Parents of young skaters, are the same kids still on top when older? | Golden Skate

Parents of young skaters, are the same kids still on top when older?

Momtoiceprincess

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Hi there, my little skater is doing well in her group & competively. She was top in her age group but recently another little girl has had a real progress spurt & has passed my DD out both skill wise & in competition...
My question is for parents of older skaters, are the same kids still on top when the kids are older or do new little ones appear or kids from muddle of the road progress out of nowhere. .
Also my DD shares a coach with this child, the coach certainly coaches both girls but seems very excited about how the other child has improved so rapidly
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
It's impossible to know at young ages which kids will be champions and which wont... Even when they are 19 or 20 some cases. There will be people progression at random points. Dont worry about it.
 

sandraskates

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
Anything can happen. The little girl that has currently passed your daughter may have a growth spurt and body development and lose her skills - especially jumps - for a while.
As long as your little girl is having a good time in the sport, let her keep going.

However, as time goes on, if you think your daughter's coach is really favoring the other girl to the point that it is a detriment to your girl, you may want to change coaches. Bear in mind that a good coach will attract a stable of talented students and competitors.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
As a former Elite. I'll tell you that one minute you are top, next you fall down standings a few placements, and over and over again throughout career. It ebbs and flows.

You are never always on top. And with kids that young I would not think too much of it.

She needs a new coach though if her current one is favoring her competitor.

Good luck.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Remember the saying, the ice is slippery. Rarely does a skater stay on top of a long period of time, even when they are young. There are too many variables.

Zag was considered a mediocre novice and was Olympic Champion just a few year later. Now she is suspending her career.
 

Scout

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
I would expect a coach to get excited when a child (or adult! :) ) shows improvement and would be worried if they didn't. You didn't really give much detail about the coaching situation, but what's important is that the coach treats all their students fairly, doesn't play favourites, encourages every student and makes each one feel valued.
 

SmallAminal

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
I think in any sport, you see kids progressing at different rates at different times. There was a time when I thought my kid was being left behind in his other sport, but then he surged ahead and is ahead of some of the kids that used to beat him. I'm sure it will swing the other way at least a few times before he's an adult. The coach had warned me that progression is usually not linear and that they will all be ahead/behind multiple times over the next 10 years. You need to take a long view.

I remember seeing a girl skating that struggled for over a year to even get close on her axel. I wondered whether she would ever land it. Then all of the sudden she had ALL of her doubles in rapid succession and she is one of the top skaters at her level in our area. I would not have expected that 2 years ago.

I also wonder how much the other girl is training? If she comes 2x as much as your daughter, perhaps its just the effect of more training time.
 

Momtoiceprincess

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Thanks for all the replies, the girls both train 4 times a week with a semi private also, they are in the same session for this. It's like something suddenly clicked with the other girl. So far coach seems pretty neutral to all the kids.
My hubby thinks this is good for our skater & the competition with the other girl improving can only be a good thing for our skater but I'm not so sure...
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Thanks for all the replies, the girls both train 4 times a week with a semi private also, they are in the same session for this. It's like something suddenly clicked with the other girl. So far coach seems pretty neutral to all the kids.
My hubby thinks this is good for our skater & the competition with the other girl improving can only be a good thing for our skater but I'm not so sure...


Just dont worry about it. If your daughter enjoys skating what other skaters do is irrelevant. Your daughter is way to young to know how far she will progress, just know this: judges never stop a skater and ask them how long it took to master an element, so dont worry if others learn quicker - it's about who learns it to best consistency and quality.

It's also good that your daughter won't grow up being at the top, and then go to a big competition and end up in 15th or 16th place, as that can be a terrible esteem hit that tough to overcome, so it's best to experience not being comfortably the best.

With local competition there is greater motivation to improve, so both your daughter and this other skater will improve even faster.

In life there is competition everywhere. Who is the best worker on the job, who offers contract cheaper, who makes the best phone. When there are more competitors, the product gets better.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
With local competition there is greater motivation to improve, so both your daughter and this other skater will improve even faster.

In life there is competition everywhere. Who is the best worker on the job, who offers contract cheaper, who makes the best phone. When there are more competitors, the product gets better.

It's also quite important to remember - and point out to your skater if necessary - that competition isn't the same out enmity and all out warfare. Watch how the truly great skaters are in competition but also support and encourage each other to greater heights.
 

VegMom

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
My skater's coach has pointed out how the top skaters at our rink weren't the top until they really dedicated a lot of time and energy into the sport.

He's also pointed out that often the winners of Juvenile Nationals don't go on to become winners of Seniors Nationals.

A lot of skaters get burnt out on competitions and just finish their testing and then coach or do ice shows or just skate recreationally.

It's clear to me that a big part of skating success is simply the perseverance. It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to reach high levels of figure skating. Often something comes up and gets in the way (illness, injury, economic downturn) and skaters just can't practice enough to stay at a high level.
 

Momtoiceprincess

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Thanks so much for all the advice. From what I can tell from observing practice is that my child is the harder worker by far & the other child is a natural jumper & has lots of fast twich, speed & the jumps come very easily. I guess time will tell
 

laceylou

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 23, 2019
No. There are a lot of kids who peak at 10-13 and then never get farther than that point. The kids who make it at the end to me seem to not be the ones who were winning non-stop as a young kid. They seem to be the ones more driven.
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Thanks so much for all the advice. From what I can tell from observing practice is that my child is the harder worker by far & the other child is a natural jumper & has lots of fast twich, speed & the jumps come very easily. I guess time will tell

Maybe stop comparing your child to other children. You can not compare one child with another. Focus on your child's improvement and things to make your child a better skater, and blank out any other skater. Other skaters are irrelevant to your child's improvement, especially at this age.
 

wendyzhu

Spectator
Joined
Jan 13, 2020
I think unless the kids are in the Eteri pipeline (at least for now), there is no point calling them "on top"... Surely there are tons of kids that can do better.
 
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