Missing USFS test records - too long ago

[treesprite]

Are there any other returning adult skaters who are having this problem, and if so, were you told you had to retake the tests?

The club I was in when I took USFS tests as a kid indicated that there are no test records for tests taken that long ago. She said she would check with USFS main, but never got back to me. It was before people had computers, and organizations have pretty much all disposed of paper records.

I am hoping there are other people who faced this problem who were able to get credit for their tests, based on the general fact that it's a wide spread problem not just a few people. If you are one, can you tell me how to go about getting the problem fixed to get credit for the tests?

[gkelly]

The only test I had passed back then was preliminary figures, and I have not tried to take the first figure test as an adult so I didn't need to prove it. But just in case, when I had the opportunity to go through a bunch of back issues of Skating magazine I made sure to keep a copy of the page where it was listed.

Is there any chance you could get access to the magazines from that time and search for your name listed under the name of your club in the Tests Passed section? It would be a few months after you actually passed the test. Might require a trip to the library at Headquarters in Colorado Springs unless you know someone who saved the back issues.

[zaphyre14]

If you know the year and the club where you took the test, you can call USFS and ask them to do a search of their records. Even if the club didn't keep the paper records, all tests had to filed with USFS so they should have the records. It would help if you knew your USFS number too from the time you took the test, but that's not required, it just may speed things up.

Failing that, I'll second gkelly and say that a search through old Skating Magazines would be the best bet. (New England skaters could hunt up old copies of Tracings magazine in the same way; they published test results from member club clubs as well.)

[Emmett]

US Figure Skating maintains the test records. Depending on how old they are they may have to go to the printouts in the basement to find them but they should have them. You should contact Member Services at headquarters

[sk8er1964]

USFS was able to research my old tests from the mid to late '70s, knowing just my maiden name and my club. Their research department was fantastic.

[FigureSpins]

US Figure Skating maintains the test records. Depending on how old they are they may have to go to the printouts in the basement to find them but they should have them. You should contact Member Services at headquarters

My USFSA skating club folded while I was still skating, but all USFSA formal tests are registered with Headquarters. Several years later, I stopped skating for about 10 years.
When I checked my online USFSA profile for the first time after renewing, my tests were all on file. (In fact, I don't even remember taking a dance test, yet I was credited with the Dutch Waltz, lol.)

You should contact the USFSA and give them any of these identifiers that you may have:

∙ USFSA number(s) (if you have more than one, let them know. Many people mistakenly register again rather than renewing. Basic Skills IDs can become full-member IDs)
∙ Name(s) that you tested under (If you used nicknames or had a different last name, let them know the variations)
∙ Rink/Club name and location where you tested
∙ Dates / Range of Dates when you tested

If you don't know the USFSA number(s), it's not a show-stopper; just tell them that you don't remember. (If you have Skating magazines from that time, it's on the labels.)

I was very impressed that the USFSA was able to retrieve my information from 20+ years earlier, especially considering that the Club was defunct for even longer.

Contact USFSA Member Services: http://www.usfsa.org/About.asp?id=416

You may also want to request access to the online "Members Only" site, which allows you to review the tests taken/passed, make nominations, and access Governing Council documents.

[Skittl1321]

I hope you are able to find your records. USFSA does keep excellent records, assuming they were filed. I got a new member number when I started skating in 2006, and they were able to determine (when I had login issues) that I had a member number from 1989, and switch all my information to that number.