Steven Helmer Publications

My oldest daughter had her first skating competition of 2018 yesterday at the Pettit Center down in Milwaukee. It was our first visit to this rink, which is where Olympic skaters train. And, overall, I thought it was pretty cool, especially with them having two rinks (side-by-side) and a speed skating track in what was a pretty large building. It was, by far, the largest rink she's ever skated in. For her part, my daughter did pretty well yesterday. It was her first time skating at the pre-preliminary level and she finished second in compulsory and 5th in her program. There's always going to be room for improvement, but she was right in the mix, has a good foundation and two weeks to find ways to improve before her next competition. It was a very exhausting day, however. She was asleep in the backseat before we even made it out of Milwaukee. Considering she's normally very energetic, that was a surprise.

I didn't get an opportunity to post anything last night because we were at the rink until pretty late. However, my oldest daughter had her ice show audition as planned and did really well. She was the fourth skater on the ice and, despite some nerves and a case of the stumbles during warm up, put in a solid performance. Her program wasn't flawless. But, she was the first (and one of very few for the night) skater to be told she didn't need to re-do any moves afterwards. We'll have to wait at least a couple weeks to find out if she got any sort of featured part in the show. At this point, I think she has a chance but, at the same time, she's still a little bit of a long shot because there is a built-in pecking order with the older skaters (rightfully) getting an edge as well as (even though nobody admits it) skaters who have parents with deep pockets.

My daughter actually received her 2nd-place medal back in November so this wasn't much of a surprise. But, I checked this morning and they finally made the results of the 2017 Wisconsin Compete With Us Series official. This is her second series medal. She shared 1st place for the Basic 8 category back in 2015 and probably would have had a shot at a third one last year had she not broken her foot at school. To win a series medal, she had to compete at a minimum of 2 competitions held throughout the state (she skated at 6). Points are awarded based on how she placed at those competitions and were accumulated throughout the year. The top three earn medals. She finished second out of about 75 skaters that competed at the high beginner level. I'm not sure if she'll be eligible for another medal going forward. She's moving up to the pre-preliminary level this year and, as far as I can tell, that level and higher aren't included. But, we'll be able to compensate...

My oldest daughter, Azalea, competed at her home skating competition yesterday and did relatively well. She finished third in beginner compulsory and beginner jumps, both solid finishes considering she was up against skaters from a pair of elite (solo-oriented) clubs. And, while she came in 4th out of 4 in her beginner artistic program, her first performance in that category was solid and she was even given a 3rd place vote by one of the judges. Of course, when she finished yesterday, we figured she had something to build upon as she heads into her last competition of the year (November 25th). But, as it turns out, she's actually going to have to start over a bit. She's taking a US Figure Skating freeskate test the first weekend of November and, barring a complete screw up or an unusually strict judge, she'll likely pass it. Once she does, she's no longer considered a beginner skater and will need to skate at a higher level. I was actually expecting this. But, I...