Goal setting and reevaluation

[jjane45]

When I first started skating lessons my goal was to skate backwards like the skaters on TV (back crossovers) and other basics, no jumps in fear of injury. A   year later I changed my "career goal" to Axel jump, or passing ISI FS5.

Well fast forward another three years, I need to evaluate what I want to achieve with freestyle skating. Sit spins simply stress my knees too much and I no longer desire to practice them regularly. At the moment I don't want to start the axels at all, witnessing how much falling it inevitably involves.

Remembering I'm skating for fun and fitness and vanity, do I really want to push my body THAT far for bad knee / ankle and arthritis twenty years down the road? Guess I will speak to Coach soon and figure out a stripped down agenda. Adults not in the testing/competing track get to pick and choose freely, yeah!!

So, how have your skating goals evolved over time and what were the factors / considerations? For me, picking up ice dance changed my priority from skating at a higher level to simply skating better.

[sarahspins]

Is your goal to actually "have" an axel or simply to just do them?  I've been working on them some off the harness but I vastly prefer doing axels (and 2sals) on it - it's fun and thrilling and the falls are relatively gentle. My coach doesn't even want me trying any doubles off the harness until I am landing them 100% of the time on the harness.

I don't honestly expect that I will ever make much progress on getting my axel or other doubles back off the harness but I definitely enjoy that I can do them on it.

Like you, my main goal is simply developing stronger skating skills... if more jumps come along with that, great but most of my focus over the past year has been on moves.

[Laneybug7]

When I first started skating lessons my goal was to skate backwards like the skaters on TV (back crossovers) and other basics, no jumps in fear of injury. A   year later I changed my "career goal" to Axel jump, or passing ISI FS5.

Well fast forward another three years, I need to evaluate what I want to achieve with freestyle skating. Sit spins simply stress my knees too much and I no longer desire to practice them regularly. At the moment I don't want to start the axels at all, witnessing how much falling it inevitably involves.

Remembering I'm skating for fun and fitness and vanity, do I really want to push my body THAT far for bad knee / ankle and arthritis twenty years down the road? Guess I will speak to Coach soon and figure out a stripped down agenda. Adults not in the testing/competing track get to pick and choose freely, yeah!!

So, how have your skating goals evolved over time and what were the factors / considerations? For me, picking up ice dance changed my priority from skating at a higher level to simply skating better.

Or you can do what I do..I skate artistic and showcase. My goal is to go to National Showcase at least once by the time I'm 30..that doesn't necessarily mean place.  I have extremely closed hips, started when I was 20 yrs old, and had to take blocks of time off for life purposes. I'm 26, so I've been skating if you put all the blocks of time together probably 4 1/2 yrs.  My coach even said because of those things techique wise I'm never going to be THAT competitive as a freestyle skater.  Plus I'm not going to get very far if I'm literally unable to do a mohawk..believe me, so many people have tried to teach me them.  Outside of skating, I've always loved performing, conveying emotion, and making 'art'...so I why not do it on the ice.  I have a competitive nature..due to having witnessed many dance competitions thanks to my little sis and for the little competition experience I've had..I've definately enjoyed it.  So, I talked it over with coach and she sees no problem with me competiting as an artistic/spotlight skater.

In regards to my skating(skill) goals..back when I first started it was a spin, then it went to landing a loop(which took me forever), then it went to placing at a competition with a self choreographed program, then an axel, then why not see how many doubles I can land.  See how it's ever changing and even though my ultimate goal is to skate artistic/showcase..I do want to see how far I can go jumpwise, spinwise, movewise.  But my (career) skating goals have gotten alittle more realistic with age and money.  Before it was compete, compete, compete.  Now it's 'okay let's get a program competiton ready and perform it for the spring show'(which I'm working on currently).  Then maybe next year..do a competiton or two..see how things go.

[VAsk8r]

I told my coach last year, around my 28th birthday, that I wanted to land an axel by the time I was 30. At the time I had just begun consistently landing flips. She gently suggested that maybe I might want to amend the goal to just be working on an axel by 30.

Eight months later, I'm working on lutz, and I think she was probably right, because jumps definitely don't come easily to me. She actually asked me a couple of months ago if I wanted to try an axel, and I hesitated so we did bell jumps instead. I do work on waltz-loop-backspins, so I think I will definitely be solidly working on an axel well before 30, and I'm OK with that.

When I started skating, my goals were vague...jump and spin. If you'd have told me then I'd ever have a decent scratch spin or that I'd even able to change feet on a scratch spin, sort of do a sit spin, eek out a few rotations on a camel...I'd have been amazed. Goal setting is good, but I think doing tests and competitions has kept me focused better than goals that I may not make and then will beat myself up for.

[jennylynn]

My original goal when I sighed up for Learn to Skate was to skate backwards and generally be able to look cool/competent at public sessions. Now I want to be able to do crossovers, spirals, and spins.  My ultimate dream move: Shoot the Duck. 

[jjane45]

Not competitive, not quite artistic and interpretive, I much prefer to become a strong skater and ice dancer with solid technique
 
Judging by the waltz, loop, and back spin, I have decent chances on the axel. But the foreseeable sacrifice just seems way too high, and compared to acquiring one specific jump, I'd rather spend the resources on other components of skating.

 Be gentle with the ducks...
 

[techskater]

There are always crash pads!

[Bunny Hop]

When I first went back to skating I wanted to regain the skills I'd had as a teenager, which would have meant being able to do a single toe loop and salchow. Learn to spin. And learn some ice dance.

Well, I guess I achieved that last one, but the jumps and spins are clearly nowhere in my future. That's crazy talk. So I think my goals now are to be learn the Paso Doble, and be able to do a twizzle. The first one is probably do-able, maybe in about 10-15 years. Not so sure about the twizzles.

[jjane45]

Funny I was thinking of the similarities between dream house and skating goals. One needs to be realistic with the resources at hand and willing to sacrifice part of current lifestyle (to find ice time and money by scaling back other things in life), take into consideration of economic downturns or emergencies (injuries, limited ice or other resources), then evaluate whether that luxury home (element ___) is within reach or puts one at extreme risk of foreclosure (injury puts skater off ice or quits in frustration).

[jennylynn]

Funny I was thinking of the similarities between dream house and skating goals. One needs to be realistic with the resources at hand and willing to sacrifice part of current lifestyle (to find ice time and money by scaling back other things in life), take into consideration of economic downturns or emergencies (injuries, limited ice or other resources), then evaluate whether that luxury home (element ___) is within reach or puts one at extreme risk of foreclosure (injury puts skater off ice or quits in frustration).

When trying something new I often hear a little voice saying, "Deductible, deductible..."

I also am trying to figure out the complex calculation of : Is the value of trying <New Move> greater or less than my available sick leave.

[treesprite]

It's hard to make skating goals from the perspective of a returning adult freestyle skater.  I just came back to skating about 4 months ago, at age 49, and am frustrated that I can't already do everything again. I have to look at a different time line for every single element, because I'm getting things back out of the progression in which a first time skater learns them.  Does it make any sense that I can do some jumps but can only do FXO to the left?  I think I could do a 2-ft landed axel by July if I don't first break my neck by trying them too soon...  today every time I did a waltz jump I thought about how easy it would be to just tighten up for the rotation...

The only goal that really counts is to have fun.

[SynchKat]

Well, I guess I achieved that last one, but the jumps and spins are clearly nowhere in my future. That's crazy talk. So I think my goals now are to be learn the Paso Doble, and be able to do a twizzle. The first one is probably do-able, maybe in about 10-15 years. Not so sure about the twizzles.

The Paso is my favourite dance of all time.  I hope you get that sooner than 10 years from now! 

My goal is to get up enough motivation to test my last 2 dances.  I had hoped to do this in the winter but never got round to it.  So soon I hope to be getting a diamond of some sort from my husband for passing my last diamond dances. 

[sarahspins]

When trying something new I often hear a little voice saying, "Deductible, deductible..."

Yes, I have that nagging little voice too.  $2500 plus the time off to recover and the impact it would have on daily life is a big motivator to not try quite so hard sometimes!

Plus I have the unfortunate experience of having already gone down that road once.. it's absolutely not something I wish to repeat!

[nicklaszlo]

Well, I guess I achieved that last one, but the jumps and spins are clearly nowhere in my future. That's crazy talk. So I think my goals now are to be learn the Paso Doble, and be able to do a twizzle. The first one is probably do-able, maybe in about 10-15 years. Not so sure about the twizzles.

I think you will have a twizzle long before the Paso Doble.  I can do a twizzle and I can't do any of the dances anywhere near the standard.  They are not all that different from three turns.

[ChristyRN]

I also am trying to figure out the complex calculation of : Is the value of trying <New Move> greater or less than my available sick leave.

Been there twice so far.  The first time, I'd just started a new job and did not have enough time in my bank--I had to take some unpaid and they did find another job I could do sitting.  Crutches in an operating room are not really safe.

I did take a week off when I broke my wrist last December, but that was because it was the week between Christmas and New Year's and the OR schedule was sloooooow.  I came back with a cast and jumped right back in.  I just had to have help with lifting patients.

I've always just told my coach that my cell phone is in my bag.  "If I get hurt, call Dave" and have the ambulance take me to "X" hospital.

[platyhiker]

Does it make any sense that I can do some jumps but can only do FXO to the left?

You're not the only one, here!   I just returned to skating in January, after about 25 years off.  I had all the one revolution jumps in my teens.  So far, I've got the toe loop and salchow back, and the flip is sorta close.  However, my front crossovers feel considerably less than graceful, especially the clockwise ones.  I'm currently making an effort to work on them every session, especially in the weak direction, and I'm seeing some gradual improvement.  (The back crossovers came back so easily!)

The only goal that really counts is to have fun.

So true!!!!

[treesprite]

I don't feel so bad now!  It's interesting how for returning skaters some of the "beginner" stuff seems a lot harder than some of the more advanced stuff!

[MiaHoll]

My first goal that I achieved was to be able to get on freestyle sessions so I didn't have to sneak practicing jumps, spins , and spirals when the safety patrol wasn't looking.  Figure skating actually factored into my decision to move to another area so I could get on freestyle sessions.  My current goal is to pass my pre-preliminary moves and freestyle tests.

[VAsk8r]

I don't feel so bad now!  It's interesting how for returning skaters some of the "beginner" stuff seems a lot harder than some of the more advanced stuff!

There is a gold-level adult at my rink who also skated as a teen. He commented to me once that he had a really hard time doing forward crossovers in a clockwise direction. I was surprised that he would have trouble with that, but it made me feel better for some of those things I just can't get!

Of course, his crossovers looked fine to me.

[jjane45]

Remembering I'm skating for fun and fitness and vanity, do I really want to push my body THAT far for bad knee / ankle and arthritis twenty years down the road?

Bumpy bump! I hope to test up in FS as much as I could this year (really hoping silver - need passable camel spin), and reevaluate skating plans from there.