Planned Program Content


Planned Program Content

Originally published Nov/Dec 2018 PS Magazine

                                       

I received this request from a very distinguished accountant:


Next time you're looking for an editorial topic for PSA magazine, how about asking coaches why they aren't teaching their skaters to file PPCs for the competitions they do, and not following up to see if it's been done? We've been using IJS since 2005; 13 years later, folks should know how the system works by now.

I can't tell you how frustrating it is for Accountants to try to get skaters to submit their PPCs on EntryEeze or EMS. We spend hours reminding them to file, then entering PPCs and reprinting paperwork that was completed up to a week earlier so the Tech Panel and judges can have the information in front of them. And it's frustrating for the Tech Panel (and doesn't put the LOC in a good light) when the Assistant Technical Specialist is continually saying "there is no planned program" rather than calling off the next element.

I don't blame the kids. It's the coaches who should understand the importance of PPCs and make sure that their students submit them. Why aren't they doing so? Do they not know the disadvantage it places their students at when the Tech Panel is calling blind? Are they inattentive to detail? Isn't this part of what the parents are paying for?

Just my $0.02 on the topic, but I hear it week after week from the Tech Panels at competition after competition.

 


Why aren’t we doing this? Really, it just comes down to paying attention to detail. For U.S. Figure Skating’s EMS system, the skater logs in to the Members Only site. Click on EMS; click on Competition Profile; click on Manage Non-qualifying Competition Program Content. Find your competition and click Add New Form. This really isn’t difficult and takes very little time.



Giving the technical panel and judges an idea of what is coming is important, especially when elements are choreographed seconds apart. Don’t leave any opportunity for a mistake to happen.

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