What moves/elements did you already have from the time you first began to skate?

[FSWer]

Ok. I'm not really sure what to title this thread. But I think a lot of you will get the idea to what todays topic is. As this came to me as insperation from a young 7 year old skater at my Rink. Who already has her Doule-Axel at such a young age!!! So what I want to know today is...What move or element did you already have from the time you first began skating. If you began skating at a young age. please include how old you were when you first got and already had that move(s)

[Clarice]

Are you sure, FSWer?  There are quite a few 7 year olds who have axels, but it would be highly unusual for a child that age to have a double axel.

[sarahspins]

I'm not sure the question really makes sense?  Some kids can have some impressive jumps and other moves fairly early, but I would bet they didn't step on the ice able to do them... it's rare that someone can.

[jjane45]

I'm not sure the question really makes sense?  Some kids can have some impressive jumps and other moves fairly early, but I would bet they didn't step on the ice able to do them... it's rare that someone can.

Maybe the chain of thought went like: she is so young and so good! > when did she start skating? > what did she already know when she started?

OK if the question means "What did you already teach yourself before you started skating lessons", I think I only had one foot glides and semi-spirals, plus some backward skating. By taking lessons I wanted to learn the way elite skaters move backward on TV, i.e. back crossovers, and got bit by AOSS bug.

OTOH if you mean to ask "What were you able to do when you first stepped on the ice", then stroking without being able to stop, lol.

[sarahspins]

OTOH if you mean to ask "What were you able to do when you first stepped on the ice", then stroking without being able to stop, lol.

Yeah, for me that would have been falling.. lots and lots of falling

[Skittl1321]

I took Basic 1 as an elementary schooler, and then would just go to the rink and play on the ice during public sessions.  I never really taught myself anything worthwhile, just like 2 foot spin...I really wish I had real lessons.

But, when starting back as an adult, I managed to pass Basic 2 and Basic 3 in just a 30 minute private lesson, and was put immediatly into Basic 4.  Once I had strong one foot glides I could immediatly do spirals (but now I've injuried my hip and can't do them anymore.)

[jumpingbeansmom]

Are you sure, FSWer?  There are quite a few 7 year olds who have axels, but it would be highly unusual for a child that age to have a double axel.

Totally...the body strength alone would be an issue-- or lack thereof especially for a girl

[Purple Sparkly]

I know someone that *might* have had a double axel at 7. I think she landed an axel at 5.  I'll have to ask her.  However, she was unusually gifted and her mother was a skating coach so she was at the rink all the time.

As for me, I started skating when I was 9.  The first time I ever got on the ice was for my first Pre-Alpha group lesson.  I remember stepping on at the door, taking a few steps and thinking, "this is easy!"

[Skittl1321]

I wonder what age Nathan Chen started landing his double axel.  He was landing it consistently in novice competition at age 10, and don't intermediate boys usually do them too?  So he would have had it before then...

This quote from icenetwork, says he was landing it in intermediate "Nathan Chen, didn't waste any time showing off all he's accomplished since last year, including a very solid double Axel. Clad in a silver metallic shirt and black pants, the petite 9-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah, won first place in Group B of the intermediate men's qualifying rounds with a 60.25 mark."

So we have a 9-year old landing a double axel...wonder if I can find anything that says he had it as a juvenile. (ETA: Nope, in competiting as a juvenile at nationals -2008- he was doing 1A, of course, that doesn't mean he couldn't do it in practice.)

[jumpingbeansmom]

I wonder what age Nathan Chen started landing his double axel.  He was landing it consistently in novice competition at age 10, and don't intermediate boys usually do them too?  So he would have had it before then...

This quote from icenetwork, says he was landing it in intermediate "Nathan Chen, didn't waste any time showing off all he's accomplished since last year, including a very solid double Axel. Clad in a silver metallic shirt and black pants, the petite 9-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah, won first place in Group B of the intermediate men's qualifying rounds with a 60.25 mark."

So we have a 9-year old landing a double axel...wonder if I can find anything that says he had it as a juvenile.

The whole construct for young boys and what is competitive at what levels is different.    I certainly don't doubt there are some 9 year old boys that can do it...my dd is 10, and is pretty close to doing it.   But a 7 yo girl is very unusual.   Heck even Nathan Chen doing it is very unusual.    Not that it doesn't happen, but it is rare.

[Purple Sparkly]

Nathan Chen did not do it in the final round when he was in Juvenile in 2008 when he would have been eight.  He was most likely working on it because he did an axel with his arms over his head and every other double like they were no big deal.  He may even have landed it but they chose not to do it.  He was so tiny, it was cute!  I just watched the video of it on icenetwork.

I remember that Nina Jiang won as a Juvenile when she was 9 and she had a double axel in that event.

[jumpingbeansmom]

Nathan Chen did not do it in the final round when he was in Juvenile in 2008 when he would have been eight.  He was most likely working on it because he did an axel with his arms over his head and every other double like they were no big deal.  He may even have landed it but they chose not to do it.  He was so tiny, it was cute!  I just watched the video of it on icenetwork.

I remember that Nina Jiang won as a Juvenile when she was 9 and she had a double axel in that event.

Oh yes, there are definitely juvenile girls who have it.  I still think a 7 yo girl is pretty rare if impossible.

[Purple Sparkly]

I'll ask my coaches when they landed it and the youngest they have seen it landed by a girl.

[FSWer]

You may be right. As from what the Parent told me,if I remember right. This girl was 7 and had her Double Axel and Double something already. But it may not have been the Double-Axel. Yet a 7 year old is a big girl. A muture skater with concept. I can't see why they couldn't gain their Double-Axel.

[Clarice]

Sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, FSWer.  No matter how many cool tricks they might have, a 7 year old is not yet a mature skater.  Seven year olds are just little kids, and still have a lot to learn in skating, especially regarding presentation.  I've heard it said that it takes 10 years to make a skater, and I believe that generally that is true.  A kid who starts at 5 or 6 isn't really going to mature as a skater until their mid to late teens in most cases.

[jumpingbeansmom]

You may be right. As from what the Parent told me,if I remember right. This girl was 7 and had her Double Axel and Double something already. But it may not have been the Double-Axel. Yet a 7 year old is a big girl. A muture skater with concept. I can't see why they couldn't gain their Double-Axel.

Can't be-- you have to have double everything first before double axel.   My 10 yo dd (who is unusually tall and unusually strong for a 10 year old gir-- for example, she jumped 7 feet 2 inches on the standing long jump in school first try)-- is just learning double axel-  and she already has all other doubles through double lutz including some combination double doubles--  a kid wouldn't have a double axel without the other double jumps.

[kssk8fan]

There was a girl at our rink quite a few years ago that had all of her double (fully rotated with flow on the exit) at 7, right after she turned 8 she landed her first double axel.  She's 12 now and has all of her triples except her triple flip.  She does have her triple lutz though.  She left the states when she was 8 and has visited on a few occasions.  She had a gorgeous sit spin at 4 years old too!   She's now competing at what we would consider the junior level.

[Skittl1321]

She's now competing at what we would consider the junior level.

I'm confused by the "at what we consider" the junior level.  What level is she actually competiting in?  In the United States, it would either be the junior level, or not the junior level. 

If you aren't in the US, what is the level called?  Are you in a country with a lot of junior figure skaters, or does this skater expect to be assigned to the JGP next year, since she will be age eligible at 13?

[FigureSpins]

I'm confused by the "at what we consider" the junior level. 

She left the states when she was 8 and has visited on a few occasions. 

I believe kssk8fan lives in the US, but the girl moved out of the country four years ago and now skates in/for that country.

kssk8fan is comparing the skater's test/competition level in her new country to the USFSA "Junior" test level.

[FSWer]

That means a skater needs 10 years to get all their moves,right?

[Purple Sparkly]

My coach said she landed her double axel at about age 10.  Her daughter, my other coach, landed hers very young, around eight or nine, but then lost it for several years after she grew.

It does not mean a skater needs 10 years to get all their moves.  Some skaters have all or most triples as a novice or junior skater, but it takes a few more years for their skating to develop to championship level quality.  Ten years would be an estimate and a reasonable sounding guideline.

[FSWer]

Can you explain that?

[FigureSpins]

To clarify, Purple Sparkly doesn't mean "moves in the field."  "Having all the moves" is a slang expression that means the person is very advanced.  It takes years to reach the advanced levels because so much training is needed.

In the US, it takes about 10 years of steady training to become an advanced skater and pass the skating tests.

[jumpingbeansmom]

There was a girl at our rink quite a few years ago that had all of her double (fully rotated with flow on the exit) at 7, right after she turned 8 she landed her first double axel.  She's 12 now and has all of her triples except her triple flip.  She does have her triple lutz though.  She left the states when she was 8 and has visited on a few occasions.  She had a gorgeous sit spin at 4 years old too!   She's now competing at what we would consider the junior level.

but the original poster said this girl had SOME doubles and a double axel which doesn't really make sense.   And still, the 7 yo with all doubles is exceedingly rare.

[jumpingbeansmom]

My coach said she landed her double axel at about age 10.  Her daughter, my other coach, landed hers very young, around eight or nine, but then lost it for several years after she grew.

It does not mean a skater needs 10 years to get all their moves.  Some skaters have all or most triples as a novice or junior skater, but it takes a few more years for their skating to develop to championship level quality.  Ten years would be an estimate and a reasonable sounding guideline.

This is true..not only that, sometimes when you have very young kids that can land all these jumps, they cannot really skate...they can jump, but they can't skate too and have to learn that.