my 9 yo is really starting to shine in her freestyle skating. Up until now, she has been juggling freestyle and synchro. She has been skating synchro for 4 seasons, starting as a beginner and last year had been on a juvenile team.

The team struggled some, and then this year has lost a number of girls. It seems that they are going to have to take a few warm bodies just to get the minimum number to have a juvie team, or they are going to have to skate pre-juv or some other non-qualifying category.

My dd is very committed to her skating, and spends (at her will) alot of time in on and off ice training, and then had been doing 3-4 hours a week additionally for the synchro team (as well as having to move through MIF testing a bit faster than she otherwise might for her FS level) not counting extra practices that come up and competition weekends. The thing is, she has very little time for anything else, but now I am questioning whether it is worth the time and the money for her to continue on this team.

We discussed (her and I) her trying out for a different team but that would require frequent travel for her to practice with them etc. and I explained to her that we don't have the time (nor does she) or the money to do THAT (travel to a bigger team) and pursue freestyle as she has been doing. She wasn't willing yet to give up trying her hand at freestyle and going to regionals in the next year etc.

I am thinking she still has a lot of time, if she wishes, to go back to synchro and still be able to skate juvenile team (she has a late birthday, so will be "9" for this entire season coming up). My gut tells me to have her take this year off of synchro, see how freestyle goes, and then see what next season or the one after brings (where she will STILL be only '10' and '11').

Thoughts or experiences with this kind of decision?

Have they properly started synchro for the new season? (not sure when your season runs) If they have, I would suggest that she continues what she's started as she's already committed to the team for the season, but if you're still in pre-season then quitting isn't so hard on the team.

Would she be upset if she stopped synchro as I find it's a very discipline to freestyle because of the friendships with the other skaters?

No, they haven't started yet, but the commitment is due soon. The 'season' starts in the fall/late summer. I would never have her quit part way through. She does love synchro, but she is dissappointed at what has happened with the team. I think she'd be upset, but I also think she'd adjust, especially knowing she could go back another year- I think it is more about change because it is change if you know what I mean.

Quitting synchro once the contract is signed is pretty much impossible - you still have to pay even if the skater doesn't skate. If all obligations are not met, then a report goes into USFSA and the skater is blacklisted.

Synchro is a huge commitment, and my advice would be to quit now, so the other skaters on the team have a chance to find another club/team if this one folds. We've experienced being left without a team too many times for it to sit well with me - skaters and parents sometimes don't realize how a family decision can affect others outside of the family. It sounds like you do understand, so leave now while there's still time for the team to recover. Although it is really close, as most other teams have had their tryouts and contracts done.

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Oh, I totally know, and even though I think it may be the right thing for my dd, I feel badly about it. The thing is that OUR team, pretty much did what you are saying to us and others. We have some pretty big name teams within driving distance of us (long driving, but doable) and we have several girls who I think are completely capable of making those teams, but their tryouts were a month or more ago. I suspect that the team management and coach knew that we were at very high risk to be short kids then, but didn't want to tell us and others- so now the kids all missed those tryouts for other teams. As a matter of fact, one of my dd's friends mom said to the manager she was thinking of bringing her dd to one of the tryouts as a backup in case we don't have enough, and she was given a very hard time about it, so she didn't.

It sounds like you're pretty set on skipping a season. whilst the change bit is hard (I go through the whole synchro/no synchro/switch team debate every season and it starts in the month before nationals!), it doesn't sound like you're completely closing the door to synchro. Perhaps as you say, dropping out now, focus a season on freestyle and see how things progress that way, but keep working the moves and testing those up so that she's in a stronger position to get on with one of the better teams next season.

when i took up synchro i had the choice of the local team (which wasn't that local) or one the other side of the city with a horrific commute. My freestyle coach (who's big in synchro as well) told me that if you're doing it, you may as well do it properly. It's left me with the debate each season cos the commute gets to me, but I don't regret it. I see synchro as something that's worth the sacrifice to do (although would dearly love a local team!).

You didn't say why the team has lost so many members, but it really doesn't matter. Injuries, job woes, financial crunches, and school changes always cause an ebb-and-flow impact on synchro teams. Next year might be huge for your synchro teams because of the same changes: new skaters coming into the rink, parents getting better jobs, and middle school schedules.

That's too bad that your coaches discouraged the skaters from trying out for other teams. Perhaps you should suggest that your teams make their signup deadline earlier in the year, so that they don't lose skaters to the other teams.

I think your DD should take a year off from synchro, but use the money and time to focus on her own skating skills. She can go to cheer for her friends, and find ways to hang out other than at practices, etc.

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My parents made me make that decision when I was 11 (since I was going to be aging off juvenile soon and taking on the time commitments of higher level teams--I was fortunate to have one of those powerhouse clubs with teams at multiple levels a skater could grow their way through). I went with synchro with dance/moves on the side and never looked back. In retrospect, I'm glad I made that choice. I don't know if I would have stuck with skating as long if I had just done freestyle, and I got farther in synchro (multiple national medals, international competitions) than I ever would have in freestyle. I've met some of my best friends through synchro--either growing up through the same club together, or skaters from other teams I've met over the years. But I don't know if I'd suggest that same decision today, depending on what your daughter's goals are.

You can always go back to synchro, especially since your daughter still is so young. It's quite different from when I was growing up--today, at the higher levels, individual skating skills are CRUCIAL. USFS imposes moves test requirements for qualifying levels, but most clubs prefer or require skaters to have higher moves tests than the USFS minimums, in addition to dance tests and some freestyle tests. Jumping ability is not really important to synchro, but if a skater can do some of the most common freestyle moves that earn a team points in the moves in isolation requirement of a program (flying camels or other various combination spins), that makes her even more valuable.

If she wants to eventually go back to synchro, she's at about the right time to take off, even for a few years, and focus on getting some of her jumps. If she gets her doubles, then decides she wants to go back to synchro, she can always just do a little bit of freestyle each week to maintain those jumps so that she can test through her senior free.

Synchro has incredible opportunities in college that just keep growing. (While not yet an NCAA sport and no scholarships are available, there are numerous other benefits--namely it helps find your "niche" on campus quickly and having a sport they are dedicated to keeps a lot of skaters focused on academics and studying, and they don't have time to party and goof off.) For the record, a lot of skaters who try out and make collegiate level teams (or senior teams at colleges) never had syncro experience. Synchro skills aren't even a big deal at most teams' tryouts, they are second to looking at individual skating skills.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

I agree with Rachelsk8r. Focus on mastering edges, turns, movement on the ice, jumps and spins at this age, and the world will be your synchro oyster. One of my biggest pet peeves - is the lack of basic skating skills that low level sychro skaters seem to have. Some teams take anyone just to keep going - and don't actually teach skating skills. Take away the skater on either side of them--- and these poor kids can't skate on their own.

The top senior teams in the world in synchro can all skate. The tryouts for them are horrendous - very competitive and nerve wracking for newbies. If you can't skate on your own - then you won't make the cut.

Absolutely, and that is the thing, her team is at the point where they are not growing from within and have to take whomever to make numbers- and yeah, some of them have very poor core skating skills (especially compared to my dd). She is working on passing intermediate moves right now, and she has a lot of high level spins already, and 3 doubles.

I do feel she'd be better off in the long run working on her own skills and then going back to synchro later (on a more competitive team)