Is Skating in front of 100's of people a whole different atmosphere then.....

[FSWer]

Say,I wanted to ask this question of all our Competitive Skaters here....I've been inteested to know from all your opinions...Is skating in front of 100's of people watching you in a realy big crowed arena,a whole different atmosphere then..say...just skating in front of family members and (or) friends? I'm guessing that it is. But I'd love to hear it from all of you.

[overedge]

Not all competitive skaters ever get the chance to skate in front of hundreds of people. You can have a long and successful competitive career and not ever appear in front of that big a crowd.

I've never skated in a big arena full of people, but I have been in some competitions that had audiences in the hundreds. Honestly, I am usually so focused on my own performance that I'm not paying attention to how many people are in the crowd. Most times I can't even remember much about the audience except maybe recognizing people when I go past them.

Also, at any competition a good part of the audience *isn't* paying attention to what's on the ice because they're eating, texting, telling their kids to shush, talking to their neighbour, trying to get comfortable in their seat, etc. So the number of people who are actually watching you may be pretty much the same no matter how many actual bodies are in the stands

[Skittl1321]

Really? I bet most successful skaters have skated for hundreds. Even local shows usually have that - not thousands certainly.

That said, I prefer skating in front of strangers than I do in front of friends and family. I worry about what friends and family think of me, and I know my skating isn't very good. Unless they are other skaters, it doesn't matter to me what strangers think. So if no one I know is around, I just skate for me.

[antmanb]

Really? I bet most successful skaters have skated for hundreds. Even local shows usually have that - not thousands certainly.

I suspect this very much depends on where you are from.

British senior national championships probably do not happen in front of much more than a couple of hundred people (not including the participants and their coaches).

[Clarice]

If it's a competition, the only people watching that matter are the judges, so the size of the crowd isn't important.

If it's a show, the size of the crowd still isn't important, because you try to give your best performance in any case. Big or small, the audience came to see you skate and you try to put on a good show.

Skittl's right about one thing, though - if someone you know and care about is in the audience, that DOES matter.

[backspin]

I skate better in front of a large crowd than for just a few judges -- competition vs. test. I like to have a crowd to play to. I'm more relaxed & have more fun. I wish test sessions had the stands full of people!! lol

[C_T_T_]

The only time I've skated in front of hundreds was in a few shows. It was pitch black and with the spot lights I didn't know if there was 1 or 1000 people in the audience until the end!

I've never seen a big crowd at a competition but I still think the venue changes the atmosphere. It's a different feeling skating at a rink closed in on 3 sides than in an arena even if there are only a hand full of people at both. That said, I am an absolutely rubbish competitor so it doesn't make much difference to the end result!

[mkats]

Also, at any competition a good part of the audience *isn't* paying attention to what's on the ice because they're eating, texting, telling their kids to shush, talking to their neighbour, trying to get comfortable in their seat, etc. So the number of people who are actually watching you may be pretty much the same no matter how many actual bodies are in the stands

When I used to compete, I'd take my starting position and then desperately HOPE that people were busy texting/eating/talking to their neighbor and not paying attention.

[sk8er1964]

The biggest audience I've skated in frot of is probably at US Adult Nationals. Eevryone is massively supportive so it is all good.

[FigureSpins]

At skating shows, it was easy to skate in front of hundreds of people because of the darkness and blinding spotlights, lol. I'd say the biggest crowd was at a competition held in a shopping mall ice arena. It was unnerving to have shoppers two stories up looking down on me as I tried to skate without crashing into the oasis on the irregularly-shaped ice rink. Lake Placid ISI competitions always drew a decent crowd, maybe 100-200 people and that was awesome because they were all so supportive and hopeful.

[aliceanne]

I think the level of enthusiasm of the crowd means a lot, not necessarily the size. Being ignored is the worst feeling.

[skatepixie]

Honestly, the crowd was never odd to me. I've never been much of a stage fright type person, though, so maybe it's just me.

The thing that WAS hard at first was showcase comps, under spotlight. In other words, mostly dark. It threw me hard the first exhibition I did like that -- everything looked wrong, and it was at my home rink. I got used to it eventually, but that first time...