Competitive skaters have made the decision to put many, many hours into practice on and off the ice, commit to several private lessons each week, and do give up a lot to achieve the skating goals they desire.

If that is the route you choose, plan on being at the rink for two to three hours a day at a minimum. It is not necessary to have a private lesson on every figure session your child skates on, but normally, competitors have at least three to four lessons a week on these sessions. It is not unusual for competitive skaters to have at least one private lesson a day.

If you do not feel you can commit to being a serious competitive skater, it may be easier to commit to the lifestyle of a “serious recreational skater.” Together we can still master many wonderful skating skills, have opportunities to take part in figure skating competitions, perform in shows/galas, and do skating tests. A serious recreational skater can skate two to four days a week, take one or two private lessons a week.

If you decide to keep skating fun and recreational, you will probably not progress as fast as a competitive skater, but will make steady progress and have a lot of fun.

What if you just want to skate for fun, but also master certain skills? There is nothing wrong with continuing in group lessons or supplementing group lessons with private lessons on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.