Adult skaters who became coaches?

[Arwen17]

I'm still just toying with the idea of coaching one day. It could be something "fun" to do when I retire one day. Or as a part-time job in the more near future. I still have my own personal skating goals, so it's not like I want to sacrifice all of my personal practice time to coaching just yet.

I did start volunteering for LTS classes two weeks ago, so I've been twice now. But it's going to take a long, long time before I learn how to teach and learn how to be around kids. I'm still very, very shy around children, partly because I don't know how to teach skating to kids yet and partly because I've rarely ever been around kids (in a caretaker/teacher capacity). I'm just observing and helping out a bit. No one is going to put in me in charge of a class with a clipboard any time soon. The Adult LTS class is the easiest since I can just "talk adult" to the older adults and teenagers who sign up for that. But children are where the future is, because 99.999% of the time, children are what you will end up coaching.

However, all of the coaches I've ever met all started skating as kids. All of the coaches at our rink have Gold in MIF , and usually Intermediate/Novice/Junior level in FS. A couple have Novice/Junior level in Pairs or Ice Dance too.
I believe you don't have to strictly "know" how to do advanced moves yourself to be a coach, but it seems like it's "expected" anyway, since how would parents ever be convinced by someone who is still working on Juvenile or Intermediate in MIF and probably even lower level in FS tests?
I desperately want to achieve Senior level in MIF and FS, but I know that's going to take many, many years to achieve, and that's only if I remain in a "good situation" to fund my skating for that long.


So does anyone know of people who started skating as Adults (or haven't passed many tests yet) and were still able to become coaches? How did they get started in coaching? How many years did it take to get coaching skills? How many MIF/FS tests did they pass before they became coaches?


I feel fully qualified to teach LTS classes (once I learn how to interact with children well) because LTS stuff is so basic. But teaching MIF/FS stuff.... I can only teach the levels I've currently passed and I'm definitely not "expert enough" to teach them well enough that I could make the judges happy. To me, it seems like having a Gold in MIF (at the very least) would be essential for anyone wanting to be a coach. And then maybe you can learn about jump/spin technique without really having to do it yourself since plenty of coaches teach triples/quads and can't do it themselves.

[Bill_S]

When I began skating again in the early 2000s, there was a woman who kept a blog about her progress and her coaching. Recalling back 10 years ago, she was not a competitor and had not tested far because of nerves. From her writing, she was a fairly accomplished skater regardless.

Her online name was "Kay", and the web site was skatejournal.com. The site is long expired, but some content is still available as archived pages in the WayBack Machine. It's going to be a little tougher to navigate now that the site is down, but here's a page that I found where she described some coaching experiences. If you are interested, there's much more material to explore than that page alone.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080502180608/http://www.skatejournal.com:80/current.html

If this link doesn't work directly, search for the WayBack Machine, and plug in skatejournal.com. It will give you a range of dates to choose from.

[lutefisk]

I vaguely remember this woman's site.  It's like picking up a previously read book after several years of not thinking about it.  I wonder if I'll trip across some of the more memorable passages that I *think* I recall.

[icedancer]

I met a great coach about 25 years ago in New England who had only passed her 1st figure test but very successfully coached many skaters and even skaters who skated at Nationals etc - she understood skating and she knew how to teach.

That being said I think it would be harder nowadays to find someone like that BUT if you were to move somewhere that didn't have many coaches or even a skating program it might be easier to get someone to hire you because you would be able to teach them - does that make sense?  I don't mean to bring you down honestly with this answer but I believe it is true -

I have often thought I would like to coach and although I don't have very high tests I do know a LOT about skating - but I am a judge and they won't let judges coach except at the very lowest LTS levels - I have asked about it but have not had anyone want to take me on - sigh...

[hellotwizzles]

I want to do this too! I already work with kids and worked in sports daycamps in the past.

I looked up the requirements to be a LTS coach in canada, and you need to attend a seminar and have passed STAR 5 in the CanSkate system, but it can be any assessment at that level.

STAR 5 free skate test is all single jumps, must have a landed axel, or you can take a "skating skills test" with turns and some step sequences, or the dance test at that level. From what I read on here, it's definitely doable for an adult skater to pass this test and pretty common/most adults here seem to have these elements.

If you wanted to be a regional/competitive coach- you need to have passed Bronze levels in Skate Canada- I think there are double jumps in those tests but I don't know if there's dance and skill tests you could take too- even if not there's definitely adults who have doubles!

Good luck and I'm bookmarking this thread for when I pass those test requirements!

[RoaringSkates]

I started skating when I was 30. I've now skated for (mumble mumble think decades) and I teach LTS. I'm a silver level dancer.

LTS has a specific curriculum, which makes it so you know what to teach at which level. The trick is to know *how* to teach, which you're learning now by observing and assisting the more experienced LTS coaches.

[LunarSkater]

I started skating at 28 and started coaching a few years later. I'm certified to do it through USFSA and even though I don't coach at my new rink, I'm still planning on keeping up my qualifications. As far as I know, you are required to have a certification to coach at any level.

And the requirements for coaching vary from rink to rink. I started coaching because my old rink literally did not have enough coaches and the Snowplow Sam teacher was completely overwhelmed. I got pulled in to assist her and it sort of snowballed from there. That being said, I only coached Snowplow Sam. The handful of times I taught higher LTS levels was when another coach was sick or when almost every single higher-level coach was at a competition. My current rink requires people to reached a certain level in their MitF/Free Skate/Dance tests before they're allowed to coach at any level. Their assistants are all younger skaters in the club.

As for the children, do research on education, teaching, children's psychology, etc.. It doesn't replace practical experience, but knowing how children react in certain environments, especially given different ages (toddlers will react far differently to being separated from a parent/guardian than someone even a few years older, for example). The observations and volunteering you're doing is a good start. And remember, the younger beginning skaters get amazed when you can do something as simple a steady one-foot glide across the rink or a few crossovers. They will look up to you. Talk kindly to them, crouch down to their level when talking one-on-one, keep an even temper, don't get frustrated when things don't go the way you planned (because there will always be those days), and above all, remember to smile. (You want more personal notes? I taught at an elementary school for a year. Feel free to message me.)

I think a question to ask yourself about coaching is how far you want to take it. Do you want to stick with LTS or try to go further?

[Clarice]

I started skating in my late 30s, and am now a registered USFS coach. I teach LTS classes and private lessons, with an emphasis on adults and beginning dance. I started by helping with LTS classes in order to help finance lessons and ice time for both my daughter and myself. I do have a degree and experience in education - that helped because I already know how to do lesson plans and classroom management. Our area has only one rink and few coaches, so that helps, too. I only teach freestyle at the basic levels, but so far have had skaters pass through the pre-bronze level of dance and the pre-juvenile level of MIF. I myself have gold MIF, silver free, am on my silver dances, and have a PSA rating in dance. So it can be done, but I'm sure it's much harder in urban areas where there are more advanced skaters available.

[AgnesNitt]

My coach started skating as an adult. The rink runs a USFSA LTS, but she is ISI.

She doesn't teach the top kids at the rink, but she has a lot of adults as well as kids, and is fantastic with Special Skaters (think autistic spectrum). She's also very artistic and valued by the other coaches for her contributions to ice shows.

Coaches who don't like adult learners becoming coaches are not uncommon, but our skating director keeps that under control. You have to have a strong skating director to keep things running smoothly.

[Arwen17]

@Bill_S
Thanks, I will definitely check that out!

That being said I think it would be harder nowadays to find someone like that BUT if you were to move somewhere that didn't have many coaches or even a skating program it might be easier to get someone to hire you because you would be able to teach them

I live in a small town, so we don't have a ton of coaches. We have exactly 7 coaches who currently teach private lessons at our rink. However, we also don't have a super-large club with tons and tons of students because we're a small town. But I do feel like the coaches are usually fully booked because when I went looking to restart private lessons for myself a year ago, it took asking different coaches if they had room in their schedule before I found an open slot. And I guard my slot jealously. And if I have to reschedule a lesson, it's a big ordeal to pull that off, so I do think the coaches are fully booked most of the time and not dying for more students. Although they are always cultivating new potentials during LTS, since you never know when one of your current students will suddenly decide they don't want to skate anymore and quit.

@hellotwizzles
I really just would like to teach at the same level our coaches teach in our small town. We are a USFSA club and some girls do go to Regionals, but I don't think anyone makes it past the qualifying rounds. We have lots of girls who can do double jumps, but no one currently who can do double axel or triples. My coach was able to do double axels when she was a kid, but she's a rare flower to do that in a town this size. I specifically remember her as a kid when I was a kid! (I only skated for 1 year as a kid before I quit. AKA I'm technically an 'adult' late-onset skater.) Her abilities stood out to me, even though at the time she was only doing single axels. But she just looked so much more "flowy" and "powerful" compared to everyone else. I used to try to copy her as a kid because I liked the way she "looked" compared to everyone else. When you see good lines and power, it stands out, and you want to copy it, even tho I was only 14 and she was 12. Funny she ended up as my coach when I returned 12 years later. #completely-unplanned. I love her. 

As far as I know, you are required to have a certification to coach at any level.

My current rink requires people to reached a certain level in their MitF/Free Skate/Dance tests before they're allowed to coach at any level. Their assistants are all younger skaters in the club.

As for the children, do research on education, teaching, children's psychology, etc.. It doesn't replace practical experience, but knowing how children react in certain environments, especially given different ages (toddlers will react far differently to being separated from a parent/guardian than someone even a few years older, for example). The observations and volunteering you're doing is a good start. And remember, the younger beginning skaters get amazed when you can do something as simple a steady one-foot glide across the rink or a few crossovers. They will look up to you. Talk kindly to them, crouch down to their level when talking one-on-one, keep an even temper, don't get frustrated when things don't go the way you planned (because there will always be those days), and above all, remember to smile. (You want more personal notes? I taught at an elementary school for a year. Feel free to message me.)

I think a question to ask yourself about coaching is how far you want to take it. Do you want to stick with LTS or try to go further?

Yes, I'm aware of the certification category stuff and PSA rating stuff for if you want to do private coaching, and not just LTS teaching.
LTS doesn't seem to require any certifications, just an "OK" from our skating director since we have a few retired skaters who have never been coaches helping out. Most of the LTS teachers are retired-coaches or current-coaches though. I'm not sure if anyone gets paid for our LTS program though. It might be volunteer-only. If they are getting paid, I doubt its very much. I think current-coaches volunteer because it's an opportunity to connect with "fresh recruits" and talk to parents about private lessons if the kids stick with it. Coaching is a part-time job for all of our coaches, so nobody is getting rich off of it. We do have several younger girls who currently volunteer for LTS and I'm pretty sure that's how all of the current coaches began to gain their own experience when they first started. Hence, why I volunteered for LTS too.
Even though I'm still really shy around the kids, I do have a huge smile on my face the entire time. So I think I'm enjoying it. But I do love jumps and spins and the more advanced stuff. So I would really like to teach higher than LTS one day.
I have a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Japanese language. I've always worked in corporate cubicles (thought at this point I think I want to call them suicide boxes). So unfortunately, being around children and teaching them is totally new territory for me. I don't know if I could survive being locked inside a classroom with the same set of kids for 8 hours a day, day in and day out. But having different kids for an hour or two on the ice is a lot different to me. I LOVE figure skating, so teaching it isn't a chore. Does that make sense? 
(We don't have enough sessions at our rink for anyone to teach a full 8 hours per day, even if it wasn't a part-time gig for our current coaches.)

And yeah, because of my kid-less background, adults are easier to teach, but this area is 99.9999% kids, so teaching adults outside of LTS is very, very rare. Plus, adults are the least likely to move on to spins/jumps one day. They often just stick to MIF/Dance if they manage to move past LTS.

(All of our coaches are female. Zero men. But we do have the occasional rare boy student.)
Our coaches have various degrees: social work, economics, administration, and another computer science person! Connection?
Only one of our current coaches is actually an elementary school teacher.
But the big difference between me and them is that they've all been skating since they were vey young. So they all have 10+ years experience of skating. Only our newest coach has about 7 years experience skating. She just passed her Novice MIF and Intermediate FS. She's still taking lessons with my coach while coaching other students. So I assume she'll probably get to Senior MIF eventually in the next few years.
So I don't think our rink has a requirement for "Senior MIF" for coaches that I know of. But it seems like all of the people who coach eventually get to that level, plus being in the Intermediate/Novice/Junior FS zone. Most of them have passed Novice. A couple only have Intermediate and only one has Junior.

[FigureSpins]

I started skated in my late teens, at a NYC seasonal outdoor rink, taking semi-private lessons under the ISI curriculum. (Had to take two buses to get there.)  After two years of having to wait for the next skating season, I bought a car and was able to travel to the year-round rinks in NJ.  I joined a USFSA club and passed exactly two tests: the FO/FI Figures and the Dutch Waltz.  I had been doing ISI competitions, so I entered a "No Test" event at a NJ USFSA competition.  One of the judges came up to me afterwards and said that "they [the judges] *couldn't* give me a first place" because of my age.  (I was 17 or 18 years old.)  I was embarrassed and angry, so that was it - I stuck with ISI and tested up to Freeskate 6 by the time I started having kids and life got in the way.

As a 40-something, I have passed Pre-Prel moves and freeskate, but I haven't really made any effort to do anything more.  I had an incredible competitive experience as an ISI skater, so I have no interest in the USFSA Adult competitions. 

I've been coaching part-time for over 20 years in both ISI and USFSA programs.  My knowledge of skating is much more in-depth than any of the 20-somethings that are double Gold medalists.  In addition to teaching groups, I coach over a dozen private students that are progressing at their own rate and having fun.  I call that a success!  I'm very honest with my skaters and parents.  I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of: I reached some lofty goals in skating relying on no one other than myself and my coach.  I paid for everything myself and worked really hard to succeed as both a skater and a coach.  I also made some great friends along the way and learned a lot about independence, commitment, dedication and achievement. 

There are NO national skating test requirements for coaching in the US.  It's really more knowledge-based education/testing.  Rinks/Skating Directors can impose rules for their programs such as "must have passed Sr. MIF."  It's often done to discourage competitors.  Most rinks require liability insurance for private lessons.

In USFSA programs, CERs are more important for coaching beyond the LTS levels.  If you're only coaching the lower levels, only a LTS USA Instructor certification and clean background check are required, along with liability insurance for private lessons.   Think about taking either the PSA's Foundations of Coaching course or the LTS USA equivalent.

http://www.skatepsa.com/psa/Educationl%20Events_Programs.html

https://ltsportal.learntoskateusa.com/LearnToSkate/EventsAndWorkshops
(Might require login credentials, sorry.  If you're interested in seeing the list, I can post a screen shot.)

ISI programs have their own curricula and instructor education, including free (yes, free) annual seminars for instructors.

[amy1984]

I want to do this too! I already work with kids and worked in sports daycamps in the past.

I looked up the requirements to be a LTS coach in canada, and you need to attend a seminar and have passed STAR 5 in the CanSkate system, but it can be any assessment at that level.

STAR 5 free skate test is all single jumps, must have a landed axel, or you can take a "skating skills test" with turns and some step sequences, or the dance test at that level. From what I read on here, it's definitely doable for an adult skater to pass this test and pretty common/most adults here seem to have these elements.

If you wanted to be a regional/competitive coach- you need to have passed Bronze levels in Skate Canada- I think there are double jumps in those tests but I don't know if there's dance and skill tests you could take too- even if not there's definitely adults who have doubles!

Good luck and I'm bookmarking this thread for when I pass those test requirements!

I'd encourage you to look up some STAR 5 programs for the type of skating required.  The dance would be doable but it would be time consuming to get that far.  If we're translating that to having to pass skills or dance, that would be years worth of testing still.  It's not that the skills are all that hard, but the testing to get there is time consuming.

Jr Bronze tests have an axel and flying spin.  No double jumps.

I don't want to dash anyone's dreams, but it's extremely hard to find LTS work here in Canada with those credentials.  At least where I live.  They tend to have one or two coaches on the ice - usually much higher level than the basic requirements - and then they use PA's to help them.  A few of my friends have done the can skate coaching program and haven't been able to turn that into making money.

Getting the 1st level of star skate coaching will help, but even with that... you have to remember who else is on the market with you.  These are the basic requirements in Canada.  There are many, many people with more than the basic requirements.  The ladies I know who are teaching but lower level themselves do so as a part time job to get through university or something similar.  None of them have had the ability to make a real living.  And lots of them have left after going through seasons where there wasn't enough students to justify the cost of insurance or the time investment.

They've also made it much more difficult to be certified.  You need to be mentored by a coach, send in videos of you teaching, etc.  It's not as simple as it sounds and the process can take years.  Canada is strict with who they'll let coach.  Much more strict than the US.

I don't want to be a debbie downer, but I just wanted to give a warning in regards to Canada because I've seen a few people try this out and not even get past the canskate phase.

If you're in Canada and want to teach LTS, I would suggest checking out local city run programs.  Mine is much less lax on teachers than skate canada.  There's not much upward movement here in terms of coaching, but you'd be able to go teach without all the skate canada testing.

[hellotwizzles]

I'd encourage you to look up some STAR 5 programs for the type of skating required.  The dance would be doable but it would be time consuming to get that far.  If we're translating that to having to pass skills or dance, that would be years worth of testing still.  It's not that the skills are all that hard, but the testing to get there is time consuming.

Jr Bronze tests have an axel and flying spin.  No double jumps.

I don't want to dash anyone's dreams, but it's extremely hard to find LTS work here in Canada with those credentials.  At least where I live.  They tend to have one or two coaches on the ice - usually much higher level than the basic requirements - and then they use PA's to help them.  A few of my friends have done the can skate coaching program and haven't been able to turn that into making money.

Getting the 1st level of star skate coaching will help, but even with that... you have to remember who else is on the market with you.  These are the basic requirements in Canada.  There are many, many people with more than the basic requirements.  The ladies I know who are teaching but lower level themselves do so as a part time job to get through university or something similar.  None of them have had the ability to make a real living.  And lots of them have left after going through seasons where there wasn't enough students to justify the cost of insurance or the time investment.

They've also made it much more difficult to be certified.  You need to be mentored by a coach, send in videos of you teaching, etc.  It's not as simple as it sounds and the process can take years.  Canada is strict with who they'll let coach.  Much more strict than the US.

I don't want to be a debbie downer, but I just wanted to give a warning in regards to Canada because I've seen a few people try this out and not even get past the canskate phase.

If you're in Canada and want to teach LTS, I would suggest checking out local city run programs.  Mine is much less lax on teachers than skate canada.  There's not much upward movement here in terms of coaching, but you'd be able to go teach without all the skate canada testing.

Haha, well it was worth a try, and this is definitely good info to know.

I was assessed at a STAR 2 level, so I think my personal goal will still be to pass STAR 5 and maybe work for those city programs. I am a university student so the extra $100 a month wouldn't hurt.

[IzziAngel]

I am a LTS Junior coach, read assistant, for the Snowplow classes.  Very basic skills like falling, getting up, marching, and stopping for young kids.  I demonstrate while the coach explains and then we each watch and help.  For us you don't have to have any certifications to be a junior coach, but you can't do assessments.  It's a great way to learn how to keep the kids engaged and gives you a leg up when you want to get your certification to coach LTS.   Bonus: my rink pays junior coaches with freestyle passes!

[axelwylie]

I took LTS as a child (once a week), took a long hiatus and started back up again as an adult. I had to relearn everything. I am a certified LTS coach and opted not to become a full USFS coach since I still have a day job.

As I was making my way through the MITF tests, I started volunteering to become an assistant during LTS classes. They started me on Snowplow classes and as I proved myself, I eventually got my own classes.

Having passed MITF or other disciplines is generally helpful because you can then demonstrate (or explain) how to execute certain elements. It's not mandatory per se, but definitely helpful so the skaters can see what to do.

The LTS coaching curriculum requires yearly certification but it's not a rigorous process where they test your coaching skills. I know that LTS USA offers coaching seminar occasionally so that could be an option as well.

For what it's worth, I have my Adult Gold MITF, Adult Gold FS and Adult Bronze Pairs tests. I passed these in my 30s.

[Arwen17]

https://ltsportal.learntoskateusa.com/LearnToSkate/EventsAndWorkshops
(Might require login credentials, sorry.  If you're interested in seeing the list, I can post a screen shot.)

Thanks for all the info! Our rink used to be ISI when I was a child, though I only took lessons as a child and never competed since mom wasn't supportive of me doing figure skating. At some point in the past 12 years, our rink switched to USFSA. At least for our rink, I think it has increased the quality of skating standards. It definitely costs more than ISI, which sucks, but on the other hand, it feels like skaters, parents, coaches take it more seriously since they've got more "skin in the game" AKA spending money to pass tests etc.
I would be happy in either system, but I am enjoying the "rigorousness" of the USFSA system.


Do they mail you your login credentials? I received an email about LTS about a week ago, I guess a day after I volunteered the first time for LTS. It says "Your New LTS membership" and talks about mailing a "welcome package" within 2-4 weeks, but I don't know if this welcome package will include an ID and password. I'm already a full member of USFSA since I take MIF/FS tests. But I guess LTS membership is its own separate thing? I didn't pay for anything or register for anything. But clearly someone signed me up to receive that email when I volunteered.

I would still like a screenshot if you can! thanks!

[Clarice]

Yes, LTS USA membership is its own thing, and if you are an instructor in your program, your LTS director registered you. That gives you insurance coverage while you're teaching. At least the way I was signed up, I log in with my USFS number and the same password I use for the USFS Members Only site. I can't remember whether I had changed to that from a temporary password. You'll probably have to check with your LTS director.

[FigureSpins]

Do they mail you your login credentials? I received an email about LTS about a week ago, I guess a day after I volunteered the first time for LTS. It says "Your New LTS membership" and talks about mailing a "welcome package" within 2-4 weeks, but I don't know if this welcome package will include an ID and password. I'm already a full member of USFSA since I take MIF/FS tests. But I guess LTS membership is its own separate thing? I didn't pay for anything or register for anything. But clearly someone signed me up to receive that email when I volunteered.

I would still like a screenshot if you can! thanks!

Try logging in at www.learntoskateusa.com using your USFSA number and password.  If it doesn't work, use the "Forgot Password/Request Password" link.  Once you sign in, make sure you see the instructor menu, not the skater menu.  ("Instructor Compliance" is one of the options on the left-hand menu.  If you're 18 or older, you have to use that link to fulfill the background check ($40?) and the instructor certification exam.

The welcome package is just an ID card and a copy of the annual (1-issue) magazine, maybe some stickers or gloves.  Mine didn't have the login credentials, but I signed up at the very beginning, so things may be different now.


Here are the upcoming Learn to Skate USA Instructor Workshops (from the Instructor newsletter)

Workshops are open to all instructors, assistants, volunteers and skating directors for Learn to Skate USA programs or related programs for a nominal fee, and give instructors the tools to excel. Mark your calendars for the following workshops:

Poway, CA – April 7: Register Here
2 p.m.-7 p.m.: The Art of Teaching
Deadline: March 30

Lakewood, CA – April 8: Register Here
9 a.m.-3 p.m.: The Art of Teaching
Deadline: March 30

Wisconsin Dells, WI – April 19: Register Here
WIAMA Spring Conference

[Arwen17]

I actually never realized I could login on the main USFSA website since they never sent a password and never wrote anything like "Hey! go check out our member's only area!"  I didn't realize until now that you have to 'request' a password using the 'forgotten password' link.
I can login to the main USFSA and LTS websites now using the same member ID and password.
On the main USFSA website , I'm listed as a "full member", but I am able see the background checks ($30) when I login. But I can't see anything on the LTS website since I'm listed as a "normal member" and not a teacher of any kind. So I guess they sign up "volunteer helpers" as "students" instead of instructors, even though we're not paying anything.


Thanks for posting the workshops. Probably won't be doing anything like that soon. That's a long, long way to travel for any of those locations.

[Arwen17]

Random side question: Obviously, USFSA keeps a record of all MIF/FS tests passed for a specific member ID. Does ISI track this stuff? 12 years ago, I passed all of the levels for the ISI LTS program (Pre-Alpha thru Delta), then I took our rink's group freestyle classes and made it up to "level 4" while also doing private lessons. However, I was never officially "tested" by judges or anything. It was simply the group-coach saying "yes, you can move up to the next group class level."
Never was a club member, never paid for any tests or competitions, never paid for anything other than figure skates, ice-time, group lessons, and private lessons.... since mom didn't want to spend any money beyond that. So I don't know if there are any "records" whatsoever of the levels I "passed".

[FigureSpins]

I doubt your tests were registered, but you can call the ISI and ask.  They might have to retrieve paper files, so have your ISI ID number and the rink name/location handy.

For group lessons, the instructors just do evaluations that stay in the rink.  The primary purpose is to give the skaters/families feedback on progress and to organize the next session of LTS classes.  A handful of rinks register those tests, but not many.  It's just too much work for the skating school to maintain for every skater.  Most rinks that use a point-of-sale system have the ability to track the level based on class registrations, but it's not a science.  The standards vary widely from rink to rink and instructor to instructor.  Some accept lower performance standards than others.

For ISI, the skater has to: (1) Join the ISI as an individual member; (2) arrange to have their skills tested by a Professional (ie. Coaching) member; and (3) pay to have the results registered with ISI Headquarters. 

In some places they do #2 in lieu of an evaluation and keep the results on file within the facility, just in case someone wants to compete.  If that happens, they register the tests after the membership is current.

When tests are registered with Headquarters, they're on file for all programs across the US and the skater must compete at that level, or they can skate up one level.

For adults that have lost skills over the years, there's some form you can complete that lets you "step down" to a lower test level.  If you regain skills, you have to take the higher tests again to move up in levels.


The USFSA only records Pre-Preliminary or above tests.  Skaters who've not taken any formal tests can compete No Test or Pre-Preliminary levels.  (Also Beginner/High Beginner)
For LTS USA, there's no test registrations.  For competitions using Entryeeze, that system will limit the events you can register for based on the tests you note on your profile.  (If you don't see the level you're looking for, check your account profile.)

[Arwen17]

I doubt your tests were registered, but you can call the ISI and ask.  They might have to retrieve paper files, so have your ISI ID number and the rink name/location handy.

For group lessons, the instructors just do evaluations that stay in the rink.  The primary purpose is to give the skaters/families feedback on progress and to organize the next session of LTS classes.  A handful of rinks register those tests, but not many.  It's just too much work for the skating school to maintain for every skater.  Most rinks that use a point-of-sale system have the ability to track the level based on class registrations, but it's not a science.  The standards vary widely from rink to rink and instructor to instructor.  Some accept lower performance standards than others.

For ISI, the skater has to: (1) Join the ISI as an individual member; (2) arrange to have their skills tested by a Professional (ie. Coaching) member; and (3) pay to have the results registered with ISI Headquarters. 

In some places they do #2 in lieu of an evaluation and keep the results on file within the facility, just in case someone wants to compete.  If that happens, they register the tests after the membership is current.

When tests are registered with Headquarters, they're on file for all programs across the US and the skater must compete at that level, or they can skate up one level.

For adults that have lost skills over the years, there's some form you can complete that lets you "step down" to a lower test level.  If you regain skills, you have to take the higher tests again to move up in levels.


The USFSA only records Pre-Preliminary or above tests.  Skaters who've not taken any formal tests can compete No Test or Pre-Preliminary levels.  (Also Beginner/High Beginner)
For LTS USA, there's no test registrations.  For competitions using Entryeeze, that system will limit the events you can register for based on the tests you note on your profile.  (If you don't see the level you're looking for, check your account profile.)

Figures and makes a lot of sense. When I first came back, they were like "oh let us check your old ISI level! We do USFSA at this rink now!" And I'm like "uhh.... I doubt there are any existing records of my status." Since I never was a club member, I doubt I ever had an official ISI member ID. And while I'm sure our rink kept local records for awhile, I doubt it was that important to hang on to considering our group coaches would just pass you up to the next level of classes as long as you could demonstrate the skills in front of them.
They were wanting to know my "status" because a lot of the freestyle sessions have the pre-pre MIF requirement. I countered that I was well beyond that level already and that I was a working adult and it was going to be hard enough finding time to skate, let alone being limited to no-test sessions. Since I was the only adult skater at the rink, they let me get away with it. (I'm sure with the hope that I would join the club and eventually start testing. ) Lo' and behold, turning a 'blind-eye' paid off for them.  I did join the club and take both Adult Pre-bronze tests a few months later.  Currently working on Adult Silver.
Sept 2017 - pre-bronzed passed
Jan 2018 - bronze passed
I'm kinda expecting sometime around Aug/Sept 2018 for Adult Silver to be ready for passing, as long as I don't get sidetracked by anything else (competitions, working on double jumps, etc)

[nicklaszlo]

So does anyone know of people who started skating as Adults (or haven't passed many tests yet) and were still able to become coaches?

Yes.  Here is another old blog.  Xan wrote about becoming a coach too.  Try posts tagged "coaching".

xan-boni.blogspot.com

[Query]

Most of the coaches I have met weren't just childhood skaters, but were competitive childhood skaters. It makes sense. There are so many ex-competitive skaters that a figure skating director or skating student can easily choose someone with an impressive sounding background. Another thing is that people who have a dance, gymnastics, skating, or similar area background somehow seem to move more smoothly than those who do not. I'm not sure that is something you really can pick up as an adult. I don't even understand exactly what the difference is, but anyone can see it.

Around Washington, DC, to be hired or allowed to coach at a rink, you pretty much have to be silver test level, gold test at some rinks. But that is a big city. I would guess you might be able to teach in a small town, maybe at an outdoor rink, with less qualification.

That said, I had a coach (Barbara McDonnell Walker; http://icedancepro.com) who I think started as an adult. But she was very athletic (I don't know her previous background, but she couldn't possibly have learned to be that good without childhood athletics) - and she mostly focussed on ice dance.

I knew a coach at a local rink who took an adult dancer and teacher (Ballet?) under her wing to become a coach, because skating coaches can earn more. Again, a very athletic background, in a related area.

I once met a former ballerina (from a dance troupe with "National" in the name) who was practicing triple axels after skating for just 10 months, at a time when triple axels were quite uncommon among even the best lady competitors. (She said she'd done triple jumps in ballet, which probably implies she was a "principal dancer", playing lead roles, maybe even a prima ballerina - an extremely select group. The fraction of girls who take ballet lessons as a child who become national troup principal dancers may well be less than the fraction of kids who take LTS lessons who go on to win Olympic gold medals, because so many little girls take ballet lessons . I.E., she was already an extremely elite athlete in an extremely competitive field, quite possibly a better athlete than many or most of the Olympic medalists.) I don't know that she ever coached, and I don't know how good a skater she was doing anything else. But I have no doubt she could have - she did a good job of explaining the difference between ballet and skating style jumps. I think she could have done anything athletic she wanted. But again - an extremely athletic childhood related-area background.

There are also some people here who teach off-ice classes aimed at skaters, often at skating rinks. Yoga. Ballet. Ballroom dance. (E.g., "Ballet For Figure Skaters".) Perhaps it would be easier to do that?

Volunteering is different from paid coaching - at Fort Dupont, in Washington, DC, some hockey skaters with no figure skating background volunteer to coach LTS figure skating classes. Even I have taught there.

I'm no expert, but here is some of what I learned from volunteering, which is a very good way to learn about teaching kids:

As other people have indicated, iIf you run into a problem teaching something, or getting people's attention, ask here for advice. Also, ask the more experienced coaches in the program. Some of the best volunteer coaches have a school teacher background. They know how to handle kids. Keeping the attention and some level of discipline is something school teachers have spent a lot of time learning, and have to be very good at. I always had a problem with discipline - I don't like to talk strictly, and sometimes you have to. Sometimes you even have to threaten to kick a kid out of class, and sometimes you even have to do it. I completely hated that. I also tried too hard to deal with the kids who had trouble with the basics - the figure skating director told me to focus on the better kids more. It's something you have to do in a large class setting, if you don't want to bore the better students.

Just accept that most of the kids will drop out by Basic 3, maybe earlier. That's also about the level at which most programs make most students go through each class more than once. Up through Basic 2, if the kids sort of get it, and they attend most of the classes, and get there on time, they are allowed to pass, in most programs.

You will also come to realize that most of the younger kids don't respond well to words used to teach motions. They are mostly monkey-see-monkey-do, and don't associate words and analysis with movement. Which is very different from most adults, though some of the most athletic adults are the same way. Some of the kids learn best by being physically guided through a motion - but be careful. Touching kids should be avoided if you can - especially in today's climate. To many people, it doesn't look right, no matter how innocent. So try to find another way to teach them.

You will need to compromise regarding kids who habitually come late or miss lessons, which happens a lot: usually their parents are at fault, but that still isn't something you can fix. You can do things like teach the skills in reverse order on alternate days, but in the end, if a student isn't there to learn when you teach, you have to accept that you can't solve everyone's problems.

Then there is the sibling problem: they need to be separated. They want to spend all their time annoying each other instead of learning. Some hockey boys, whose parents made them taking figure skating lessons, but who have no interest, and are also much better skaters in some ways than the true beginners, want to annoy all the girls instead. You may have to give up on them, but you need to make sure they don't disrupt learning for ones they want to pick on. The ones that disrupt learning for the others are prime candidates for being kicked out of that day's class, as horrible as that sounds.

You will also have to learn to respond to questions and interactions from kid's parents and other guardians, before or after the lesson. I finally decided that it is best to move the class far from the parents during the lesson, and to get the kids to face away from their parents, because parents don't understand how distracting it can be to try to get their kids' attention during class. I'm not sure if that can apply as much to private lesson students, which I never had, because those parents pay more money, and might feel they have bought your attention, but it seems to me that all the REAL coaches do it to some extent. You can't expect a kid to give their attention to you and to their parent(s), guardians, or siblings, at the same time.

Most of the kids (or adult) who have a lot of trouble with balance simply haven't tied their laces tight, or their parents haven't. You don't have time during a lesson to retie them all - but sometimes there is little choice with a particular child who keeps falling down. I would guess that 5-10% of students in the beginning classes will have their shoes tied as tight as they should be, but that's life - and the reason a lot of them won't be able to move past basic 2.

If I had a choice in the matter, I would have handed all my students a sheet of paper at the end of the first lesson or two explaining how important was attendance, coming on time, practicing outside class, tying laces, and listing the skills covered by the class. But the figure skating director didn't like that idea.

There are kids who don't know how to listen to adults at all. A school teacher explained it to me: it is typically a sign of parental (or guardian) neglect. E.g., children of parents on drugs. In principle, you may be supposed to do something about it, may even be legally required to do so, depending on local law. But you probably don't have the background to be certain. (In the end, I never acted, because I was never quite sure.) In practice, you can spend only so much time trying to compel those kids' attention. Maybe that is something mostly unique to the program I volunteered for - they are in an economically depressed area, where drug use is common.

One more thing. You aren't just there to teach. The kids are there to have fun. They should be encouraged, praised, and there should be some type of "game time", or something equivalent at the end of the lesson. Maybe hand out gold stars to every one who doesn't make a complete nuisance of themselves. They don't need to be perfect at things - save that for private lessons.

[Arwen17]

If I had a choice in the matter, I would have handed all my students a sheet of paper at the end of the first lesson or two explaining how important was attendance, coming on time, practicing outside class, tying laces, and listing the skills covered by the class. But the figure skating director didn't like that idea.

WOW!!! Lots of good tips!!  And yes, I've already seen some of the stuff you've mentioned in action.

yeah, I worry I'll never be "good enough" compared to other coaches since they will always have more experience than me because they skated as kids. There's no way I'll ever catch up to that. But maybe there can be a small niche for me somewhere some day: aka I charge lower prices and take lower-level kids, who eventually move on to our higher-level coaches, or something like that. I know the girl who hasn't been coaching very long because she's only 20, only just now upped her prices to match the other coaches. She originally had lower prices, probably to win customers over. So far, she just teaches the lower-level kids. But she does have all of her double jumps and has passed her Novice tests just recently.

hahaha! I'd love to hand out a sheet of paper like that too! But I can totally see why no skating director would ever agree to that. They're too afraid of offending anyone by being "too demanding". They want as many people as possible in LTS, so they'll put up with a lot as long as the parents keep paying them money for LTS. I think anyone with common sense would realize attendance and practice are important. So it's really the parents wasting their own money by skipping lessons and not going to public sessions for practice. They probably just keep the kid in it as long as the kid demands to continue and then hope the kid eventually gets bored and quits. My mom was completely unsupportive of me during my attempts to learn at 14. She wanted me to quit and frequently told me so. I was lucky to make it as far as loop jump and sit spin out of sheer stubbornness and love of skating, no matter how much she discouraged me, before I finally gave up and quit like she was pressuring me to. It's too bad because if I had stayed with it, I would probably be as good as our newest coach. She also started at 14, but now she's 20 and currently has all her double jumps and she'll definitely get her senior tests in a few more years.