Help! DD Coach is moving

[jenniturtle]

I just found out that my DD's coach is moving to another state. Problem is that we skate at a small rink and right now there is little to no choice as to a new coach. I considered going to the "big city" for lessons but it is 1 1/2 hours away. My husband quickly shot down going there once a week as too expensive- gas prices being so high. I also work full time so even going once a week would be a struggle. The local rink has one coach who I would not consider and the other is a full time college student who does not even have her credentials yet. Does anyone have any suggestions? I tend to stress and i had a sleepless night worrying what to do.

[Clarice]

How many students did your daughter's coach have?  After all, all of them need a new coach, too.  You might meet with their mothers to brainstorm solutions.  Perhaps it's possible to carpool to the next nearest rink.  Perhaps it would be possible to recruit a new coach to come to your rink a couple of days a week.

My rink is the only one around for an hour in any direction.  We have a coach who comes in 3 or 4 days a week from a city two hours away.  There are coaches who would possibly be willing to do that if they had a full schedule of lessons lined up.

And do give the college student a fair shot at consideration.  Two of our coaches just graduated from college, and they did a fine job this past year.  Both, however, have their USFS coaching credentials and are PSA members who pursue continuing education opportunities.  The point is, just because someone is young doesn't mean they can't be a good coach.  The credentials mean you've paid a fee, passed a background check, and passed a few online tests - they don't guarantee someone is a good coach, or good for your particular skater.  You need to check out any coach, observe their teaching, and look at their students.  Do they pass their tests?  Do they tend to do well in competition?

Good luck!  I know how hard it can be at small rinks in the middle of nowhere!

[FigureSpins]

A few suggestions:

Check out the early-morning freestyle sessions to see if there might be other coaches on staff that you've not crossed paths with previously.  At our rink, there are 2-3 coaches who don't teach LTS groups/coach on afternoon freestyles, but they do coach at our rink in the early mornings.  Many parents don't even know their names/faces.  One coach in particular works out of four different rinks, doing weekday mornings here and afternoon/evenings there.

Ask the skating director if new coaches will be working at the rink.  Theoretically, they now have a vacancy and if your current coach teaches groups, the skating school will need to fill that slot.  (Most skating directors will hope that all the departing coach's students go to other staff coaches.)

Ask the rink front desk for a list of the private lesson coaches.

Ask your current coach to recommend someone to replace her.

ETA: I like the idea of recruiting a coach yourself, but it does lock you/other families into an ongoing relationship.  If the new coach doesn't work out, it will be awkward to stop taking lessons.  A six-lesson trial is usually good; I wonder if (with summer coming), you could have your daughter spend a week at another rink and "try out" the coach before fully committing to their commute?

[FigureSpins]

Some of the college-age coaches are good, but others aren't as reliable or serious about coaching.  It's really a case-by-case basis.  Definitely check to see if they pursue coaching education.  While it's good for them to continue their own skating, it's just as important for them to be educated on how to teach.

Another thing to consider is whether or not your daughter should be on a competitive training track.  If she's just enjoying skating, any good coach is an option.  If she has dreams of Nationals and the Olympics, you probably have to go to the other rink to find both a coach and training opportunities to pursue that dream.  Just sayin'

[fsk8r]

Don't discount the distant rink straight off, weekends are perfect times for trekking to distant rinks as there's less traffic to deal with. It might not be 1.5hours then, that should save on the gas somewhat. It's just making that committment to getting up on a Saturday morning.
Your DD doesn't have to move her practice time to the other rink, so it's just a trek for lessons. It might be a good interim solution as you'd be aware of any new coaches arriving at your rink while continuing lessons with a coach your are hopefully happy with.

But FigureSpins is right. There are quite often coaches which other people aren't aware of because they don't skate when they work. Most coaches at my rink are fulltime, but the two or three parttime ones aren't necessarily known by the skaters because they work either daytimes or just certain afternoons and aren't around at the key busy sessions. It doesn't mean that they are lesser coaches in standard, it's just that's what they are choosing to do (some of them are mothers working during school hours).

[FigureSpins]

Adding to that, even if a coach doesn't teach during your available hours now, don't assume that it's their choice.  I have zero students whose families are willing to get up before the crack of dawn to skate.  (All rec skaters)  I'm willing, but if I have no students that are willing, I have no reason to be there at that time.  It doesn't hurt to be flexible and to ask about a coach's flexibility in scheduling.

[Skittl1321]

I currently take from a college student.  It does mean that I have to change my lesson time every semester, but he is fabulous.  A really excellent coach.  Him being college really makes no difference to me.  And really, most of the adult coaches work full time, so you have to work around their schedule too.  Only a few around here are full time coaches.

Before that I took from a non-credentialed coach, and she was just as good, however, with only 2 students she didn't bother with the credentialing.  It didn't make her any less of an excellent coach (it was her decision to stop coaching at all, which is why I changed).  It is only very recently that coaches in the USA have to be credentialed, and from what I can tell of the program, it is nothing but a hoop to jump through and a background check- it really does very little to ensure a quality coach.  This coach also had a relationship with a credentialed coach, so he would sign any test papers or competition papers.  She couldn't coach on club ice, but coached on rink ice no problem.  

If you use a non-credentialed coach, make sure they carry insurance (though that is really their problem, not yours).  Many coaches at our rink do not!

[jenniturtle]

I know all the coaches since our rink is very small! My DD is a serious skater who has progressed a lot in the two years she has been skating, I just fear this may set her back. She has worked with the college student and likes her, but she (the student) is a full time student. I am afraid this may cause conflicts in the future. My DD while serious also needs a coach who will keep her to task. She is 11 and she will come off the ice to chat, get water etc... her current coach watches her even when she is not teaching her.

[Skittl1321]

... her current coach watches her even when she is not teaching her.

That you want this could bring up a problem.

I've never seen a coach (at four different rinks) supervise a kid they are not currently in lesson with.  It really isn't their duty.
However, this means even if you do drive for lessons (and it kind of sounds like you'll need to), you'll have a problem practicing at the home rink.  I think a "serious skater" at her age just needs to learn to stay on task. 


As for keeping to task: my college student coach is much stricter than my full time coach was (not previously described).  The full time coach was more "fun", the college age coach remembers more of his training, and I often have to remind him that if I drop dead from exhaustion, I won't be paying him anymore!

[hopskipjump]

If she is serious and there are only two coaches at your rink, I don't see how you can not have to drive (if you can't get together with the other parents and see if a coach is willing to make the drive).  The problem...she will probably need to see a coach 2-3 times a week if not more in the future.  So it's drive now or drive later.  And if she wants to be serious she needs to be able to monitor her practice time.  She is old enough and as I tell dd, ice costs to much to waste.  I will happily stay after a session so she can chat with her buddies.

When you say serious..what level?  If the coach has no credential how would dd test or compete?

[jenniturtle]

she is pre-pre right now but we expect her to move up soon.  The college girl is going to get her credentials ASAP. Her current coach will take her to the next competition and we don't have another planned until August/September.
I realize it is not her coaches responsibility or duty to supervise her while she is in a lesson, she just chooses to do so. She really cares for my daughter and will often coach her when she is not in lesson. one day between sessions she had my DD trying various things for an hour- FREE. It also helps that the rink owners think highly of my DD.

[Sk8tmum]

You need to have a discussion with your college student.  Is she available/willing to take on your daughter. What is her commitment to coaching. Will she be able to attend competitions, test days, etc (students are sometimes more limited in terms of time). Is she comfortable coaching at the level your daughter intends to skate ... etc etc etc.

I would ask your current coach for her recommendation. Generally, when a coach moves, they work for some type of succession planning; yours seems to be an involved coach, so I would be surprised if she hasn't thought of options for you.

Unfortunately, I know of many skaters who "need" better or more coaching, but, as they do not live near a rink that has such coaching, they end up having to drive long distances or leave skating.  Realistically, you're looking at 5 times a week for coaching sometime in the maybe not so distant future; even 2 to 3 times is very low once you get past the entry level.  Perhaps this is a good time to sit down with family finances, priorities, and goals and do some planning. I've seen many families get caught up in the "have to do it, have to do it" - they get on a treadmill of running themselves ragged trying to accomodate skating schedules - and it's because they didn't step back and be realistic about what they really wanted to do as a family. Your husband, of course, has to be completely on board with the plan, and part of the planning ... and your daughter ... and any other siblings.

[VAsk8r]

I agree with all the comments about looking into carpooling and talking to other parents. Our rink is in a similar situation, an hour from any other rink and few coaches based here, so we do a mixture of things. One adult skater takes a kid with her to another rink once a week so they both can take lessons. A few coaches travel all over the place and will come to our rink if they can get two or more lessons in the same time range. My coach moved an hour away last year and is still taking on new students at our rink as well as coaching at the rink in her new town. I don't know how she hasn't gone insane yet, but it seems to work for her.

The full time coach was more "fun", the college age coach remembers more of his training, and I often have to remind him that if I drop dead from exhaustion, I won't be paying him anymore!

I've got to remember that line to use on my own coach!

FWIW, I sometimes hear the coaches at my rink giving their students quick "are you working on your 3-turns?" kinds of reminders outside of lessons. I think they prefer that than have parents standing at the door yelling at their kids.

[Query]

A figure skating director told me that top competitive skaters who coach often don't need to be certified by PSA, USFSA or ISI, because their records speak for themselves. But the rink required them to have a coach membership to ISI, PSA and/or USFSA as coaches, for the insurance. A lot of U.S. rinks require one or more of those - which coach memberships they accept varies by rink.

There are even a few rinks that don't require the coach to have the coach membership - perhaps they have insurance that covers the rink's liability.

I think the coach's ability to teach the student matters more than certification, membership and insurance. Maybe the college student is worth a trial lesson, with your current coach's permission of course.

But hopskipjump's question about testing and competing is worth looking into, if your DD does that. Perhaps you or the student coach could arrange for another coach with the appropriate coach membership to officially take your DD through the test or competition.

[fsk8r]

A figure skating director told me that top competitive skaters who coach often don't need to be certified by PSA, USFSA or ISI, because their records speak for themselves. But the rink required them to have a coach membership to ISI, PSA and/or USFSA as coaches, for the insurance. A lot of U.S. rinks require one or more of those - which coach memberships they accept varies by rink.

Just because they can win competitions doesn't mean they know how to teach others to win competitions. The two skills are very different. People who find skating easy can't necessarily explain it to others.

Equally young coaches often have all the different tips and techniques that they've just been told still fresh in their minds. They also have different expectations than older coaches, so young ones are often very good at pushing you.

[jjane45]

You're posting from your hiccupping puppy of an android phone aren't you?

I highly suspect it. Never seen Android behave like that, also too easy to download an alternative input method if the stock version misbehaves...

[Skittl1321]

You're posting from your hiccupping puppy of an android phone aren't you?

Yes. It adds periods for me. I think my thumb must hit the button weird.

[jjane45]

Yes. It adds periods for me. I think my thumb must hit the button weird.

What input method do you use?

[Skittl1321]

My web browser.  But this is getting a bit too off topic.

[Query]

To the original poster:

You never said the student coach wasn't a professional member - just said said coach wasn't certified. Assuming they are a professional member (most rinks require that), they passed a background check, they carry liability insurance (not that I know of any cases where it helped the student), they have the legal right to use most copyrighted music in their programs, they are contractually bound not to do certain nasty things that would make switching coaches difficult, and, based on what others have said here, they can put the skater on the ice at tests and competitions. So professional membership is what matters most, not certification.

(Though I still think it makes professional sense for a coach to be certified.)

A trial lesson with the student coach is the best approach to answering all the most important questions.

Plus, your DD's own coach might have noticed if the student coach makes any obvious mistakes in technique.

If you want to be thorough, privately ask judges and/or club officials if the coach's students usually pass tests, and perform reasonably well at competitions. A quiet little test that almost no one does.

[Skittl1321]

moved to other thread...