This is the process.
A section of a test is rewritten. Usually it's unclear, or has some errors in the rewrite. Coaches' attitudes are like:
Adult testers' attitudes are like:
When the howling from coaches and adult skaters rises up to USAFA, their attitude is:
(Also, Silver should be split into pre-Silver, and Silver. It's just too much. There I've said it.)
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| Like anyone cares about my opinion. |
This is so true. I took my bronze moves test before they made changes and failed. So when I retook the test, I had to learn a brand new move. Then I took the silver moves test before they changed and failed again! I had to scramble and test it again before the changes took place. Thankfully I passed the 2nd time, and just hours before the new test was in place. The changes are usually pretty drastic so they take a long time to learn.
ReplyDeleteI feel like any time any of the organizations decide to re-organize their test structure everyone is like, "WHY?"
ReplyDeleteIn roller, the US recently adopted a lot of new dances for competition, and I can understand the rational of including them in the test program, but they completely re-structured EVERYTHING instead of just placing the dances into an appropriate test. The problem is that most of the new dances are all forward skating, but I guess based on the "newness" were placed in very high test levels. Skaters have to do difficult turn dances with complicated partner relationships in early tests, but then get to skate all forward dances in the higher tests? Sorry, this just doesn't make any sense at all. Adults who could skate these dances won't be able to test them, because they can't pass the lower tests, and kids will get discouraged with the difficult dances showing up in the lower tests (side note - we don't have separate adult tests, so everyone is held to the same standard). Also, skaters now get to "pick" their dances (choose 3 of 4 options, etc.), so it is possible that they may avoid learning a lot of the really classic dances that teach important technique. I mean, we all have dances that we don't like, but doing them makes us better skaters. Since tests in roller are run by a completely different organizations than competition (long story that involves attempting to please the IOC), it makes no sense to have the test program be anything other than a way to progress the skills of the skater in a logical manner. I can understand needing to adapt the test to modern times... but they always seem to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Wait, what??? They've changed the Silver MIF AGAIN????!!!!! Oh come on now, USFSA!!! Where can I find the new test. When was it changed? Man, just as those moves were starting to get better...
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know silver moves has not been changed. But I don't closely. Follow test changes. Silver is a bitch I've been told.
DeleteSilver MIF test has the same elements; the only change is that some of them have been shortened to one length of the arena. If you are working on Moves with a coach, he or she should have a copy of USFSA's rulebook for all the tests, right? My coach always does and we always go over it together.
ReplyDeleteSilver was difficult but not impossible, though I have to admit it felt so in the beginning. It took me a year of once-weekly lesson sessions with no other additional practice to get test-ready to take and pass Silver on the first try. So, it's doable; and I credit having the knowledge of the rulebook information for that. A good coach should have the rulebook present during lesson--I could not imagine learning a test without knowing what was expected of me.