Common questions before the first competition / test session

[jjane45]

This came up from comments on a recent Xanboni blog post. Someone asked about whether it's appropriate to ask group lesson coaches about skating-related but not skating-instruction topics e.g. testing apparel, scheduling etc. Makes me wonder what are the most common questions skaters / parents ask before the first competition or test session. Everyone was new at some point and the same questions were raised over and over again.

Our rink wiki tries to resolve some mysteries for new skaters / parents, but major contributors (myself included) are lacking real testing and competition experiences at the moment. It would be awesome to get a list of common questions about testing / competing and put together a FAQ by finding out local answers about them. (hopefully soliciting more contributors from the rink in the process)

Coaches, what are the top questions asked? Skaters, what questions bothered you the most before that very first competition or test? Were there big "AHA" moments or "I wish I knew THAT before hand" thoughts?

Thank you for sharing!

[AgnesNitt]

Who's gonna hold my purse?

[Isk8NYC]

Who's gonna hold my purse?

You get a +GOE for that, lol.

The initial questions are mostly clothing-related:

. What to wear?
. Where to borrow/buy the outfit?
. What kind of tights?

For the group instructors, we usually get questions about buying skates.  I usually offer to go with them to the pro shop.
Their buying good, well-fitting skates makes my job easier.

[Clarice]

They need to know to show up early, and what to do on the warmup (both off and on ice).  Bring two copies of the music, and have the spare rinkside with the coach.  My first coach had a checklist prepared for us of what to bring.  Rehearse going on and coming off, on both ends of the rink if it's a compulsory.  If it's a test, go over when to go over to the judges, and when you can come back to consult with your coach.

[fsk8r]

Explain about what happens if you get a reskate on an element. Coaches generally explain what happens in a test, but may forget to mention what happens when one of the exercises needs to be reskated for the judges. And make sure it's explained as a positive and not a negative thing that happens. Judges only give you a reskate when they believe you're capable of passing.

[jjane45]

You guys are awesome! I tried to dig into the old archives as well but there were just too many posts. If you remember any old posts on testing / competition FAQ please kindly let me know, thank you!!!

[nicklaszlo]

If we focus on information specific to our area:

Which clubs have the most test sessions?
Which clubs have test sessions/competitions for less popular disciplines?
Do certain clubs tend to have higher standards?
Can I save money on testing by joining a certain club?
Which test sessions are likely to be full?

There doesn't even seem to be a centralized list of upcoming test sessions.  The USFS website's list is far from complete.

[techskater]

Nick - in our area, the judges tend to be "shared" and so only the super-far north west (not really suburban) club has the reputation for having "easier" judges.  FWIW, a couple years ago there was a break down of percentages of passes by state by test and IL was the lowest passing percentages.

[Sk8tmum]

Back To The Original Post:

Having just endured 3 days of testing, here's my wish list for people to know before they head off to comps or tests, pretty much focussed on preparation and etiquette:

a) don't spray your hair products around people - they may be allergic/asthmatic. Be polite and come to the arena prepared, or find a bathroom.
b) don't run around shrieking with joy when you pass your test; others may not have been successful.
c) don't buttonhole the judges when they are on the way to the bathroom. 
d) don't forget to trial the outfit and the undergarments before the day.  Finding out on the day that the outfit doesn't fit/itches/shows inappropriate areas of anatomy; that your skating bra has a snapped strap ...
e) bring spare tights.
f) make sure you have guards. Different arenas mean different setups.
g) don't assume there will be an area to change; come dressed if possible.
h) thank the judges and the volunteers. They appreciate it, and you get a nice reputation of being polite.
i) don't loudly criticize the judges in front of skaters or others; there are enough nerves on the go, and it makes you look nasty and unpleasant.
j) don't criticize the skaters on the ice. You may be sitting beside a proud parent, a nervous grandparent ... or a significant other who may get VERY annoyed with you!
k) bring spare copies of your music. Be sure it is in the format that the arena uses; check ahead.
l) bring your test/competition fees.
m) don't burst into tears and demand the judges overturn the results - it's just - well. Particularly if you're old enough to drive yourself to test day 
n) don't criticize other's equipment/dresses/hair. Remember everyone's tastes are different. Plus, that may be the best they can afford, and they may have scrimped for a while to afford it - or they may be wearing a dress that their mom made them that has a lot of personal meaning for them.
o) don't take up huge areas of the dressing room with all of your stuff. Learn to share, including the mirrors
p) don't run around doing your off-ice to the point that you are making people move/bumping into people/annoying the living daylights out of them. Look for a place that is appropriate.

there are so many more ... but I'm still decompressing and processing it ... aaargh ...

[RinkGuard]

The choreography sub-thread has been pulled and put here.

[Skate@Delaware]

Make sure you bring a snack...not a sugary icky one but a carb/protein snack that will sustain you. And water to drink (no red juice/punch that could spill onto your outfit).  Some rinks may have snack bars or vending machines but you can't count on that (happened to me once).

Bring extra safety pins.

Don't go overboard on the glitter. Or perfume...Please!

Don't keep the door to the locker room OPEN, there are others CHANGING!

Keep track of the schedule, sometimes they are ahead or behind. Get ready early just in case they run ahead of schedule. At ISI competitions, is is sometimes common for certain classes to run ahead of schedule, while others run late. Ask the monitor where they are when you arrive, and every 30 minutes or so. Be prepared!

When you are done skating, be sure to make time to watch some of the skaters. And congratulate them when they come off the ice on how well they skated. It shows good sportsmanship.

Although your routine is about YOU, the competition is about EVERYONE! So be courteous to everyone. The volunteers work very hard to make it a success, your coach has worked hard to get you there, your parents (or whomever pays for your coaching, ice time etc) has worked hard to drive you around, etc. Do you best, smile, and have FUN!

[jjane45]

Thank you RinkGuard!

Dresses: I was told USFS moves test judges prefer more conservative dresses, but pants are not acceptable for ladies. ISI is allegedly OK with pants?

Music: for starters, coaches often can cut the skating music, just let him or her know the kind of music the skater likes - REALLY likes, because it gets played over, and over, and over for the season. Respect the coach's opinion on skateability of the music, not all songs are created equal in the world of figure skating. It's OK to ask if the coach has ready-cut music that the skater can choose from.

[techskater]

You can wear pants in USFS

[hopskipjump]

Looking back these may have been silly questions, but they were really pressing on me for dd's first comp...

*Over the boot or in the boot tights? I know it's lame but I was really panicked.  Luckily our coach is super patient.
*How do I get her hair in a bun that will STAY in a bun?
*Make sure to label music correctly.
*Put a post it on your steering wheel saying "Did you pick up the music?" - I am notorious for leaving it behind and then being mildly surprised when someone else is using that cut.
*Bring MONEY!  I was unaware that videos were so much money and then there are photos...print out a generic copyright release (when you buy a CD of photos and then get them printed, some photo places will ask for a release and most venders don't have one). For her first I spent almost 100 on those two things alone.  I now buy video once a season and photo's once a season - I take my own but theirs are always nicer.  You will also want money for flowers (usually a club fundraiser) and some comps have people selling used and new dresses.
*Cheer for all the skaters.  Dd was pretty much alone at one comp - I was the only person who came to cheer her own.  A large family in front of me said "Hey I like that skater!" When dd started they all gave her loud cheers.  Super sweet.  It meant a lot to both of us.
*Ask your family and friends to SIT and talk in low voices when other skaters are up.  Some routines are 90 seconds, it's just polite to wait until they are done.
*Pack an emergency kit - extra tights were mentioned but you also want bandaids, a sewing kit, chapstick, extra laces...
*Leave your skates on until after results are posted!  Dd was always wanting to change as soon as she finished her program, but that meant if we had still photos done she had to get them back on, and pics of kids waiting for results in skates are cute.
*THANK YOUR COACH!  (Do most people give a little gift?  I am still unsure about that...)  I was oblivious that dd's coach had to rearrange her work schedule/private lessons/classes to be at a comp.  And for ISI at least, she would have to stay later/go in earlier to judge.
*save the "luggage tags" you get in your goodie bag.  We had no idea why we would save them until a couple comps later when we noticed girls put them on their bags.  Sort of like badges I guess...c'est la vie!
*make sure your skaters undies don't show out of their costume!  In dd's dresses they never showed so I never thought about it.  Just before going out in a new dress her coach noticed and dd had to skate with a wedgie.  I'm sure it doesn't REALLY matter, but while dd has no problem in a skate dress, she does find showing undies embarrassing.
* put the emphasis on FUN.  For the love please don't yell at your skater before or after a competition.  If you cannot contain yourself, do it off rink property.  You are probably scaring someone else's child as well as you own.
*if you smoke, do it away from the front doors.

[Skittl1321]

My first USFS competition is next weekend. 

Here's my question:  What the hell was I thinking???

[jjane45]

*Make sure to label music correctly.

Haha sounds so simple yet how do you do it?
Type of competition, name of skater, and what else?

[techskater]

Name, Event, length

[hopskipjump]

I check the rules every time:
clearly marked:
skater's name
event
pro's name
length of music

[jjane45]

Thank you hopskipjump.

Cross posting for reference: information on USFS no-test (up to lutz jump only) competitions and 6.0 ordinal system example

[jjane45]

More observations:

1) Look up and SMILE confidently. It makes so much difference!

2) Practice the opening pose until you can comfortably hold it for 30+ seconds in case of technical glitch.

3) Beware of the standard "out there". We have a recreational program where majority of the skaters do NOT compete. And the difference between polished IJS-friendly program vs. last-minute "crossover to cover the whole rink and jump" program is super clear, even though skaters were at comparable technical level.

[karne]

More observations:

1) Look up and SMILE confidently. It makes so much difference!

2) Practice the opening pose until you can comfortably hold it for 30+ seconds in case of technical glitch.

Saw both of those in action last night. So many music glitches and the judges took a good 4-5 minutes to be ready between each program. I have no idea how long I had to hold mine for, but it seemed forever.

- Bring your hairspray. Just in case. Case in point: Aussie Skate Free Skate 2 competitor (me) supplies hairspray to frantic Novice competitor (multiple representative at Nationals)...

- BRING TISSUES. 

- Bring bandaids. One girl last night bent down to wipe the ice off her blades with her fingers, and slipped. blood everywhere.

[turnip]

- bring your own small mirror
- practice hair and make up in advance and make sure coach approves (mine sent me a strict text message telling me not too much glitter!)
- Ditto on making sure your undies don't show through your dress
- Bounce around in your dress a few times at home to make sure the decorations don't fall off
- Run through program and/or test wearing the dress (or outfit) to make sure the weird feeling doesn't put you off, espeically if you normally wear casual clothes to skate in
- Practice coming onto the ice and leaving the ice
- find out what to do if there is a technical glitch, eg, not stepping off the ice, when to go to the judges
- for little kids, make sure you can undress and redress them quickly in case of emergency bathroom breaks
- SMILE!

[techskater]

There are other reasons to bounce around in your costume other than decorations possibly falling off...

[fsk8r]

It's not just little kids who need to be able to undress and redress quickly. Nerves do strange things and generally kick in 5min after the dress has gone on.

[aussieskater]

It's not just little kids who need to be able to undress and redress quickly. Nerves do strange things and generally kick in 5min after the dress has gone on.

...or 2 minutes before you're called to the ice!!