Since there has been a lot of talk about coaches and switching I thought it would be a fun poll to do.

I had one through LTS and privates (through my preliminary moves and FS tests), who then moved to Hawaii. I started with another coach, but I wasn't skating a lot and focused on testing and skating for fun, and I was also teaching LTS lesson, and stopped skating with her once I left high school for college.

I am now skating again and have another coach due to being in another area of the country. I hope to stick with this coach for as long as I am in this area of the country. However, due to my career, I don't know how long that's going to be At this point, I really don't want to leave...

I am a serial coach monogamist. I had a different coach for each badge (there were 5) when I was in learn to skate eons ago.

After LTS, I took for one year from a coach who made me cry and didn't show up for lessons a lot. I switched to a different, more laid-back coach and took from her for four years until I graduated HS. In college, I took from two coaches who did team teaching - one for moves, the other for freestyle. I came home and switched to my current coach, and she's been my coach for more than 5 years now.

I switched dance coaches twice, but only because my first coach retired and my second moved away.

I seem to have coaches around the world from wherever work sends me, so I've never really switched coaches because I wanted a change, they've all been forced upon me. I am lucky in that three of them all knew each other from their competing days, but they're now on three different continents! I currently have two coaches, but that's only because the first one didn't have enough time for me, so I got another one to get a second lesson in the week. It's really nice because they both complement each other, without trying.

I've only had one privates coach, but I had about...well I had four progressing through LTS in groups.

My first coach gave up teaching but I'd already started working with Coach1 alongside her by then. His wife, Coach2, has been giving me occasional lessons on and off for years, but we started working with her regularly as a couple - Husband has taken solo lessons with him for some years now - about six months ago.

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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!

I had one learn-to-skate coach, one dance coach, and my private coach (i still have her).

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

Let's see...

My current primary coach is not my very first primary coach! I've had my LTS coach become a private coach for about 2-3 months and then our schedule changed and the only time I wanted lessons was on the LTS practice session since the public session after that is CRAZY. BUT I'm not allowed on the LTS practice session unless I was enrolled in LTS. So she was dropped. I eventually went thru a search where I tried out a couple of private coaches and found my current one.

As for my secondary coach... I had one that didn't work out. Then I took another secondary coach when I was unemployed, but had to stop taking him when I did end up becoming employed at a job 50 miles away and he didn't have room to take me at the rink that was closer to the "50 mile away" job. I them took ask8ngcat's primary coach, aka "Mistress Coach" until I lost my "50 mile away" job and couldn't afford to take lessons anymore. When I found another job, I went "on a dare" to take a few lessons with one of the coaches at my home rink that had a rep for "making little girls cry" during her lessons. (Hell, even primary coach threaten to sic me with her if I didn't do what he wanted me to do on the back spin! ) Years later, this secondary coach STILL scares the outta me, but I'm a much better skater for it than when I first started!!!

And of course, I have my wonderful NYC coach when I visiting, so +1 to my number on the poll...

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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!!!

My first coach, when I began skating, was a ballet dancer-turned-skater.
She was so graceful and talented, I was so heavy-footed and clumsy...not a good combination.

She dropped me (rightfully so) after I came to lessons late too many times.
(It was a long commute from Manhattan to New Jersey in the evening.)

I had one interim coach, a man who corrected much of my posture, but it was only for a few months.

I switched to my favorite coach, who was something of a nut and yet, a good friend. Her skating style was more athletic, which matched mine much better. She took me through axels, laybacks, flying spins, and double loops.

Last year, our Skating Director acted as my coach, getting me through Pre-Prel.

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only counting regular coaches (not LTS or ISI class instructors), I've had 7. I fired one, lost one to retirement, one to her moving away, and two because I moved away (one freestyle, one synchro). I currently have two, one freestyle and one moves.

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

Not counting the LTS group coaches I have had 3 coaches altoghether. The first taught both free and dance. I did both (started with dance and went on to a bit of free) and he was great fun to have lessons with. He moved back to his home country and I still miss him.

So I started with my current free coach who is Russian and very good technically and has helped my free to progress a lot. I gave up dance for a while as I wasn't prepared to have dance lessons with the dance coaches that were left at the rink.

Then we got some new dance coaches and following a group lesson with one of them that I really enjoyed, I decided to add dance back into my life. Unfortunately I hate compulsory dances and dislike the tedium of practising dance runs and all the things that make a 'dancer'. Poor dance coach now realises this but still does her best to try make me look like a dancer.

So I have two coaches currently and have had 3 in total. I suppose you could sort of count it as 4 coaches as I did used to have small-group lessons with some friends with another free coach ( we did figures with her and also free ) who has also since moved away.

I have also had the odd lesson from other coaches occasionally if one of my coaches is away.

My primary coach has always been my coach. We're in it for the long haul! I've worked with several other secondary coaches; my favorite is a ballet teacher who works on ice with my presentation and positions.

My daughter is on her 5th primary coach, but she only changes when the previous coach moves away. She, too, has had a number of secondary coaches.

I've had 10+. I have moved, switched rinks, had schedule changes b/c of jobs, etc. Two rinks closed on me. I've also switched to do dance. And I've had roller coaches.

Kay

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I have only been skating a year, but I seem to have lots of coaches (mostly group). I have two private, one for moves and one for freestyle. I am also taking 3 LTS classes-Power, FS2, and Beginner Spins. Power has two different coaches who alternate weeks, so you do the math.

I have been playing with the idea of switching private coaches. My current primary private is a Dancer, and I want to focus on freestyle. I like her though, and don't want to make her angry. I don't know how to make the switch, especially since the coach I want to switch with doesn't get along with my moves coach. Any ideas?

I had just one as a kid (until the rink closed and ended my brief skating career), and now just one as an adult. It's been 4 years and I haven't had a single lesson from anyone else. She is a perfectionist, which keeps me in line - I have no dance training, so I have no tendency to toe point, or keep my arms pretty, or have nice posture. At least she points all that out to me, even if I can't seem to fix it all. I'd rather have her tell me if something is not great than say that it's fine when it's really not.

Three, I have always wanted just one. Finding the right one for me has been a journey though. I've loved something about all of them but finding the right one is nice.

teresa

Just the one. I'm not counting group lessons of course. but my coach was the person who gave me my first lesson in pre alpha way back when.

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one coach and i absolutely love her to death. she is an absolutely incredible coach, but she's also like a second mom to me. i don't know what i would do without her. we have a really close relationship--we both talk to each other about everything. if for whatever reason she quit coaching, i don't know that i would keep skating. she's also a fountain of information. she is very well trained--john nicks was her coach when she was younger. also, she toured with the ice capades. but yeah, in conclusion, she's the best

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Yeah..I do grouop lessons because theyre actually alot quieter than private. Because at my rink, private lessons are in the middle of a public session.

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Giaz.
scene chav gonna tear you down .. because i'm gonna come and get you!
take the pee, and i'll hit you where it hurts with my toepick.

First coach was great for a beginner, very patient, good emphasis on technique but she retired after having back surgery.
Second coach was good -- but kept showing up late to lessons, then started not showing up at all , then decided he was quitting and referred me to:
Third coach -- who was fun to work with and did great choregraphy, but after only a few months moved to the other coast for her husband's job and referred me to:
Fourth coach -- who was 2nd coach's pairs partner and 3rd coach's only coach. I've been with her uh, let's just say the entire life of her teenage daughter. She has the patience of a saint to work with me.

I also had a secondary coach, but had to stop taking from her when my husband's job was eliminated -- which the coach completely understood.

I've also had an odd lesson here and there with at least four other coaches when my primary (fourth) coach and I have run out of ways to try working on things. She recommends someone or I suggest someone and she always says "Yes".

And that does not include the coaches at occassional seminars or one summer when I went to a week-long adult skating summer camp.

My current coach and I joke about how she's still going to be yelling at me to "point your toes" and "push harder" when we're both in our 80s. And I don't think four coaches in 20+ years is doing too badly.

I currently have three coaches: 2 freestyle, 1 dance. I also work with my dance partner for tests, so I guess you could say I have four coaches, LOL!

I've made three switches. The first because she moved to CA; the second switch to upgrade to a higher-level coach; the third was because of a coaching philosophy conflict and a lack of interest in coaching.

I *think* I've had 5 coaches...at least that's how many I could count. I've only had one as an adult, but when I was a kid, my coaches kept moving or quitting coaching to pursue other jobs.

I have had four in group lessons, which I no longer do, and one private. I took on my private coach as a secondary one to group lessons, however after a mix of circumstances I dropped them and she became my only coach (she probably hates me for it!). She's fantastic, and I hope I don't have to find another coach for a good while (if ever!).

I have had one private lesson with another coach when she was away once, but lets just say that's an experience I want to forget.

I'm working on 3.
My first real coach recently moved across country.

Coach 2 was his replacement and then I added a coach for dance lessons.

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

I've had 4.5 coaches.

The first rink I skated at didn't have the best coaches. It was more of a recreational rink. I had one coach through FS5, but my jumps weren't progressing very well. So, I switched to another coach who was better at teaching jumps. Then I quit for awhile when I started college.

When I started again, I was skating at a different rink and found a great coach there.

But, I moved to go back to college and had to find another coach that was closer to where I'm living now. That's my current coach, and I absolutely love her!

I also took a few lessons with one of the coaches at my current rink that's really terrific at teaching MITF after I failed junior moves the first time. Unfortunately, I don't have enough $$$ to continue lessons with her.