Does It Make Sense for Figure Skaters to "Stay Back" in Juvenile Girls?
One of the largest events at every regional figure skating competition is the Juvenile Girls event. I just checked the icenetwork website. This year, in the Southwestern region alone, there are over 45 juvenile girls competing. In the South Atlantic region there are 6 groups and if I counted correctly, there are over 90 juvenile girl entries! The other regions must have similar numbers. Only 36 lucky girls in the United States will "make it" to the U.S. Junior National Figure Skating Championships.
At my rink, there are some very talented juvenile skaters. One child has a consistent double Axel and at least two triple jumps. I have a feeling if she skates well, she may qualify for the final round and perhaps Junior Nationals, but there is no guarantee. Even if she does do well this season, who knows if she'll measure up in intermediate? What about after that? Does a good juvenile level skater become a top novice, junior, or senior skater?
There are other juvenile level skaters who can barely land their doubles. They hope to just skate their best at regionals, but already know that their chances of making it past the qualifying round are slim (impossible actually!). Why are they spending money on competition costs if they know in advance that they have no chance against girls with double Axels? I don't get it.
Just thinking about all of this has me wondering if figure skating is really an amateur sport at all? Back when I was a child, winning a regional event was a big deal, and yes, it was common to see a skater "stay back" to do their very best in juvenile. Repeating the juvenile level if a skater is not ready to move up to intermediate sometimes does make sense, but today, winning a regional juvenile title means that a figure skating family probably has spent thousands and thousands of dollars on ice time, lessons, off-ice training, travel, and choreography. Is ice skating really worth it? I'm not quite sure what the answer is.
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- Understand Figure Skating Competition Levels
- Compete in Ice Skating Competitions
Comments
I’ve often wondered why parents continue to pay for figure skating lessons and competition expenses when the skater will never approach competitive excellence. But, then again, my parents paid for years of piano lesson and I did not become a concert pianist…not even a piano teacher. But I did learn things that have benefited all my life.
I guess the real measurement of the benefits of figure skating, or for that matter, anything else in which we involve our children, is the growth and development that occurs as a result of the process.
In the case of competitive figure skating, it’s learning those behaviors that apply to the skater’s total life, every day, in all kinds of areas, for the rest of their lives…priceless!
Lee:
I think you have come up with the answer! The “end” is not winning at Juvenile or going to Nationals or Junior Nationals. It’s learning lessons for life. That’s what figure skating does! Thanks for making me look at it this way!
JO ANN
You’re welcome, Jo Ann
But the life lessons you are talking about are not unique to figure skating. There are others inexpensive competitive sports provide that too.
Let’s compare apple and orange here
We have a VERY DELICIOUS apple and a VERY DELICIOUS orange. They both give you the similar health benefit.
The orange cost $1 but the apple cost $10.
Which will you buy?
I guess I will pay for the orange unless my doctor told me I have ulcer in my stomach and I should eat something less acidic
I’m totally in agreement with Vince but then this logic applies mostly on us – “the parents” – Skaters do not think this way. If we sway them away from skating which according to them is their passion, they feel deprived.
Going back to Jo Ann’s comment re:if skating is really worth it” my answer is a “No” but for my skating daughter, it is a big “Yes”.