn't old enough for adult so was older than the next oldest skater by 5 years) and popped my lutz, but everything else was fine. I was SOOO nervous though! As I've competed and tested, I find I'm less and less nervous before competitions. I'm one of the lucky ones! My coach even commented before Adult Sectionals that it was the calmest she'd ever seen me!

Debbie S · #13 03-16-2006, 01:18 PM

My first competition was the New Year's Invitational (Wash, DC) in January 2004. I hadn't passed any tests at that point (trying to get those dratted alt 3's which are now no longer on Pre-Bronze MIF) and I competed in Pre-Bronze, with our own Terri C

and 2 others, 1 of whom is now Bronze. It was quite an experience - my coach got lost on the way to the rink (long story) and didn't arrive until literally the minute before I skated (she missed the warm-up and arrived while I was in the locker room waiting while others skated - I skated 4th). I was a complete novice at comps and it didn't occur to me until I was putting on my skates that I should find out the skating order (and I had no idea where skating orders were posted) - fortunately, the mother of another skater from my club who was competing in Young Adult went to find that out for me. (hey, I did remember to check in and give them my music!)

I decided to start the program facing the opposite direction from the way I'd practiced it b/c I was used to finishing facing the bleacher side at home and I noticed during warm-up that the judges were opposite the bleachers. But I ended up going the wrong way (the old way) down the ice after my opening spin and then panicked and wondered if I should stop and skate back the other way - I decided that would look stupid and figured the judges would never know the difference. I accidently added a toe loop after my first sal, which was supposed to be a solo, and didn't even realize it until I got off the ice and my coach told me. So I ended up with 2 sal-toe combos (fortunately, no Zayak rule deductions for singles - lol). I finished 3rd out 4, with 2 1st place ordinals (and Terri was the champ!

). The whole time I skated, I just remember thinking how cold it was and how much I hoped that I wouldn't have a..um..wardrobe malfunction or something of that nature. No wonder I didn't realize what jumps I was doing!

I was so busy watching the other events and looking at my pics that it didn't even occur to me to take my skates off, so I left them on for an hour and a half after I skated until after the medal ceremony, and yep, I got rust.

Fortunately, someone at my rink's pro shop was able to use some kind of oil to get the rust off w/o getting an extra sharpening.

sk8ordie · #14 03-16-2006, 01:40 PM

I remember my first time... oh the memories.

Although it wasn't anything too formal (it was a frozen pond across my house in western PA), it was an amazing experience. There were 4 of us... all good friends who hid our love of the ice from everyone because of the ridicule. You know how HS boys can be

Anyway... we set-up snowmen as mock judges and began the competition. My friend Stevie looked stunning in his sequence jumpsuit. I, however, couldn't afford anything fancy; just a pair of snow pants, a bright white parka and blue mittens. To make a long story short, I came in 3rd; bronze for me! But, just as Debbie had problems with rust, so did I. You see, the ice cracked and I fell in. I got out, but one my skate's wasn't as lucky. When the spring came and the ice had thawed... well, you can imagine.

TwirlGirl10 · #15 03-16-2006, 02:37 PM

My first competiton was at my home rink. I was freaking out about a week before and ended up getting first. After that I was hooked!

VegasGirl · #16 03-16-2006, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skittl1321

I have a LONG way to go before I can begin to think realistically about competitions- but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about them already.

Why would you say that?

I started competing about 4 months after taking my first figure skating lesson...