Love to hear from anyone who has passed bronze FS as to what was expected, how you skated etc. If you passed, how strong were you? If you had to retry, what was the problem? Do they expect you to "sell" it?

I'm testing soon, and of course, we have some members who just passed moves this week and I thought they might be interested too.

I took & passed my Brone FS test last November. Here are the comments & scores I got from the judges:

Technical Merit
Judge #1 (2.5) - Sit spin was nicely centered with good position. Jumps executed cleanly.

Judge #2 (2.6) - No comments.

Judge #3 (2.7) - Technically well-skated. Nice spins.

Presentation
Judge #1 (2.5) - Graceful use of hands and arms; transitioned well with tempo changes.

Judge #2 (2.6) - Overall good execution of elements. Good variety.

Judge #3 (2.7) - Well-skated performance. Nice selection of music (I skated to music from Shrek).

Hope that helps

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I've got mad salchow disease!

From my experience and a few other Bronze tests I've seen, the most important thing is just to complete all of the required elements and get the required number of revolutions on the spins.

I agree with DoubleToe.

Spins were my hardest thing and I did not pass the test the first time. The second test(1 month later) was much better and I passed with excellent comments.

Stay focused and make sure you can do double run throughs of your program. Do a good off ice warm up....all will be well!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Well, that's good. I mean, it's good to know the judges are just looking for completion of elements and not some great artistic performance.

Lately, my tough elements have been the backspin (well, that's always been my toughest element on the test) and the sit spin. My problem is that I can do the elementts in isolation in practice, but then when the music goes on, they disappear. I have resolved to run through my program twice each session (so 4 times when I skate 2 sessions in a day) until test day to address that problem. I want to pass this test the first time.

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

Debbie, remember that the judges can ask for reskates of two elements on a FS test! If you miss any thing during your runthrough, do that element(s) again right afterward and treat it as part of the runthrough process.

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

Flow is also important - but as long as all the required elements are completed and there is adequate flow from one element to the next, it is likely to pass.

When I took my Bronze FS Test 6 years ago, the hardest parts for me were the backspin and sitspin. I thought I had done them in the program but the judges said I only had 2 1/2 revolutions on each! I reskated those two elements (the backspin was really wobbly) and was passed by 2 judges - Yay! I just wanted to pass so I could go to Adult Nationals.
So my advice would be to complete your elements. If your spins are weak, then make sure you get all your jumps on the test, and practice getting extra revolutions on your spins. If you can get 4 revolutions in practice then you can probably get 3 when you are nervous.
Good Luck!

As for shaky spins, make sure you don't count until you are actually IN THE POSITION. Judges are very picky about that.

Yes, everyone is right about the spins. It's hard to count revolutions when you're the one spinning, so try to get 5 revs on each spin and that will mean you've probably got 3. And yes, wait until you are locked into the seated position before counting the revs on your sitspin.

The Pre-bronze and Bronze FS tests were the first tests I ever took. I took them on the same session, just before the MIF test requirements came into effect. I had never skated a program in front of an audience or judges before, so I had no idea how to focus, and that's what messed me up! So you are very wise to skate your program twice each session and really get it into your body so that you won't blank out in the middle of your program because you're so focused on trying to "present" LOL!

I found myself way ahead of my music and had to do a little mental rewind to figure out what I'd skipped. It turns out I'd skipped the whole section where I had my loop jump. So then I just started improvising, doing the loop jump and then coming around to do the next thing. It messed up my concentration and my rhythm and that made me mess up my sitspin. I didn't pass. I got comments like, "Should have skated to the music." Uh. . . yeah!

Here's a question that was running thru my mind...

I am a jump short of doing the Bronze FS test. My issue is that I tend to toe tap the landing on the loop. Everything else about the program is/should be pretty steady and ready to go...

My question is... should I go ahead and try it anyway, or should I keep working on that loop jump 'til it's consistently clean before I sign up for it?

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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!!!

Well, if you've never landed it, I would say to wait, but since you've landed it plenty of times in the past and can land it at least half the time, I say go for it. You'll never know unless you try....yeah, I know - famous words.

If your flip is more consistent, you can always do that instead of the loop. The third single jump doesn't have to be a loop, and I've seen skaters do a flip instead - whatever's easier for them to do.

I've never done a passable backspin in competition (I got 3 rotations once, but stumbled out of it instead of exiting on the spinning foot). It's been consistent in practice (knocks on wood/head) so I decided to go ahead and give testing a shot. The good news is that if I mess up on it in the program, I'll get a reskate (assuming everything else was fine) and the backspin is more consistent when done in isolation than in the program, so hopefully, I'll at least be able to do it then.

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

What will you do for your 3rd jump (since the test sheet says "At Least 3 single jumps, including Salchow, Toeloop")?

Is that other jump secure enough that if you need a reskate of a jump other than the salchow or Toe loop, you would generally land it correctly such that it is recognizable for what it is supposed to be?

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

My third jump is the loop.

I have not consistently landed them. (I land them cleanly maybe about 20% of the time.) Most times I tend to toe tap the landing but I still come out gliding.

I also thought about doing the flip too, since I land those cleanly more often, but I also have the same issue with those as I do with the loop too!

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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!!!

Meaning, you land it then immediately pop into a toe tap? Hmmm.
The judges' requirements would include holding the landing edge, which you know you need to master anyway. From seeing you skate, I know you tend to drop the hip on 3-turns; maybe that's the problem with the jump landings? Try keeping your free leg more in front when you land, then sweep it to the back without dropping your hip. That should help keep you from tapping out of the landing.

The loop is required on the Silver FS test. The Bronze FS requires a salchow, a toe loop and another single jump. You could do a flip instead. Stay with what's more reliable and master it.

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Sure, if I didn't have the same problems as the loop too. Flip is more like 30-40% clean landings.

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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!!!

Jazz - I use to do the same thing for some new jumps. what worked for me was to land and delay the check out a tiny bit. In this way I knew that I was securly on the ice before I made any changes in body position. Also remember to keep your head up. If the head drops, the toe will follow.
You'll get it!

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

I'd give it a try, you might hit the jump that day or the judges might let it slide. Or you could get it in a reskate.

But if the flip has a higher percentage of successful landings, why not go with that one?

I'm actually playing with BOTH options now. We'll see which one gets it for the test session!

Thank you you guys that are giving me tips here!!!

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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!!!

Since you already need to have 3 revs on a backspin for your Bronze test, why don't you try pointing your toes and leaving the ice at the end of your reverse spin so that the last revolution happens off the ice (i.e., you do a loop jump). It might help you stay backwards over your right hip and keep the left foot from coming down on landing. Not that you would do a loop that way on your test, but it might give you the feeling of it, KWIM?

Hi, Jazz! I would go with whatever other jump is the most consistent within your program AND that you can do in isolation (just in case..... ).

I thought your flip had the most consistency?

Also, at an AB Freeskate test I saw over a year ago, the skater finished rotation on the ice on her loop AND kind of scratched/stepped out and was passed. The rest of her program was strong, so..........

Just a thought--- if everything else is pretty darn good, give it a shot and test when you want!

Here are some questions that maybe those who have tested, and the judges among us, could answer :

What happens if a toe loop looks like a toe waltz? I worked on it tonight in lesson and my coach pointed out that even though I'm not actually doing a toe waltz, I tend to jump without drawing my right foot back toward the left toe (I jump CCW) and a judge might think I'm taking off forward when I'm really not. She pointed out that a judge can't come over and look at the tracing on the ice. Of course, I'm working on it but if I do it like that in my test, I wonder what would happen? Would I fail those elements (waltz-toe and solo toe)?

Also, I tend to jerk my left arm and shoulder to the left as I take off for the loop. We worked on this again tonight - trying to keep my left arm in front - but old (bad) habits die hard. Is this something that would get a deduction/retry?

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

For me, it would largely depend on the overall quality of the program, and the egregiousness of the faults.

For example...

If the toeloop appears to be a toe-waltz, AND

the sit spin barely sits, AND

the backspin barely makes 3 revs, AND

the overall flow is weak and slow (within the realms of Bronze skating)

or in other words, if the whole test appears to be a struggle for the skater (just not soup yet),

then I probably wouldn't pass it.

Just my $.02 worth.

OTOH, if the elements are basically there, with good flow, but the toeloop is the only marginal element, then I would probably pass the test. I might ask for a re-skate of the toeloop, I might not. It would also depend on what the rest of the panel wanted.

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

I was having the same problem on the toeloop takeoff (for my double toe). What finally got me to pull back properly after picking was to think of it as a 2-footed takeoff. Try it; maybe it will work for you, too.

I feel the same as Jen -- the "toe-waltz" would only bother me on a Bronze FS test if the rest of the program also lacked technically and performance-wise.

I was trialing on a panel once for a Novice FS where the skater did a toe-axel instead of a double-toe. One of the judges on the panel was like, "what is that?" and had her do it again. She did the same thing and then we had a discussion with the skater -- the rest of the program was really strong, so they passed her. Might not happen every time, but that time it was okay, even on the higher test -- I think her presentation mark brought the whole thing up.

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