Ice skating GCSE for PE

[peanutskates]

This is really for all the UK people... has anyone here ever done/is doing GCSE PE and taking 'Ice Dance' as an element of it?
"figure skating moves such as spins or jumps will not be given credit", apparently.
What sort of thing would I do for Dance, then? I've never really heard of single female ice dancers, only of pairs...

Any advice from anyone? Thanks

[BatikatII]

Hi
my daughter is taking GCSE PE but we gave up the idea of using skating as any part of it. Apparently some exam boards will allow figure skating but most of them have decided skating is not a sport which is ridiculous. You'd think having just had the winter Olympics last year they might have conceded tht if it's an Olympic sport then it's a sport.

They obviously have no idea what is involved and think of skating as just recreational jollies round the rink to disco music. Very annoying.

In fact the same year my son and daughter went to teh British novice championships in pairs and came a respectable 6th of 12, my daughters PE teached gave her a grade E ( down from a B the year before with a different teacher). Totally stupid as it was lower than several students who had disabilities! Asked why, the teacher apparently said she had to give it to to someone - nice! She just didnt' like my daughter and daughter was not very into team sports which is all that seems to really count at school.

Anyway I digress!

We did discover she could do ice dance under the dance rather than sport part of the syllabus but even then it shows that they done' really appreciate ice dance by saying they dont give credit for jumps and spins both of which can be incorporated in ice dance especially free or original dance which if i remember is what you would have to prepare for the GCSE. since it really then woudl not fit into the NISA scheme it seemed a lot of extra work for nothing so we didnt' pursue it.

There is a complete dance track under the NISA tests scheme and the dance tests can be taken either as a couple or solo. In July each year there is a solo dance championships and also one for adults. Most open competitions at rinks will have solo dance as part of it and all dance coaches will teach solo dance - they have to as there aren't enough male skaters to go round.

It is a little frustrating though as the solo dances are simply teh same as the couples dances but done solo. It would be much nicer if specific solo dances were devised.

Good luck if you decide to go that route - I'd love to know how you get on if you do.

[Mrs Redboots]

Oh, solo ice dance is huge here! We even have a National Championships in it!

There are several sorts of dance - there are the basic compulsory dances, which everybody does, either solo or with a partner; you've probably seen the names of some of them on the board: Novice Foxtrot, Rhythm Blues, Dutch Waltz, Canasta Tango and so on. These have fixed steps which you have to do at certain places on the ice to a limited range of music. If you have Eurosport you may have seen the skaters at Europeans doing the most difficult of the compulsory dances, called the Golden Waltz (which you can't actually do solo).

Then there is the Original Dance, where the rhythm for that year is set by the ISU, but you can choose your own music and steps. At the lowest levels it only lasts for 90 seconds or so, but that's quite long enough. Usually you don't do solo ODs, though.

And then there's the Free Dance, which is what you'd probably have to do for GCSE, which is steps, spins and occasionally 1/2-revolution jumps. That's the one you usually see on television, and what they do in Dancing on Ice. But it's quite possible to do one solo - again, at the lowest levels it's 90 seconds, and you have to include one spin and a step sequence.

From what you have said, I don't think you're quite at that level yet, but it might be worth taking the curriculum to your teacher and saying "Help"!