Need MITF info for USFS

[sk8er1964]

My mom was a competitive roller skater as a kid. Pairs, freestyle, and dance. When I was a little kid, she transferred to ice. She coached for a few years while getting her degree. She came back to the ice recently (as an over 60 skater) and she does have some muscle memory issues with some things, like swing rolls. However, it's not that dissimilar if you are willing to do the work.

[Firefly123]

Well......We'll see. I need to take at least a few of the tests in order to follow the rules. :( (No way around that.)

[sk8er1964]

There's no doubt in my mind that you can do it.

[Ozzisk8tr]

I think you should go out in your next comp and do a backflip. To hell with the rules. Worked for Surya didn't it? ;)

[Firefly123]

(Laughing). I wish I could. :lol:

Heck, if I could do backflips I wouldn't be bothering any of you in the first place. I love to jump. I'd be in gymnastics, not skating......But I'm just not flexible enough (especially my back.) :(

But I do like the backflip idea. Bonaly is my heroine!! :swoon:

[Skittl1321]

Oh, and Firefly - all joking aside. I love to jump. It's the best thing about skating - it's flying! I hate to spin, and do them only when it's competition time and I have to. I pay for it, too. I did find MITF to be challenging, fun and worthwhile. I was grandfathered (by design) so only had to do Gold. Then I went and did Intermediate. I'd do Novice if I had the training time available, but I don't.

Maybe we should start an event where you don't have to do spins? That way you don't have to do the part of skating you don't like.

But we'd also need an event where people don't have to do jumps... cause that's the part of skating I don't like.

This of course would go with the event where you don't need balanced footwork, that way Firefly is accommodated too.

[Firefly123]

Sounds good to me....Or better yet, take away almost all of the requirements and let people put together routines that showcase their best elements. Forget about this "balanced" nonsense. Let the judeges decide. (That's what we did in roller.) Good spinners spun. Good jumpers jumped. People who were really good at footwork.....did dance. :D

[VIETgrlTerifa]

I have a question. Does roller skating accommodate for every individual person to suit their rants and whims? If the roller skating establishment bent over backwards to dumb down their sport for people who just don't feel meeting their standards, then I understand where you're getting your entitlement issues.

[Firefly123]

In fact it does....sort of. :) There really are no rules in roller. Not in a testing sense anyways. You are on your honor to sign up for what you believe to be your own level (up to sophomore which is their novice). Then you must place at regionals to earn junior status. Ditto for juniors to become seniors. No tests, (at least when I skated), although I heard a rumor they may try to phase them in eventually, but as far as I know they haven't yet....

As for competiton, freestyle is still pretty much free. There are a few requirements for the short program, but the long program is ment to showcase the skater's tallent (and under junior level there really is no short program.) Jumpers can jump (no limit of jumping passes that I am aware of), spinners can spin. Footwork really doesn't count for that much (except as a determining factor.)

So yes, this is probably where some of my "entitlement issues" come from. It is a much less restrictive system, (which I think was good. :) ....But, of course, there was a lack of revenue. (No tests ment no $ for the federation. No high level televised events and Olympics ment no $ for the federation. After the disco era people lost interest in roller skating. Most Americans want roller derby, not artistic. Figure skating is "ice skating" in most Americans' minds. If I had a penny for every time I heard that I was "pretty good" and should buy a pair of ice skates....:duh:)

btw, I really don't think this is dumbing down the sport. Why make a sport so......oppressive......that you make athletes turn away from it, rather than want to participate in it? I understand that you want to assess the skater's ability in order to make for a "fair" competition, but in some cases (like my own) the system just doesn't work. Why not let the skaters, themselves, decide their own level? Most will be honest. I would probably sign up for Masters Intermediate. If the other skaters cleaned my clock because their skating skills beat my jumps then....fine. But that is for the judges to decide. I'm willing to take that chance. So why not let me? Who am I hurting? (Besides maybe myself.) ?????????

[overedge]

I am not attacking individual people. I do not do that. I am very careful to only attack ideas (or a rules), not individual human beings.

BS. The specific wording in your post was "your 'standards' ", and your post was a direct response to mine.

I don't really care if you disagree with me, but I do care when you misattribute ideas or rules to the wrong source.

[Firefly123]

Fair enough. I ment a specific noun and should have used it (not a pronoun). I will do so in all future posts to avoid any confusion. :)

[daisies]

Actually, this has been argued by some people within USFS. I believe, and maybe Daisies if she checks in on this thread can affirm this, that it was decided that the value of MITF outweighed the value of being all-inclusive to the point of not having MITF standards.
That's not exactly how it went down, but it was basically that when adult skating and Adult Nationals were in their infancy, judges complained about adult skaters' lack of basic skating skills and that the skaters were trying jumps and spins beyond their ability because they had no fundamental knowledge of real skating.

Thank you for this information. I was not aware of this. :) So, in the final analysis, the MITF were more important than the skaters. Nice.
No, in the final analysis, MITF were more important than not having any adult competitions. Because, guess what -- you can't have an all-adult competition if you have no judges willing to judge it. The addition of MITF to the adult structure has done wonders for the quality of skating we've seen at AN over the years, and as a result we've gained a lot more respect among the judging community.

As an alternative, I think that maybe they should separate the championship events to under 35 and over 35 divisions. I have mentioned this to several members of the adult committee, to deaf ears.
What makes you think it was to deaf ears? Not everything suggested to the committee passes, but it doesn't mean it was never brought up.

[Firefly123]

No, in the final analysis, MITF were more important than not having any adult competitions. Because, guess what -- you can't have an all-adult competition if you have no judges willing to judge it. The addition of MITF to the adult structure has done wonders for the quality of skating we've seen at AN over the years.

So no judges were willing to judge it???? Good Gosh!! Just how bad could it have been!! :eek:

Since I don't have any way of knowing what the quality of the skating was before and only youtube videos for the quality of the skating now, I can't argue this. Were they really falling all over the place before??? I mean, frankly, we are talking (for the most part) about beginners. They quailty is only so high in any case as it is....

[jp1andonly]

imagine beginner skaters trying axels and doubles as well as combination spins when they hadnt mastered a basic spin in one position...

In Canada we dont have MITF test associated with our freeskate tests. HOWEVER those with lower skating skills no matter the jumps tend to finish lower. Simple as that. If you expect to be near the top you have to put in the time and effort to improve your skating skills. If you plan on going just for fun and coming least no matter how good a jumper then good for you.

Firefly, I find your attitude obnoxious. Many peopel have offered ideas and support on how you can improve your skating skills. You are unwilling to listen. Sorry, I'll correct that...you'll listen if the person is agreeing with you.

Why start this thread if you have no intention of doing MITF?:rolleyes:


So no judges were willing to judge it???? Good Gosh!! Just how bad could it have been!! :eek:

Since I don't have any way of knowing what the quality of the skating was before and only youtube videos for the quality of the skating now, I can't argue this. Were they really falling all over the place before??? I mean, frankly, we are talking (for the most part) about beginners. They quailty is only so high in any case as it is....

[Kasey]

So no judges were willing to judge it???? Good Gosh!! Just how bad could it have been!! :eek:


Apparently it was quite crappy, as would be any sport that takes specific segments of the sport as a whole apart in attempts to cater to those only good at one or two parts of it. Can you imagine a "putting-only" golf competition? "Free throws only" for basketball? Bullsh*t. The sport is a combination of all these elements, just as baseball, football, golf, hockey, etc are. If you don't want to work at one of the elements involved in being competitive, then don't. Skate for fun only, or go back to roller where it seems they bend over backwards to cater to your whining. There are reasons why all the elements of skating are essential to well-balanced programs. Moves in the field can be very helpful in improving speed and edge control, which thus will improve jump and spin technique. It just sounds like you don't want to do the work.