enough with the event with jumps. There are events like that at local competitions. Problems why this won't work.....

1. how do you determine jumping level over MITF. For example. when you make up the category do you say "must be able to do double axel but have not passed any MITF. Where is the criteria?

2. Which jumps would you choose to allow in the event. For example you might have someone working on a double toe with no tests passed, but then you have say someone double a double axel. Hmmmm..is that fair?

3. Seriously, I don't get why you won't even try a test. I get that maybe the higher tests are out of reach at this point, but start at the lower ones that you can pass with a bit of practice. If you complain about that...just go away. Geeez

Edited to add...in other countries like Russia there are no test. So here's an idea...go find a country with no tests and ocmpete and see how you do. I bet not very well because even though there is no test, the skaters work on skating skills so they can be better all around skaters....

Why do you ask me questions then tell me you don't want to hear anymore (the answers) because you are sick of it.....Seems like you just want the last word. (btw. There are answers to these questions, but since no one wants to hear them I won't annoy you by posting them.)

Not disagreeing with having MITF as a standard for competition. But I've always found it odd that in the kids competitions they'll specify say no axel, but then other than flying spins, there's no equivalent with the kids who can spin well and they'll be doing Beilmanns, laybacks and some pretty snazzy combinations when some other kids in the same beginner level will just about have an upright. People worry so much about the jumps but I often think it's unfair that the spins can at the lower levels help to win the competition.
It's just plain difficult to define a standard with skating and I doubt we'll ever all be happy.

I completely agree with you.

ummm..pardon? I would just like answers. If you can't define exactly what you are looking for then you wont be able to make a credible application or admendment to go to council.

OK....
1. The criteria would be catagories A and B (as in roller). Neither would require tests to enter nor would test level disqalify a participant. (On roller we never had a problem with sandbagging. People wanted to move into B to prove they were not "beginners.")
Open A: All single jumps allowed up to and including single axel. No flying spins.
Open B: All legal skating moves allowed.

On roller, for World Class, the only requirement for the LP is 2 footwork sequences. There are your MITF. Let the judges decide who does them well and reward them with higher points....
Also let the judges have freedom to judge. No required elements except the footwork sequences. 7 jump passes, 4 spins. Jumps only repeated once in combo. That's it.

2. Not sure what "fair" is? There is a beginner event (A). If you are starting doubles then skating against the better competitors gives you encouragement to work harder. Remember, I am not proposing this in place of your current system, just in addition to it. If you are just beginning your doubles and really like the MITF maybe you should go to the standard adult events (like Gold), and not bother with the Open where it will be understood that higher level doubles will be included.

3. Sent video to Lexi. She agreed that to be ethical I would need to test to masters. That is at least Intermediate level. In the meanwhile, I really couldn't compete ethically (sandbagging.) Also, she mentioned that she didn't understand why someone like me doesn't find the MITF a breeze. So I guess I do look lazy to someone to doesn't understand. Let me try to explain. I am an extremely good jumper/spinner. I am not bragging. I have done these items for years, started as a child. If I should slip on a double takeoff or a spin (which I do often, believe me) I can usually "save" the item because I can quickly adjust my balance to compensate. It may not be a positive GOE,but I don't fall. On a test, (espcially an adult test), I would probably pass. Not so with the MITF. One bad edge. Sure I can "save" myself in the sense that I won't fall....but that was enough.....to fail. Two bad edges and I would definitely fail. I cannot "save" those like I can the freestyle items. Do you understand? (You probably aren't sympathetic, but do you get what I mean?)

Edited to Add: Actually, would love to live in Europe....but no money or skills to get decent job. Bummer! Stuck here.

If you miss an edge on a test, you get a reskate, provided everything else was up to passing standard. Even if you have a completely off day, you always can retake the test. I know only one skater who passed through senior freestyle (so senior moves as well) without failing a test, and even she had to reskate elements on a few of them.

Why not try the first test and see what happens?

That is one option. (Espcially if there is such a thing as a reskate.) Just going through options. Open Event. ISI. Shows/youtube etc. Need to investigate options....

Does anyone know if Russia still operates this way (without tests. Qualify through winning levels?) Just wondering. No, I am NOT going to Russia. Sorry.

You might want to learn things about figure skating before you go suggesting changes. You have 1 retry on a field moves test, but that is at the judges discretion. You have 2 retries on a free skate test, also at the judges discretion, you (the skater) do not get to pick what you retry, you are told what they want to see again. Maybe you should spend $15 and get the PSA manual on the field moves, learn the terms for ICE versions. You also might want to hurry as the moves will be getting much harder Int-Sr 9/2/2010.

Once again this in merely information, you can find it all on the US figure skating web site in the rule book.

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Pandora...yes they still have that..at least for dance.

I think you are being too hard n yourself regarding MITF. I did my skills test in Canada and it wasn't the best to say the least. I made mistakes all over the place, but I was able to get enough in to pass. No one is asking for a perfect MITF...no matter how much people say the judges want perfection. Slips and wiggles happen all the time in MITF.

We have a couple open categories in BC for adults. The are kinda similar to what you propose. I personally dont like them for various reasons, mostly being that people have stronger skating skills at the level they put their jumping ability. The competitions are local so they dont exist anywhere else bt the competitions that try and offer adult events...

I break my training time into bits: a few minutes spent on each element gets it all done, even in a 45 minute session. 5 minutes on each element sometimes is too much depending on how it's going that day!
working on edges helps your jumps, and believe it or not, working on jumps helps your edges, etc....

And the bit on bubble wrap had me cracking up!!! I envisioned a skater going into the dressing room to change into her "dress" only to find out that the younger girls had discovered it and had "relished popping all of bubbles of the packing they found, not realizing it was her Artistic Program costume." hahaha!!!!

Others will correct me if I'm wrong (which I might be I'm very brain dead right now) but I don't believe ISI artistic has very many requirements, but you must test to meet different entry levels. To test, it's not that difficult, but there is a dance sequence (which is a footwork sequence)-not difficult depending on the level. A coach can test you.

I prefer ISI competitions.

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

It really does! I hurt myself 6 months ago and haven't jumped since- working on silver moves (not going well) and Preliminary dances. My edges have gotten so much stronger, especially due to the dances. I finally started jumping again, and they are better than where I left them. (Sit spin too- I think the dance has taught me some knee bend).

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Skate@Delaware, I am definitely going to look into ISI.....maybe go there.....

That's funny about the dresses. Love to pop the bubbles!

Skittl, sorry to hear that you got injured. If you want, try the bubblewrap......seriously. I'm not kidding. It works.

Figure skating is just like any other sport. If you want to participate, and you want to compete, there are rules that you need to follow. If you're not willing to put in the work required in order to follow the rules and meet the requirements, that is your choice. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish by whining on every skating-related internet outlet to the same 25 people who are members of all of them. You shouldn't expect and don't deserve special accommodations, because we can't create new levels for everyone. Skate at the level that is appropriate for your level of MIF, follow that level's rules with regard to jumps/spins. That is NOT sandbagging. Work on your moves in the field in the meantime. What more do you want?? I think you just have a really bad work ethic and you're not willing to put in the effort.

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

Guess my major problem is that the USFS Adult catagories have been fitted to suit the majority of adults, but has (unintentionally?) overlooked a small minority. Instead of wanting to include the adults it has overlooked (by even adding one catagory for them so that they can participate), the attitude is "suck it up, sister" (or brother). Not very friendly. While I do understand there are such things as rules, I also understand what de Tocqueville ment when he referred to the "tyrrany of the majority."

Question: What exactly are you (plural, collective) afraid of by adding a no test catagory? That skating standards will slip to were people will be "tripping" all over the ice? That adult skaters will stop testing moves and just skate that catagory?(btw. Doubtful, adult skater seem to love moves. From what I've seen, they're not so big on jumping, but love moves and spinning.) That the event will somehow be "unfair" even with A and B catagories? Why the problem with just one event?

Pandora-
If you are not good enough to pass even the most basic of Moves tests, your jumps are flawed. Period. You keep ignoring that fact that people continue to post.
Why are you posting at all? Get your case together for the USFSA and do it - you seem to keep posting the same thing over and over and then getting belligerent when you don't hear what you want to hear. Talk to someone who can do something about it, if it's logical and/or feasible.

You are right. My jumps are flawed by ice standards and I know it. Ice gives negative GOE for wrap. I don't want to win. I just want to be allowed to enter. That is the point everyone seems to be missing.

I only reply because it is hard to be attacked and not defend yourself. But I think you are right. Probably should stop. They are not going to change their minds and, in the end, it is just wasting time. Good point.

Pandora, I think you continue to put yourself in a situation where a majority of the skaters here don't agree with you due to several reasons that you have provided:

1.) You don't WANT to try to improve your edges or MITF
2.) You seem to refuse the idea of taking a MITF test or avoid discussing it
3.) YOu consider yourself a lazy skater and CONTINUE to make excuses for everything you can't do (which I find very lame and point matter of fact, a negative attitude = negative results) and agree with a lot of people here...if you have poor edges, your jumping quality isn't there and how can judges JUDGE your jumps if you don't want to do them correctly when they are trained with the current system? Its not possible.

You've also seen several threads that YOU started and were closed because you continue to bring up things that are negative about skating and why you think things should change to adapt to a LAZY style of skating. We all work hard to improve, at least I know most of us do, so how its it fair to be able to enter into a competition without doing the work behind it like everyone else? You make no sense. And you are getting the same results and feedback which you even anticipated.

I skate because I love the challenge and everything entwined, edges, MITF, jumps, spins, etc.

Go back to roller skating if you find ice skating so FLAWED in your standards.

I think it best to be dropped and move on. Seriously.

I did not want to prolong this discussion but I do want to correct a misconception that you seem to have adopted. It's not that most adults LOVE moves-in-the-field. In fact, I was one of MANY adult skaters who tried to pass their freestyle tests before the MIF tests became mandatory in 2002, just to avoid them. However, I think most of us accept the MIF requirement because we understand that sometimes you need to work for the right to do what you really want to do (i.e., compete in freestyle). Did you also try to convince your university to let you graduate in your major without taking any of the prerequisite classes and distribution requirements because those weren't interesting to you? I'm sure a lot of us hated grammar class, but we had to go through it before getting to the more enjoyable literature classes where we wrote essays. And, in retrospect, thank goodness for that!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Sorry, no more replies. Going back to rink to work on freestyle. Bye all! (Will save moderator trouble of banning me.)

The Jumping Bean

I think we need to go back to the Title of this thread: "Looking for Certain Adult Skaters" - to see that, gauging from the responses, those skaters are not on this forum.

There are probably a lot of people who would not be opposed to what you want to do Pandora, but unless they have contacted you off-list then I suppose you need to look elsewhere - perhaps at your own rink...

By the way, have you posted anything on youtube yet?

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

I agree with Lexi. Sandbaggers make competing no fun for anyone. I speak from experience.

That is one of the reasons I'm switching to ISI competitions myself for a while. They actually frown on sandbaggers there. Randy Winship (their events coordinator) has written several magazine articles on this.

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This space has been put on hiatus for retuning....

Check out her (impressive!) work here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/123firefly321

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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 saw it. Looks very good.

I see no reason not to test and compete.
Period.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

It'll go with my grape purple boots!!!

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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!!!