Competitive levels?

Question

So my friend is just starting skating at the age of 14 she knows about all that basics but wants to get really good and be able to compete. She has a private coach and takes group lessons. I have heard a lot of people say it isn't possible to do competitions when starting so late but is it true or can she?

Answer 1

that's not true, your friend can compete but in low levels and you have to practice really hard and like 2 hours per day!

Answer 2

I know lots of adults who compete... including people who started at age 17 and older yet. Fourteen is probably too late for the Olympics, unless she's a prodigy (or an ice dancer AND a prodigy), but it's not too late to do local comps. Winning may be another thing entirely, but competing is surely an option.

Answer 3

It is possible to do competitions!! It really depends on how fast she learns.

Does she know there are competitions for people her level? Some local competitions start with basic skills and go maybe to about prelim. I suggest she do a few (maybe one or two) a year of these competitions (ask her coach to get some info, or find some flyers on her own) just to get used to the competition feel. This way when she gets better shell be prepared for the intense stress a competition can give.

Shes PROBABLY not going to reach olympics, but hey might as well try! Who knows? She could be an amazing talanted skater!

Answer 4

of course she can compete

Answer 5

You can begin competitions at any age, they even have competitions for adults. You can begin doing competitions as early as the basic skills classes, though I recommend learning a little more advanced skating then beginning to do the competitions. If she would like to compete I'd suggest her talking to her coach about her goals so that she can work towards them.

Answer 6

You can participate in competitions at any age.  Even now with group lessons, she can compete in basic skills competitions.  Even at 14, she will be able to do plenty of competitions.  It may not be the Olympics, but there are tons of competitions out there to do.  When she hits 21, she can compete as an adult and do plenty adult competitions -- AND adult Nationals!  :)  I started at 12 and I did many competitions a year growing up.

Answer 7

You can do competitions at what ever age I do competitions and i am 11 and started at 10.but if she wants to go to the Olympics she would have to get really goo by the time she is 16 or she would be to old to do the Olympics. so i think it is not true that you have to be a certain age to do competitive ice skating younger then 14 years old, so do not believe in that stuff.

Answer 8

Yeah it's possible. There are competitions with events for all ages and levels. I have seen 2-year-olds compete as well as 70-year-olds!!!!!!!!! Tell Her to stick with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

Pffft, I did my first comp when I was like what.. almost 16 or something? Note to all: Little 5 year olds doing bunny hops and snowplows to the little mermaid isn't fun to watch.

Sure, the lower levelled as a skater you are when you start competing is better just to give you a feel of what the rushed warm-up is like and all the psaaaz factor of skating in an expensive dress with makeup for less than 2 minutes, but on the other hand it's a bit funner to boost your level up enough so that you don't end up doing a routine where the most difficult element is a forwards spiral. If you're going to be using a lot of time doing a few elements, better do harder figures than the easiest things in the book just for the sake of getting to compete as soon as possible.

The lowest level I competed in was Mexican Pre-Preliminary which I don't know exactly which level that is in the US system, but it might be Pre-Juvenile. It wasn't a bad choice to pass the test instead of competing as a Basico level and h**l no would I have ever wasted my time competing as a Pre-Basico at my age (Gamma and whatnot levels of the US system). I can understand a small kid doing it, but a teenager... I don't regret passing on competing at those levels.

And even now I'd never compete as a mexican Preliminar (Juvenile in the US I think) ever again even though there would be no competition at my present age level. I'd rather pass tests.

I think it's a choice your friend should make. Competing is a great way to boost one or two trouble figures that a skater has to have at their test level because it forces you to focus all your energy on them. At a competition you can't repeat a figure you screwed up in like in a practise. However, if you ace everything of your level and could easily pass the next test but while you can do most of the figures of the next level, but you're inconsistant doing them, competing at a lower level is a waste of time (unless you're a low level medal hog like many mexican skaters in my experience are that just sit in the 2 lowest levels doing figures of higher difficulty than should be permitted and get all the medals and never move up). If you're the latter case, unless it's the last competition in the season and you won't have a chance again for nearly a year, I'd focus my energies to improve the shoddy figures and pass the next test.

One thing though that competing does improve even if you do ace your figures is that you have to skate a lot faster because you don't have time for nearly anything. Plus the experience of real acting on the ice and even in the low levels trying to act to the public is something that practising can't replace.

And no, I don't think there should be a gold-plated age limit as to which is the age you MUST start competing, more like what's the level you're in and in which level you will compete in. I find it shameful to see skaters that are in the sport for 6-8 years and stay in basicos doing sit spins which aren't supposed to be allowed and get all the medals at competitions instead of moving up. I'd rather see a skater hit-and-miss trying at a slightly higher level in their first comp. It would be amazing if you actually win anything in your first comp unless you're either very lucky or there was no competition (maybe with the new system judges are less severe in that aspect of being prerennial losers until they finally let you win), might as well learn from the experience in the psychological stage fright sense to improve from there and say: hey, at least I worked hard on my Axel while I was at it.