Way-hay - I've done it - I've beaten the skate order curse (darn it now I can't use that as an excuse any more).

Nearly everytime that I, or any member of my family has gone out in competition in the past, we have placed in exactly the place we were drawn. Consequently I love drawing to skate first as I've won a few times from that position and have a fear of drawing to skate last.

This weekend was the British Adult Championships and I was skating in a group of 8, Level 2 and under, skaters. I arrived at the rink on the Saturday morning to discover I'd been drawn to skate last - all week I'd been telling my coach that if I was drawn to skate last I wasnt' even going to take the ice.

However having driven 4 hours to get there and paid out for the entry fee and hotels etc I thought I'd better do it. I wasnt' intending to watch my competitors but in the end I did. Probably just as well as, luckily, after seeing the first skater I thought I could do better and that I probably wouldnt come last.

Finally it was my turn and while it was by no means the best I've skated my programme it was probably as good as I've ever skated it in competition (I've skated it in 2 opens at level 1 but this was my first time doing Freeskating in the Championships having done low level solo dance before). I felt very shaky and was grateful my spiral faced away from the judges as I could see my hand shaking uncontrollably in front of me and feel the shakes creeping down to my legs. Despite the shakes and momentarily losing track of where I was, it must have looked better than it felt (and I landed my loop!) as when the results came out I was thrilled to learn I had won the bronze!!!

The skate order demon is dead!!!!!!!!!

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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

It never did work for me! We have skated that unprintable Golden Skaters' Waltz first in every single competition this year, I think, and have precisely one first-place ordinal for our pains! Okay so we haven't always finished last, but almost always.....

Someone draw us _not_ first at Oxford..... please......

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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!

Congrads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

Now to get over the nerves and if you'd smile that bronze might turn into a silver or gold.

Congrads once again.

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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

That's fantastic!!
My skating order demon was always the fear of skating first, because I would have to cut my warmup a minute short and would still be tired from the warmup. Also, my best skate ever had been when I'd skated last, and my coach always told me it was the best possible draw under the 6.0 system, where the first skater always had a disadvantage with the judges and the last skater had an advantage.

I think that the skating order curse goes the opposite way, it is TERRIBLE to skate first. Although at certain competitions i have beaten the curse and placed well with an early draw, usually i get closer to the end of the pack. The best thing to do is not think about it at all!