Coaching Philosophies & Lessons to Be Learned 

The below philosophies and lessons I strongly believe in for the success for of figure skaters. My relationships with skaters and their families goes the best when we all believe in these guiding principles: 

Philosophy: 

My overreaching mission as a coach is for skaters to realize how powerful of a person that they are through achieving skating goals and through the life lessons, hard work, joy, and dedication it takes to achieve these goals. 

Therefore, I fully support skaters being ambitious. As the saying goes,”if you reach for the moon, and miss, you will at least land amongst the stars.” 

This means that in skating, your skaters may set their sights on a big goal, but even if they do not achieve that goal or if that goal needs to change along the way, they will still up end being more trained and higher achieving than the average skater, which gives them more opportunities and open doors as they become older.

Holistic Development 

High achieving athletes are not one note. They are strong at many things. Skaters need to have a strong body, strong mind, strong skating abilities as well as a strong family and social supports for them to be a high-achieving athlete. 

Accountability

Everyone has a role in the relationship. For a skater to be successful, everyone must do their part on the team. Everyone also must be responsible for how their actions affects the plan. 

Commitment, Dedication, Work Ethic and Enthusiasm 

The enthusiasm the skaters, families and the coach have behind doing the work and committing to the process of skating, leads skaters down an exciting skating journey. Your skater will never what their potential in skating is until we have been on the journey for many years. 

Positive & Grateful Attitudes and Mindset 

I tell the skaters all the time, “In figure skating, we make the impossible happen everyday.” Think about it… out of all the billions of people on the planet, how many of them know how to skate on a very thin blade and can even do one of the most difficult sports on the planet by learning how to jump and spin by themselves on that thin blade? That is a very tiny percentage of people on this planet. Which means, it should be more impossible than naught for us to do what we do, yet here we are as figure skaters, moving forward everyday!

To do this, we must feel very grateful that we are able to wear our amazing skates, skate fast with the wind in our face, skate in a great facility and do cool tricks. By skating with a grateful heart everyday, skaters become more positive and learn to see the silver lining even when they are faced with obstacles on and off the ice. Skaters with a grateful heart are also the ones who skate with joy and find with achieving goals to be more meaningful.

Training

Skaters are expected to train if they work with me. Training is not a scary word. Training is simply developing in a systematic way. This systematic way allows skaters to develop as their body is ready, teaches them mentalities and skills in their younger years so they can actually achieve bigger milestones as they become older, and it helps skaters prevent injuries. Repetition helps build strength, builds confidence in athletes and is key for elements to grow from good to great. 

Oftentimes, when skaters are young, they train, but don’t know it. From the outside, it doesn’t look like it except that they are coming to the rink frequently, and they are learning a lot of new things, and it’s fun. That’s the way it should be. As they get older, training changes because it is more lead by the skater themselves, and we switch to periodization cycles so skaters have a more formal format in achieving their goals so they can adequately rest and recover and have better guidance with their ambition. 

Momentum and Moving Forward

Momentum comes up a lot working with skaters. We work really hard and have plans so skaters know when to build their momentum and when they can just maintain or when they need a break. Momentum is delicate. Good skaters learn how to keep momentum going over time, but it does need to be taught and managed when skaters are young. 

I tell the skaters all the time that we are always moving forward. I want them to learn how to create their own momentum and how we are always striving for the next big milestone. 

Success 

We use the word “success” a lot in figure skating. But it is going to to mean different things to different skaters at different times in their skating. Sometimes a “successful” day at competition means the skater simply stayed on their feet on all of their jumps, while other days, it’s going to mean that you nailed all fourteen elements in your program with positive grades of execution. As long as the skater is moving forward, we are on our way to success. Successes should be celebrated and enjoyed. As invigorating as it is to conquer a goal, celebration is rewarding too. 

Trust and Respect

All members of a skater’s team must trust each other. We must keep each other’s trust and be good human beings as we work together. We all must also trust the process. The more faith and belief we put into the process of developing and getting better, the more the process will work for us. We must all respect each other to move forward. 

Guidance, the Process, Change

As the coach in the relationship, I can give advice and help and coach or drill skaters, but my advice is only good when people listen to it and act on it. Skaters and families have choices to make in listening to me and if they choose not to listen. However, I am the person who has your skater’s best interest at heart. I always want what is best for your skater. I am always open minded, and have flexible thinking in what is best for an athlete, but I also know the standards of figure skating and most of that is not up to me. It is simply what figure skating takes. 

Figure skating will change your child~ in good ways! They are going to discover things about themselves that they never knew, hopefully become more responsible, self-motivated and passionate as they continue to skate. 

The transformation of the skater from a wobbly little four year old to an elegant senior level skater with strong elements is the most exciting thing to me. Parents have to also accept that their skater will evolve as they continue to skate and must be adaptable as well. 

Life Skills and a Healthy Life Style 

Your skater is going to learn many life skills through skating, and I encourage it. They should know how to communicate effectively with adults, have manners, be able to work independently, plus many other skills along the way. If it is going to make them a better, stronger person that will be better off as an adult, then it is a good thing. 

Your skater will be encouraged to have a healthy lifestyle so they can be the best skater that they can become. Sleep schedules, nutritious foods, exercise and recovery are all important for a healthy lifestyle, and that is one of the many benefits of skating for athletes. They will learn about healthy lifestyles as they skate, and it may just become how they live as they get older. This is a wonderful gift to give skaters as they become adults. 

Individual and Teamwork 

A skater’s individual pursuit of their own goal and ambitions is their own path. Many things stem upon how hard the athlete works, how coachable they are, how quickly they learn, etc. However, skating also requires teamwork. The skater, parents and other professionals who help them is a team. When the skater is on the ice skating with other athletes, they are on a team that is supportive of others and aware of each other’s safety. I manage a team of athletes and parents, plus other skating professionals I work with so everyone needs to work together to help skaters be the best that they can be. 

Development

I prefer to take athletes from their very basic skating skills through senior level skating. To help simplify things, skaters I work with are categorized as the following: 

Categories of Skaters: 

Future Champions

    Skaters working on single jumps, basic skating skills, basic positions in spins. 

Developing Champions

     Skaters landing axel jump and working on double jumps, starting cluster turns and level two spins 

NQS Champion

     All double jumps. Landing double axel and two triple jumps. Focusing more on GOE’s and the strategy behind their competition score. Mature enough to start focusing on artistry. 

Elite Champions 

      Triple jump, especially triple axel. Level four spins, phenomenal skating skills, technical skills are very nuanced and a lot of focus on the artistic side of skating.  

***Discussion on the word “champion” can be found on the website 

This is based on where skaters are at in the development process. It helps me aim the correct information at skaters and families at opportune times so I can stay on top of their development. Sometimes when skaters are split into groups, or I want skaters of similar ability together, this is a fast way to do it. 

For skaters to continue to grow and develop, they will have a lot to learn, and they will learn how to learn as a skater. Great skaters have a thirst for knowledge. Their behaviors, emotional regulation and passion will also have a lot to do with their development. 

Plan 

Once a year, I will do a meeting to set the plan for the skater for the upcoming year, if everyone wants to do a meeting. It is expected that all parties follow the plan. The plan may change depending upon how the skater is doing and that is okay. If changes occur, and we need to re-adjust the plan, there will be communication between the family and I about that. If families choose not to follow the plan after the meeting or throughout the year, I will simply communicate that with the family, but no other meetings or extended investments of time will be taken on my part. 

A skater achieving an Ultimate Goal in skating comes down to many correct mini-decisions compounding over the years. That is why the plan is so important. When piece of the puzzle changes, it can have a spiral effect on a skater’s progress~ for good or for worse. 

The plan also streamlines communication, helps everyone plan and gives everyone confidence with where the skater is heading with their skating. It also helps us use our resources, time and money, wisely. 

Time- Skating is a marathon, and there are times we sprint, and times we walk. But without the right plan, motivated skater and educated coach, some skaters can easily spend years learning and working on nothing. 

Money- all sports are a business. The better the business is managed, the more benefits the skaters reap. Finances must be managed so that skaters can achieve what they want to achieve in this sport. The two biggest mistakes I see with parents are families who spend money on things that are unnecessary, and families who spend too much money in the early years on unnecessary things, and then have nothing left when the skater finally has bigger opportunities. 

I will always let you know what is good to spend money on and what isn’t. I will also be honest if something is for parents to invest in for their skater’s development or if it is is something that is good for making skating memories or if it is simply something fun. This helps parents make good financial decisions. 

My advice I give as a coach is there to help your skater move forward the best way possible, but for parents to also invest in skating wisely.