Senior VS. Masters Collage Synchro. Skating.

[FSWer]

Ok. Here is a question that has puzzled me for the longest time. I know that Senior Synchro. Skaters are allowed to do Lifts,etc. But assuming that I'm right about Masters and Collage Synchro. Skating being higher then Senior. Then why aren't Masters Teams or Team higher in Collage allowed to do Lifts,etc.? As if I'm right about Masters coming after Senior. You'ld think that they would allow (and would believe) any Team after Senior to do Lifts,etc. Can anyone explain this? Thanks.

[overedge]

I'm not as familiar with the rules for synchro as some of the other skaters here may be, but I believe that a synchro team is classified as a Master's team if a certain number of team members are over age 25. It isn't only based on skills, or having members with more skills than members of Senior or College teams.

So I would guess that Master's teams are not allowed to do lifts for safety reasons (because lifts could be very dangerous or challenging for older skaters) and also so that there is some fairness in comparing those teams. A team that had the minimum number of skaters over age 25 would probably be able to do more difficult moves than a team with a large number of skaters over age 25, so banning lifts makes the teams compete on a more equal basis.

If I am totally wrong about this, someone please correct me.

[FSWer]

I that's true. Then I'd think that even though I agree you need to be thinking about safety first. I should think that a Masters Team would just have more Skaters,and would even be more experienced then a Senior Team. Here's another thing too. When Teams do Lifts. Is there a max. amount of skaters that are allowed to lift a Skater? Because if this is true. Then with more Skaters on a Team. You'ld just end up with more groups of Skaters lifting. There really should be no Danger there. As far as age gos. If that is true. Thenwere talking about our Synchro. Skaters on Masters Teams as if there 60 years old!!!!

[Clarice]

Some skaters on Masters teams probably ARE 60 years old! Masters teams have no test requirements, and the skaters all must be at least 25 years old with the majority at least 35 years old. A Masters team is not "higher" than a Senior team, although the skaters are older. Senior is the most advanced level.

A Collegiate team is also not higher than a Senior team. Skaters on a Senior team must have passed the Novice Moves in the Field test. Skaters on a Collegiate team only have to have passed the Juvenile Moves in the Field test. They also must be full-time college students enrolled in a degree program.

Skaters on a Senior team can be younger - they only need to be at least 14 years old, but they have to be more advanced skaters. Only these most advanced skaters are allowed to do lifts, and only in the free skate, not the short program.

[FSWer]

Some skaters on Masters teams probably ARE 60 years old! Masters teams have no test requirements, and the skaters all must be at least 25 years old with the majority at least 35 years old. A Masters team is not "higher" than a Senior team, although the skaters are older. Senior is the most advanced level.

A Collegiate team is also not higher than a Senior team. Skaters on a Senior team must have passed the Novice Moves in the Field test. Skaters on a Collegiate team only have to have passed the Juvenile Moves in the Field test. They also must be full-time college students enrolled in a degree program.

Skaters on a Senior team can be younger - they only need to be at least 14 years old, but they have to be more advanced skaters. Only these most advanced skaters are allowed to do lifts, and only in the free skate, not the short program.

Are you serious!!!! How is it possible for Collage skating o come before Senior? Are Collage people higher then 14 years of age?

[Clarice]

I know it can be really confusing! But the eligibility rules for synchro are a combination of age and test requirements.

Collegiate teams belong to a college, and the skaters on them have to be students at the college. College students are typically 18 to about 22 years old. Because Collegiate teams are limited to only using skaters who go to that school, the test requirements are a little lower. That makes it easier for the school to find enough skaters to make a team.

Senior teams have the highest test requirements, and so have the most advanced skaters. College students who have passed the Novice Moves in the Field test could be on either a Collegiate team OR a Senior team. In fact, some colleges have enough skaters with high enough tests to have both a Collegiate and a Senior team at their school. The better skaters will be on the Senior team.

A regular Senior team can take skaters of any age over 14, as long as they have passed the Novice Moves test. They don't all have to go to the same school or anything. Some of the skaters may be young, but if they've passed the test they're good enough to be on the team.

[FSWer]

I know it can be really confusing! But the eligibility rules for synchro are a combination of age and test requirements.

Collegiate teams belong to a college, and the skaters on them have to be students at the college. College students are typically 18 to about 22 years old. Because Collegiate teams are limited to only using skaters who go to that school, the test requirements are a little lower. That makes it easier for the school to find enough skaters to make a team.

Senior teams have the highest test requirements, and so have the most advanced skaters. College students who have passed the Novice Moves in the Field test could be on either a Collegiate team OR a Senior team. In fact, some colleges have enough skaters with high enough tests to have both a Collegiate and a Senior team at their school. The better skaters will be on the Senior team.

A regular Senior team can take skaters of any age over 14, as long as they have passed the Novice Moves test. They don't all have to go to the same school or anything. Some of the skaters may be young, but if they've passed the test they're good enough to be on the team.

Aren't you in collage as a Teen? I think to what it may be too,is that for some strange reason,there's no such thing as High-School Synchro. Only High-School Football. Which I think in a way throws everythng off. Because if there was High School Synchro., then the age of Synchro.Skaters in school and all around might be closer to their level and were there supposed to be. Then you would have Synchro's kind of learning lifts in High-School soon enough to do them in Collage.

[Clarice]

Not too many high schools would have enough skaters to make synchro teams of their own. Teams usually get skaters from many different schools, or even different clubs.

High school students are about 14 to 18 years old. They are old enough to be on Senior teams if they are good enough skaters.

Being allowed to do lifts isn't about how old the skater is. It's about how good they are. Both high school age and college age skaters are old enough to be on a Senior team. If they're good enough to make the team, they get to do lifts. If they're not good enough for a Senior team, they can skate on a lower level team, but won't get to do lifts. For the college age skaters, that lower level team might be a collegiate team, if the school they go to has one.

[overedge]

Thenwere talking about our Synchro. Skaters on Masters Teams as if there 60 years old!!!!

I know a couple of synchro skaters who are older than 60....

[LilJen]

I that's true. Then I'd think that even though I agree you need to be thinking about safety first. I should think that a Masters Team would just have more Skaters,and would even be more experienced then a Senior Team. Here's another thing too. When Teams do Lifts. Is there a max. amount of skaters that are allowed to lift a Skater? Because if this is true. Then with more Skaters on a Team. You'ld just end up with more groups of Skaters lifting. There really should be no Danger there. As far as age gos. If that is true. Thenwere talking about our Synchro. Skaters on Masters Teams as if there 60 years old!!!!

We had an 84-year-old on our team. . . . No way were we doing lifts (just a formation team, which doesn't involve much actual *skating*; it's more about the shapes you make on the ice--lines, blocks, wheels, circles, etc).

[FSWer]

Not too many high schools would have enough skaters to make synchro teams of their own. Teams usually get skaters from many different schools, or even different clubs.

High school students are about 14 to 18 years old. They are old enough to be on Senior teams if they are good enough skaters.

Being allowed to do lifts isn't about how old the skater is. It's about how good they are. Both high school age and college age skaters are old enough to be on a Senior team. If they're good enough to make the team, they get to do lifts. If they're not good enough for a Senior team, they can skate on a lower level team, but won't get to do lifts. For the college age skaters, that lower level team might be a collegiate team, if the school they go to has one.

Then I would think that if more High schools started Synchro. then as you said Clarice, since i's about how good a Skater is,then we could start letting Collage Teams do Lifts. As Collage Students are more experienced too.

[overedge]

Then I would think that if more High schools started Synchro. then as you said Clarice, since i's about how good a Skater is,then we could start letting Collage Teams do Lifts. As Collage Students are more experienced too.

Not all college students. There are colleges that have scholarships for synchro skaters and have very good skaters on their teams....there are others where the synchro team members are people who learned to skate while at college and are pretty inexperienced. Allowing lifts in competition would be unfair to the college teams with less experienced skaters, because that would give a really big advantage in competition to the teams with much more experienced skaters.

[FSWer]

Not all college students. There are colleges that have scholarships for synchro skaters and have very good skaters on their teams....there are others where the synchro team members are people who learned to skate while at college and are pretty inexperienced. Allowing lifts in competition would be unfair to the college teams with less experienced skaters, because that would give a really big advantage in competition to the teams with much more experienced skaters.

Gee,I would think that if you were a Senior Synchro. in High School doing Lifts. That by the time you got to Collage you'd be even more experienced enough to do Lifts there too. Are you saying some Collage Synchros. have just come from Adult "Learn to Skate"?

[gkelly]

They come from college-student learn-to-skate.

Or they might have been mid-level singles skaters or synchro skaters (lower than senior -- maybe preliminary or intermediate, for example) when they were in high school. So they're not beginners when they get to college and join the college synchro team, but they're not experienced or skilled enough to be doing lifts either.

[Clarice]

If someone was on a Senior team in high school, they would probably still be on a Senior team in college.

Skaters on Collegiate teams have passed at least the Juvenile Moves in the Field test, so they're quite a bit better than folks just coming out of Learn to Skate.

Skaters who are first learning to skate at college, and who would like to do synchro, would most likely be on an Open Collegiate team, which doesn't have any test requirements. They could also be on an Open Adult team, which also doesn't have test requirements, but requires that most of the skaters be at least 19 years old (some college students are younger than that).

[FSWer]

They come from college-student learn-to-skate.

Or they might have been mid-level singles skaters or synchro skaters (lower than senior -- maybe preliminary or intermediate, for example) when they were in high school. So they're not beginners when they get to college and join the college synchro team, but they're not experienced or skilled enough to be doing lifts either.

So maybe a Teen in High School has only passed up to Inermediate in Freesyle, or Synchro. by the time they hit Collage. Right?

[Clarice]

It depends on the skater. Some may have only passed up to Intermediate by the time they go off to college, while others may have passed Senior, and still others may not have passed any tests at all. It all depends on when they started, how quickly they learn, and how hard they work.