Welcome to IDC’s Parent Guide. Created in 2018, the Parent Guide is a series of posts focused on providing information to parents, including breaking down the International Judging System (IJS).
The series will be written by Adrienne Koob-Doddy, a coach and former U.S. ice dancer.
Season Planning
Welcome to the new season! The season after the completion of an Olympic cycle is always extra interesting; new rules are in place, new dances are being introduced, and new expectations are set by coaches and skaters alike. Regardless of what level your child is skating at, the new season is a great time to get organized on what is to come.
Team Roles
Happy summer! This is always an exciting time in the season- school is out, more time is usually spent at the rink, and thus, our skaters see great growth in their skills and programs. This is the time where the run-throughs start getting easier and the elements are becoming more consistent, just in time for the big summer competitions! During this important and busy time, it’s a good idea to review everyone’s roles as the season progresses.
Goal Setting
As we approach the first early competitions of the season, there are many questions swirling around.
Competition Survival Guide
While the competition season has begun, we are about to embark upon the qualifying season, the part of the year that I believe causes the most stress for ice dancers and their support systems. Now we come to the pivotal point where the results *actually* matter…they will determine if your skater gets a berth to the US Championships. At IDC, we thought a competition survival guide would help you get through this stressful, but exciting time of your child’s competitive season.
Scores FAQ
Since we are approaching one of the largest events of the ice dancing season, the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some results and scoring FAQs I have heard as a coach and an official.
“What in the world is IJS?
“What in the world is IJS? How does it work? What do these numbers even mean? Why are my kids’ skating skills lower than the last competition? How do we get their GOE scores higher? Why are we not beating that other team?!”
Communication
This month we are going to chat about communication. This is critically important as we begin the final push towards Sectionals. Sometimes this can be a challenging month at the rink; school schedules have just changed, ice time sare different, kids are back to homework and early bedtimes, and all of these changes play out for coaches too. Truthfully, it was never a month I enjoyed because I found it hard to get a rhythm going.
Families Working Together
The competition season is in full swing, with the Junior Grand Prix series already wrapped up and Skate America about to start! For domestic events, six of the regional competitions have already finished, and with just three left, our eyes will soon turn to Sectionals. This month, we wanted to talk about how to navigate the relationship between the two families in the ice dance team.