Looks like I probably won't be competing this season after all.

[estriel]

So frustrating… In November, me and one other girl who had just joined the skating club started talking to our coach(es) about putting together a program to compete in the spring. It kept getting postponed and postponed. The competitions has been pushed forward 1 week, so it is now taking place between March 7th and 8th. Do you think I have a

Comments

[dangerouss]

I really don't approve of your coaches' time management but it doesn't mean you can't compete! Why don't you make a choreography yourself? You picked the music, you are the best person to feel it and choose what you want to do and when. And you don't have to compete to win. I know a fellow dancer who competes because she needs to be forced into putting a choreography together and dancing her best. You can do it the same way. And you'll see what you really need and how the competition looks like from the other side and next year you'll feel even better.
I wouldn't give it up if I were you.
And the coach may tell you later how it looks like and what is good and what you need to improve. But why can't you skate on your own choreo?

[estriel]

I decided not to compete, because I don't want to feel bad about not having enough time to prepare. I'm a perfectionist and I don't think I want that kind of pressure for my first ever competition. Not worth it for me. Next season it is

[dangerouss]

I personally don't think the intro is such a huge problem - it's slow, yes, but you can skate fast to slower music. Everyone does it.

Aargh, and is it a good thing? :/ I can't stand it when the skating is too slow/fast and doesn't match the music. There's a reason why the music is there, isn't there...

By the way... some time ago you mentioned you are not one of those elfish elegant dancers (not your exact words but the meaning is there?) but I think your music sounds exactly like that... Which doesn't mean you can't skate to it well. It's just my feeling.

[estriel]

I actually don't see a problem with skating faster to slower music. Can't find a good example, but here's one that I watched recently - Carolina Kostner skating to Pachebel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFiIFWX3uHQ
You'd be very limited in your choices if you could only skate in the same tempo as your music is - a lot of classical pieces or soundtracks tend to be slow, or have slow parts, and yet figure skaters move very fast. (Skating slower is not even an option, because you NEED the speed and momentum to be able to put quads/triples/doubles out there... you even need quite a bit of speed for my level of skating, i.e. singles, if you want it to look nice.)

Skating too slow to fast music (i.e. not being able to keep up) is worse, as it makes you look even slower than you are. That's why I was very cautious about picking music that is faster than what I can conceivably produce on the ice.

By the way... some time ago you mentioned you are not one of

[parachuteinjune]

Oh dear, I feel so sorry about this. :0( I honestly don't get the stance of your coach. You pay her, don't you? If you asked her in November, there should have been more than enough time for her to make room for choreography soon enough before the competition. And to listen to your music. It doesn't seem like common practice to create a program for an inexperienced competitor so close before the actual competition (not that I have any insights, but that's what common sense tells me). Besides, what about run-throughs? No wonder you feel so insecure about everything ... I hope everything goes better when you next get a chance to compete. It totally sucks that your plans fell through because of somebody else's time management.

[estriel]

It's ok. I'll compete next season and hopefully improve a bunch of elements that I'm not quite secure with until then. I was quite heartbroken about the whole thing, though

[parachuteinjune]

Whoa. Yes, that does sound like lack of communication skills. Unbelievable. Like there aren't more tactful ways of admitting that it's too early for skating a real program ...

Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for your jump arsenal! :0)