I have a question for those who's been around the competition mill a while... (I only compete like one a year and certainly not at Sectionals or Nationals so I don't qualify in that area.)

I have heard today that there is a rule that if you are at a competition site where there's an adjacent rink that's open, you're not allowed to warm up on that second patch of ice at least an hour before the comp. Later on, I heard the same but only applies to those in the qualifying events.

Does anyone around here know what the real rule is and where in the USFSA rule book states this, if it does exist???

I am extremely worried about this since I really need to warm up before my comp and I can't do running or jump-roping b/c of my lower back problems. I wanted to warm up on the public session ice (the other patch at the Oakland rink) a bit before the comp so I can get warm up to the point where my muscles don't go stiff and wreck havoc on my back. But I don't want to end up being disqualified for this either.

Thanks very much for your help!!!

__________________
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!!!

Don't know the answer either but would make sense to me that you certainly would not be allowed to warm up at the other rink... just wouldn't be fair... and I've never been to a competition where it was customary to do so.

That's just part of the deal... though they usually do have practice ice early n the morning on competition day.

The only thing I see in the rulebook about this is that a skater can not practice on another ice surface once the event has started (p.168). It doesn't say anything about an hour before the comp, though. You should be fine, Jazz, as long as you get off the other rink before your event starts, which you'd have to do anyway.

Good luck this weekend! Conquer those loops!

Okay, that would make sense. Not a problem for me then. It's not like I have to wait long for all my competitors before I skate like those ladies at Nationals or the Olympics... it's only like 4, maybe 5 skaters max!

Thank you for the well wishes!!! I hope I can land my loop and my flip!!! (And stay vertical thru out the program w/o killing my lower back!!!)

__________________
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!!!

I think those types of rules only apply to qualifying events or nationals--and maube only for "championship" events?

For example, doesn't USFS also state how many minutes should be given for warmups (6 minutes) and how many dance/pair teams can be on warmup (max = 4 teams). At "local" events, these rules are mostly ignored.
You should be fine. (Disqualified? Are you kidding me? I seriously thought you were joking!)

Perhaps the rule you are thinking of is the one stating that once skaters at Nats or Worlds have checked in, they can only skate on the official practice rinks?

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

I can't believe there even is a rule like this, 5 min is never enough time for me to warm up, and everyone is different. I know for me to warm up sufficiently I need at least 10mins. What a stupid rule...but even if there is such a rule how would they ever know if you went to another rink before...I would just go cos they have no way of finding out. if you go before the competition even begins I wouldn't think that applies.

Yeah I was curious about the same thing. Do they have some kind of spy at the other rink?

__________________
Check out the sites I run
http://www.joelisi.net
http://www.charlieday.net

I don't know about USFSA rules (you'd have to ask a USFSA judge), but I know for NISA you can't go on the ice once the competition has started (i.e. you aren't allowed to be a flower girl until after you've skated - sometimes our club has trouble getting flower girls for the first class of the day, and then by the end of the day we have too many, as all the kids want to do it!). As we only have a couple of twin-pad rinks in the country, the question of warming up on the other pad doesn't normally arise.

And I do so envy your six-minute warm-ups; our rule is that you get one minute longer than the length of your programme, so normally 2.5 minutes! And 3 minutes for a dance, the first minute without music. Mind you, when I get a six-minute warm-up, at the Mountain Cup, for instance, I never quite know what to do with it....

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

At a British Championship, the rule is that you cannot practice on anything other than official practice ice after the draw for your competition.

This doesn't apply for normal Opens as sometimes the draw is done a week before the competition.

Jazzpants,

Why don't you email the referee or competition contact person and ask? My guess is that rule does not apply here, but I could be wrong. Even at regular Nationals now the skaters are allowed to skate on practice ice that they purchase separately, whereas they did not used to be once the competition had started.

BTW, Mrs. Redboots, not all of our competitions here have 6 minute warmups! Many have only 3 minutes or so. The worst part to me is that you have no idea how long they are going to give you. Makes it hard to plan, so I always assume it's only a 3 minute warmup.

Pat

__________________
August 22, back on the ice!

Jazzpants,

Another thing you might want to ask a referee to clarify is whether the rule refers to the start of your own event or the start of the competition event as a whole.

Sorry if I wasn't clearer in my post, but the rulebook uses "event" to mean a particular competitive group within a comp - ex: Pre-Bronze Ladies.