As I posted on the poll thread:
A friend asked me to join her sychnro team. Aside from not being able to afford it, I am a CW skater and am concerned about doing the majority of skills CCW. It might really help me and I plan to look into it when I can afford the investment maybe next season. The team is masters level.

Any CW skaters out there on a synchro team? How difficult is it? Has it helped you balance your skills?

Kay

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Hi, Kay,

Jessi (skittl123) is a CW skater on our team, but before her,we had two others. Most of the skills that we do are skills that everyone does both ways: crossovers, pumping, chasses, etc. We do skills that people are supposed to be able to do both ways: three turns and mohawks. Truth be told, several of us (including me) struggle on those skills when they are done CW in the programs (and I assume when we do them CCW, a CW skater wouldn't be as comfy, either). And then we do a lunge on the "wrong" leg for most people (left leg back).

Has it helped me with these skills for my solo skating? Absolutely. When our team was very young (we've only been around about 6 years), the coach catered to the CCW skaters and all two-foot turns, 3-turns, and mohawks were done CCW. But her vision for the team has our skills expanding, so we're actually doing 2 of the 3 mohawks CW in this program and the 3-turns are evenly split between CW and CCW. Our pinwheels travel CW, our footwork circle is CW, but the other circle is CCW.

Masters level teams have huge discrepencies in skill ability -- the masters level team at a nearby rink performs simpler, slower programs than our team, for example. It depends solely on the level of skills the individual skaters have, so you may not find it as difficult as you think it could be -- or the team could be all skaters who skated as kids and they're really fantastic -- it really depends on the make-up of the team. Our team is about 1/2 and 1/2 -- we've got one who skated on tour, for example, and several of us who started skating some of us who have been skating three times as long as she has

I'm not a synchro skater but I think you should go for it. I changed coach two years ago and new coach insisted I should learn to jump in both directions. I thought he was kidding at first but no - he meant it. It took a few months but now I can do waltz, toe-loop and salchow in my 'wrong' direction. It does help with the right way round stuff as they suddenly seem easier and as you suggest it does help to balance you as a skater. If I can learn to do stuff 'wrong' way round anyone can!

Not sure what difference trying to do opposite way stuff in a team makes but would have thought it may help a bit as you have the (physical) support of skaters either side - not to mention the moral support of being in a team.

Kay, I'm a CW synchro skater. First off- it helps that our team is fairly low level, but there is a lot that is a HUGE challenge for me. At this point I think I'm okay for our exhibition, but I'm worried I'll have to tell the coach I can't go to the competition.

Right now my biggest issue is mohawks that go CCW- quarkiki is right- they should go both way evenly, but that's not the case for me! Right now we have one that just moves too fast for me to go over that shoulder- I'm doing a quick 2 foot turn the opposite direction- okay for exhibition, not going to be okay in competition. But we have just as many mohawks that go CW. Whether I am doing "easy" or "hard" 3-turns just depends which line I'm in. So it's just as much an issue for CCW skaters here. It's not a directional issue, it's an "I'm not a great skater yet" issue.

The other move we have that is a major difference is a half-flip. If I don't really think about it when I put my picking foot down I do a toe loop. But it's such an easy jump, that I can do it both ways too. (Besides which my coach teaches half jumps like footwork and expects me to go both ways... but it's not my instinct.)

Then there are the issues of lunges and spirals- I don't do the spiral in this program, but if I did, it would be on my bad leg. But really, I'm still at the point where so much is challenging, that it's just another thing to add to the list!

I've been told our second program has a 2 foot spin in it- and I'm worried about going CCW on that, but if it's only a few revolutions I can handle it. If you are on a high level team, I think it would be a more difficult adjustment, but a lower level adult team I don't think it's really that big of a deal to skate CW.

I think synchro has been a huge benefit to my skating- I skate with more power than I ever had before, and it's great to have some companionship on the ice. However, I wouldn't say at this point it has evened me out at all.

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I know a CW skater on a teen/youth synchro team. She's at about the novice/intermediate moves level and probably about pre-juv or juv freestyle. I haven't heard her complain about having to do elements the "other way," but I'll try to ask her the next time I run into her.

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HEY!!!!! GO FOR IT KAY!!!!!! Your Synchro. materrial!!!!!!! As your one of the NICEST Girls on this Board.

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