First Competition - Tips/Advice for a nervous skater!

[Vicki7]

So, a couple of months ago, my rink (I'm in the UK) announced we were holding our 2nd in house competition. I didn't compete in the first one because I'd just got new boots and they weren't broken in yet.

This time, I'm very comfortable in my boots, and I decided to skate in our Solo Dance category, so I'll be skating the Dutch Waltz. I'm still in the LTS programme, but as I have private lessons, I've dabbled in dance and we do an hour group session once a week, for skaters over a certain level of LTS. It's great fun, and I really enjoy it.

Anyway, the competition is next Saturday. The nerves have kicked in big time - there are 4, possibly 5 in my group, and the others are all a higher level than me. My coach says my timing is really good, and that I'm 99% there with being on the right edge, whereas others may be 100% with their edges but don't have my sense of timing. My goal is to hit both timing and edges 100% on competition day. I've also then got to remember all the artistic stuff we've worked in... 

Fortunately, at our rink the atmosphere amongst the adult skaters is really friendly, and it is amongst the kids too, even those that are at a higher level, so I don't have to worry about nasty comments... Hopefully.

So, anyone got any advice for a first time competitor? I have a horrible feeling I've forgotten something really important.

[axelwylie]

My first real competion was Adult Nationals! Go big or go home, right?

My advice is just to have fun and enjoy yourself. Don't worry about your placements - just do your best and skate to the best of your ability.

For the competition, lay out your clothes and bag the night before and give yourself plenty of time to get to the rink. Bring extras of everything - rights, laces, hair ties, etc.

And enjoy making new friends!

[rachelplotkin]

My first competition was also at Adult Nationals (ISI.)  It was a totally friendly and supportive atmosphere.

I went with no expectation other than to do my best and learn from the experience.  You will be nervous but you can channel the energy into your skating. I found it helpful to not watch the people before or after my program. Prior to my group's warm up time I listened to my music and walked through my program.  It was good to keep moving to help keep my muscles (somewhat) loose.  My legs felt like rubber but I just focused on skating my program just as I had done many times in the months leading up to the competition.

You will be nervous but you know your dance.  Believe in yourself:)

[WaltzJump413]

This thread has a lot of great tips:

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=6004.msg69388#msg69388


Best of luck on the competition! Let us know how it goes.

[fsk8r]

Just remember (and say to yourself) you're not nervous, you're excited! You really want to do the competition and this is what you've been preparing for so you're really excited to actually get the chance to show everyone your skating skills that you've worked so hard at.
I used to be the most nervous skater at any competition and would struggle to skate my program, since telling myself this (and a bit of manic laughter and dancing to whatever random music is playing - upbeat is good), I now am able to contain my nerves and use the adrenaline for some positive good.
And any bad skates before hand are all good things. You need a bad rehearsal for a good performance.

Good luck and have LOTS of FUN.

[blue111moon]

Don't think about the other skaters.  You can't control what anyone else does or has or is.  The only person you're competing against is yourself.  Focus on what you know and what you can do.

If there's one thing I've learned over 30+ of skating and competing, it's that I can't compare what I do in practise with what I do in competition.  They're two different animals.  I can only say whether what I did in Competition A is better or worse than what I did in competition B because generally what I do in competition bears only a faint resemblance to what I've practised.    It's your first competition so you you're in effect setting the standard for the next one.  Don't expect perfection.  As long as you don't give up in the middle and burst into tears at center ice (as I've seen another skater do), you'll be fine.  You'll survive.

And at worst, it's two minutes out of your life.  It's not life or death;  it's not brain surgery;  it's not the Olympics.  Even if you win, that medal doesn't make you a better person than everyone else; any more than coming in last makes you a horrible person.   Life will go on. 

That said, when you go out to skate, take your starting position and take three deep slow breaths.  The extra oxygen will come in handy. 

[PhysicsOnIce]

I am known for getting super nervous/excited at competitions and test... this results in me having WAY too much energy before getting on the ice for my warm up. So, what does that mean... I go running or go jump rope for 10 or 15 minutes preferably outside (or away from the competition atmosphere) and with a teammate or headphones! Upbeat music is my friend during this time. Standing still and waiting around makes me incredibly nervous so passing time doing a nice, often longer than normal warm up before getting into my skates, helps a lot.

I do a few from dry-land walk through and go through the elements of my program  as warm up.. I.e. If I have an axel in my program  I jump five or six off ice axels ( or whatever jumps) and then just walk through my program once and listen to my music while doing dynamic stretches. Also, visualization helps alot.

[Loops]

I am known for getting super nervous/excited at competitions and test... this results in me having WAY too much energy before getting on the ice for my warm up. So, what does that mean... I go running or go jump rope for 10 or 15 minutes preferably outside (or away from the competition atmosphere) and with a teammate or headphones! Upbeat music is my friend during this time. Standing still and waiting around makes me incredibly nervous so passing time doing a nice, often longer than normal warm up before getting into my skates, helps a lot.

This^^!!!  I get really excited anytime I get on the ice, and it's amplified 1000x before a formal performance.  Off ice warmups are a necessity and great, but I've also been known to take a lap (or 5) around the rink to work that excitement off.  If you have a favorite workout/running/bopping around the house playlist, make sure you bring it.

Good for you for putting yourself out there and doing this!!!!

Skate for you, not the judges, not the audience.  You.  It's the journey, not the outcome....perhaps somewhat cheesy but true.  It really is the experience of performing that matters and regardless of how you skate, you'll be a better skater afterwards.  Good luck and if you want, let us know how it goes!

[PhysicsOnIce]

Skate for you, not the judges, not the audience.  You. 

^^^  Could not have said this any better!!! If you skate for yourself and for your love of the sport, it exudes passion!!! No matter what the outcome, the judges, the audience, and most important you will be happy to have taken the journey!

BEST OF LUCK!
BTW when is it?

[Live2Sk8]

I get really nervous too.  I actually skate better when I know everyone else is higher level because it takes some of the pressure off.  My advice - enjoy having the ice entirely to yourself!  No looking behind you to see if someone is coming up in your path, no looking ahead to see what obstacles are in the way of your pattern.  It's just you and the ice!  Good luck and best wishes!

[Doubletoe]

Taking slow, deep breaths while waiting to take the ice is always a good thing to do.  Slow, deep breathing has been scientifically proven to turn off the fight-or-flight response in the brain that leads to shaky knees and other adrenaline-related symptoms.  Also, keep your legs from tensing up by bending your knees and shaking your legs out.

Other things that help: Skate your program at the competition rink (if not your own rink) if you can.  Make sure you know where the judges will be sitting and memorize visual cues to make sure you don't get turned around.  If you don't have a chance to skate your program at the competition rink beforehand, stand by the ice surface and do mental run-throughs of your program, looking at where each element will be on the ice and making sure you know what you'll be looking at as you go into and come out of each element.

[Vicki7]

Thank you everyone - competition is this Saturday, will be all done by 8pm UK time

You're right, I'm using this to set the standard and improve further.

I have been imagining absolute worst case scenarios which hasn't besn fun! I kept having a mental block with one part of the dance, but that seems to have gone away now.

I can do this

[rachelplotkin]

I can do this

Yes you can!

[fsk8r]

If you're going to imagine anything, imagine doing it like you skate it in practice.
It actually helps with performance.

[blue111moon]

With a couple more days to go, if you feel you HAVE to do something productive, get a pad of paper and draw out the pattern of the steps over and over as if you're skating them.  Drawing fixes the pattern in your brain and you can count while you draw.  Humming the music, if you know it, helps too. 

[Loops]

I have been imagining absolute worst case scenarios which hasn't besn fun! I kept having a mental block with one part of the dance, but that seems to have gone away now.

I do this too, every time I have to do something out of my comfort zone.  It's like I'm trying to self-destruct myself.  Before my oral exams for my doctorate, it was terrible. I have a very difficult time stopping the mental self-shake down.  But what I do do, is everytime I imagine something starting to set up the disaster, is to stop myself, force a restart, and force myself to imagine going through that part correctly.   In terms of skating, if you fall, imagine yourself getting right back up again smiling, pulling it together and finishing your routine perfectly, OR force your imagination to restart and go through your routine as you do it in  your best practice....demanding perfection from yourself isn't really useful.  Falls happen during competition, if it happens to you, it's ok.  Just channel your inner Jeremy Abbott and get back out there.

This mental thing is as big a part of competition as anything else.  For me, I'm very impressed by athletes who can pull it back together, like Mao Asada and Jeremy Abbott did in these past Olympics than anything else.   But I think they work as hard to develop that mindset and mental discipline as they do their triples and quads.  Maybe even harder.

You are right, Vicki7- YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!  Have fun with the competition-after all, if it's not fun it's not worth it.

[Gabby on Ice]

Don't watch the people that go before you. My coach doesn't let me watch the people I'm skating against. But if you're skating first, then you can watch the others and compare yourself to them. The important thing is to remember that you can't control who you're competing against, and you can't control what the judges are looking for on that day, so all you can do is go out there and skate your absolute best. Good luck!

[WaltzJump413]

Just channel your inner Jeremy Abbott and get back out there.

^ This. Great thought. That was one of the most inspiring moments of Sochi, IMHO. He still won that competition, just in a different way.

[Loops]

^ This. Great thought. That was one of the most inspiring moments of Sochi, IMHO. He still won that competition, just in a different way.

I know right! My heart was in my throat while he was on the ice, and then I nearly cried when he pulled it out after that horrid fall.  And I'm sure in some pretty serious pain, too. In my opinion, he and Mao Asada both won; coming back the way they did showed the others what an Olympian does.  They're on a different level to me.  I'm not sure any of the young kids could have come back the way those two did.  Not that falls/missed jumps should be rewarded, but it's too bad that IJS can't account for that kind of mental toughness.

Sorry Vicki7, a bit off topic.  Hopefully you'll have a great skate!  But if you should happen to fall, or miss something on your day, let it go and remember it's what you do with it afterwards that counts, and the hardest part of competing.

[blue111moon]

I'm sorry to contradict another poster, but I think that, if you do watch the other skaters in your group, DO NOT COMPARE yourself to them.  It's not about THEM.  Leave the comparisons up to the judges. 

For the record, I do tend to watch my competitors, no matter where I skate in the order.  Generally this is because I've been competiting in the same level for so long, I know most of the other skaters and a lot of them are friends are mins.  I watch them to cheer them on and to see how they've pregressed since the last time I saw them.  It also distracts me from my self-centeredness.

Finally my own last-minute mantra is "We do this because it's FUN!"  I repeat this over and over like a demented monk;  if nothing else, the sheer idocy of it makes me laugh and that in itself in relaxing.  And it keeps things in perspective  If it's not fun, there's no sense in doing it.  It's skating, for Pete's sake!   

[Live2Sk8]

I watch my competitors, too.  Sometimes that is bad - I try VERY hard not to compare what elements they do but just focus on enjoying their program.  Like the previous poster, I want to be supportive of all the skaters and clap and cheer for them.  There usually are few in the audience for adult events, unfortunately, so I might be the only person cheering for them (especially if they don't have a coach put them on ice).  I love seeing what other adults can do, and even though it might affect my performance, it is worth it to me to be supportive and to enjoy everyone's skating.

[Vicki7]

Well, today was... interesting.

Went to the rink to practice in my dress, and discovered it was waaaay too long to skate in comfortably. I was more worried about it wrapping round my knees than my skating! Came home, raided the wardrobe and found a lovely blue velvet dress, that falls just to my knees and will be much better

Guess that's why my coach suggested a dress rehearsal!

Also saw that the skating order has been posted up - I'm last in the group to skate. Not sure how I feel about that, I was hoping I'd be somewhere in the middle so I could skate and then enjoy seeing my friends skate after me.

On the plus side, I did about 6 flawless run-throughs, no more random mental blocks halfway through - yay! All I can do now is hope everything falls into place on Saturday, and if it doesn't, at least I'll have had fun and will have learnt some things

[Live2Sk8]

Dress rehearsals are always good!  Congrats on the successful runthroughs, take the ice Saturday and SMILE!  Best wishes - have a great time.

[fsk8r]

I find the dress rehearsal is great for getting the feel of the dress. And also as I normally skate in gloves (cold rink) it means I can start to get over the sight of flesh (ie my hands). It's amazing how little things like this can distract you while skating.

Good luck tomorrow and enjoy the experience.

[Loops]

Glad you got the unexpected dress issues sorted before being surprised in competition....dress-rehersal = good thing.

I'm sending good, confident vibes your way.  Good luck tomorrow Vicki, have fun!  You'll be great!!!!