What Do Professional Ice Skaters Have In Common?

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 9:13 am

Professional ice-skaters are lithe and seem to glide effortless across the ice. For someone who has never figure skated before this can be deceiving. Ice skating takes technique, strength, energy and grace, some of which can be taught and learned. However to become a professional ice-skater these qualities have to be mastered and this takes unwavering dedication from the skaters and their support group. There are however other subtle qualities that professional skaters have in common.

Start Young

Ice skaters start young, very young. Female skaters start while in the toddler years and male skaters on average start at little later. The demands on the body of an ice skater are extraordinarily high, both physically and mentally. Starting young enables an individual to grow into the sport, train the right muscles and gain a lifetime of understanding of the principles involved.

Dedicated Support Group

To become a professional ice skating an individual needs support physically, emotionally and financially. If a professional ice-skater starts young, with only family backing, the tab may be at least 40,000 USD per year. Behind most successful professional ice skaters is a dedicated family who made sacrifices to see their child or sibling achieve their goals.

Dedication

Ice skating requires a lot of dedication. It requires constant practice to master new skills and techniques. A professional ice skater has to understand that training can be grueling and requires at least 7 hours a day on the ice practicing. Most ice skaters know that if they stick to the program it will pay off some day.

Professional Coaches

Behind every successful professional ice skater is a successful professional coach. Most of the coaches have trained Olympic ice skaters and have a history of success. Ice skaters usually hook up with these coaches while they are still young and stay with them into successful careers as professional ice skaters.

Successful Competitive Ice Skating Career

Professional ice skaters were able to achieve success with consistent high marks at all levels of competition. These successes were what made them get noticed and invited to the competitions and shows. This is what leads to sponsorship and ultimtely to lucrative professional contracts.

It seems that starting young with the support of parents or a dedicated coach can start a young child onto the road to being a successful professional ice skater. Michael Weiss a professional ice skater started skating when he was 9 years old. His immediate family was very supportive, making many sacrifices as he rose in the ranks in the ice skater’s world. Among his amateur accomplishments include some World Championship Medals, US Figure skating titles and being a member of the US Olympic team. Kimmie Miessner is another example of a professional ice skater. She was only 6 years old when she first started skating. Kimmie’s resume includes impressive accomplishments and wins. She has won medals in international competitions that include the Olympic Games and the World Championships. She also acknowledges her parents role in her success. Her parents took her to all her practices and meets while she was growing up.