I was trying to figure out a way to say that, too, but Amy beat me to it and did it better than I would have. I totally agree with her, and with your plan to not rush things. I would add to not let yourself get sucked into drama about who's skating at what competition level, etc. You're fairly new and learning the ropes of this sport. Sounds like some of the other moms at your rink have become quite competitive in their attitudes already, but the truth is that none of this matters at the Basic Skills levels. They're not formally tested and tracked, because they're not important as far as competitive skating is concerned. There's plenty of time for that starting at Pre-Preliminary. Actually, as far as competitive skating is concerned, nothing really matters before Juvenile level, which is the first qualifying level. Before that, this is supposed to be about acquiring good solid foundational skills, learning how the sport works, and having fun. (Which is important at all levels! No point in doing this if it isn't fun, too!) It's vital that the kids learn good skills right from the beginning, and that can't be rushed. Every skater is on their own timetable. The skate moms would do better to forget about who won what event at some little local Basic Skills competition and focus on their own skater's progress. It can be hard to maintain a sense of perspective, but it's important to try if you're going to survive 10 years or more in this sport. Chances are excellent that nobody's going to the Olympics anyway, unless they buy a ticket.