A lot has been happening with Athlete Centered Skating in recent months. We haven’t blogged in quite some time and thought now would be a great time to share an update with everyone.
First, the Athlete Centered Skating community had a very successful competitive season! Our athletes set and broke personal bests from competition to competition and we attribute their impressive growth to the combination of physical and mental preparation we provide and the passion, resilience, and accountability they applied to that preparation.
Since its conception in 2018, ACSkating has its first Regional Champion and two medalists at the Sectional Singles Final. We are excited to add more titles to this list!
I have been writing courses and exams for the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) for coaches’ continuing education. Every single coach in the United States that wants to put skaters out at competitions is required to take these courses. We are delighted to know the ACSkating curriculum sets an example for the entire coaching community in the United States.
In a few weeks, the Dynamics of Skill Acquisition (volume 2) textbook will be published by Human Kinetics – one of the most recognized sport science publishers in the world. I wrote several contributions about Athlete Centered Skating for the textbook. Below is a link for more information:
You can look for an article I wrote for an upcoming issue of PSA magazine, the magazine for figure skating coaches. In the article I describe the difference between athlete centered and traditional feedback practices. We will keep you posted about the article if you would like to read it!
We also proudly reflect upon the Athlete Centered Skating community. I have said this a lot this year: It’s always beneficial to seek others for inspiration. However, sometimes you look around and realize it is YOU who sets an example for everyone else. The Athlete Centered Skaters have embraced this role with great enthusiasm. YOU are the athletes who set foot on the ice first every single session. YOU are the athletes who do the off-ice training every day. YOU are the athletes who challenge yourselves and each other without coaches’ involvement. YOU set goals at the beginning and reflect at the end of each week. YOU work on the mind. YOU take on every challenge we bring to you. YOU respect your coaches, parents, and other skaters. YOU ARE THE EXAMPLE… and we are so happy to support YOU! Let’s continue this journey into 2020 and beyond!
