Competitions get stiffer and stiffer...
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I am wondering if other parents have noticed, or if it's just me, do the competitions keep getting stiffer and stiffer as the years go on? My daughter skates at Intermediate level...in your regions, what are the highest jumps performed at this particular level at regional competition? And, can someone give em an explanation why the Intermediate and Novice levels are SO huge at this time? Usually, at the higher levels, one could see the number of competitors decrease. Can you offer any help in these matters? Thanks! Linda D. |
Linda says:
You are not alone in noticing that the competition gets stiffer and stiffer.
It does seem that at each level, even the pre-juveniles and juveniles, the
jumps being performed are the more difficult ones. I don't know of a reason
for this or have heard of a reason. The number of skaters as a whole has
increased and this may be part of the reason for the huge numbers of
intermediate and novice competitors. I've seen skaters stay at these levels
for a long period of time while they work on solidifying their double axels
and triples. If a skater is training to get to sectionals and possibly
nationals, at the junior and senior levels, double axels and triples are
necessary.
There is not an upper age limit at novice and the age limit at intermediate is much older than at juvenile. The types of jumps being done I think is the same across the USFSA. If you look at what is being done at Nationals, that can give you an idea of what everyone across the country is trying to do.
Currently, it does seem that the number of competitors drops off at the junior and senior level. The age of the competitors may also be a factor in the large number of intermediate and novice skaters. The junior and senior level skaters tend to be older and may be involved with other activities that take away from skating.
Amanda'sMom says:
When my daughter was competing at the Intermediate level, some of the other competitors were doing double axels, some with triple salchows/toes. The Intermediate and Novice levels have always been large for as long as I can recall. This is probably due to the fact that the skaters are remaining at these levels while they work on obtaining consistant double axels and triple jumps.
Marie says:
Yes! Competitions definitely keep getting stiffer. It also seems like the Intermediate/Novice levels are the worst right now. I'm not sure whether there is just a large group of kids at that level (baby-boom effect) or whether there is some strategy to hold kids back longer. In our area, one's not competitive in Intermediate without at least a clean double axel. A couple of years ago I saw a kid in Juvenile doing a triple lutz! That's definitely not a standard, though.