What is the difference between ISI and USFSA?
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My thirteen year old daughter has just began to figure skate. I was wondering what is the difference between ISI and USFSA? I don't know anything about either and was wondering which would be best for her. "A" |
Marie says:
ISI is geared toward "Recreational" ice skating. Their programs are great for beginning skaters to get involved in ice skating. They set a good curriculum for advancement (some rinks set up their skating school levels accordingly) and sponsor competitions for each of the levels. The levels range from beginner (doing swizzles and glides) through more advanced (double jumps, etc). The primary goal of the competitions is to have fun.
USFSA is a more hard-core skating organization. This is the official sanctioning organization for United States figure skating, sending competitors to the Worlds, the Olympics, etc. Although they also have a curriculum for begining skaters and corresponding competitions, the focus is more on the serious skater. You'll find that the competitions will quickly get very tough.
At this point I would recommend ISI for your daughter. I usually have my students skate with ISI till they get to be about FS 4 or 5 level (know all their single jumps). If they are very dedicated to skating at that point (skating 10+ hours a week, with multiple private lessons) and show promise, I switch them over to the USFSA Basic 3 level. Good luck!