Figure Skating Summer Camp Survey

It's nearly spring and time to start looking at figure skating summer camps.

The trouble, as I'm sure you've noticed, is that parents have no idea which figure skating summer camp would be the best fit for their child.

To end the confusion and to lend some order to the chaos I've created a camp survey.

Please consider this an invitation to take the survey and help other ice parents choose a summer camp intelligently. To my skater readers - yes, you can fill out the survey, too!

Link to Ice Mom's Figure Skating Summer Camp Survey

Thanks in advance for your help! I'll keep the survey open until the end of March and share the results with everyone in April.

Had a good camp experience? Had a lousy one? Please fill out the survey and leave a comment here, too. Let's share our knowledge!

Update: Reader, coach, figure skating parent, and adult skater Xan of Xanboni! makes an excellent point. So excellent, in fact, that I'm going make it big and change the wording on the survey to include her suggestion:

Don't forget to check out the many excellent day camp-style figure skating camps run by many local and municipal ice rinks, as well. Cheaper, closer, less intense.

Update/Note from Ice Mom: A survey taker wrote that she (?) was a skater, not a parent. Awesome! Thanks for filling out the survey!

Have a question for Ice Mom and the Advisory Board? Have a great idea for a post? Are you an expert in something that figure skating parents care about! Fabulous! Please e-mail me at icemom.diane@gmail.com.

Figure skating camp: is it worth it?

Ice Girl’s been back from camp for almost a week. Did she learn anything?

Her flip is better, but most landings are still with two feet. Olympic coach Kerry Leitch called Ice Girl a problem child and suggested that we, her parents, could qualify for some sort of monthly check because of Ice Girl’s problematic two-foot landings. I’m going to check into that…

Olympic coach Alison Smith gave Ice Girl a private lesson, during which she had Ice Girl do seven loops in a row while holding half a hockey stick. The hockey stick’s a good idea because it keeps Ice Girl’s arms moving in the same direction at the same time. Ice Girl said that private lesson on jumping was very helpful.

Ice Girl had a private lesson and classes with Olympian Caryn Kadavy, whom Ice Girl idolizes. Kadavy instructed a class on costumes and Ice Girl has been sketching ever since. I have a dress cut out in my sewing room right now, but Ice Girl has a new design for a competition in November. I’m grumbling, but we all know that I’m going to give in.

Ice Girl had lessons in jumps, spins, and using a rotation trainer. She also raved about a wobble board that Smith used…now we have one of those, too. She learned about costumes, choreography, grooming, edges, power stroking, and goal setting.

Ice Girl ate breakfast at 7 a.m., worked until noon, had lunch, and worked until 5 p.m. Lights went out in the dorm at 10:30 p.m., but the noise continued until after 11. We picked Ice Girl up from camp and she was exhausted. She slept until noon the next day.

Camp wasn’t a magic pill: Ice Girl’s flip is still problematic and her sit spin is more sit than spin. However, she’s energized. Tonight she wants to help me sew her dress so we can begin on the next one (I am a sucker). She wants to do off-ice training in her off time.

She’s hoping to go back to camp again next summer. $500 isn’t cheap, but I’m sure I’ll spend it again next year. Ice Girl made great friends, learned a lot, and came home with drive and energy.