Dance vs Not dance (torn)

[so_jesslovescats]

So I am at the point where I need to decide if I want to dance vs do singles. I just feel this late entry in the game that I will never lose.my fear when it comes to jumps and spins. I dont want to give up learning those things and wont have to. But at this point I feel dance might be a good fit. That being said my swing rolls arent so hot and my dutch waltz is pretty awful but it is doable.  There is also a risk I would have to skate with a different coach occasionally which would mean about 100 as I would have to pay two people (I have an on ice aide to keep me safe and help me learn and though the aide would do it for free it isnt fair not to pay her). How does one choose!

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[littlerain]

Do you have to choose, for budgetary reasons? Or can you try to progress with both? Seems like lots on this forum test both singles and dance

Sorry I can't be much help but good luck with your choice!

[Icicle]

I second that: one will surely help the other. Skaters who do freestyle aren't afraid of dancing steps like three turns or Mohawks (I'm talking of beginner dancers of course). And on the other hand, dancing will help you with skating skills and posture.

[so_jesslovescats]

For budgetary reasons and competition reasons I have to choose Special Olympics is divided into singles, pairs and dance. I don't like jumping. I hate even doing two footed jumps. The whole process is littered with "Stuff my coach knows I can do, but in less MADE to/pushed to do it I just plain won't" I.E. Crossovers and walking cross overs we BOTH know I can do them I just WON'T DO them and than "stuff that scares me/feels wrong" and I'm frustrated. So I'm dealing with Autism and being on the ice and I just want to make the process the fairest to all involved including myself. I like the patterns it repeats over and over again. and I can't test any of my dances because than I would lose my coach.  I just feel like stepping back I am kind of glad my season is almost done I think I crammed to much in a half a season (Three levels of Skate Canada from about January in till now)

[fsk8r]

If you don't like jumping then don't jump. There's no rules which say you have to jump and there's no rules which say you have to dance. You do what you enjoy. As my coach likes to remind me, we all do this for fun. So if you don't find jumping fun, then don't jump. However, there are a few things in skating it's worth pushing yourself a little bit to try to do better. Like crossovers. Especially if you know you can do them but are scared and just need your coach or your aide to bully you a little. And the reason to try harder is because once you can do them, you can do other fun stuff!

[Loops]

I agree that skating is for FUN.  If you're not having fun there's no point in being on the ice, regardless of how much you're spending.

Having said that, it sounds like you need to make a choice for competition reasons.

I come from a freestyle/dance background and am now in a club that is only dance.   I will be upfront about the fact that, although it scares the bejeezus out of me, I do like to jump.  I miss that a little bit, but I also really like dance.  It really does allow you to really focus on those basic and fundamental skills, while helping your technique and posture.  If you choose to do dance, which it sounds like you'd do if not for $$ reasons, then I don't think you'll regret it, in terms of what you do on the ice.  At least here in France, solo ice dancing is well developed, and they do pretty much everything but jump.  When I saw the first exhibition, in fact the programs were so similar I thought the coaches told them "no jumping" just to avoid unnecessary injuries!

As a point of curiosity, if this season you chose solo/freestyle, would you still be competitive if you didn't jump?  As said in a previous post you don't have to put jumps in your program.  The coaching situation may also change down the road, allowing you to switch to dance in the future.  At the beginning, there really isn't that much difference- there is a lot of overlap with the fundamentals.

I wish I had a magic solution for you in terms of the coaching fees.  Skating is a bloody expensive sport, and it sucks for that.  My best suggestion is to be very upfront and be willing to discuss things.  You never know what interesting solutions your coach/a friend might come up with.

Please don't put too much pressure on yourself, as you said you've done a LOT since January, and have quite a bit on your plate.  You're doing awesome, and you have your.whole.life ahead of you to skate.   What's important is that you keep enjoying yourself; as long as you're having fun everything will fall into place. 

[so_jesslovescats]

Each freestyle program in special olympics is required to have elements from CanSkate (Skate Canada's standardized program) So if you skate in Skate Can levels 1 through 3 than you are required three jumps and we are talking bunny hops here. I'm so frustrated because I like to work one skill before EVEN working on the next one and I've been skating not under my usual coach who lacks structure (Though my coach is with me at all times). I think that's what I like about dance is there are swing rolls and glides and impossible to make me move on even though my dutch waltz looks awful right now. I will continue to skate in the canskate program as it is required for special olympics, but yes I have to choose. and I hate choices.

[nicklaszlo]

If you are afraid of crossovers, I would let you know that you may spend more time doing them in dance.

Learning dance is extremely repetitive.  So that might be good for you. 

Fear decreases with time.  All skating is scary at first.

There are easy jumps, but there are no easy dances.  Especially when it comes to ice coverage.