I don't think so...they were both kind of upset after we got my results lol

jskater49, I know how your daughter feels! The first time I failed dance, I failed my American and harris tango at the same time...its quite frustrating...and annoying when you don't really know what else to work on because the dance seemed so ready to test and pass! I would LOVe to test where the judging wasn't single panneled...but I live in Canada and I'm not sure that exists? Or at least not where I skate...I have never seen more than one judge judging dance here! which sucks... lol

Lately all her dance tests have been single paneled so I think they are doing that more and more- it's cheaper I suppose. I just think when you get to higher level dances and they get pickier, but different judges are pickier about different things, it's more fair to have 3 judges.

j

Definitely.They are WAY pickier at higher levels...and your test can be affected by their mood/ attitude on that day, etc. My coach once told me that she did not get along very well with a certain judge, and as a result, that judge often failed her students (which is not too professional ... lol and doesn't happen too often I don't htink, but still!!)!

We remember the judges, but they probably don't remember us, as they judge so many skaters. I think before a test, a single panel judge should be given a copy of the previous test if they were the one to fail it. Does the word "fickle" sound right?

It almost sounds like this judge didn't want to pass her but couldn't find anything really wrong and was grasping at straws.

Flavorful:
It's official, my new skates are worth their weight in gold!!! Skated on a public session this afternoon with DH. After some warm up three turns, felt enough confidence on both FI and FO threes to try the new Adult Pre-Bronze three turn pattern, and was able to do it on both sides. Prelim power threes also were working and with more speed than usual. If I had known how much my old skates were holding me back, I would have gotten new ones two years ago .

Bland:
Nothing except that I had to get up early this morning after not sleeping well, and work for an hour and a half. Only did the public session because DH wanted to go to see his co-worker who has had a few lessons with me and said he would be there (he was). I'm totally pooped!

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I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's (and JennaD's) tests. Maybe she should consider doing the regular standard track instead of the solo. Then her tests at this level would have to have 3 judges on the panel.

Unfortunately, I've heard about that situation (where the coach has no idea why a test didn't pass and doesn't know what to tell their student) happening with MIF tests, too. The consensus is that sometimes, a judge just decides that a test isn't ready, b/c of some minor thing they see, and they just fail the test. And yes, it's quite aggravating - esp when you are talking about the lower levels, b/c a kid can get really discouraged.

Jenna, I guess Canada does things differently, but here in the U.S. the only dance tests (assuming they are the partnered variety) that can be single-paneled are Preliminary and Pre-Bronze (first 2 levels). It's that way with MIF and FS tests, too. Usually, a single-panel situation works in the skater's favor, b/c the judge feels more responsibility for the result and doesn't want to be the bad guy, unless they absolutely have to. But then again, if your single judge is very tough, that can work against you.

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

Judging in Canada is single panel all the time unless it's a competitive test.


I agree on this, some judges are more particular about certain things as well. Like certain judges will always comment on knee bend and flow, and others are sticklers for timing. One test day a judge failed every single gold dance taken because the unison on the extension wasn't exact. Just depends on the judge, and the judges mood that particular day. The judge/coach problem is more common then you think though, which is pretty ridiculous!

Better luck next time on the American! Once you get through it your senior silver dances will be a breeze!

Oh, bad luck - and also to Jskater49's daughter - miserable for both of you, especially as the judge(s) seem not to have looked at the same thing as the coaches.

As it is in the UK for anything Level 6 and Under. To give you some standard of comparison, that is (for compulsory dances) European waltz and Foxtrot, and (for free) Axel-double-toe.... You need a full level six (Moves, Elements and Free, or Moves, Compulsory Dances, Free Dance and Original Dance) to train as a judge, and it's preferred for coach training, too (you can train with fewer tests, but it takes a lot longer).

As for us:

Flavourful: The first half of our step sequence is okay now. Riverside Rhumba okay, I think, although we need a lot more power on the restart.

Bland: The second half isn't what it should be. Nor is our Willow Waltz.

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

We did consider her testing some of the dances standard, just to get that experience since she wants to coach but she's going to be a senior in high school this year, we want to at least get her tested solo up to her gold dances and hopefully at least to Novice freestyle, she hasn't totally given up trying to get as far as senior moves (if she can pass her novice moves!)...there's just not a lot of time left. There is no one to practice with for a partner and we'd have to travel pretty far to find a test session where they provide a partner. Never mind the cost to start over with standard test. More feasible to test in an area most of the testers are doing solo.

She just sees this as a challenge to get those dances so good nobody can have any good excuse not to pass her.

j

Flavorful: I passed my Bronze Moves this morning - by two out of three judges and so now I am happy! Actually I was happier before I got the scores -- at least it was finally over!!

Whoo-hoo!!

Bland: Wondering why the heck I am testing anyway - one of my friends commented that I shouldn't have passed as she knew I could skate better than that! Why do people say things like that anyway???

Strange.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

HOOORAAAAY, icedancer2!!! CONGRATS to YOU!!!

Sorry about your tests, jskater49's DD and JennaD!!!

Bland:

• My jumps have gone to hell again. Can't feel my legs that well today. Just felt tired and weak.
• Trying to get lower on the backsit... GRRRR!!!

Flavorful:

• Well, my camel spins are okay for once and my footwork is pretty steady. (Now why oh, why is it easy for me to do footwork and spins??? Jumps are supposed to be easier on the legs...)
• My Chinese spirals are a tiny bit better! At least the skating leg is straighter.

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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!!!

What the? Just because you may not have skated as well as you usually do doesn't mean you should have failed. To me it means that even on a bad skate day, your skating is decent.

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"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

What are Chinese spirals? Please describe.

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"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

Yay to IceDancer2! Sorry to JennaD!

Bland: left blade is loose and came loose again during practice. It was very loose during my pre-bronze moves test and I didn't know that until afterwards. Put screwdriver in skate bag and will get that taken care of soon. I hope.

Trouble getting 3 crossovers at end of moves pattern.

Left practice early, very crowded on ice, many teenagers with headphones. Better than last week when people had folding chairs on the ice and were trying to hold on to them...

Flavorful: Other than my crossover problems, the moves are pretty good and I'm much more confident with these than I was with prebronze. Which is weird but I've been doing variations of these in ISI for a long time as either warmups or as part of footwork so that is why. Had a centered scratch spin today. Decided I'd love to go all the way through gold moves if possible some day but realized that would require me to pass silver freestyle...oy vey

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Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Congratulations! Who hoo.

This was a friend who said you shouldn't pass? Eh. Nobody skates as good as they can on a test. But your not good as you can was good enough to pass and that is something!

j

They're another term for catch foot spirals.

And my day yesterday was MUCH MORE "flavorful." I went to watch some skating at the Sillicon Valley Open yesterday. OMG!!! I had elite skaters and coach galore yesterday. I was trying to watch skating and Justin Dillon and a bunch of his friends came by and sat at this big round table facing the glass (but BLOCKING MY VIEW of the ice!!! GRRRR!!! )

So I went looking for a seat and somehow I mumbled out loud that I was looking for a place to sit where I can eat and watch the Novice Ladies event when a male voice said "There's a chair right in front of you there! Grab it! That table too!!!" The male voice was.... Rudy Galindo!!! (The service really sucked though... took forever to get a menu... and took TWICE as long just to get my pizza!!! ) But it was kinda interesting (and weird) sitting across from Rudy (who was at the next table and also watching the Novice Ladies event too.)

And it gets better folks... I was heading towards the Ladies room and recognized this older white haired gentleman. We noticed each other and he smiled and I said "OMG!!! Are you who I think you are?" He said "Well, who do you think I am?" I said "I think you're Frank Carroll!!!" He said "Then I must be who you think I am then!" Very VERY nice man!!! And later on in the day I got a picture with him to prove that I wasn't dreaming or lying about this.

The Senior headliners at SVO, I think, are Bebe Liang and Nicholas LaRoche!!! (Though I see Dennis Phan as an up and coming Sr. guy who I expect to see on TV pretty soon... if not this year, maybe next year!) I also got a picture of me with Bebe... she's such a lovely young lady!!! Nicholas and I talked briefly... and I mentioned one of his fellow skaters that he skates with... Braden Overett (whose Pirates program I just LOVE!!! He made me a fan the night he skated that Pirates program at Skate SF!!! ) He mentioned that Braden won "Choreography of the Year" for that program! (TOTALLY deserved it!!! It was just a gorgeous program!!!) And oh, Nick's triple axel is OMG HUGE!!!

Needless to say... I'm still in 7th heaven from yesterday!!!

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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!!!

That's what I figured. I felt great getting off the ice because it was over, and as a judge, I would have passed me. If I had felt it wasn't passable then I wouldn't have tried it and if I had really skated ultra-crappily, to a level that I myself would not have passed (being a judge) and it passed, then I wouldn't trust that the judges were being honest, so really, it was a passable test IMHO .

Thanks for the accolades everyone. I think most people on here know that I have been working on these moves FOREVER and that I can do lots of things that are much harder than the things on this test, BUT there were a couple of things on this test that were an absolute nemesis for me and I just had to take it and get the darned thing over with!!

That being said, the one move that was my biggest nemesis, Power 3s, did not pass by any judge, but the rest of the test was good enough for the pass (I wouldn't have passed me on my Power 3s either, I'm afraid).

Enough of Bronze Moves! On to the Silver! Or better yet - finishing my pre-Gold dances!!

__________________
Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

CONGRATULATIONS!

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Congratulations, IceDancer2! Sheesh, that's some 'friend' you have. Don't pay any attention - give yourself a pat on the back - you earned it!

Uh, you don't need to pass Silver FS to work on Gold MIF. MIF tests are separate from FS tests. You need to pass the MIF test to take the FS test at any particular level, but you do not need to pass FS tests at any level to take and pass an MIF test, just the prerequisite MIF test.

My goal is to (someday) pass Gold MIF (if I ever pass Silver) and at this point I don't plan on taking any more FS tests (I've passed through Bronze). Technically, I could pass all the way up to Senior MIF w/o taking any more FS tests.

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

Nice! Thanks! that makes it a much more attainable goal (I still want to take and pass Silver FS...but I dunno)

__________________
Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Congrats IceDancer2!

__________________
Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

Sorry, I don't understand why there isn't a lot of time? Or is she one of those who plans to give up completely when she goes to college? Even if she does, she can always take it up again later, if she wants to. My DD only gave up when she went to university as there wasn't a rink near enough to make regular practice feasible. As yet, she hasn't taken it up again, but you never know....

Congratulations on your pass, but how very rude of your friend! With friends like that, as they say.... As long as you skated to passing standard, and you say yourself that you know you did, that's all that matters!

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Basically, the money from me runs out when she goes to college. Actually social security cuts off when she's 18 in May. I can't pay for college and skating. She does plan to coach but she's not going to be able to skate as much as she does now. And as a beginning part time coach she'll be lucky if it covers her own ice time. She isn't giving up - but these are the goals she would like to accomplish by the end of next summer - so adding starting testing dance from scratch is kind of on the bottom of the priority list.

j

Congratulations Icedancer2!!!!!!!!!

What's SVO? Nick was on my FS session last Sunday and I thought his skating was absolutely gorgeous (and yes, huuuuuuge, beautiful jumps!), but didn't know what competition he was practicing for. . .

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Silicon Valley Open

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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...