Tryout Process | Golden Skate

Tryout Process

Layback11

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Quick question: how do ice dance partner tryouts work? In a situation where two established ice dancers had split from their previous partners and were trying out to see if they might want to pair up, what would the process be like?
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Quick question: how do ice dance partner tryouts work? In a situation where two established ice dancers had split from their previous partners and were trying out to see if they might want to pair up, what would the process be like?

PM me.
 

ParadiceSport

Rinkside
Joined
May 21, 2020
It depends.

1)One of you have to go to other person.
2)Bills for travel and tryout usually split
3)You have few trainings/days to tryout and decide with coach and potential partner if you fit together.
4)Higher level skaters must send documents to federation
5)If one of you is a Foreign skater, you must request release from your federation.

if there anything else, other might add.
 

ParadiceSport

Rinkside
Joined
May 21, 2020
True.
Sometimes girl has to pay bills. I assume because there are not many male skaters and there are more female skaters.
 

thorag

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Country
Iceland
True.
Sometimes girl has to pay bills. I assume because there are not many male skaters and there are more female skaters.

The expectations of some male skaters are through the roof just for that reason. In some cases the girl pays everything (or is expected to); travel, coaching, outfits, comps, ice and living expenses.
 

ParadiceSport

Rinkside
Joined
May 21, 2020
I believe this should not be like that. But fact is male skaters are rare. Especially in pair skating.
Imagine tryout was not successful, then the girl who paid everything is in big financial loss.
 

thorag

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Country
Iceland
I believe this should not be like that. But fact is male skaters are rare. Especially in pair skating.
Imagine tryout was not successful, then the girl who paid everything is in big financial loss.

Not just tryouts but in partnerships in general both in pairs and ice dance. If you go through some of the profiles on icepartenrsearch some are very up front in their demands
 

theblade

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 15, 2018
I just erased the post I wrote (sigh). Our family has spent the past four years doing tryouts, juvenile level to novice. So we can't speak to the original question, and would love to hear Ic3Rabbit's insights. Suffice to say, high level tryouts include not just the skaters and coaches, but parents, federations and facilities. Many moving parts.

Our (lower-level) experience has been that almost all families have expected us to pay for all of the boy's expenses. Out of about 15 scenarios, from not-very-serious to immediately competing that season, only 2 families made it clear they'd pay for the boy's skating. When we tried out, we paid for all our own expenses, and split the lessons in half with the boy's family, though.

During the tryouts, the boys have all been fairly respectful to friendly. The coaches have been fine to great to extraordinary (tryouts are a bit of a honeymoon period, and ours have ranged from less than two days, to three weeks). Only one was a piece of work. The parents, however, are the real linchpin of the experience. We've had all sorts of experiences there. And since skating as a sport in and of itself is crazy, we'd prefer for our pairing to be stable - something surprisingly hard to come by.

Ironically, we crossed the border, and thus had an international tryout a few months back - just before Covid-19 impacted North America in an official capacity (because we still can't say with certainty it's trajectory as of yet). Finally found a school that seemed right with a boy whose family was paying his way. The training situation had some minor sticking points, but nothing we couldn't figure out. And then the border closed. The other day I just emailed the coaches on the thread I've kept over the past few months - and my message bounced back! (Yikes.)

Where we are, rinks are generally not open, although there are some down-low socially-distanced sessions happening between certain coaches, students and facilities. As my daughter is finishing up a tough school year, I'll wait 'til next week to figure out what to do. Needless to say, whatever the competitive season may shape up to be, we will be missing it (unless something happens out of the blue).

Good luck to all those skaters and famillies out there!
 

theblade

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 15, 2018
Forgot to add - every boy we tried out with who ended up with someone else, has switched partners once, twice or three times since my daughter tried out with them. So, in that regard, I feel that our family was fortunate to not pay money and be discarded so easily. Our daughter is a strong student, and while skating has not gone according to our best hopes, school was never sacrificed in the process. Now that she is in higher-level classes, we are a bit cautious in what we do. The pandemic and training issues won't make things easier.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Sorry but I'm not posting information in detail publicly as it's not my place to do so and there are so many varying factors. Also, there is alot of information about this topic that would take forever to post.

I had the OP DM me to find out what she specifically needed to know and then I could decide if I should give that info, and I have not given any info yet.

Anyone that needs to know for their skater needs to consult their coach or fed (if it's at that level in specific cases).
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
^ I second asking your coach
Your ice dance coach should be knowledgable in how these things work, and guide you personally due to their knowledge of your skating, location, fed and knowledge of other ice dancers in the country.
 

thorag

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Country
Iceland
Sorry but I'm not posting information in detail publicly as it's not my place to do so and there are so many varying factors. Also, there is alot of information about this topic that would take forever to post.

I had the OP DM me to find out what she specifically needed to know and then I could decide if I should give that info, and I have not given any info yet.

Anyone that needs to know for their skater needs to consult their coach or fed (if it's at that level in specific cases).

Thank you for your reply. So for background we are from a nation that has never been represented in ice dance before. the coach has been a great help but the federation has no resources to speak of in this field but have tried to use all available angles. The skater in question has all Canadian dance levels and is a senior with virtually an automatic national team status and a green card to international competitions.

We have been down a few try-out roads with (like the blade has) limited outcome but too often sneer remarks from either the skater or the coach and have sometimes been met with arrogance and entitlement. In one case a possible abusive situation that we were lucky to detect during the try-out. She is happy where she is and due to residency issues it is limiting to where she can go for the moment (not to mention Covid) so Canada is the only option here.

The reason Im asking here is that in my experience sometimes approching issues from a different angle can be useful.

Thank you all you guys. I find this forum so illuminative and educating all the time :)
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Thank you for your reply. So for background we are from a nation that has never been represented in ice dance before. the coach has been a great help but the federation has no resources to speak of in this field but have tried to use all available angles. The skater in question has all Canadian dance levels and is a senior with virtually an automatic national team status and a green card to international competitions.

We have been down a few try-out roads with (like the blade has) limited outcome but too often sneer remarks from either the skater or the coach and have sometimes been met with arrogance and entitlement. In one case a possible abusive situation that we were lucky to detect during the try-out. She is happy where she is and due to residency issues it is limiting to where she can go for the moment (not to mention Covid) so Canada is the only option here.

The reason Im asking here is that in my experience sometimes approching issues from a different angle can be useful.

Thank you all you guys. I find this forum so illuminative and educating all the time :)

Again, not advising as I said multiple times. Check with your coaches or Federation.
 
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