First post- thanks for any and all feedback in advance. Background: My 9yo daughter has fallen in love with the ice. One LTS class turned to two, then freestyle sessions when she got to a high enough level, then a private lesson, and on and on. She has been skating almost one year and what I would call seriously for about 8 months. She currently takes three private lessons per week and skates 5-6 days every week (around 10hr/week with school in session). She recently competed in the excel beginner series. She has an elite coach. Her spins are developing nicely and she has begun working in a harness for her axel- she can do the single jumps below axel and some combo jumps.
My questions are:
1) what can I do as a parent to nurture her newfound love of figure skating? I try to let the coaches coach and be in a support role for her. I see different parenting styles at my rink and have decided to let the professionals do their job and just be there to tell her she’s doing great/proud of her/etc.
2) what are some of the bigger mistakes you see parents make when dealing with a young skater? I’m letting her decide how much she wants to skate every week.
I am blown away at this whole new subculture and think the entire sport is really cool. High level skaters make things look so effortless and I am just now understanding how difficult this sport is overall. My father in law is an ex professional hockey player and has commented that he has a whole new respect for the sport. I want to support my kid in the right way and cultivate her love of the sport. I’m also understanding that she is young and may decide to go a different path at some point of her life.
My questions are:
1) what can I do as a parent to nurture her newfound love of figure skating? I try to let the coaches coach and be in a support role for her. I see different parenting styles at my rink and have decided to let the professionals do their job and just be there to tell her she’s doing great/proud of her/etc.
2) what are some of the bigger mistakes you see parents make when dealing with a young skater? I’m letting her decide how much she wants to skate every week.
I am blown away at this whole new subculture and think the entire sport is really cool. High level skaters make things look so effortless and I am just now understanding how difficult this sport is overall. My father in law is an ex professional hockey player and has commented that he has a whole new respect for the sport. I want to support my kid in the right way and cultivate her love of the sport. I’m also understanding that she is young and may decide to go a different path at some point of her life.