Gossip at the rink

Today I noticed a lot of gossip going on at the rink. What went on at your ice arena today?

World Figure Skating Champions Don't Always Win at Life

There is are two former world figure skating champions living in our town. Both won their titles long ago. Both did well at first. One went on to train other national, world, and Olympic skaters. He was at the top of the figure skating coaching scene for awhile. The other was given the best pair skaters to train.

Both of these figure skating legends then began drinking. Both eventually had failed marriages. (One had three failed marriages.)

Once, one of these champions told me that winning worlds didn't seem like much of an accomplishment, when, now, he could not afford a phone or a decent car. He was scrambling to teach enough adult figure skaters just to pay the rent. Winning worlds didn't give him a ticket to a successful life.

Why Find a Skating Partner?

The reason a figure skater should consider skating with a partner instead of alone is that it is more fun to skate with a partner. Also, there are so many solo skaters out there, that doing ice dance or pairs increases a figure skater's chances.

It is hard to find a partner though and sometimes it's harder to keep partners together.

Sometimes if the parents can't get along, the skating partnership won't work.

How to Find a Skating Partner

One resource that those looking for skating partners use is IcePartnerSearch.com. The service, endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating, allows ice skaters looking for skating partners to post biographical information, photos, videos, contact information, and qualifications. Data is entered by skaters and searching the partner database is simple. Ice dancers can also try Ice-dance.com's partner search. Sk8Stuff.com also has an easy to use a partner search database.

A skater may be honored if you approach him or her about the possibility of being your pair or ice dance partner. Sometimes getting the nerve up to ask is the most difficult part of a skating partner search. After asking about the possibility, arrange a tryout. The tryout could turn into a partnership.

If you really want to skate with a partner, keep looking and keep skating. Don't give up. The perfect person to skate with may be out there, but finding a skating partner may take time.

When Is it Time to Quit Figure Skating?

A young man wrote:

"I was an ice skater and I loved it, but over time, I lost that love for it, so I did the only thing there was for me to do. I quit. I hung up my skates and they haven't been touched since."

When is it time to quit figure skating? Share your thoughts.

Technique: Who is RIGHT and who is LEFT behind?

Help! During a skate session, I was sitting by a coach who was putting their skates on, and talking about how some other well-regarded coaches are teaching incorrect technique. They complained that one coach has their skaters put their hands down low doing a jump. And another coach has their skaters' put their toe behind and across their front leg going into a jump - but really it should just be directly behind.

I have never skated myself, and I don't know these things. When my skater had to change coaches, the new coach(es) had my skater retreat from doing doubles and re-learn single jumps with a different technique. My skater HAS improved, but the original coach had told me that where my skater is now (more height and strength) would come in time, and with repetition and practice, and maybe it would have. Getting to the same place, just from a different route.

In another skater's situation, when they moved to our club, the new coach also changed a skater's jumps when they took over their training, and had them re-learn just about everything, explaining that what the skater was doing was fine for doubles, but that technique would never hold when the skater started to do triples. That coach has trained many champions, so who is going to argue? The skater started from scratch and spent a year re-learning everything. The skater is now doing great, by the way. But would the skater be doing as great with another coach, with a different method? There are a number of schools of thought...

As a matter of fact, if you want to add a coach to your line up, (maybe a jump coach, or a choreographer, let's say, that you've noticed getting really good results with other skaters,) many times your current coach will discourage those certain other coaches that you think are good, claiming that they teach differently and it would only confuse your skater. So, no, they will tell you -- don't take from that coach -- try this coach -- and they often go on and recommend a coach that falls in with their method. It's "coach etiquette" that you get permission from your primary coach before you do anything with any other coach, including off-ice.

So, which coach(es) is/are "right" and how do you know, especially if you yourself are unschooled in skating? And even if you are knowledgable, every coach has a different opinion. Is there a best approach? Is my skater learning correct technique? Will I be told, if we change coaches at some point, that my skater needs to re-learn everything (again) RIGHT, from foundation up, or my skater will be LEFT behind? It's scary, considering the cost of training and the age of the skater, to think about this. Because even if your coach is getting excellent results NOW, what about the skater's foundation for later work, as I "heard" (granted from another skate mom who has put her already excellent skater with this "championmaker" of skaters) talk about? And remember, I also heard the other excellent coach complain about some very well-regarded coaches' methods, along with a story or two of how one "ruined" more than one skater's perfectly good jumps...

Reputation doesn't always tell all it seems... The very first "tot" coach my skater took lessons from apparently doesn't have a good reputation, and it reflected on my skater's reputation, even now, many years later (Who's your coach?)

So, HELP -- I don't know what to think or which coach is worth the investment of so much time and money. Anybody getting ready to switch coaches? What are YOUR feelings, knowledge or experience? And who do you trust -- how do you decide who to trust your skater's future to?

Contribute to "As the Blade Turns"

Can you think of some great "soap opera" figure skating stories? You can contribute to "As the Blade Turns!" Share your ideas !

Some suggestions of what could be happening include:

1. Two juvenile level skaters were once friends, but after one of the skaters makes junior nationals and the other does not, there is tension not only between the girls, but their parents.
2. A female pair skater has gotten too big for her partner. A new partner has been found, but the girl is miserable skating with the new partner. She wants her former partner to skate with her again.
3. A well-known ice dancer quits skating. Her partner is conducting a nationwide partner search.
4. A prominent coach finds out that her student wishes to change coaches.
5. A skating family is torn apart due to the stress of skating. Divorce is inevitable.
   A promising female skater loses an international event and wonders if she should leave figure skating.
6. A young skater's father dies suddenly of a heart attack right before a major skating event.
7. A Russian coach suddenly disappears.
8. A promising skater's father is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.
9. During an ice dance practice, two dance teams collide. One of the skaters involved is seriously injured.
10. After experiencing a major family disaster that has left a family financially strained, a senior level figure skater surprises everyone at the rink and wins regionals. How will she skate at sectionals? Will she qualify for nationals? Can she continue to afford to skate?

Can you think of other scenarios? Share your stories!