She wants to compete freestyle as soon as possible. I will have to tell her this. She just learned a new jump (half flip? ) and a new spin (sit spin) and is busy at practice with these, as well as working on edges, crossovers, and stroking.
(I ask her if she had fun practicing, and this is what she tells me! I have NO idea what it means. Reminds me of when I had no idea what a Kip was - all those years ago!)
My recommendation (though ultimately this is something that will need to be discussed further with her coach...and different coaches have differing opinions on how to develop skaters and plan for the competition season) is that she go directly to either a "test track Pre-Prelim" or a "high beginner" (they call them different things in different regions/areas) solo for competition rather than competing in a basic skills competition at the freestyle level.
My reasoning for this suggestion is that a test track pre-prelim or high beginner solo will be able to grow with her over the competition season and given her background I do believe she will progress quickly. If she does--say--a Freestyle 2 solo that solo will then need to be adjusted quite a bit (because the skills for each level are very limited and distinct) in order for her to compete at a higher Freestyle level.
A test track pre-prelim/high beginner solo requires two spins (typically a 1-foot spin and a sit spin) and 5 jump elements (only half flips and half lutzes...single rotation loops, toe-loops, salchows, and waltz jumps). So when a kid moves up to "no test" or "limited pre-preliminary" the only changes that need to be made are the half flip and lutz turn into a full flip and lutz...and the 1-foot spin typically changes into a camel spin...and when a kid is ready for pre-preliminary then an axel goes in the place where the waltz jump used to be...but no major changes in choreography are usually required.
But again--that's something that will need to be discussed with her coach.
Haha--yes--skating is its own little culture and has it's own little language just like gymnastics does! One of the major differences between skating and gymnastics is that I feel the parents and (when they're older) kiddos themselves need to be much more proactive...training pathways/options/opportunities in skating are much less well defined than they are in gymnastics. Gymnasts train as a team so the coaches tell the kiddos when they are ready to move to a higher level, how many hours they need to train, when they need to train, what kind of strength training they need to do and how many reps, which drills they need to do, which competitions to go to, which level to compete at, which leo to wear, etc. It seems to me it's all quite clearly defined and wholistic (in that the gym and the coach provide the gymnast with everything they need in order to excel).
Skating is much less well defined in part because it's an individual sport...you typically get a handful of 20-30 min private lessons (how lessons are needed for each level isn't typically well-defined...though your coach should guide you) each week and then you're pretty much on your own for practice (and how much a skater should be practicing on her own and what they should be doing during those practices isn't always clearly laid out). If you're lucky you have a coach who will lay out a training plan outlining how many of each jump, spin, and full program run throughs or segmented program run throughs to do on each practice session...and perhaps access to group off-ice (stretch, plyometrics, strength, ballet) training and on-ice (edge, performance, specialized group classes) training...but sometimes the things a skater needs to do to excel either aren't offered within the rink/by the skating club, or the skater isn't aware of those opportunities so a skater needs to be pro-active in talking with her coach and seeking them out if she is interested in doing more. Off-ice training is *very* important esp. for injury prevention but some coaches will overlook it.
And of course equipment--as she moves up you will need to be proactive about making sure she has the right skates and good quality sharpening...and it will be up to you guys to find the right competition dress for her solo, warm up jacket, etc. You can ask your coach for advice about this sort of thing but some coaches may assume that you know what you need.
You can be a lot more autonomous in figure skating...but that also means a lot more responsibility!
Your kiddo has a leg up since she is stretched and strong and she may be able to maintain those things on her own if group off-ice classes aren't offered! (and I would encourage her to try and maintain her stretch and strength as much as possible...the level she's at currently doesn't require much of either but as she progresses she will absolutely need to be stretched and strong and maintaining what she already has from gymnastics will be so much easier than restarting!)
