Get the Competitive Advantage
Christina Chitwood and Mark Hanretty performing at the 2010 World Championships in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Robin Ritoss)
Today, I’m focusing on the many advantages you can gain by competing and performing in skating. My own competitive skating career helped me develop many good traits, such as increased self-confidence and discipline.
Here’s an article from Raising Figure Skaters about increased self-confidence and my sister, Chrissy: Self-Confidence Makes Everything Better.
And here’s an article from Raising Figure Skaters about increased self-motivation, Chea, and me: Success after Competitive Skating Isn’t Just Luck.
I’ve also focused on getting the most out of a skating competition. If you haven’t read my previous articles on being prepared for and getting the most out of a competition, be sure to read them before your first – or next – competition.
How to Get the Most out of a Skating Competition
More on getting the most out of a skating competition from Raising Figure Skaters:
All They Really Need to Know about Competition They Learned in Kindergarten
Important information for parents to remember before their skater competes:
Don’t Forget These Two Words before a Competition Performance
Don’t Forget the Three Most Important Words before a Competition Performance
Please feel free to comment on any of the articles. We appreciate comments and questions, and you will get a response! Have a great competition season!
Don’t Forget These Figure-Skating Accessories
Taking care of your ice skates is important in making them last and helping you skate to the best of your ability. Here are some important accessories for skaters.
Skate Towel – This can be any type of rag or towel. I like micro fiber. Each time you take your skates off, you need to use the towel to dry the blades and the bottom and sides of the boot where it’s wet. If you don’t dry the blade, it might rust and corrode. The boot could warp on the bottom if it stays wet too long.
Soft Soakers – These are only for putting on your blades after you dry your blades with a towel. The purpose of soakers is to protect the blades when storing and to help absorb any small amounts of moisture on the blades. However, if you don’t dry the blades before you put soakers on your skates, the soakers will just absorb the moisture and keep your blades damp, causing rust. Also, never walk in soakers because they offer almost no protection for walking. You could create nicks in your blades and make holes in the soakers.
Hard Guards – These are for putting on your blades when you are walking in your skates off ice. They help protect your blades from rocks and other small things that may cause nicks in your blades when you walk over them. Never leave your hard guards on overnight or when you take your skates off. The guards hold water and your blades will rust. Also, make sure you remember to take the guards off before you step on the ice. I have seen many falls from skaters forgetting to take off their guards.
Laces – All skates come with laces. However, some laces are too long for the skates. If you have to wrap the laces around the top of the boot, you need shorter laces. Wrapping the laces around the top of the boot will break the boot down faster and could cause an ankle injury as well. New laces are inexpensive. I recommend going with a mixed-blend lace. Mixed blend means the lace is a poly/cotton blend. Laces that are 100% nylon are harder on your fingers and can sometimes loosen up while skating. Laces that are 100% cotton stick in the boot holes because they are thicker. But it’s really up to your personal preference.
Gloves – A thin glove is always a good idea if your hands get cold easily. Gloves also make it less painful when you fall. You can usually find a variety of skating gloves online or at skate shops.
Pads – If you fall on the same spot consistently when learning a jump, I would recommend pads. There are gel pads or foam pads you can put in your leggings to help cushion any falls while mastering jumps. Skate shops and online stores should have a variety of options.
Tips for Buying Your First Pair of Figure Skates
Congratulations on buying your first pair of skates! My favorite skate brand is Jackson for most feet. If you have a really narrow foot, Riedells may fit better.
If your feet are still growing and you’re just starting out, I recommend going with a Jackson Artiste skate. They’re fairly comfortable and come with a blade included. The price is usually $130 but is a bit cheaper for small sizes. For very narrow feet, go with the Riedell 17/117 Red Ribbon Skate for $115. Both these skates will take you up through the Freestyle (FS) 1 to 2 levels.
If you’re at FS 1 or 2, your feet have stopped growing, or you are already close to the Freestyle level classes, I recommend starting with Jackson Freestyle skates. These boots are heat moldable to your foot, making them a more exact fit. Blades come with the skates. Also, these boots are stiffer and have better blades so they will last longer than the Artiste, usually up though FS 5 to 6. Depending on size, they range from $225 to 250 for females and are $270 for males. For very narrow feet, go with the Riedell 133TS skate for $160. These boots are similar to the Jackson Freestyle skate but can only be partially heat molded to your foot.
Skate lace tips:
Keep the laces tight around the bottom part of your foot to keep your foot from slipping. Then, keep the ankle hooks lose enough to stick two fingers between your ankle and the front (the tongue) of your boot. This improves knee bend and helps prevent injuries. Also, don’t wrap your laces around your skates because it can cause them to wear out faster. Shorter laces (get mixed blend) are a cheap and easy solution.
Coach John Wooden Continues to Inspire
In my last post, I talked about former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Here are my favorite quotes by Coach Wooden.
Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.
Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.
Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.
Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.
Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.
It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.
You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
Here’s a short tribute to Coach Wooden:
What is your favorite Coach Wooden quote?
Coach John Wooden Lives on Through the Pyramid of Success
This month is dedicated to the many life principles former UCLA coach John Wooden gave us in his 99 years. Coach Wooden passed away on June 4 but left us his wisdom and knowledge though his books and the “Pyramid of Success.”
Coach Wooden is considered to be one of college basketball’s most successful coaches, leading his basketball teams at UCLA to win 10 national championships and 88 consecutive games. He made sure his athletes learned life principles such as discipline, respect, and doing their best.
In his retirement, Coach Wooden put these principles to paper with his “Pyramid of Success” presenting the life principles he learned though his sport and life. Below is the pyramid with the bottom representing the fundamentals and growing upward to the harder-to-reach principles. For more on Coach Wooden, go to his official website at CoachWooden.com.
How to Cool Down after a Skating Session
Extra cooling down can be done anywhere – Christina Chitwood at a train station in Germany.
Cooling down is very important for competitive skaters. Just getting off the ice after an intense skating workout without any type of cool down can lead to stiffer muscles and joints. This stiffness can lead to injury. Also, stretching and cooling down can help reduce muscle pain and soreness the next day by relieving the tension built up by training.
A short cool down can be helpful for every skater, but the longer and harder you train the more important your cool down will be. I recommend a few cool-down laps at the end of a session or ending with easier elements such as footwork or spins to lower your heart rate. Once you get your skates off, spend 5 to 15 minutes stretching, holding each stretch at least 20 seconds.
Here are the most helpful stretches to do on both legs.
- Put your leg up in front or to the slide on the skating boards and then reach for the foot for a hamstring stretch.
- Hold your foot and then bend that leg behind your back for a quad stretch.
- Bend the front leg and keep the back leg straight for a calf stretch.
- Flex the front foot up to the board and lean forward for another calf stretch.
- Split your legs halfway while standing, then bend one leg and lean your body toward the straight leg for a groin stretch.
- Hold a lunge position for a hip-flexor stretch.
- Straighten one arm and pull it across your body with the other arm for a shoulder stretch.
- Bend one arm behind your head and pull it back with the other arm for another shoulder stretch as well as triceps stretch.
- Bend one wrist back by pulling the fingers of that hand back with the other hand for a wrist stretch.
- Also, head rolls, body rolls, ankle rolls, and arm- and shoulder rolls are helpful in cooling down.
If you feel comfortable sitting on the ground at the rink, here are a few more good stretches.
- Reach for your toes with both legs straight while pointing your toes for a good hamstring stretch.
- Do a straddle split and lean body to both sides and then forward for a hamstring and groin stretch.
- Lie on your back and keep one leg straight on the ground and then bend the other leg over the top. Twist your body against the bent leg for a back stretch.
- Turn your front leg out and bend on ground and turn the back leg in on ground. Then lean reach forward over the front leg for a hip-flexor stretch.
These stretches will help you feel more limber and will help improve your flexibility. You get far more from stretching when your muscles are already limber because they can expand farther than when your muscles are cold. Remember, even stretching 5 minutes every day after skating will make a difference in your flexibility.
