Where can i find a pairs skater?

Question

im looking for a pairs figure skater (male) thats pre-preliminary. or from freestyle 2-4 for ISI. but idk where i can find anyone?? is there any website where i can search for them (thats around my area) or something???? i have been looking for quite some time now and idk what to do. i have two guys, who are my friends who are willing, but they dont know anything so therefore they would have to take lessons. but i would rather just get someone who already knows some stuff about this, and has their own pair of figure skates, already broken in and such, so we dont have to go through the whole long process of learning and breaking in new skates at the same time. =/

any advice??

Answer 1

You need to get GOOD first! At least be able to land doubles. Then more options will become available to you.

There are websites (i think one is like pairsearch or something) that will help you find one.

Answer 2

I agree on Hj on this, with your current level, you wouldn't really be doing anything really interesting with a man, mostly synched crossovers, Waltz jumps and 1 foot spins.

The website mentioned is good, I'd sure use it if I ever pass the Senior test myself, but you have to remember the crude facts: there's at least 10 times more women in figure skating than men. If you were the male, things would have been easier for you because you could always find a lady that might live in your city that kinda has your level and wouldn't mind doing it for fun on the weekends or something, but there's just very few men in the sport.

The friends you mentioned would be your best bet. The amount of time needed to learn most if not all of the figures of your current level (albeit probably not very stable and very sloppy looking) can be done as soon as 8 months if they work very hard.

Breaking skates doesn't take that long really. The reason why it took me a long time to get used to my custom skates was mostly because the blade was 1/3 shorter than my old skates and I couldn't find the rocker because it was in a new place, but now I wouldn't go back to my old pair. A decent pair of skates can be fully broken in in less than 1 month if you skate enough on them (of course, using bandaids and such to avoid blisters).

Most men that are willing to switch to pairs are usually at least in Novice. Therefore, you won't find anyone for serious unless you can land most of the doubles, have a flying camel, have pretty good steps at least (I'm sure synching steps is tough) and can do combo spins with reverse changes of foot and changes of edge in at least 1 of the standard spinning positions. Layback might not be necesary for pairs (unless the male partner is of the few that actually bothered to learn it which would be cool), but you might still want a Layback in the pocket if you plan on passing more tests as a singles skater.

Lastly, serious male pairs aren't going to team up with a girl who's 5'9, that would be ridiculous (unless he's 4'9 and you do the lifts which would be cool because there's so few ladies that can do that and the rules can allow it). If you're taller than 5'4 (and even that's pushing it), you'll have a hard time with Pairs skating if you want to get to Senior.

Believe it or not, in Mexico City there have been some "exhibitionary" pairs teams that used to practise on weekdays at the local rink where I live, it was a joke. That girl was like 5'4, but she weighed more than the poor man (one of those girls with huge hips). The guy wasn't good for pairs either, he was at best 5'6 with very short arms and legs. Let's just say they only thing they could do well were crossovers because the only pairs elements they could do were poorly thrown single Salchows and Waltz jumps because she weighed too much. Oh, and she always fell.

Again, like Hj said, either become a novice yourself or if you don't have the right bodytype anyways for Pairs, get one of your friends to get to your current level and in 8 months you'll be doing crossovers around the rink just for the fun of it.

Answer 3

You can buy Ice Skate for men from

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&...

Good luck!

Answer 4

go to icepartnersearch.com and look thru the profiles