Goal-setting and skater limitations

[jjane45]

Do you believe skaters of all ages have limitations in terms of how far they can go in jumps? How to set goals that challenge skaters to their full potential without being delusional? How have your skating goals evolved over time?

IMHO limitation is a function of natural talent, age, and tenacity. I do not believe "sky is the limit", if even Evgeni Plushenko cannot rotate a 4A. The Older skaters and limitations thread in the archive gives many great perspectives, I am wondering if old posters changed their opinions? What do new members think?

[fsk8r]

It's an interesting old thread you found.
As an adult skater, I find it interesting that people are wanting to put limits on their skating progress. Personally I don't know how far I'm going to go, that's the fun part of the journey, but my goals have always been one step above my current skill level. When I first started lessons, I had already worked out how to go forwards the goal was therefore to stop and go backwards. Then it was to turn, then to jump and spin. And now it's the next jump and the next spin. I might never land a triple axel, but at this point I don't want to. But I believe I will land a single axel one day and that's the current goal. When that goal becomes feasible there'll be another one.

A lot of skating seems to be mind over matter. Once you've overcome the fear it all becomes a lot easier.

[spiralina]

A lot of skating seems to be mind over matter. Once you've overcome the fear it all becomes a lot easier.

I agree - but it's reasonable to be fearful, I think. As a kid you can fracture a wrist but whilst it may make school a bit difficult for a few weeks, but you always have a parent to a) provide and b) help with necessities. As an adult that fracture can be the difference between doing one's job properly or not and having a roof over one's head, and living alone makes it worse (doing most things with only one hand, I understand is a massive pain...)

[techskater]

If you have good coaching and build up to each skill, the chance of a serious injury is no higher than if you were to slip and fall in the shower or on an icy sidewalk.  I have coaches who push me just a little past my comfort zone each lesson (maybe just with one skill we're working on) and with that I see a long term goal and plan coming together that maybe I didn't see so clearly a year or two ago.  There are proper building blocks for each skill and to master the skill, you have to master the blocks. 

[aussieskater]

I don't believe that age per se is a factor - it's about what comes with age and can't be denied or (often) remedied:  lack of time, other responsibilities and calls on discretionary spending, injuries, wear-and-tear, and so on.  The skater and the coach have to work with those limitations, not against them, and have realistic aims.  Small steps can climb a high mountain - although possibly not by way of a triple axel!

Here's my experience (from a dance persective rather than a freeskate one):  I'm now 47, not a natural athlete by any means   , and am a test skater rather than a competing one.  I've recently squeak-passed the Foxtrot (which I believe is found at pre-silver dances in the USFS system).  When Coach and I were goal-setting at my next lesson after the test, we both assumed that if my body holds up, hard work and time will get me through the rest of my current level - hopefully at better than squeak-passes!  Three years ago, there is no way either Coach or I would have made that assumption.  Baby steps have worked.

To my surprise, my faint ambition "to finish out the Senior dances if I don't die first" wasn't pooh-poohed by Coach - she actually admitted I've passed higher than she ever expected me to, and said "Who knows how far you can go?  Let's keep going until you have to stop!"  (insert long pause while she mentally went through the dances...)  "We'll need to find someone to partner you through the rhumba though - my knees have given out."  I did point out that the rhumba is about 20 years away at my current rate of progress, so maybe one of the current crop of kid skaters will be available to partner the oldie for that test!

Her comment about her knees, though, is right on point - they no longer work as well as they did when she was younger, and she has to work within that limitation.

[AgnesNitt]

I agree - but it's reasonable to be fearful, I think. As a kid you can fracture a wrist but whilst it may make school a bit difficult for a few weeks, but you always have a parent to a) provide and b) help with necessities. As an adult that fracture can be the difference between doing one's job properly or not and having a roof over one's head, and living alone makes it worse (doing most things with only one hand, I understand is a massive pain...)

A broken ankle is the worst. In many states, by law you can't drive with one. i had one a while back, and since I am single I had to rely on people to drive me everywhere. I had a once a week appointment with a friend to go to the grocery store. And trips to the doctor required a day off since I had to take a taxi, and everyone was at work. Last year I fell (off-ice) and hurt my wrist badly. All that did was slow down my typing.