Definitely testing! I don't get nervous really at all when I compete- at least, not anymore, I had some serious nerve issues from 2001-2002, but I got them under control this season. Yay! Now that I've managed that, I need to try to do the same when I'm testing. I think part of my testing problem is that my club tends to get the same judges for almost every session so I get into the whole, "ok, so-and-so mentioned that I flat out the rocker, so I gotta watch that, and such-and-such keeps mentioning posture, so I have to remember to stand up" etc. At competitions, I don't usually even know all of the judges, and I feel more like they're just there to enjoy watching us rather than rate us. (Plus, at competitions, even if you don't skate well you can place well if other people in your group don't either! I know, I know, that's not the point)

Do you find that you work better with a specific testing or competing goal in mind? I've been so bored the last few weeks that it's been hard for me to motivate myself to really get on the ice and work, even though I knew I'd be testing sometime in November or December. But now that the schedule's out and I have an actual date in mind, I'm raring to go in and train this week.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

Absolutely!!!! I don't enjoy testing or competing but I feel it is necessary to ensure that I make good progress and keep motivated. I need goals to keep me hard at it and motivated. Thanks to my two competitions this summer and the test I plan to do in a month's time, I can now do a lutz, camel spin and back spin. I reckon if it weren't for need for these elements in my programme, I wouldn't be able to do them now!

My question - for those of you who do compete or test, how nervous do you get, and how do you deal with it?

Nicki

Thats really great NickiT !!
Maybe we can talk more Pm me sometime! i am 12 by the way!

I try to concentrate only on myself - on my body, my program or test, my routine. My coach is really good at helping me do this. I try to completely ignore the fact that there are other competitors and judges. If I have to talk with the judges, at a test, I try to joke with them so I look at them as people who really want me to succeed, not as demons who are out to get me .

Do you need to take a breather every once in a while? I usually skate 6 days a week, but I was really tired this week so I've taken 2 days off and may take tomorrow off too.

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

I usually take the weekends of, although at the moment I have little choice as I'm still working the weekends. This week I put in 17 hours of skating, about 5 hours more then I've typically been averaging in the winter. I don't think I'll try to pick up any more days or hours unless work picks up and I need to.

Asre there any skaters from your club or rink that are skating at regionals?

Steven

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"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

I don't know exactly how many we have going to Regionals- I can think of five off the top of my head, but I may be forgetting someone. Then we also have two with a bye to US Sectionals, two doing Canadian Sectionals, and two more who get a bye to Nationals.

Oops, almost forgot a question. Does your club or rink do any kind of send off show/party/reception for its skaters going to qualifiers?

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

My club has a sendoff show for regionals... and everyone who's competing gets to perform if they want to, including the non-qualifying levels.

When you're having a lousy skating day, what's the one thing you can ALWAYS do to redeem the session? (For me it's spread eagles, ina bauer, and loop jumps! OK, that's more than one.)

It used to be a camel spin, just before I stopped skating in April.


Do you warm up and/or stretch before you go on the ice?

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Does having a hot chocolate and a chat count? I was INFAMOUS for not warming up ... even on the warm up. I used to get on, wander around for a few seconds and then stand by the barrier chatting.


What makes you want to keep skating?

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The best whisper is a click

Because I haven't learned everything yet, and what i have learned is not perfect, and it's annoying!

What color is your skate bag?

Steven

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

green,
do you have any lucky items you bring to the rink?? i have three monkeys in my skate bag and i have a gold necklace that i never take off...

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Waffles & Vodka

Breakfast of Champions

a silver chain neclace with a tinkerbelle charm from my trip to disney world!

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if anything, what do u DISLIKE about skating?
for me its the bruises u aquire from falling

The ONE thing I dislike about skating? Like you it's got to be the painful bumps and bruises I get sometimes and the fear of doing myself another big nasty!!!

What is the one element/step/field move etc that you really don't like doing?

For me it's the mohawk step sequence in the Bronze field moves!

Nicki

I didnt like when it was time to make me a new programme as I was so limited in what I could do.


What element has taken you longest to master?

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Hmm, Mel and NickiT both seem to have posted at around the same time, so to answer both their questions:

I really don't like doing FO3s at any sort of speed, unless I'm with a partner and often not even then.

And I think doing FO3s at speed has taken me the longest to master, or is it plain vanilla back stroking? Or both.

Do you think we skaters are crazy? We work for hours and hours to correct something by a matter of centimetres, knowing, as we do so, that it will never be absolutely perfect....

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

Yes, sometimes I think we are crazy. Mad. Sometimes I think, why on earth am I spending money on this when I know I'm just going to be frustrated and cold? (Sorry, had a bad day. And I haven't even been skating today.)

What's your favourite 3 turn? (I think I'm in a minority because I'd probably say BO3s).

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

LOL ... yes, you ARE in a minority I liked them when they started to become comfortable but then I broke my wrist doing one My favourites are American 3's


Given the choice (no ISU restrictions) what would be your dream costume?

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The best whisper is a click

I always wanted to be Peter Pan! I imagine a costume a bit like Katt Witt's Robin Hood (my first ever skating memory actually!). I think it's silly you have to wear a skirt!


(For dresses: Right now I really like the black and red costume Viktoria Volchkova used un her SP a few seasons ago. V. unusual but she looked hot! )

Q. What's an American 3?

Im pretty sure but correct me if im wrong arnt tohse the open three turns that are done the the American Waltz

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what is the most # of time su have had 2 retry a dance, and what dance was it?

So far, I've passed all my dances on the first try. I get the impression my coach wouldn't really bother signing me up for a test session, or he'd pull me, if he thought I wasn't ready to test a particular dance.


What is your favourite one-foot turn?

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

At speed it would be a right inside 3 that you really push into. If I can go slower, it would be a left outside bracket. Those have a cool feeling both going into them and during the turn.

Do you wear glasses - if so how do you deal with the when you skate? I usually wear mine except for the freeskate. And they fog horribly every time I leave the rink.

Hugs!
Danielle

I wear glasses, but not to skate. When I was younger I skated in glasses and really had no problems because I'd never known any different! I got contacts when I was 13 and I simply CANNOT skate with glasses on anymore. I have extremely bad eyesight, and I feel really unbalanced with my glasses on because I have no peripheral vision.

How sharp do you like your blades?

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

"death grind" .... I like them SHARP!


What 'strength' of boots do you prefer?


x

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The best whisper is a click

I really don't know how to answer this. I like the strength in my Klingbeils .

Does your last program run-through before a competition usually go well, or is it absolutely lousy? (Mine are ususally lousy -- I figure it gets the bad out of my system beforehand .)

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

lousy

how long does it take you to break in new skates?