HAVE YOU PASSED YOUR SKATING TEST....AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

[FSWer]

Ok,I asked you all in my last thread how a Test is determined....Now today I want to ask all our Skaters here,what Skating Test you have passed,and a little bit about what it was like?

 

[Clarice]

I have taken lots of skating tests, in Moves in the Field, free skating, ice dance, and even figures. Some of them I passed the first time and some I had to try again another day. I think taking a skating test is a little scary, because you want to do your very best, but it doesn't feel like a regular skating day. It's very quiet in the rink because everybody is concentrating, and you are out there all by yourself or at the most with only one or two other people taking tests. And the judges are watching, of course! They write comments, which help you know what you did well and what you should practice some more. The figures tests were the scariest ones, because for those the judges stand right on the ice next to where you are skating. But it feels really good when a test is over, because even if you don't pass, you got out there and gave it your best shot!

 

[purple skates]

My last skating test was the Foxtrot dance. I had (and still have) difficulty with the Mohawk in that dance, so it took me a lot of practice to get it test ready. I did pass by all three judges. I took it at the adult level (for people over 25, I think) although I am eligible to test at the masters level (over age 50).

 

[hanca]

I have taken quite a few skating tests. How it felt - relieved, happy, but sometimes embarrassed if I knew that I skated much worse than my usual standard, sometimes even disappointed that I passed if I thought I had extremely bad day and I felt I wouldn’t pass it if I was the judge....

Once I skated while being ill. My coach was away and arranged with another coach that she would look after me at the test. I woke up at 5am on the morning of the test and found out that I feel really rough, (like when you have the flu). With my coach I would call and cancel it, she knows me so she would understand, but I felt embarrassed to phone this coach who was supposed to look after me because by calling her I would already wake her up (at 5am) so I decided to go ahead and risk it. It was a disaster! First I couldn’t take my winter jacket off, because the zipper got stuck. So while I was supposed to be having a warm up, the coaches were pulling my jacket over my head -it took some effort of several people to get the jacket off! Then I got on the ice with the blade covers on! (Immediately fell down, obviously). Trying to skate, all my muscles hurt so badly (having the flu is quite painful!) and I felt so tired and a bit spaced out. Then in the middle of my test I crashed into the barrier! It was solo compulsory dances and I made the pattern too big. Luckily, my other dance was apparently very, very good and the dance with the crash was also good if one didn’t count the crash, so the judge asked me to reskate that dance. I was so nervous! I managed to not crush the second time, and the judge passed me. At first I was happy and relieved. I went straight to bed because I felt really rough. Looking back I had such mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one side I saw the funny side, when things start going wrong, it can be one thing after the the other, like in a bad comedy. On the other hand I did feel quite disappointed that I passed because I knew I could do so much better and if you put so much time into it, you want to show your best.

 

[overedge]

@FSWer I've tested dance, figures, and freeskate - the figures and freeskate tests were ISI tests.

I am not a good test-taker. I get very nervous, even when I know I can skate well enough to pass the test. Competition is scary too, but at competitions a lot of the audience is usually not paying attention to every skater. When you are testing, you know that the judges are watching you very carefully.

Sometimes you might also know some of the judges, and while almost all judges try to be fair, some have a reputation for being really strict, or for looking extra closely at certain things like correct edges or timing. So if you get one of those judges for your test, that can be extra scary.

One of my coaches told me something that really helped me be less nervous on tests. He said, "The judges want to pass you." He said that judges are volunteers and they judge because they love skating and want to help skaters do their best. So they are not looking for reasons to be mean to you and to criticize your skating - they are looking for reasons to reward your hard work and your good skating skills. And if they fail you, it's because they think there are things you need to improve, not that they think you are a terrible skater and should never get on a rink again.

I still don't enjoy testing, but knowing that the judges are friendly rather than mean made a huge difference to me.