Surveying Adult Skating

[Isk8NYC]

Please contribute ideas on designing a comprehensive survey of adult skaters.  I'm rushing out in a little while, so sorry if this is half-baked.  I figured it was a good weekend topic to bounce ideas around.

Scope: US skaters only or make it international?

Confidentiality: a must, but some verification should be in place to prevent fraud.

Demographics: age, gender ... starting skating age
Geographics: country, state, metro area

Skating Lessons: group, private, combination, self-taught
Skating Discipline: (LTS/FS/Moves/Figures/Dance/Pairs/Synchro/other)

Skate year-round?  (y/n)
Average hours/week during season ___
Average hours/week off season  0-___

Home rink is seasonal or year-round

Belong to a skating club? (y/n)
What type? (ISI/USFSA/NISA/Skate Canada/etc.)

Memberships w/ check box for the organizations
Test level(s) if any ... this has to vary by organization (ISI/USFSA/Skate Canada/NISA/SkateNZ/etc.)

Compete in non-qualifying or qualifying competitions

maybe some goals, maybe not...

Teach LTS
Levels coached
Professional member of ISI, PSA, Skate Canada, etc.
Disciplines coached (LTS/FS/Moves/Figures/Dance/Pairs/Synchro/other)


Too much, too little, what'd I forget?

[Isk8NYC]

I was thinking that email could be the unique identifier to keep people from stuffing the ballot boxes, so to speak. 

Reaching out to adult skaters is going to be tricky.  Not every adult skater is on this board - we only have 700 members and many of them have never participated.  As icedancer pointed out, there are adult skaters who aren't "joiners."  They don't test or compete, they're happy just taking lessons and skating.

Any ideas for an "outreach" campaign to catch their attention?

[jjane45]

International sounds cool. I do not think it's too long, at least not for adult skaters who have at least remote interest in figure skating.

Getting the words out... If the skater already use online message boards such as FSU or Golden Skate, it's easier. For others, I maintain my view that external motivators would be important, maybe a noble cause (building adult skating community by better understanding it?) and a small award (big awards may actually raise fraud issue?)

I do not see ISI or USFS jumping on board and mass email their members anytime soon. Possibilities are word of mouth, facebook, twitter, posting in online message boards, have a printable flyer and see if it could be posted on the rink bulletin board, persuade skating director or club management to mass email (in return they may get an analysis for their region?), ask local pro shops to donate a free sharpening coupon and have raffles by region (kind of like marketing?), or skating related companies... LOTS OF WORK, THAT IS

In short, what's in it for everyone?

[sk8lady]

If you want to think about using results to demonstrate the levels of adult participation to the USFS, possibly run two surveys side by side--one international and one US only.

[sarahspins]

I do not see ISI or USFS jumping on board and mass email their members anytime soon.

I doubt it would do any good if they did - many of us are not active members of either organization.  I haven't been a member of ISI since 1997 or so (I think that was my last comp), and I haven't been a member of USFSA since 1996.  It doesn't mean I'm not actively skating, but the way my club is set up, there isn't much benefit to joining unless I want to test... and I'm not ready yet, so I haven't.

[jjane45]

I doubt it would do any good if they did - many of us are not active members of either organization.  I haven't been a member of ISI since 1997 or so (I think that was my last comp), and I haven't been a member of USFSA since 1996.  It doesn't mean I'm not actively skating, but the way my club is set up, there isn't much benefit to joining unless I want to test... and I'm not ready yet, so I haven't.

Haha, I was thinking reaching out to skaters who are on someone's mailing list, and convince them to spread the word to local adult skaters who do not test or compete.

[techskater]

You could outreach to some of the larger yahoo groups or on FB.  I just don't see the purpose...

[karne]

For your scope, I would suggest International, because then you can compare the different opportunities available to Adult skaters in different systems. I know the Australian system is different to the US one, for example.