Competition Recommendations

This is my best advice to skaters regarding competitions:

Being Gone

For the average competition, skaters should be skating their regular schedule for at least 7 weeks prior to the competition.

For skaters doing double jumps, skaters should be skating their regular schedule at least 9 weeks prior to the competition

This timeline helps ensure skaters are well-prepared for the competition.

Skate Sharpenings

Plan ahead to have your skates sharpened 6 weeks before the competition. Higher level skaters may be okay with getting them sharpened 4 weeks in advance. However, getting your skates sharpened 6 weeks or less before the competition, you should ask Melissa about.

Practice Ice

Always purchase 1-2 sessions of practice ice for your skater at each competition. If it is a competition that is outside of Minnesota or is farther than 1.5 hrs away, your skater may need more practice sessions than that.

Travel

For competitions that require longer travel (i.e. out of state), plan to arrive at the competition approximately 24 hrs before your first practice ice. This gives your skater time to re-group after the travel and also gives you time in case something goes wrong (i.e. your flight is delayed), so you have some leeway with the schedule. Make sure to communicate your travel plans to Melissa.

Other

As parents, the most helpful thing you can do is set your skater up for success. Make sure your skater has eaten, slept enough, arrives to the rink on time, and in general, just do the things that help support your skater leading up to and through the event. Also, just remember competitions are learning experiences. Giving your athlete space to have autonomy at the competition, make some decisions and be accountable for themselves is how we develop a confident and confident individual.