normal skating level for a teen?

[ThinKaRma]

Hi.  Just wondering what would be the "normal" approximate level for a competitive 13 or 14 year old girl, who does singles and has been skating for 7 years? 

[Jf12]

Everyone progresses at a different rate. What level you compete at, if you are participating in US figure skating, depends on what tests you've passed.

[FigureSpins]

^ What she said...honestly answer these questions and your eyes will be opened:

How many lessons does s/he take weekly?
Group or private lessons?
How many days a week does the skater practice outside of lessons?
How many total practice hours, each week?
Do they skate year-round or seasonally?
How carefully do they practice on the ice? 
Are they in off-ice programs, dance or gymnastics?
How much time do they devote to other sports or activities?
Do they have natural ability in athletics or is every skill hard-earned?
Have they had setbacks on- and/or off-ice?  (Injuries, life changes, plateaus, disappointments)

Those who want to achieve can be held back by lack of resources.  Those who live for hopes and dreams have to put in hard work.  Nothing comes easy, everyone is different.

[FigureSpins]

Just as an aside, the words "competitive figure skater" is a fire-starter.  Everyone who competes, even at the most-basic levels, considers themselves to be competitive athletes.  However, US Figure Skating divides skaters into "non-qualifying" and "qualifying" athletes.  They refer to the latter as "competitive figure skaters."  I'm not agreeing with that nomenclature but then again, I loved being an ISI Recreational skater, lol.

[Sibelius]

^ What she said...honestly answer these questions and your eyes will be opened:

Going to answer these for my daughter.  She is 9, started once a week group lessons at 7, got serious about 1 year ago:

How many lessons does s/he take weekly? 4 private lessons (2 Edges/MITF, 2 Jump/Spin)
Group or private lessons? 2 Group Axel classes (one led by her jump/spin coach), 1 group Edge, 1 group Power, 1 group Stroking
How many days a week does the skater practice outside of lessons? 6 days
How many total practice hours, each week? 10 hours
Do they skate year-round or seasonally? year round
How carefully do they practice on the ice? focused on skills directed by coaches, little to no play
Are they in off-ice programs, dance or gymnastics? 3 hours of ballet class/week + 1 hour private ballet lesson/week, off ice stretching and strength
How much time do they devote to other sports or activities? little, band, gymnastics in the back yard
Do they have natural ability in athletics or is every skill hard-earned? Natural athlete, not a natural skater
Have they had setbacks on- and/or off-ice?  (Injuries, life changes, plateaus, disappointments) took a long time to get her flip, loop and sit spin, was just determined to work harder! Had to "Retry" ISI Gamma and took 2 tries for FS4.  It was after failing Gamma (failed by her current MITF coach) she got serious about practice.

She has passed USFSA Pre-Pre and Preliminary MITF, currently working on Pre-Juv MITF. She had her first "competition" in a  head to head event at her home rink a couple of weeks ago (she won her group).  She is beginning work with her coaches on a program for next season.  At first she'll compete "no test" until she has an Axel, then compete in USFSA Preliminary as well as begin taking the USFSA Freeskate tests.

Those who want to achieve can be held back by lack of resources.  Those who live for hopes and dreams have to put in hard work.  Nothing comes easy, everyone is different.

[FigureSpins]

I wasn't taking a survey - those are the questions I ask families, usually in a more roundabout way.  When a skater says "(Skater A) and I have been skating the same amount of time and she's so far (ahead/behind) me..." my reply is to compare training plans.  It really opens their eyes to the need for consistent practices.

[Sibelius]

I thought they were excellent questions that lined up for an easy set of answers.  I thought the OP would be interested, and maybe others as well for reference purposes in the future.

[nicklaszlo]

Hi.  Just wondering what would be the "normal" approximate level for a competitive 13 or 14 year old girl, who does singles and has been skating for 7 years?

Is she enjoying it?  If so, then it's normal.

Quantity and quality of practice are the most important things for improving skating.  Age and number of years skated are not so important.

[twinskaters]

Are you asking what level your teen "should" be skating at, as in what skills are typical for this age, or are you trying to figure out what level she might compete at given the skills she has? It sounded to me like the latter, which is really a question to discuss with her coach, and it would depend on any Freeskate tests passed. For what it's worth, my 12-year-olds have all their singles but no axel yet, and they compete test track preliminary.

[Doubletoe]

Putting the word "normal" aside, here's an answer you may find useful:  If you are 13 or 14 and you want to be eligible to enter a USFS qualifying competition at Regionals, you would need to have passed your Intermediate freestyle test.  That's because you need to be younger than 13 to enter a qualifying competition in Juvenile. You can compete at Intermediate level until age 18.