I get lots of email from kids who want help fixing or getting axels and from moms with club problems.
I answer all of them, and some get turned into posts--always looking for good content!--but some of them I can't deal with, often because of ethical concerns with coaching someone else's student (especially at a distance).
There are places you can find skating advice, so in keeping with my new meme of sending y'all elsewhere (why do I keep doing this), here are a couple of the best forums for great skating discussions. As always, if you know of others, please let us know in the comments.
Okay, I confess, the skating "subreddit" r/figureskating is not very active, but the rest of the site is so fabulous that I think it could be a wonderful place for discussion. I've been chiming in under a different username, but I just created a Xanboni account, so look for me there! Right now people are posting a lot of current competition videos, but I think we could get discussions going there like we do here, and for a larger audience. One of the real strengths of reddit is that it is the most completely anonymous forum you'll find-- you do not even need an email to join, just a user name and password. If you've got a really sensitive topic and don't want to be traced, this is the place for you.
Skating Forums
I can't remember what this used to be called years ago, but it's a really great forum, with lots of topics from lots of types-- fangirls/boys, moms, skaters, coaches. I think it was the first forum I found online. They hold a place in my heart because they were instrumental in putting this blog on the map.
Golden Skate
Similar to Skating Forums, also a great place for discussions and rumor, which pretty much runs figure skating fandom.
Yahoo Groups
There are lots of these-- SkateFans, coaches, etc. Use Yahoo Group search to find a group that appeals to.
Linked In
Again, tons of groups. There's a group called Figure skating parents, one for Figure skating coaches, USFS parents, several groups for individual clubs and synchro teams, adult figure skaters, basic skills instructors etc. Even better, you can start your own group quite easily, for instance for your club or rink. Completely the opposite of reddit, Linked In is wide open-- not the place for sensitive topics because it is emphatically not anonymous.
Everyone who reads this, feel free to join these groups and send them to your favorite blog post here on Xanboni! /ShamelessSelfPromotion
Posts
I recommend, at least for Adult skaters, to make friends with other adult skaters at the rink. It's fun working on things with people and you learn a lot.
ReplyDeleteI stay away from forums. Too many Divas and every overbearing skating mob is one them acting like a top coach. Too much drama on those forums.
For little kids I simply don't converse with them about skating because they sometimes take you way too seriously and go back to the rink with changes, name dropping you. It's not worth the risk dealing with that, so I think the only person they should be getting advice from is their coaches. I don't even comment on costumes or choreography.