First Competition Tips?

[amandascw]

I have my first competition in early April and I'm really excited. I'm not sure what to expect though. Any tips?


Mod note: moved to On the Boards forum

[LunarSkater]

I'm hardly the expert; I've only been to two competitions. So I don't really have a lot of advice. Breathing is important, though, as my coach constantly has to remind me.

One thing that really threw me is the quality of the ice. My home rink has very hard ice, but the two other rinks I competed at had softer ice. One excessively so (they didn't even give the ice a chance to dry after the zamboni finished. Those doors closed and ours opened.). So if it is at all possible, go try and attempt a session at the rink you'll be competing at (if it isn't your home one). That way the ice won't be such a shock. And you'll have already been to the place so you hopefully won't get lost getting there or once you get inside.

Good luck!

[nicklaszlo]

Take your guards off before you get on the ice.

Bring your skates.

Find out how many hours your coach will charge for the competition.

The schedules are inaccurate.

An unfamiliar rink can sound very different, including your blade noises.

Find out where the judges are sitting so you can face the right direction.

(recycled test advice)

[fsk8r]

Talk to your coach about where they see the judges sitting in your rink so when you go to a new rink you can work out where your program goes.
I mentally talk myself through the entire program when I get to the rink so I know which way I'll be when.

[Christy]

It's definitely worth visiting if you can, however sometimes the ice can be very different on competition day. Also depending on who skates before you the ice can be really torn up.
When you arrive ask if they are running early / late, and continue to check as your time approaches. In addition to the schedule not running to time, depending on the size of the competition and the location parking may be difficult so give yourself plenty of time to get there.
Have a plan of what you need to do and focus on that. Try to ignore what is going on around you....

[Live2Sk8]

Be sure you breathe while you're skating, and SMILE!  This is supposed to be fun.  Also try to remember to bend your knees; this and the breathing help you avoid shaky leg syndrome.  Also, it helps to have a plan for your warmup - find out how many minutes you get, and then work out a plan with your coach on how to spend that time.  My first competition, I didn't know that and I just wandered around the ice in a terrified, shocked mess  making the same failed attempt at one element over and over until my coach called me over and told me - do this, do that. 

I hope you have a wonderful time!  Enjoy the entire experience.  I always get off the ice after I compete and wish I could get back out and skate my program again.

[DressmakingMomma]

My daughter says have fun. She doesn't usually get nervous and likes performing for a crowd. She tends to keep it casual by enjoying the other skaters, vendors' booths, and of course, concession stand. Her poorest performance came when she started worrying about placement and forgot to savor the moment. So I guess our best advice is to not get too caught up in the idea of 'competition' and instead just focus being in a rink with a bunch of like-minded figure skating lovers who are happy to applaud your best efforts 

[holdontilmae]

I don't have any advice to offer, since I am in a similar boat (first competition in 1-1/2 weeks!!) so I will just wish you luck and hope you have a blast! 

[Gabby on Ice]

-If the competition offers practice ice before, use it. Especially if you are skating at a different rink, this is a good way to get you familiar with where the judges will be facing, where the audience will be sitting, and skating on their ice also helps.

-Don't watch the people that skate before you in your group. I don't because I think that it would make me more nervous than I already am.

-These things can either run early or late, so be sure to arrive at least an hour before your skate time.

-The schedule posted online is rarely the starting order. You will not know the starting order until you are at the rink.

-Remember to smile, do your best and have fun!

[amandascw]

Thank you guys so much!

[Loops]

My daughter says have fun. She doesn't usually get nervous and likes performing for a crowd. She tends to keep it casual by enjoying the other skaters, vendors' booths, and of course, concession stand. Her poorest performance came when she started worrying about placement and forgot to savor the moment. So I guess our best advice is to not get too caught up in the idea of 'competition' and instead just focus being in a rink with a bunch of like-minded figure skating lovers who are happy to applaud your best efforts 

This may very well be the best advice I've seen. This is exactly how my synchro handles it. It's definitely
easier said than done, especially for those of us who do get nervous. But in the end, it's a much better mindset about the whole competition thing!

[PinkLaces]

Here's a thing that really helped me in my last competition (Dec). I had recently seen a Ted Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcGyVTAoXEU) about dealing with stress. No matter how many times I practice and even if I am in my home rink, my heart starts beating a little faster, etc. The speaker talked about switching up your thinking from being worried about it to thinking about it as your body preparing you for what you need to do.  Made all the difference this time.

[Doubletoe]

Make sure you know where the judges will be, then practice your program on the ice surface on which you will be competing, making mental notes of the visual cues in the rink so you know where you should be looking when you come out of a jump or spin.  It's easy to get turned around and start skating the wrong direction, otherwise!

A few more things:  Keep your legs warm and moving before you get on the ice because nerves tend to make knees stiffen up.  Come up with an off-ice warmup routine and practice it between now and April.  Finally, I'd suggest coming up with technique cue words for the elements in your program and even some of the connecting moves and say them to yourself in practice so they become part of your practice routine.  Having those cue words to focus on in competition can help you skate through the nerves and keep negative or distracting thoughts from entering your mind when you're in front of those judges.

[holdontilmae]

Now that my first competition is behind me, I can maybe offer some helpful advice 
I didn't get nervous until I stepped off my warm up, then I started shaking and hyperventilating. I found it was helpful to not watch the routine that went before mine, and my coach had me do an exercise in the moments before I went on that I think really helped me keep it together. She just had me lift up one knee and hit it (gently, of course) with my opposite hand, then switch. Right hand to left knee, left hand to right knee, etc. It really helped to calm my shakes. And I ended up getting gold 
Good luck!!

[AgnesNitt]

Who's gonna hold your purse?