Early this year, I applied to be a skating judge because I wanted to become a better and informed skater and also share my skills and knowledge with younger skaters and help them achieve their skating goals. I wanted to improve my technical knowledge by learning how to assess and evaluate and score skaters' programs in competition and test sessions. I felt learning to become a skating judge was another great way to meet and work with knowledgeable and experienced people who share my interest and also allow me to give back to the sport I love so much.
Jason Brown Fundraiser
I want to thank all my supporters for their generous donations to the Jason Brown Fundraiser. The event was held today at the Mennen Arena in Morristown, NJ and it turned out to be a most successful event, raising close to $16,670. Your contribution helped raise money for the NJ Council of Figure Skating Clubs (NJCFSC) Scholarship Fund which provides much needed scholarship awards for all participating NJ figure skating clubs.
Jason Brown is an Olympic medalist, US National Champion, Four Continents medalist, World Junior medalist, Junior Grand Prix Final Champion, and National Junior Champion. It was such a privilege for skaters in New Jersey to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and skate with such an amazing skater in addition to winning great prizes. Skaters attended free skating clinics taught by Jason and an autographed and Q&A session. Some of the prizes included VIP meet & greet, private skating time, competition program critique, selfie photo shoot and lunch for the top ten fundraisers.
Everyone who attended had an awesome time and enjoyed meeting and skating with Jason and learned valuable skating tips. Again, thank you to all my friends and family who contributed to the fundraiser as I'm truly grateful for your help and support.
Sponsored by: NJ Council of Figure Skating Club and Lucas Sports
How Do I Cope with an Injury?
To all my Learn to Skate students, I apologize for missing class the past few weeks. I have been recovering from a sprained ankle and consequently I have been unable to skate. In dealing with this injury, I realized how important health is to skaters and I wanted to discuss how to prevent and cope with injuries.
Farmingdale Memorial Day Parade
Earlier this week, my Garden State Skating Club participated in the annual Memorial Day Parade in Farmingdale, New Jersey. Not only did my club celebrate the brave men and women who fought for our country, but we were also honoring everyone who serves today. We thank everyone for their services and are so grateful for everything they do for us.
This parade also allowed my club to celebrate our skaters' accomplishments for the whole town to see. The weather held out and our skaters got to show off their beautiful costumes by parading in their competition dresses. National, sectional, and regional competitors received beautiful sashes to wear as well. Although I was unable to attend due to a sprained ankle, I was there in spirit and am proud of all the successful skaters I have the privilege to share the ice with. Way to go Garden State Skating Club skaters!
There are Tests in Figure Skating?!
To all my students, I apologize for not being able to make our last class of our Learn to Skate session next weekend and I'm also sorry that I missed this past weekend's class. I was away at my skating competition in Darien, CT and will be away again at the National History Bowl competition in Arlington, VA next weekend. I will certainly be thinking of you and sending my good luck wishes your way as you prepare and take your final skating test.
US Figure Skating offers two types of tests - Learn to Skate and Moves in the Field and Freestyle/Dance judged tests. Many of my introductory students are enrolled in the basic skills group classes and it’s the program where many new skaters start so the test to be taken will be the Learn to Skate basic skills test. These tests are conducted informally in front of the instructor during class time and there is no official US Figure Skating appointed judge panel. The test fees are included in your group instruction program costs. At the end of each seven-week session, skaters take an on-ice test and are evaluated on the skills required for that level and if the skater demonstrates mastery of the skills and requirements are all met then they will progress to the next advanced skill level. Taking these tests are also a good way to continually challenge your skills and abilities. Each skater will receive a certificate and badge to honor the student's achievement. I've provided a test day checklist of some important things to remember to help you and your child better prepare. I am confident that all my students will skate great and successfully pass their tests because you all have consistently been practicing hard and are well prepared for your test. You all have come a long way since stepping and gliding and learning to fall and should be so proud of your accomplishments.
Test Day Checklist
1) Arrive to class early so you're not rushed getting skates on and have plenty of time to stretch and get ready
2) Don't forget to bring your skates along with your soakers and guards
3) Stay warm and wear gloves and sweater/jacket
4) Wear appropriate skating clothes (pls see my 11/5 and 11/12 posts)
5) Bring water bottle because your mouth may get dry especially if nervous
6) Relax and stay confident...remind yourself you are well-prepared and will skate great!
What's the 6.0 Judging System?
Many beginner skaters who will start competing will come across a very unique judging system. It’s a very confusing skating judging system and the scores used to compete the final results and standings are difficult to interpret and understand. Many of my skaters and parents have asked to explain how the results are tallied and I will attempt to help clarify many of the confusion when reading the score sheets. I was just recently accepted by US Figure Skating in their accelerated track to become a trial judge and in this new capacity, I hope to better assist in helping you all understand the judging system.
The 6.0 system is an old scoring system is used mainly in lower level non-qualifying skating competitions, including basic skills through pre-juvenile levels. The judging panel comprises of an odd number of judges, usually ranging in size from 3-9 depending on the competition level. It’s a judging system based on majority and the winner is the skater who placed highest by a majority of judges. Skaters are compared and ranked against each other based on an absolute range from 0 (horrible) to 6 (perfection) for technical merit and presentation quality. These scores are then tallied and translated into a rank such that the skater having the highest score will receive an ordinal of ‘1’ which is the highest mark. These marks are how the standings for each skater is computed and it’s what gets reported on the final results sheet, showing how each judge scored the skaters.