Tips for a Strong Mental Attitude for Competition

Will (13) and Christina (8) during their 1998-99 pairs season when they won their first Junior Olympics/Junior Nationals medal.

Will (13) and Christina (8) during their 1998-99 pairs season when they won their first Junior Olympics/Junior Nationals medal.

Having competed in pairs skating for ten years, I learned various techniques to handle the pressures of competition and public performance. After that, I was a skating coach for a number of years. Here’s how I dealt with my students’ most common competition fears.

Usually the most common fear for new skating competitors is performing in front of an audience. The skaters fear they will make a mistake and embarrass themselves in front of their family and friends. The most common question new competitors asked me was, “What if I fall?”

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August 30, 2016

Happy Holidays on Ice Gangnam Style

For our annual Kroc Christmas show, I decided to have a little fun and use “Gangnam Syle” for one of my numbers. I got the idea when one of my students joked that we should skate to it.

The number starts in a serious mood with “Silver Bells” and then goes into “Gangnam Style” for the last part of the number. I make a surprise appearance at the end! It was a fun number, and the crowd really enjoyed it.

Happy Holidays Gangnam Style! 🙂

“2012 GANGNAM STYLE ON ICE (San Diego, CA)”

December 24, 2012

How to Choose Music for Performance

Christina Chitwood and Mark Hanretty performing to “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” from The Swing Kids at the 2009 European Championships. (Photo by Liz Chastney)

Christina Chitwood and Mark Hanretty performing to “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” from The Swing Kids at the 2009 European Championships. (Photo by Liz Chastney)

Most of us listen to music every day. However, if we were asked what would be good music to perform to, would it be easy to answer? Maybe or maybe not.

Whether you’re choosing music for a show performance or for a competition program, here are some tips for choosing music, especially in figure skating.

1. Start with finding a notebook and pen.

2. Write down any pieces of music you really like and make you feel like moving.

3. Listen to these pieces of music while standing up (if you have the pieces of music – or you can search for and listen to them on the Internet). See how the songs make you feel, if you naturally begin moving to them, and if you can imagine skating to the music.

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November 30, 2012

Competition Makeup Tips

When you compete in an event that is judged, appearance is typically taken into consideration. Even if there isn’t a mark for appearance, your appearance in how you present yourself can affect how the judges perceive your ability.

As much as it would be nice to believe that only ability is judged, the human eye tends to be drawn toward those who are well presented. If you’re in a sport such as figure skating and you’re female, makeup should be an important part of your competition regimen.

Here are competition makeup tips for figure skaters or anyone in a similar sport or art.

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February 10, 2012

10 Ways to Enjoy Holiday Performances

The holidays can be a magical time of year! Families get together, friends show appreciation, and most of the time the holidays are filled with happiness and gratefulness.

Holiday performances and shows are also great parts of the holidays. Here are 10 ways to enjoy holiday performances, whether by attending or performing yourself.

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Photo Credit: Photo by Pat McDonald at Flickr Creative Commons.

December 23, 2011