Getting into figure skating
I wonder if there are any figure skating parents on here? If so, I would love to hear your advice and experience. My daughter has been taking the Learn to Skate lessons at the Oakland Ice Center for about a year now. She really loves skating and lately has been asking about getting more involved--private lessons, possibly show and competitions, etc. I want to hear from parents who have "been there, done that." First, I've asked around a bit and I understand that this can be a pretty expensive undertaking. But beyond that, I haven't gotten a lot of answers about the larger culture. Just how intense is figure skating? It has a reputation for being very competitive. I keep thinking "Dance Moms" but on ice--is it really that bad? What about issues like body image--I have heard about eating disorders, although maybe the rumors are overblown? If she decides to pursue figure skating, just what would we be getting ourselves into? Please help, as I feel like I'm going into this completely blindly.
Parent Replies
No sure how old is your daughter, but my daughter who is 8, also skates at OIC and loves it. She has taken private lessons with different instructors. We have also talked to other parents who have kids in the competitions. It is all depend on the instructor that you've chosen. The competition can be overwhelming, but it's mostly from the instructor and the parents. The instructors we've been working with are suggesting "new" skater to start competing in the lower level to build self confidence and get comfortable in such environment. Until the skater gets to certain stage, instructor will then suggest to compete in skater's current level or higher. I hope this helps. Good luck!
My daughter started taking skating classes when she was 4, at the sadly defunct Berkeley Iceland. My daughter was not exceptionally athletic, but she loved it, so we kept it up through her second year of high school, when a series of unfortunate medical mishaps derailed her enjoyment. She joined a synchronized skating team, which was really fun and less cut-throat than the private figure skating seemed to be. Intense? I think it depends on your expectation. We found the synchro team to be manageable, more cooperative and more accepting of different body types. I don't know how old your daughter is, but I think you could find a coach to work with her for a few months without breaking the bank, and with a low level of commitment. The local rinks all offer holiday shows, and if your daughter worked with a coach for a few months, she could be in the next show, which might give you a better sense of the community and commitment. BTW, my daughter (and I) greatly preferred the SF Ice Center- much more pleasant for mom to hang out, and a friendlier, warmer environment. From our North Berkeley home, it didn't take much longer to get there either. If you haven't been there, you should check it out.
My granddaughter has been skating there for the past 11 years. It has been a very positive experience, and in fact it is how she identifies herself. All sports come with some expense, which increases as they become more proficient. It is worth it though, for all they get back; self- confidence, physical fitness, independence, determination, time-management, etc.
i would be happy to address any other issues or questions you may have, directly.
Diana Simon
simonsaysd1 [at] yahoo.com
I skated for 10 years and my daughter was into figure skating for a while. It's a beautiful sport and can get very expensive. Between coaches, ice time and outfits It is very expensive. Remember Tanya Harding? She would skip meals to pay for ice time and sewed her own outfits. The hours for practice get crazy too. I remember having ice time at 5:00 am or after midnight. Figure skating is very competitive especially for girls/women. Figure skating is one of the sports which is dominated by women (not men) and image is everything. So yes, body image is important as is social class. Just look at Tanya and Nancy Kerrigan. Bbut the worst is the racism. RadioLab just a few months ago aired a show on racism in women's figure skating. Take a look at Surya Bonaly, a black figure skater from France. You can listen to the story on RadioLab. http://www.radiolab.org/story/here-are-skating-routines-we-cant-stop-watching/ If you have not seen Surya Bonaly skate take a look on YouTube. What this women could do on ice at the age of 12 (backflips) is incredible. She's also the creator of the Bonaly, a back flip while doing the splits followed by a one legged landing. It's so sad this amazing penalized for being black and not judged on her ability. Scores in figure skating are subjective as you will see watching Surya skate
If your daughter loves the sport support her. Who knows maybe one day she will be skating in the Olympics. Or maybe she will be like my daughter and one day decide to switch to a different sport. I will say I very much enjoyed skating. As an adult I know realize the amount of time, money and the crazy skating hours they had to put up with.
Hope this helps.
In my experience the best thing about skating is having friends and an interest outside of school. Make sure that skating stays fun by having her skate for fun at public skate in addition to lessons and encourage friendship with her skater friends away from the rink. You can start off with one half-hour private lesson per week. Competitions pretty much won't start up again until next spring and include lower levels. Choose the coach carefully because there seems to be drama involved in switching coaches. Whether your daughter becomes a high level skater or not, it can be a healthy hobby for life.
My young teen daughter loves OIC and it's really helped her confidence. She's so into it after a year that she now thinks she can become a pro, so she may have a bit of a shock in store, but so far it's been great. I figure better that she be too into something that not at all. There's no downside to enthusiasm combined with exercise and increased social skills!