How to Become an Olympic Figure Skater

Olympic figure skaters are images of grace, beauty and power as they glide over the ice and twist in the air. It takes a lot of hard work to become really good at the sport, like the athletes you see on TV. It also takes a lot of practice, the right coaching staff, a good attitude and a competitive spirit.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Skates
• Personal coach/trainer
• U.S. Figure Skating membership
• Ice rink where you can practice

1. Start young. Most Olympic figure skaters start taking lessons when they are toddlers. In general, male figure skaters can usually start a little later than females, and pairs and dancing skaters can get a later start than singles. Begin with group lessons. These are a great way to learn the basics, while having fun in a social environment.
2. Get a Basic Skills Membership in U.S. Figure Skating. This will allow you to compete in some competitions and allow you to take basic skills tests. When you feel you are ready, take and pass the Basic Skills Test.
3. Take private lessons. Once you have mastered the fundamentals of figure skating, you'll need more individual attention in order to maximize your potential so that you can reach those Olympic goals.
4. Join a U.S. Figure Skating-sanctioned club. Through the club, you have a full membership in U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body of Olympic-track figure skating in the United States. Full membership lets you take all tests beyond Basic Skills and participate in official U.S. Figure Skating competitions.
5. Hire a personal coach or trainer. Together with your coach, devise a training, exercise and nutrition program that will benefit your skating, and help maximize your potential so that you can reach those Olympic goals.
6. Pass the skill-level tests. There are two sections of tests that you will have to take if you want to be an Olympic figure skater. The first type is the standard "Moves in the Field" tests. You will also need to complete one of the following tests, based on your skating discipline: free skate, pairs or dance. Work your way up the test ladder, until you have passed both the senior moves test and either the senior free skate test (men's and women's singles), senior pairs test (pairs), or the gold dance test and the senior free dance test (ice dancing).
7. Compete in both qualifying and non-qualifying events at the senior level. Place in the top four at Regionals for your region. Then place in the top four at Sectionals for your section.
8. Win Nationals (the U.S. Figure Skating Championship), because the national winners in each discipline during an Olympic year earn an automatic spot on the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team. However, if you don't win Nationals, there is still a chance. U.S. Figure Skating's International Committee will select athletes to round out the rest of the team. Their decision is based primarily on the results of recent major events in the figure skating world.

Tips & Warnings

• Although we often look at skaters and see only grace, it's important to remember that figure skating IS a sport–especially at the Olympic level. Therefore, you must train athletically, just as you would for any other sport. Your coach will be able to help you with strength, endurance and flexibility exercises, as well as nutrition and rest recommendations, that will specifically help you in figure skating.