1. Extra hair ties and bobby pins
Who knows when that hair tie currently holding your bun in place might snap? Or if those bobby pins might fall out? Always have these little extras on hand so you'll have one less thing to stress out about.
2. Back up dress
My mother always used to tell me to pack this one in case of an emergency of any kind. If you are enjoying a cup of hot tea in the cafe when an excited Juvenile girl knocks by you to see the newly posted results and you spill your tea all down the front of your dress you have a back up! If you suddenly lose mass quantities of rhinestones, you have a backup. If a hole tears in the mesh or you put an enormous gouge in the lycra, don't worry because you have a backup! Again, one less thing you might have to stress about.
3. Back up tights
The same thing goes for tights as does the dress. If you spill something or make a last minute hole you won't have to worry about going out on the ice looking sloppy. Having an extra pair of tights on hand is an absolute MUST! If you really don't want to bring an extra pair of tights at least pack a bottle of clear nail polish. If you apply the polish to a hole it will stop it from running.
4. Copy of your music for your coach
If your music skips or doesn't play your coach should have a backup or even your practice copy right on hand so the problem can quickly be solved.
5. Extra Laces
Break a lace last minute? Replace it quickly before you get on the ice. Please! No Tonya Harding drama here!
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| Watch the video if you haven't seen it already. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI7qBAfWYP4 |
6. Skate repair kit
Your repair kit should consist of a screw-driver, your extra laces, and perhaps small bottle of polish for touch ups. This way, if anything goes wrong you can deal with it quickly and calmly. If your blade is squeaking or clicking you can give each screw a quick tighten. If your coach makes a face at your dirty skates you can dab on some quick-drying polish to the spots she hates most. I don't recommend polishing your skates in the 11th hour however, nor have I seen many skaters do it. Nevertheless, it's probably a good idea to keep some polish around, just in case.
7. Tampons (if you're a girl!)
Imagine your worst nightmare. Mine was getting my "monthly friend" right before I got on the ice for a performance. Oh wait...that wasn't a nightmare, that actually happened. I was warming up for a show and bam! Mother Nature strikes again! I didn't have any tampons or pads on me and I was completely unprepared. The whole thing could have easily been avoided had I just put some tampons in my dress bag.
8. Water bottle
I have a tendency to get very nervous before I skate in a competition which usually leads me to stop salivating all together. A 4 minute program is pretty hard to get through when your mouth is screaming for water. Take a drink during your warm-up and right before they announce your name. It will make your life a lot easier and your mouth a lot happier.
9. Print out of the schedule/groups
When you are walking around before hand, it's nice to be able to glance down at your own schedule and figure out where they are. This way, you can determine how much time you have and if they are running early or late. Some, not all, competitions will provide you with a schedule once you arrive but incase they don't, print out your own.
10. Headphones
Listening to music, especially rap, really puts me in the zone for competitions. It cancels out the background noise, the other skaters talking about their clean run-through or their triple triple combinations and lets you focus on yourself. I use actual headphones Michael Phelps style, not just the earbuds, because I found they stay on my head while I jump around and warm up. They also cancel out all noise around me so I can stay focused on the job I came to do.
I hope that helped and that next time you compete you consider packing some of those items!
Best of Luck!!
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