[quote:9878991a91="Ice T"]I passed my Adult Silver Freeskate last Saturday!!! [/quote:9878991a91]

I'll second my congrats to you, Ice T. (And icetiff too for that matter! Seniors Moves and FS!!! Good luck on the Senior Pair test too!)

Cheers,
jazzpants

I hope to test my first four dances (dutch waltz, rhythm blues, canasta tango, and the swing dance) and my pre-bronze freestyle at our first test center in July. That will really test my stamina, though!

Hugs to everyone!!
Danielle

T - Congratulations!

I passed my juvenile f/s saturday. Iam testing my int. moves july 11.

[quote:5aab22fdb1="mkcrazy02"]I passed my juvenile f/s saturday. Iam testing my int. moves july 11.[/quote:5aab22fdb1]We are a talented bunch! Again, congratulations, and good luck with your Moves test.

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

Ok. I am nowhere near the level most of you are and I haven't OFFICIALLY passed the test, but I am not an Alpha skater anymore!

My instructor told me last night that I could move to the next class (Beta) if I wanted to do so. I didn't really think that my left over right forward crossovers were where I wanted them yet, but I am pleased that I'll get to start working on more things! YAY! I will take the Alpha test officially at the end of the session.

Currently, there is only one other person in my group lesson and he's a pre-Alpha so we're already working on different things -- so when my instructor told me that I could a) go to the next calss where there are more people or b) stay in my class and just work on the next set of elements, I natuarally chose to stay where I was. With only one other person in my group, it's crazy to pass up a semi-private lesson. She doesn't seem to have any issue sliptting her time between the two of us, so I think I'm really going to enjoy the next six weeks!

I know it's not much, but I'm thrilled!!!! I don't expect to pass Beta this session (5 1/2 hour lessons left before testing), but there's a summer camp for just adults at the end of July (lessons five nights in a row for an hour!) and I hope that I'll be able to test Beta after that. We'll see!

It was my goal to take only 3 Alpha lessons before moving up to Beta stuff this session and I ended up only taking 2! Yay!

Congrats mkcrazy and good luck with moves.

[quote:6b9408591b="quarkiki2"]I didn't really think that my left over right forward crossovers were where I wanted them yet, but I am pleased that I'll get to start working on more things! [/quote:6b9408591b]

And congrats quarkiki2. And don't worry about those left over right forward crossovers...as you'll learn soon enough, no skill can ever be good enough - they just keep getting better and better. You start them in ISI or USFSA basic skills...then they show up on the first standard USFSA test (Pre-Preliminary). They're back on Preliminary, in a different sorts of verions on Pre-Juvenile, Juvenile, and Novice. Then you have big power circles of them on Intermediate and Junior...you just can't get away from making them better. Already they're probably much better than they were a few weeks ago and by the end of the summer, no doubt you will still think they can be better, but they will be greatly improved.

Kim

During my transition from FSWorld to this board (June 1) I passed the Adult Gold FS. What a relief!

I am in retrospect very grateful for the process of preparing for the gold test, as it forced me to work on some things in my skating that were not very strong.

Good luck to all skaters testing soon, especially the adults looking to test before the inception of Adult MIF in September.

dcden,

Congrats!!!! That is just TERRIFIC!!!!!

That is my goal, but it will have to be post-moves. Little stumbling block called an axel.

dcden,
Congratulations! Can I ask you a question. What were the things that it forced you to work harder on? I am trying to take my gold test as well before the moves deadline and its going to be tight. My axel is probably the biggest stumbling block as I can do it about 80% of the time on the line but when moving its either there really well, or down to about 20%.

Kate

My problems were not in the jumps but in the footwork and spins, especially the spin combo. All of May was basically a spin month for me. Remember that the spin combo requires a change of foot and position. I used a forward camel back sit, but I've also seen forward camel forward sit back sit.

Hard to say what the judges really look for... I don't know if my test panel is indicative of most test panels, and I don't really know what their expectations were going into the test. But here's a good link to general test expectations:
http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_rules/singles_how_test_conduct.htm

Kate I know this may be kind of late for you, but as a general rule for all, if possible I would also advise you to sit in on other test sessions, or ask other adult skaters in your area (are there any?) how their tests have gone in the past. You may find that skaters tend to have the same difficulties on certain tests. For example, at my club, I think the back spin was a tricky element on the Bronze test, and the camel spin the tricky element on the Silver test. Most of the posters here (and on FSW) have identified the Axel as the Big Element on the Gold test. Of course, every skater has her/his own strengths/weaknesses, but it's still good to know what precedents or patterns there are, because I'm sure the judges are well aware of these patterns as well. Remember that judges are human too and if they see a wonderful spin when they were expecting a sloppy one, that could count for a lot if the overall mark is on the borderline.

dcden,
Thanks for the timely reply. Unfortunately there are not really any adult skaters in freestyle at the gold level in my area. There are some in Houston (I'm in Dallas) but to the best of my knowledge, my silver FS test was the last, highest adult fs test passed here, and I think their gold test were passed quite some time ago. There are a couple of folks at the bronze and pre-bronze level, but that's it. My spins are average, so no question those will require work. I'm also planning a camel back sit although I've been doing a camel/sit/back sit a lot longer and am more comfortable with it. I think if I can destress on the axel, it will be more consistant and I should be ok. But the more I stress about having it for the test, the more it comes and goes. When its good, its actually really good - high and floaty. And when its bad, its non-existant.

More good news! I passed Pre-Juvenile free this morning! I think I'm done testing for a while. I hate feeling so nervous, though this time at least my legs functioned fairly normally .

Kim

[quote:1cb080e0aa="kar5162"]More good news! I passed Pre-Juvenile free this morning! I think I'm done testing for a while. I hate feeling so nervous, though this time at least my legs functioned fairly normally .

Kim[/quote:1cb080e0aa]

[color=red:1cb080e0aa][size=18:1cb080e0aa][b:1cb080e0aa]CONGRATULATIONS![/size:1cb080e0aa][/b:1cb080e0aa][/color:1cb080e0aa]

[color=black:1cb080e0aa]that really is fantastic news. I really don't like testing, far more nerve-wracking than competing, if you ask me.[/color:1cb080e0aa]

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

Yay kar5162!

Foe me, I know what I'd like to have for the next test, and there's what will probably be the next test!

I'm hoping that , with a clean program on Saturday at our State games competition, my coach will consider the possiblity of trying me out for the Bronze free in August- this would be the FIFTH time I've tried this!

With it being said that I've tested and retried this test 4 times- I'm not too sure about this. My coach wants to have all of my jumps clean as well as my sitspin lowered.
No matter what I'm doing moves anyway- this would at least take some of the pressure off!

Defintely Pre- Bronze moves, in October/ November, Terri

[quote:4ad030e18e="kar5162"]More good news! I passed Pre-Juvenile free this morning! I think I'm done testing for a while. I hate feeling so nervous, though this time at least my legs functioned fairly normally .

Kim[/quote:4ad030e18e]

[size=18:4ad030e18e][color=purple:4ad030e18e]YIPPEEEE!!!![/color:4ad030e18e][/size:4ad030e18e] Congrats to you, Kim!!! [size=18:4ad030e18e][color=red:4ad030e18e]YOU GO, GIRLFRIEND!!![/color:4ad030e18e][/size:4ad030e18e]

I passed pre-Alpha, Alpha and Beta last week. My coach (for about 2 months) found out I can't do hockey stop and she was stunned. She couldn't pass me on Gamma. But now I got the hockey stop down. What a relief. When I come back from vacation ( a whole week, yippie!), I'll test Gamma and Delta.

Not sure about Freestyle 1 though. We'll see.

Funny thing though. I'm new to skating and all so I'm not that familiar with these testing procedure stuff. The test is really informal. My coach asked me to do the moves according to the ISI rule book. If I can do them, she'll pass me. All she has to do is to fill out paper work. So I don't have to travel to test at all. She said she could do it all the way up to Freestyle 6. From Freestyle 7 and up, I'll have to travel up to Tacoma WA for the test. What about you guys? I'm just curious.

I'm ready for my 1 week off. LOL

Lunatic,

ISI testing is very informal. Your coach is the "judge". I actually think they can judge you through Freestyle 7 though and at 8 you need to have official judges. This sometimes leads to wide discrepencies in skill level as some coaches are picky and want you to do elements well before passing, others just care that you can complete the element, and still others don't actually test at all and just send in the forms for the level they want you to compete at. Few people test ISI after FS5/6 because the requirements become somewhat strange (jumps in the other direction as an example) and because there is pretty much no competition at this point.

I believe USFSA basic skills/basic freestyle operates in a similar way, though it seems that the coaches are usually a little pickier about the quality of the elements.

Standard USFSA testing is done differently. For Pre-Pre and Pre you may either have one or three judges. For Pre-Juv through Senior, you have 3 judges. The judges are not coaches and typically you are the only skater on the ice during the test, though sometimes moves are doubled up and Pre-Pre free is often done with 3 skaters on the ice since there's no program at that level, just elements. Pre-Pre is an encouragement test so the stuff doesn't have to be done "well", but it still can't just be survived.

Hope that helps a little.

I passed my pre-bronze CHA CHA this morning. Whew!! My practices went very well this past week and I felt pretty good during warmup but when I took the ice for the test I got a little stiff and my legs got shakey on the 2nd pattern (Why does that always happen?) so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But I did it! Glad it was first thing in the morning. It doesn't leave much time to worry about it.

Well, after SIX attempts in three years, (and god knows how much time and money!) I finally passed my Novice MIF today at the tender age of 31! And one of the judges came up tp me to tell me how lovely my test was!

I definitely win the award for perseverence and persistence. Sixth time's a charm!

WooHoo!

[quote:10da6c2309="manleywoman"]Well, after SIX attempts in three years, (and god knows how much time and money!) I finally passed my Novice MIF today at the tender age of 31! And one of the judges came up tp me to tell me how lovely my test was!

I definitely win the award for perseverence and persistence. Sixth time's a charm!

WooHoo! [/quote:10da6c2309]

Congratulations!!! That's very impressive. Definitely something to be proud of.

[quote:dac2b2a6e3="skatesnrides"]I passed my pre-bronze CHA CHA this morning. .[/quote:dac2b2a6e3]Many congratulations! Now you're an expert on it, perhaps you could answer our query! The dance isn't part of our test structure, but we do dance it recreationally, and we'll have to have it for next year's competitions. Now, my husband says it's "impossible" to fill the rink with it, but I think one isn't meant to - isn't the pattern more like that of the 14-step, that goes nowhere near the corners?

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

[quote:3758adf20b="Ice T"]I passed my Adult Silver Freeskate last Saturday!!! [/quote:3758adf20b]

[b:3758adf20b][color=green:3758adf20b] Congratulations![/b:3758adf20b] [/color:3758adf20b]

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Congrats skatesnrides and manleywoman! Awesome!!! I'm hoping to pass Intermediate this summer, but Novice seems impossible still.