l started figure skating about 3 months ago with group lessons (I am 14) and l wanna learn faster than l am now.l am learning forward and backwards crossovers and one and two foot spins.My goal is to be able to be on a high school team, and be competitive, but not Olympics competitive because l know that is very unrealistic for starting at my age.
Anyways, does anyone know of any good private coaches in the St. Paul or Minneapolis, Minnesota area?I am looking for any specific names and experiences.Thanks!!

l am sorry l do not but l think you should definitely get a private coach to achieve your goal because your group lessons have been moving very slowly from what l see you are working on. Good luck and l hope you find someone good!!

Yeah you do definently need a private coach. if l were you l would ask the place you take lessons at if there is any coaches that they know of. they should be able to give you some names.

l swear there is a famous ice skating training center in Minnesota - you're definitely in the right part of the world to get a good coach. l tried to google it but could not find it, though. Hopefully someone will come along who knows.

In the meantime, the best resource is ur rink! Talk to coaches who r teaching classes, or talk to one that you've observed & that u think has a teaching style that meshes with ur learning style. The skating school director can often help u find a coach, too.

While you're in group classes, pay attention to making those crossovers & basics as strong & clean as u can. You r not wasting time learning the basics. Good extension, knee bend, control r essential. Heck, when u find a coach they r going to rag u like crazy on them so u might as well get them as good as u can right now! A coach does not necessarily mean u start learning all the jumps & tricks.

Ask around about the coaches at the rink u r currently skating at. Get some recommendations from girls who r already taking private lessons. You can also ask the figure skating coordinator who they would recommend for you. You can also sit & watch a freestyle session there & see which coaches look good to you. You can get an idea about their coaching style from watching. If u see some u like u can always take a 15 or 30 min lesson with them & decide if u like them for you. Hope it helps!

l agree with u that getting a private coach once or twice a week would not be a bad idea. Sadly l can not reccomend anyone. l am a Minnesotan native myself, but l have not been in my native state in over 13 years. There is some big rinks in Minneapolis (like the rink where the past US nats were held).

While l am personally of the camp of pushing skaters to learn higher difficulty steps, on the other hand having good crossovers is a big thing when it comes to a competition. Having powerful back crossovers that can go real fast without falling ever boosts the time u waste getting to a new figure & lets u pump more stuff into ur program. Plus, u need perfect crossovers backwards for spinning until u get to the level of being able to pull spins from standing fully still (even l have trouble getting more than 2 revs on a camel done this way in fact).

American coaches love & worship power circles. l saw that exercise being taught to sheer abuse in Los Angeles. It is good to learn them to improve ur crossovers (plus it is an exam requirement in one of the lower levels in the US), but if a skater already does them good, they should be learning chocktaws & brackets. No wonder l was not too impressed with LA skaters (save for a very few really good asian girls that already had great flying camels).