Intermediate now has the novice spirals, and they took out the loops--Forward loops are now in novice! There may be other changes too, take a look again. I was thinking I should hurry to get through Intermediate before the rule change to avoid the loops, but now it looks like I could probably pass that test.

http://usfsa.org/Shell.asp?sid=42287

I'm a bit confused about the statement for the adult tests that they will adopt the same changes as the lower levels. Does that mean they will adopt the changes for the moves that already exist on the adult spectrum? Or that they will adopt those changes, as well as adopting the new moves (such as the circle 8s.)

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-Jessi
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OK, I think my opinion has changed, lol. Now I might actually pass the new Int test. When I thought only the forward twizzles were being added, my coach said that might be an easier move for me than the back perimeter stroking/back power 3's move (I have issues with back turns at high speeds ). I could do that spiral sequence - the BI spirals scare me a bit, and you no longer get another push in the RFI mohawk transitions like you do in the current Novice sequence, b/c you are doing BI instead of BO on the other foot, but hey, it looks better than loops.

Of course, it would be kind of hard to practice w/o running people over, but that's the case with a lot of moves.

I couldn't watch the video, but I assume they show how you get from the end of the first side to the start of the second side/foot?

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

Yes, and somewhat yes. They have the new tests listed in the GC proposals - see NoVA's link in the other thread. The moves that are being revised on the standard track - crossover figure 8's, Bronze perim stroking moves, 8-step - are being revised the same way for the adult track. They are adding the forward circle 8 to the Bronze test. No other new moves are added.

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

From the Governing Council Requests for Action document (http://usfsa.org/Content/events/2008...r%20Action.pdf)

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The only one of those that will be harder for me, is the combined F & B crossover pattern. I think I probably can go much faster on the FXO's than my comfort with the mohawk will allow. I could probably pass that move anyway, but I hate to hold back because of a weak mohawk. Will have to bring it up to speed - literally.

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Thank goodness I've passed that move already- because I'd have the same problem. Possibly when I did it an my crossovers were weak the mohawk (which was weaker still) may have worked, but now I would have to back off on my crossovers to do the mohawk.

I have the same issue with the 8-step. I like that they've essentially cut 2 of the outside mohawks, but I'm going to have to wrestle with the inside one. I wish there was the option to do the circles in the other direction. But the moves have always been biased to CCW skaters (5 step mohawk, for example, is started on the foot that means 3 of one mohawk and 2 of the other. Alternating back crossovers have to start with that turn too- if I did the same pattern in the other direction, the entry would not cause any grief at all.)

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Yeah, that does make this test seem a little less daunting! I kept messing up on my back power 3's each time I tested Int. MIF and it ended up becoming this mental thing with me, so maybe the twizzles will be a welcome relief. Then again, I haven't tried to learn twizzles yet, so it could also be out of the frying pan into the fire, LOL!

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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

Since all I ever do is practice for MIF testing and never get around to actually testing.....

How do I change the figure 8 crossovers? Is it one set forward and one set backwards? Mohawk or 3turn to change over?

The revision means that you'd be doing a figure eight of forward crossovers (so one circle each direction--clockwise and counterclockwise) then do a mohawk through the middle of the figure eight to allow you to do a figure eight of backward crossovers (again, one circle each direction--clockwise and counterclockwise).

This is designed to save time so the skater no longer has to skate two figure eights forward and two figure eights backward. The USFS website has an example of this move posted under "Preliminary MIF Test".

While the transition from the forward crossovers to the backward crossovers is a new challenge, it will eliminate the "circles of different sizes" criticism that I've seen on the test sheets. (When the circle was repeated.)

I assume we can use the hockey lines and the circles/dots for the axes, since the new pattern requires the circles to have width-wise axes.
As long as the skater has no "fear of hitting the wall" (literally), this will be a good thing. It also removes one pattern-to-pattern transition.

One comment I had about the difference between Standard and Adult MITF testing was that the standard-track skaters transitioned from one pattern to the next in an almost-choreographed way, whereas the adults I observed would stop after each move, think, then skate to the next pattern start without good carriage or stroking.

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I like the changes- especially taking out the bracket 3 bracket on Novice!!! The crowd reallly is going wild!!!

I don't think the INT spirals are the same as the novice, though. Novice has back outside and forward inside. The new Int spirals are forward outside and back inside, which, imo, are harder.

As reviled as this move is, I really think it does a big service in setting skaters up to do the double rockers on Junior and Senior. I know people will argue that these are done practically on a flat, the rockers on edges, etc, but the quick balance shift on one foot that this move teaches is very worthwhile.

I do think some moves have been revised more "by popular demand" than by logic, and many of the eliminations now disrupt the flow of moves. Changing or taking BO/FI spirals out of Novice seems trivial, but BO/FI spirals are on Senior - with a 3-turn transition, not a mohawk.

There are also FI and BO. Adding the spirals will probably Int easier for most people, but Novice will probably be harder - for those who could do spirals well, it was kind of a safety net if they failed one of the other moves.

Is the bracket-3-bracket move that bad? It looks like one of the easier moves on the Novice test (as opposed to the quick rocker choctaw end pattern and the back perim stroking with the BI-FI 3's around the ends, both of which look scary as h***).

I tried the forward twizzles today. Just played around with them for a few minutes, going very slowly, but they definitely feel like something I could do. I'm working on both Pre-Juv and Gold right now, and while practicing the back perim stroking for Pre-Juv, I couldn't imagine doing BO 3's around the end at that speed. I think I'll just wait for the new Int test, lol.

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

Personally, I HATED the bracket-3-bracket pattern, but, I also do not like quick turns (junior is currently kicking my butt with the power-pull pattern), so, for me, while it looked easy, it was also the one where I took the hardest falls. That moves also screwed with my head...I ended up having to reskate 1/2 of that pattern when I tested Novice. I also ended up having to do that move twice, as before I stopped skating, I was working on Intermediate, and then they moved that move from Intermediate to Novice...for me, the FI/BI 3 pattern was one of the easier patterns on that test. But, it all comes down to personal preferences...

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

Yes.

It's actually one of the hardest, for a lot of people. And as Kim mentioned, you can take *really* hard falls in the learning process.

I'm definitely one of the crowd going wild over that one being eliminated! That move alone made me think I'd probably never get through novice. Now----don't know. Will have to look closer at the new elements.

My right butt cheek is screaming in agony at the thought!!

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

I don't mind the bracket-3-bracket. Once I realized that you're really supposed to just stay on a flat the whole time, it got a lot easier. I wish they'd taken out the rocker-chocktaws (not the quick rocker-chocktaw end pattern, but the other one!). That move seems designed to bring me to a dead stop!

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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

I only just started playing around with rockers and I've already gone down on them

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It's all about the dress!

I hate the B-3-B but LOVE the alternating rocker-choctaws. I like the quick rocker choctaw perimeter, but hate the inner-inner threes.

The B-3-B is one of the most ill-designed moves ever created and if I wasn't determined to pass this freakin' test before hand, I'd wait just to not ever have to do it again.

Thanks for the insight on the B-3-Bs. I've only tried them in slow motion, lol, but I've seen some kids go down on them, so I can understand what people here are saying.

Another thought: with the power circles being moved to Juv and back perim/back 3's moves being eliminated, there won't be any moves on the Int test where the primary focus is power. I wonder if the committee thought about that - right now, each level has at least one "power" move.

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

The back power 3's, I believe are staying on Intermediate...and those are a "power" move

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

Nope, the back perim stroking with the back power 3's are being removed. The rationale given is that the back power 3's are on Juv so there was no need to reevaluate this skill. When you add 2 moves to a test, you've got to take off something, so this move and the power circles were it.

I believe the new Int test is: back double 3's, slide chasses, brackets in the field, forward twizzles, and the reworked now-Novice spirals.

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

ugh...you're right, nothing that is power based...but then again, the repetition was not fun...

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

I know my coach is aware of this.....she keeps mentioning testing....glad to see the changes for pre-bronze are not that drastic.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!