So your coach says you’re ready to test your Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test, your first United States Figure Skating (USFS) test on your way to becoming a “gold medalists” and possibly competing at the US Figure Skating National Championships… now what? How do you sign-up? Who are the judges? What do you wear? […]
Glide over to the post
Anyone who has watched figure skating competitions on TV has seen the skater’s private lesson coach standing at the wall, giving last minute advice, and then stepping back to watch the performance along with the judges and spectators. The coach has supervised the creation of the whole package that is being presented on the ice […]
Glide over to the post
Bob Boroughs, a Gold USFS judge and ice dance enthusiast, and a dedicated army of parents, including Linda and Roger Hickerson, hosted 15 years of the Wichita ice dance weekends (always on Cinco de Mayo weekend!) in Wichita, Kansas. It’s events like this that have introduced skaters to ice dancing, ignited a burning passion to be a national competitor […]
Glide over to the post
A skating judge… they are as important to the sport of figure skating as the skaters, coaches and audience. All U.S. national figure skating events are judged under the international judging system (IJS). Judges are responsible for judging two aspects of a skater’s program:Judges give a “grade of execution” (GOE) for each element the skater performs: […]
Glide over to the post
Training is important – but so is having fun! Building a community through social gatherings is vital to building friendships which then keep skaters in the sport longer. Skaters need to feel supported by a community when the training gets tough or skating goals are not being met. Here are a few ideas of different […]
Glide over to the post
The last United States Figure Skating test that skaters take in any particular discipline is their Senior or Gold test. This is a huge accomplishment that must be marked by a huge dessert! So recent* skaters that I coached through their Gold test – their Senior Moves (also known as Gold Moves) and Gold Dance Test – […]
Glide over to the post
Ice Skating Institute (ISI) provides the internationally acclaimed weSKATE program — the first national learn-to-skate curriculum in the United States — to more than 600 rinks throughout the country, Asia and the Middle East. Skaters progress through many levels of testing for all ages and abilities. The tests go from 1 foot glides all the way to double […]
Glide over to the post
Near Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, is an amazing seasonal ice rink called Crown Center Ice Terrace. This rink is under a huge white tent with two peaks and twinkling lights at night. This square-ish outdoor ice rink is very close to downtown and right next door to the Hallmark world headquarters. (Hence the “Crown […]
Glide over to the post
Figure Skating Bag – Beginners: Make sure you have everything you need when you get to the ice rink. It’s a good idea to go through your figure skating bag at least once a month to remove accumulated “stuff”. Some of it will be trash (armbands from old sessions, empty tissue packs) and some of it […]
Glide over to the post
So there’s a competition in a city that’s you’ve always wanted to visit. You’ve looked online and found that airfare is not too bad! Score! You talk to your coach and it’s a go. So you start thinking – do I need to send my skates via FedEx ahead of time? (Hate to be without […]
Glide over to the post
