Hi,

I'm pretty new. DD has been skating for 5 months now and she is interested in competing. I won't be entereing her in anything till after the summer. What should I know about competing in the lower levels? Is it customary to enter multiple competitions or just the skating school one? A silly question: how do skaters keep warm in those little dresses? Anything anyone can think of would be greatly appreciated.

Don't know how old DD is ... but:

Little girls have a wide range of selection of nice dresses suitable for competitions that are warm in that they are long sleeved and can be high collared. You can put a cozy undergarment (thin) underneath these. Also, microfibre tights and a warm jacket for warmups; the jacket comes off only for the actual competition skate. Some competition categories the jackets stay on, i.e. for elements (in some competitions).

The naked-y look, as my husband terms it, , isn't necessary ... and especially not for little girls. According to my DD, who is older and thus wears naked-y loking dresses, she doesn't get cold because of the adrenalin rush of competing, plus, she works up quite a sweat in her program!

In the lower levels it should be fine to enter just local competitions. Over the years for the basic skills levels, I have seen a wide variety in the types of dresses. At my rink most beginning level skaters wear a plain velvet dress to compete in and then have a sweater and gloves for their warm up and a pair of warm up pants for hanging around in the stands.

One of the best things you can do is go watch a local competition if there's one at your rink or in your area. They are free to watch and you'll have the opportunity see what all happens in the different events and at different levels, the competition atmosphere, etc.

Do you know if your daughter will be competing ISI or USFS?

See what your daughter's coach suggests. She will probably be able to guide you based on your skater's level and the like and advise what events to enter.

In general, my beginner competitors almost always compete their first competition at their home rink. It's usually a good introductory experience to competing in the sense that the skater is in a familiar place with friendly, supportive coaches and skating buddies.

As for entering multiple competitions, I wouldn't recommend doing so until after your daughter tries her first one. Although it may seem appealing from afar, not every skater thrives in a competitive atmosphere and she may find she either loves it or hates it once she's had the chance to get out there on her own. See how her first competition goes--the actual experience, not the placment--and go from there.

While I wouldn't rush to sign-up for multiple competitions, you can have her compete more than one event at each competition. There's everything from compulsory to freestyle programs to more fun events like spotlights and interpretative. Again, see if you coach has any recommendations on what events are appropriate for your daughter's age and skating level.

Most skaters come to the rink with either a warm sweater or warm-up suit. Anything that zippers or snaps off is great since the skater will typically remove their sweater after the warm-up right before he/she takes to the ice for the actual competiton.

I recommend my skaters wear a solid-colored sweater (black is great and doesn't clash with most dresses) or their rink's team jacket.

As others have suggested, you can easily find a long-sleeved competition dress, which will do a better job at keeping your skater warm than the "naked-y" looking dresses. If you daughter is especially young or tiny, this may be the way to go. Too much flesh-toned fabric or mature cuts may not be age appropriate either, so keep that in mind when selecting a dress, and refer to your coach if you need suggestions.

Aside from actual clothing, skaters can keep warm by keeping moving after they get off the ice from their warm-up, especially if they do not skate first in their group. Marching in place, doing tiny jumps or deep knee bends all help to circulate the blood and keep the body warm.

we just went to see a competition last weekend. it was fun to watch. At the first 4 levels (she is in a USFSA program) everyone pretty much got a medal because there were only 2 or 3 kids competing at each level. I wonder if that is typical.

For Basic Skills events, there are usually no more than 6 skaters in an event and often everyone gets some kind of award (ribbons if not medals).

Once you get to standard-track no-test and pre-preliminary competitions, the groups may be larger.

My daughter started competing last June. She's been in 4 local competitions. She first competed at the basic 4 catagory and is now competing at the freeskate 1 level. Anyway, there are usually 3 or more kids in her freeskate groups. I think the number of kids depends on the level of your skater and how popular skating is in your area. She'll be attending her 1st out of state competition in August and I have heard the groups are larger then what we are used to.

Dd is competing in a local competition next month and is skating 2 programs. Her first program will be her freeskate program. There are a total of 6 kids in that group. Her second program is her showcase/light entertainment program and there are 2 kids in that group. This will be the first time dd will skate a showcase program. I'm kinda nervous!

The first time dd skated, there were 4 kids in her group. Around here, typically they give medals out to kids who place 1st-4th and ribbons to kids who place 5th and beyond. This of coarse is for competitors in the basic skills levels. I'm not sure how it works once a kid is in non-test and above. The largest group dd's been in so far, had 7 competitiors. I was nervous because I knew that meant that some of the kids would leave with medals and some would leave with ribbons. Dd was a good sport and said she'd be happy with whatever she got! We always tell her that we are proud of her no matter where she places. I feel it takes a lot of guts to get out in front of a group and preform! Dd ended up placing 2nd and was so very proud of herself!

Anyway... I've rambled, sorry! Good luck to you and your daughter. Competing can be a lot of fun.

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skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven

Congratulations to you and your daughter!