I’m a firm believer in as much practice ice as can be had at a competition rink. I haven’t skated a comp yet where the practice rink is not the same as the competition rink, which is why I have found it helpful. In the low number of competitions I have attended, I can compare two extremes: 1. 20 minutes practice ice, about 20 minutes before 6-minute warm up. And 2. 3-4 hours of practice ice (2 the day of the artistic, 1 the day of the freeskate, and another hour the day following the end of the free skating). Number 2 was by far, BY FAR, the better option, because it involved plenty of time.
You need time to practice all your elements before your program. If my scratch spin is not centring, I cherish any extra time I have got for me to put my brain back in and figure out what I’m doing wrong, before I even attempt it in the program. I want to run all my jumps so I can get the technique in my head before I skate the program, because I usually concentrate so hard on my choreography that I regress my jumps. So it’s better to be on the ball beforehand. Besides. There is no way I will ever be ready to skate a program without getting the ice under my blades first. I can’t just step on to the ice and do a perfect camel. I need to warm up to it. Rest is important too, of course, but I can’t rest if I’m constantly wondering “how is my dodgy Salchow today?”.
You need time to calm down. It’s a comp, for God’s sake. No one is ready after 20 minutes’ practice. Whatever rink it’s on. You want a good couple of hours while you are there to relax on-ice and get used to the atmosphere. Rushing increases nerves and mistakes.
Of course, this time is predominantly important for an international (the only comps I’ve skated at) because if it’s a local comp you won’t generally have all the extra time to practice in the new town, you haven’t had to fly to a different country and it’s less of a worry if you’ve not got your gloves and your tights are laddered – you speak the language, you can blag some more. But if I was skating in a local comp, I would still take the day or the day before off work to train. Not for 8 hours, but maybe for 2, and then a nice long rest and early night. Time to calm down is important, whether you’re skating locally or internationally. I would be so uncomfortable if I didn’t skate at all before 6 minute warm-ups on the day. I need to know things are going okay, and if they’re not, have time to work out why not.
You need time to map out your program. There is no way this can be done in 6-minute warm-ups, or from the stands. You need to get comfortable with how your program will fit on the ice, work out where the judges are sitting, where your step sequence will start and spirals end, which advert board you are facing before your camel-scratch, and skate it through until you are getting things in the right place. 6-minute warm-ups are there for warming up. Running your elements, maybe your step sequence, some transitions. You can’t work out your program on that ice. You need time.
You need time to get ready for warm-ups. I can’t stress this enough. Warm-ups are important - the judges and “crowd” and all the other skaters are already watching. It’s your last chance to run all your elements. And there’s nothing more you can do now to change the outcome of your program, so you just need to get some ice under your blades and prepare. If you feel cool and calm(ish) during warm-ups, chances are that’s how you’ll feel when you skate out to start your program.
I had a bad experience in my first comp (an international – I was staying in the foreign town, but it took place in the same country I live in). This was the one where all I had was 20 minutes’ PI about 20 minutes before my warm-up group went on. I was nervous as all hell (it was my first comp, after all). I couldn’t even hold a simple spin – my muscles were in spasm. I was shaking so hard. A friend who was there but not competing took me by the arm after PI and led me to the hot chocolate stand. All fine. Suddenly I realised I’d better go and get ready. The timetabling was late as usual so I wasn’t sure of the exact time I’d be skating. I had my skate dress on, and tights and boots, as I’d worn on practice ice – but also tracksuit bottoms.
After a trip to the Ladies’, I went to remove my trackies – and couldn’t. They wouldn’t go over my boots. I had no time and there was nothing for it but to take off my skates, then my trousers, then put my skates on again, and readjust my OTB tights. As I was putting the first boot back on again, a friend ran in to the changing rooms. “OUR WARM-UP GROUP’S ON.” “Now??” I jittered. “Now.” she confirmed, and scarpered. Oh, crikey. I was so not ready. By the time I got on ice I had about 3 minutes left and was in absolute panic mode. I fell twice, screwed up all my elements and dashed off the ice at the bell. I was shaking, out of control, unfocussed, and rushed. Rushing increases nerves and mistakes (a sentence worth repeating!). I know it was my first competition, but I was completely thrown by being late and not having skated a single move well. Needless to say, everything collapsed in my program. I two-footed A THREE JUMP. I didn’t get one rotation of my sit spin, and my final element, a scratch-spin, was the worst I’ve ever skated it.
The next comp I went to (in Italy), I took 3 hours of practice ice for two programs (each session well in advance of the program), and a morning ice session the day after my last skate. I was so ready, it was crazy. Of course I was still nervous, but I was ready so early I couldn’t panic. I warmed up off-ice and then sat in my costume (with ZIP-LEG trackies to hand if I got too cold!!) and my club fleece and watched the Zamboni on the ice. I concentrated really hard on my breathing – very deep, slow breaths, the whole time I was waiting, not just 2 or 3. I ran through my program twice in my head, focussing on a clean skate, and then emptied my brain of all thoughts of the upcoming skate. I was first rinkside and I stayed there until warm-ups started. Every so often I’d move around and stretch gently to keep my muscles warm. At the call I skated carefully but reasonably well, nailed all my elements, took a sip of water, ran my step sequence and got off the ice. I was second to skate, and while the first skater took the ice, I went out of the nearest side door and sat waiting for her to come off, talking calmly to a friendly Ice Mum. And when I went out there, I skated well. I managed a clean program and completed all my elements. Of course I was still nervous, but I was able to focus anyway and put my fears to the back of my mind. It was 1,000,000 times better and even though I didn’t win, I was very pleased for myself – I had skated my best and I was proud of that.
The biggest, ever, lesson, is GIVE YOURSELF TIME. You need time. If you’ve had a gentle skate and done what you needed to do, had time to plan out your program and practise your elements, and got ready well in time, you’re gonna skate well. I found that the best way of making this time is making use of your practice ice.
And the cool-down, early ice the day after the last free skate? A wonderful chance to chill out, not work hard but enjoy skating for skating, get to know the other skaters, all sing along madly to Lady Gaga, and make use of cheap ice in a tiny Alpine village before everyone else was up. Definitely a winner.
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