Competition Season Is Officially Here!

Happy Spring everyone...or is it really spring?!?! We just had a spring nor'easter which makes it the fourth blizzard to hammer the Northeast in three weeks! Despite the recent crazy extreme weather, spring is my favorite time of year not only because of warmer weather ahead but mostly because it is the start of competition season! I do hope everyone is as excited as I am! I have a couple of students preparing to compete for the first time and I can't wait to see them perform and have a great time on the ice. I, too, am preparing for the new competition season and have been working tirelessly on my short and free dance programs. My first competition is on Saturday, April 7 and it will be a very long and tiring day as I will be at the rink all day, competing from 10:45am till 9:30pm.

My skaters who are members of the Learn-to-Skate USA program are eligible to participate in local competitions offered through Compete USA. This is an introductory competition program sponsored by U.S. Figure Skating and is designed to promote a positive and fun competitive experience for beginner skaters. Compete USA incorporates all the skills taught in the Learn-to-Skate curriculum and is judged in a competition format.

Competitions allow kids to perform for an audience and show off their skills. It is a lot of fun choosing music, learning new choreography, and getting to wear a beautiful sparkly dress. Moreover, you get to have your hair done and wear full-on makeup- it will be the only time your mother won't be against you wearing makeup! At competition, you can make a lot of new friends by meeting new skaters who compete at your level from different rinks. But best of all, you can win a medal! There can only be 6 maximum number of skaters competing in a group and all six skaters receive a medal.

Is My Child In the Right Program and Class?

Wow, time sure flies by quickly as I can't believe 7 weeks have already passed and it's the start of another new Learn-To-Skate session.  I'm excited to meet my new students and of course, have my old students back. This time around will be especially challenging because I have to teach three different classes at the same time!  However, it will all work out because my advanced students can demonstrate skills to the younger kids which helps them better learn from their peers. My older students also get to show off and have more practice refining their skills.  As we start our new session in a couple of days, I already anticipate questions from parents and students about whether they signed up for the right class and whether they should stay back or jump ahead.  So let's review the Learn-To-Skate USA curriculum and the different programs and classes offered for all ages and skill levels.  

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How to Buy Beginner Skates

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This past week, one of my learn-to-skate students cried and complained that her feet were hurting because her mom bought her new skates.  I wished the mom approached me first before she blindly went out to buy new skates at her local sporting goods store.  I would have helped save her time and money and most importantly, the pain her daughter is now enduring due to her poor fitting and low quality skates.  The new skates were hurting my student so badly that she couldn't continue with her lesson and had to get off the ice early and in the end, made the trip to the rink to skate for less than 15 minutes.  Given this unfortunate incident which could have been avoided, I thought it would be best to take the time and provide my advice on how to select a good pair of skates.

There are two important things to remember when shopping for a new pair of skates - quality and proper fit. If a skater enjoys skating and wants to continue learning then the parent should be asking the following questions - should I invest in new skates?, what kind of skates to buy?, where should I purchase skates? and how much do skates costs?  For those students in my higher level free skate classes and who are more serious about pursing the sport, I definitely would recommend purchasing your own pair of skates. Rental skates are often damaged, worn out and even broken down, and lack the required support so it would be safer and more beneficial for skaters to have their own pair if they plan to continue to skate. I feel it's very important to have the best fitting and most comfortable skates because if your child doesn't, he/she will constantly complain and possibly experience blisters and worse of all, dislike skating.  

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National Skating Month Celebration

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Setting up registration table and putting together goodie bags filled with U.S. Figure Skating promotional items for all the skaters

Setting up registration table and putting together goodie bags filled with U.S. Figure Skating promotional items for all the skaters

THANK YOU to Garden State Skating Club (GSSC) and Howell Ice Arena for all your help and support in making my National Skating Month open house event so successful.  I want to especially thank the GSSC coaches and my amazing club member friends who took time out of their busy weekend schedule to come out and teach the free group lessons, perform their programs in the skating exhibition and help me when and wherever I needed them. We had a great turn out with more than 55 kids and adults participating.  There were many happy faces and much laughter and all enjoyed and had a great time on the ice. My event brought the community closer together as it was a great family bonding activity and many children made new friends.  People connected with each other because they all shared a common interest which was building confidence in learning to skate and developing fundamental skating skills.  I hope my event will encourage many to be physically active and adopt a more healthy lifestyle and active living. The event successfully increased local awareness and participation in the sport as families inquired about the rink's Learn-to-Skate program and also interested in joining our skating club.
Thank you all again!
http://usfigureskating.org/content/NSM.article.pdf
https://mobile.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=541173829578273&id=247732912255701
For more information about my event, please go to My Events page.

We had such a great turn out and everyone enjoyed a fun-filled skating day!

We had such a great turn out and everyone enjoyed a fun-filled skating day!

Skating Promotes Fitness & Good Health

I wanted to dedicate this week's post not to a specific skating skill or element, but instead to emphasize the importance of skating and its positive impact on people. As U.S. Figure Skating kicks off its biggest annual National Skating Month campaign, I want to educate my skaters and parents of the myriad physical, mental, emotional and social health benefits skating provides to all.

Obesity is a growing issue and physical inactivity has become a global pandemic. According to the July 18, 2012 Time magazine article, ‘Lack of Exercise as Deadly as Smoking', almost 10% of deaths worldwide in 2008 were reported to be possibly attributed to inactivity. The article cited that a lack of exercise causes as many as 10% premature deaths around the world each year which is roughly as many as smoking. It was reported that if we reduce physical inactivity by 10% then some 533,000 deaths per year could be prevented, and if reduced by 25% then 1.3 million deaths could be averted. Furthermore, if we got everyone off the couch and eliminate inactivity then the expectancy of world’s population would increase by 0.68 years.

Children who have obesity are more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol, breathing problems, joint problems and increased risk of diseases including heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer. There’s also psychological problems such as low self-esteem, depression and social problems associated with childhood obesity. Nowadays, children spend much more time on their mobile phones, emailing and texting and watching Netflix, and not getting enough physical activity. Also, there’s much more high calorie and low nutritional foods and drinks available which also contribute to excess weight gain.

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When Should You Learn to Tie Your Own Skates

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The most important part of lacing skates is the area where the foot and ankle bends

The most important part of lacing skates is the area where the foot and ankle bends

Skaters tying their own skates may seem like a stressful and daunting challenge as well. However, I can assure you that it is not as bad as it may seem. Take it from me who struggled with tying my own skates and having my mom do it for me for five years until I was ten yrs old! I always liked my skates super tight, and as a child I never believed I had the strength in my fingers to tie them to my satisfaction. However after watching my mom do it at every session and practicing at home, I eventually mastered it on my own. Now I won’t even let my mom touch my skates! It is important not to expect your child to learn immediately because it is a gradual process that will take much time and practice. By following the instructions below and constantly practicing, all skaters will eventually have the confidence and capability of tying his/her own skates. However, it is important to remember that skaters definitely do not need to tie their own skates right away. Parents should be in charge of tying skates until their child is old enough, strong enough, and comfortable enough on the ice.