Say,this question came to me today from thinking about when people come to see me skate. I was just wondering if skating in front of people you invite to a Public Skate is actually the same as skating in front of a WHOLE Arena of people. There's just a way lot MORE people....Or if it is INDEED a whole different Atmosphere? What would you all answer to this?

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FSWer

I guess it depends on how much it matters to you to skate well in front of the people you've invited to come watch you. When I skate at a competition or in a show, I'm putting on an official performance. When I have friends come to watch on a regular session, I'm usually just "showing off" a little, but not really performing, so I don't feel as much pressure to skate well. If I mess something up, it doesn't really matter. It also feels different to me, not so much because of how many people are watching, but because there are other skaters on the ice. One of the cool things about competitions and shows is that you get the ice all to yourself to do your program. Honestly, once I'm in "performance mode", it doesn't matter whether the audience is one judge or a couple hundred people - it feels pretty much the same to me.