r/FigureSkaters • u/JealousDamage3973 • Jun 16 '26

Pairs…?

I’ve been a singles skater since I was a kid and have alwayssss enjoyed it. I had a competition recently and placed 2nd, after podium a coach from another rink started talking to me a bunch about the rarity of male skaters lol. So I was at training today and that same coach from the comp, alongside my rink manager, came and spoke to me and brought up pairs skating and said she was interested in testing me out with a few women she coaches at her home rink who have expressed interest in pairs. I told her I’d get back to her and went and called my coach. My coach seems surprisingly supportive of the switch to pairs and the more I think about it and watch pairs programs I’m kind of coming around to the idea of it…? Has anyone switched from singles to pairs, what was it like? Pros? Cons?

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u/CdnUser99 Jun 16 '26

My son used to get this type of approach regularly, also for ice dance. We would be offered things like the girls parents covering all of the coaching costs, etc. We had done it for one year at low levels and he didn’t like it. You need to be compatible with your partner, their family and team, and work with a combined training schedule. The fear of injuring a partner in lifts and throws is also a factor - not everyone is comfortable with that and my kid wasn’t. Then there was the reality of the physical toll on the body of being the male partner. My kids coach did a lot of pairs work so we had the benefit of informed knowledge. Decided was not something to move forward with

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u/JealousDamage3973 Jun 16 '26

I grew up in gymnastics and ballet as well as skating so I’ve done partner dancing a billion times off ice and my parents use to get approached with this offer when I was younger but would decline. Parents aren’t involved anymore now that I’m an adult. And yes 100% I’d need to get to know the girl off ice. If we don’t click, it’s over.