It’s inevitable. If you have been in the skating (mom) world long enough, that you will get the same question over and over…. “Did you ice skate?” In my case, the answer is “No!” I had only been on skates once in my life before my skater started. They were old and painful and I never left the hallway carpet. Probably a pair of $20 Lake Placids. (Ouch!)
I do remember watching Debi Thomas at the Olympics on a small black and white tv as a kid. Maybe Caryn Kadavy. The Brians, Katarina… But I lost interest with Tonya and Nancy. How could such a beautiful sport go so wrong? Well, that is what I asked myself then. Now I know the answer and it is a pretty simple one. Some of the people in figure skating are insane.
Mainly you hear about the moms with their dreams of Olympic gold who have a skater who rather just do the occasional lesson and spend the rest of the time with her friends. Or those “drop and run” moms whose skaters are left to their own devices once mom pulls from the curb. She doesn’t really care what they are doing as long as they aren’t in her way. Or those moms that spend $1000 on skates, $500 on a dress and never watch their 7-year-old actually skate because mom is sitting in the lobby talking to anyone who will listen about $1000 skates and $500 dresses.
This is not their blog.
There is a whole other level of crazy and it is called “coach”. Don’t let them deceive you with their black puffy coats and (somewhat) professional demeanor. More likely than not, a nutjob is just waiting for the moment to reveal it’s true nature. Something will set them off at some point. You just need to be prepared. That is what this blog is about.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are some decent human beings working as coaches. Eventually, I might even meet one.
In the meantime though…
As a PSA Master Rated coach, I am highly offended that you believe my ratings and contnued education within my sport has no value. Yes, they are expensive, time consuming and a lot of work. However, so is taking lessons from someone who does not know how to teach correctly. Our country is one of the only countries that does not require coaches to be certified.
I grew up skating in Canada and thank god for that because through their coaching program I never had a coach that was not certified (you cannot coach LTS without being certified at that level) and you cannot coach above your certification. So, when I progressed beyond my coaches certification they HAD to hand me over to someone who could.
Having certification also gets rid of the ppl who think that it is an easy way to make money. If you want to coach and be competent and successful, you will invest in it. It is my job and I want to be the best coach I can possibly be for my athletes and their parents. Don’t you think we should have certifications if we are taking your money? Teachers, Accountants., Doctors, etc. are required by law to be certified and current with their professions. What makes us so different?
I also had more options than coaching and that is a complete slam on skating coaches. I have worked at my sport since I was 5 years old. I sacrificed a lot for skating because I loved it! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I want to share my passion and love of my sport with other people. Giving back to my sport has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Everyday I get to walk into the rink and get paid for something I love to do. How many people can say that?
It is frightening, to me, that you would be posting such inacurate information about the PSA and attaining your Ratings.I don’t know gow you attained your information about this whether it is from a coach who runs down the rating process because they don’t have any? Have you ever sat in on a Rating exam? Until you know the facts, please refrain from spreading these horrible untruths.
Beth Silver
PSA Master Rated in Moves in the Field
PSA Senior Rated in Freestyle
PSA Registered Rated in Group Instruction
PSA Foundations of Coaching
PSA Basic Accreditation Exam
Thank god for coaches like you. But for every one of you, we have the master rated coaches that deliberately hold skaters; make them wait 12 months to test every level, never teach advanced spins to keep them getting medals at the lower levels. Once these skaters hit IJS they don’t have the skills and are so far behind the skaters who have finished their moves and been challenged all all along they are no longer competitive. All so the coach makes themselves look good and to insure the longevity of his/her income. It’s heartbreaking.
I think the term is ‘sandbagging’ and it’s real and it’s a real shame.