How Do I Start My Kid in Figure Skating Competitions?

From reader Ruth, who wants to be a figure skating mom…

So… here’s one that may seem kinda dumb; how do we get started with this whole competition business?

Kiddo and I went to go see the neighborhood competition while my batch oven was running at home. (We don’t have AC so my kitchen/apartment was a furnace for two hours while the heat dissipated. Let’s go to the ice rink!) Kiddo is now all about it. He wants to compete now. Right now. Right then. Okay.

Here’s my best guesses: We go to Private Coach and inform her. Ask her to help us put together a routine. Check the ISI page for competitions nearby, I’m hoping for one in January/February and register there. Figure out what events he wants to do. (I’m guessing Solo Something.) Kiddo: Practice, practice, practice. Me: Sew, sew, sew. Six months should be enough time for us to get ourselves together. Anything else I need to do beyond that, or am I pretty much on track?

Hi, Ruth. Welcome to the rink! You’re right: it’s always cooler here in the summer!

You pretty much have the idea behind how to get started in figure skating competitions. Let me give you my best pieces of advice:

1. Sign up for group lessons. If your son isn’t involved in group lessons yet, sign him up. If the lessons are already in progress, ask the skating director if she’ll prorate the session and let your son begin right away. Group lessons are the only bargain in figure skating. I’m not kidding, Ruth. Enjoy the heck out of every session because they will come to an end. While your son is in group lessons, your main objective is to pick out a coach. Talk to the skating director to see if you need a private coach to prepare your son for a competition. Sometimes a Learn to Skate program will have opportunities to prepare your skater to compete without the expense of a private coach.

2. Put a lot of thought into choosing your skater’s coach. I know you’re just starting out, but having a good coach that you and your son feel comfortable with is just as important as having a good fitting pair of skates. As a parent, especially a new parent, it’s extremely difficult to pick out which coach has the best skills. Since you can’t do that, use your son’s group lessons as an opportunity to sample coaches. Observe the lessons. Does the instructor appear to be enjoying herself? Is she positive and upbeat? Does she treat your kid like you’d want him to be treated? Does she keep the kids moving on the ice? When you ask your son what he’s learning, can he give the skills a name? Can you send him out on public ice and be confident that he can practice what he’s learned in class? Have you had an opportunity to talk to the instructor? Does she seem like a good communicator? Is she approachable and welcoming?

When you’re ready to choose a coach for your son, pick your top three. Ask your son for his top three. Approach three coaches and explain that you’re looking for a private coach for your son. Ask if the coach is willing to give a trial lesson, provide you with a coaching résumé, and provide you with references.

I advise you to choose the coach based upon how well that person works with your son and how well she communicates with you. Yes, having good skills is important, but research shows that the single most important factor in learning is the relationship between teacher and student. It’s more important than organization, knowledge, and feedback; although, you want to have those things in a coaching relationship, too. If you have to choose between two really close candidates, choose the one who pushes your son (pushing shows belief, which is important to learning) and one who has fun on the ice (fun means that your kid will have fun, too).

3. Your skater needs good equipment. As Skater’s Landing founder Chris Bartlett said in an Ask the Expert interview a few weeks ago, the equipment is the most important purchase. If you purchase skates that don’t fit well, your skater will be working to overcome his crummy equipment instead of working on mastering crossovers. It’s not easy, but make sure you take your son to a figure skating equipment shop that measures your son’s feet properly and doesn’t just send him out with any old skate. I’m a big believer in saving money, but boots and blades aren’t the place to do it.

4. There is no substitute for contact with the ice. Just like playing piano or learning a foreign language, figure skaters learn best when they’re practicing their skill. That skill requires a rink. Sure, you can buy a spin trainer, and eventually you should. Yes, you can do off-ice training, and I think that’s a good thing, too. However, the only way to master a Mohawk is to move a blade on the ice. When your skater is just starting out, find the public skate sessions and put him on as many as he wants to do. When you pay the money for public ice, do a fist pump because that’s the cheapest ice you’ll ever buy. Enjoy it while you can.

5. Go slowly. Make sure your son is always in charge of his training. Ask him if this is still something he wants to do. Start at a level that you can afford – figure skating has a way of becoming very expensive very quickly. Group lessons will ease you and your budget into the figure skating world, but once you’re out of those group lessons, you can quickly run up a bill. Go slowly so you can adjust your finances to the reality of the sport. Save money on the things that don’t make a difference to your skater’s edges, spins, and jumps: buy second hand clothing (MySkatingMall.com) and pass up the Züca bag. Spend money on ice, coaching, and skates. That’s where it will do you the most good.

Readers, do you have any advice for this mom? What do you think is the most important thing for a new figure skating parent to know? What do you wish someone had told you?

Do you have a question for Ice Mom or the Advisory Board? Terrific! Send it to me! You guys have been sending me a lot of e-mail lately and I’m truly grateful. Is there a post you’d like to see? Do you want to write a guest post? No, really. You can do it. Just send me an e-mail. I love e-mail. icemom.diane@gmail.com

Photo credits:
Flock of sheep: Chrisitan Guthier on Flickr.com Creative Commons
5 baby swans with Mama: angeljt on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Family: Chi King on Flickr.com Creative Commons

niuiceprincess

Agree with the public ice. Some sessions are really empty (surprisingly) and provides a good space for practice for a beginning skater. If he is just starting out, you don't want to put him in a freestyle session right away without a coach with him. I still practice on public ice and tailor what I work on depending how full it is! Also most rinks offer public skate passes or punch card that offer a bulk discount (usually saving you a buck or two off the regular admission).

Don't cheap out on the equipment. If a new skater is put on the ice with ill- fitting skates, he may get discouraged thinking it is him who can't master a skill, but really it is the boots that can't hold him up. I really discourage rentals for new skaters becuase they are soooo beat up and have no support whatsoever (unless you score a new pair which is rare). There are many wonderful entry level pairs for recreational or beginner skaters that are reasonable in price, yet provide the level of support their ankles need. Your pro shop guru will know!

Also don't forget the other must haves when you get new skates: hard guards (for walking around the rink/lobby) to protect the blades, and soakers (terry cloth covers) for the blades when you put the skates in the bag. These absorb the moisture and protect from rust. Gotta protect these skates as they are an investment.

Be encouraging, and if little Kiddo wants to get practice, please be willign to take him to the rink and pick him up. Especially if he is willing to compete. I know too many parents who think that once a week is enough skating… and I feel bad for the kids who are actually willing to practice more but have no way to get to the rink.
Ruth

I've got him group lessons, and he has two private lessons per month which are worth every penny. We attend at least two public sessions per weekend, Friday Nights on the Studio is practically family night (everyone knows each other) and Saturday Night is just laid back and fun. I got us yearly passes, it just made sense as he was really enjoying himself and always asking to go. Skating for him is “so much fun.” I'm a little unnerved by the expense, but it's worth it to see him grow into himself. He's not the same kid he was before he started skating just a few months ago. If a competition will boost him further, then that's what it is. I appreciate the help from the veterans!
PairsMom

Coming from a boy mom, look around and see who the other boys are taking lessons from. This is a good indication that the coach has experience working with boys and that can be extremely helpful. Since you are asking for references from a coach, ask the parents of these boys too. There are many things that are different for a boy in this sport; most obviously is the costume. You may find at the Basic Skills level competitions that often boys are in events with other girls. Later on this will change and there will only be boys in an event. Another thing to keep in mind, and this is where it is helpful to find a male coach or one that has experience working with males, is that in most cases boys have less coordination than girls – do not be discouraged, eventually they will catch up.
Silver Blades

The only advice that I have to add is let the coach and kid pick the competition events. An experienced coach will choose the events based on the skater's skill level so the kid doesn't always loose/win. It should be just hard enough to be a challenge but easy enough that the kid has a chance of doing well. Nerves are always a factor. I always skate my worst in competitions due to nerves and my coach and I take this into account when I sign up for events. I only enter competitions that I can skate very well in practice. So far I've medaled in the two events that I've entered but haven't got gold yet so I know I'm competing at a level that is good for me.
Ruth

Oh thank you for commenting on the Coordination issue – I'm always wondering at him as he flops around like a disembodied muppet while the girls are smooth sailing. I kept thinking it had to be some developmental difference. It's pretty comic when he's at the playground and turns some acrobatic flail and asks, “think I can do this on the ice?!” Uhhh…. Ask Coach.
Ruth

Okay – When we talk to Coach this weekend, we'll get her word on what events he can/should do. That's awesome, two medals! All the best to you, don't be nervous! The audience can be your friend, feed off of and feed into their energy to make yours better!
SuperSkater

It sounds like you may be at an ISI focused rink, we are as well. My daughter began competing when she was only at the Alpha level, but was Delta for her next competition about 4-5 months later. The only downside to ISI is that by the time they are Freestyle 5 or 6 there are not many other kids to compete against, most kids switch to USFS competitions at that point. In our area we only have one USFS competition a year, the rest we have to travel for – which is VERY expensive! Doing ISI at the lower levels was nice though, we have about 4 or so local ISI competitions a year that are local. My only advice I would add to what Ice Mom & others have said is that if you switch from ISI comps to USFS competitions you may have to consider a different coach for the USFS part, to make sure the program is hard enough. We stuck with our same coach and since our rink was so ISI focused the coach really didn't know enough about the USFS judging system, so then my daughter's programs weren't hard enough at first. We later got a separate coach to make sure the USFS programs were good enough. Hopefully maybe the coaches at your rink know enough about both ISI & USFS, maybe this won't be an issue in your case, but something to keep in mind. I think competing is a good experience for kids, even if they don't always place well, they are learning. I actually feel sorry for the kids that always get first, they end up with a rude awakening later on, in the real world no one always “wins”. And even if they don't have anyone to compete against in an event it is still good experience to get them out there. My daughter was very shy when she was little & I was too as a child. Competing really helped bring her out of her shell, she became not as shy, and became more confident. Even if we had never done the USFS competitions and just stuck with ISI it would have been a great experience. I did not want my daughter to be as shy & unselfconfident as I was as a child. Even if you just do 2 competitions a year it is a really good experience for them!
Denise

Can I chime in here too? If you decide you want the option of practicing during public skating times, check with the rink to make sure your child is allowed to do spins and other moves. Some rinks won't allow it for insurance purposes. The children at our rink are only allowed to practice during club ice and not public. It comes down to just going around in circles during public ice.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

Good point, Denise! Some public sessions are very strict; others aren't. I was lucky to find many, many sessions that weren't strict.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

I know that many figure skaters would agree with this:

If he is just starting out, you don't want to put him in a freestyle session right away without a coach with him.

Skaters need to develop that ice sense before throwing them out on a freestyle session.
SuperSkater

Yes, very good point. Every rink is different, some could care less what kids do on public sessions, others are quite strict! Our main rink used to be pretty good, many public sessions there would only be 5 or 6 skaters, mostly figure skaters and the kids could work on anything, even double jumps. Then they began to have problems and started enforcing strict rules about not being able to do jumps, spins, etc. unless in a private lesson. Luckily for us this happened about the time we were ready to switch to strictly freestyle sessions anyway. But if you can find a rink that is not strict doing a lot of public ice when your child is working through the lower levels is a big money saver. And the higher level skaters on the freestyle sessions really don't like the lower level skaters on their ice anyway. :~)
helicopter mom

Sounds like an ISI competition is a logical next step!! You may have to do a couple more private lessons for the coach to put together a program, but in the early levels at some rinks, you can even choreograph at a public session. In any case, your coach will tell you what to do. I would have your son tell his coach how much he enjoyed watching the competition and that he's interested in doing one himself. I think it's always good for the coach to know it's coming from the kid and not just the mom. Then you can follow the coach's lead in terms of the choice of competition, event, music choice, costume, etc. The great thing is that you already have a coach who is nurturing his love of skating and he's having fun. Good luck to both of you!!!!
newbiemom

The post mentioned 6 months or so to get ready for the first competition…from my (recent) experience with my new skater, I'd say that may be a bit long. My skater decided she wanted to compete back in September, but decided that her first competition would be this month (9 months away when she set this as her goal)…no amount of cajoling, suggesting, etc. from me or her coach would convince her to sign up for anything sooner.

So the coach put together a program back in September, but kept having to change it around as my skater advanced through basic skills levels into freestyle. As a result, my skater missed the opportunity to compete at the “basic skills” level, where she might have gotten a confidence boost, and now is competing for the first time at a level where (I assume) many of her competitors will be more experienced with the whole competition thing (she'll be competing test track beginner). And it seemed like my skater did not really step up training her program until just a couple of months ago anyway, when she could see the competition approaching.

So, from where we sit right now, I'd say setting a nearer goal (3-4 months out), even if it means competing at a lower level might be better (although my skater is perfectly happy and has none of these concerns herself, thank goodness)
Lynne

Since he already has a private coach, let that coach know that your son wants to compete. Find out what his/her policy on music is (I give my son's coach 8-10 songs on a disc and the coach picks from that) There aren't too many boys in the ISI world, so your son may find himself the only skater in the flight for his free skate. But for artistic, solo compulsories, interpretive, footwork and the others, they mix the boys in with the girls. He can compete in more than one event if he wants. The free skate, artistic and footwork programs are to music and would need the coach to choreograph the programs. Solo compulsories is not to music and there are 3 required elements, a mixture of jumps and spins depending on the level. For interpretive, which usually has a theme, the skaters in a flight get taken into a room and listen to the music which is played 2 or 3 times, then they all go out on the ice together to have a warm-up in which they choreograph their own routines. Then they're all taken back into the room and come out one by one to skate their routine (they keep the skaters who haven't skated in the room so they can't get ideas from other skater's routines) Some kids love this and some don't. My son gave it a try and hated it.

Then you get to pick out material and make the skating outfit and play chauffeur while your son practices. Good luck and I hope he continues to have fun with the skating. My son has been skating 7 years and still loves it.
sk8rmomp

Welcome to you and your son. I hope he has a blast! I don't know how old your son is, but it sounds like he's younger… I would defer to your coach as to how long it will take get competition ready. Just be sure that you choose a coach that know what your son's goals are and agrees to get him there or has a good plan to eventually get him there (might not be as fast as you all would like to go .

My IceBoy was older when he started, 9 going on 10. He competed in his first competition a year and 4 months after he started, but he participated in two ice shows before that. Maybe while your son is waiting to be competition ready, there will be opportunities to participate in group numbers at little exhibitions and shows. That's a good way to keep him occupied while he gets better.

I have to tell you that my son started with USFSA, and went directly to the non-test competition rather than any basic level competitions. He took one group class series, then started with a private coach. Like I said, he was older at the time.

On a lighter note, LOL, I have to disagree with IceMom about the Zuca bag. If your son wants one, get him one…maybe for Christmas or Birthday. My IB loves his, it's amazing what fun the boys can get up to with those. You know, the Y chromosome and wheels thing…He's had it for more than three years I think, and still has fun. It has been the best investment we have ever made (plus I got a real deal at a department store, not a specialty skating store). There is something to be said for getting a Zuca bag for pure fun and entertainment value LOL.
Badstagemom

D'oh!!!!
I'm guilty of “making do” with 1 single lesson/practice pw (no other ice time).
5 y/o DD did come 2nd in her one comp so far … out of 3 entrants in the baby division – lol.
So how often do people think she should rreally skate pw to be reasonable????????
niuiceprincess

I've been told that a good rule of thumb is an additional hour of practice for every lesson…so if she has a lesson once a week, another hour on the ice (public skate) would be a good idea. 5 years old is awfully young though so if you can skate too, accompany your DD on a public skate and she can practice her swizzles and stuff?
niuiceprincess

Agree. Our rink isn't strict at all. However I definitely change up what I work on depending how many people are there and what I observe to be their behavior. Teenagers tend to congregate and socialize on one side and hardly venture to other areas of the surface, so I stay ont he other side and work on freestyle. If there is a reasonable number of people and the crowd seems to be “moving” in the same direction, then I work on forward stroking (since you can always get better/more speed) for Moves, cross rolls, power pulls etc. No matter what I do, the hockey kids (yes you know who they are) are always way WORSE than figure skaters. They have no regard for who is around them and sadly this applies to older kids too, not just the little ones. You'd think the older hockey kids would know better about better public ice etiquette, but unfortunately they don't seem to act like it. Figure skaters get a bad rap in public skate if they run into someone but really it's the hockey skaters who should be kicked out in my opinion.
Ruth

Kiddo’s just turned 7, and I wish there were more social guys at the rink. His coach is female, and she’s good with him. (I had to love her deep accent when she said, “I like zeh boys.”)

Right now he thinks zuca bags are for the girls, and it’s so weird to walk into the rink lobby during synchro practice and wade amongst them like yachts at a dock. Maybe if they had one with trains and railroad whistles he’d change his mind.

Thanks so much for the encouraging words, everyone!
Ruth

Kiddo's just turned 7, and I wish there were more social guys at the rink. His coach is female, and she's good with him. (I had to love her deep accent when she said, “I like zeh boys.”)

Right now he thinks zuca bags are for the girls, and it's so weird to walk into the rink lobby during synchro practice and wade amongst them like yachts at a dock. Maybe if they had one with trains and railroad whistles he'd change his mind.

Thanks so much for the encouraging words, everyone!
Hannah

were do you sign you’r kid up?