Dealing With Growth
“OMG YOU’RE SO TALL!!!”
“WOAH DID YOU GROW AGAIN?!”
“DUDE STOP GROWING!”
“I’M 6’2, YOU MUST BE 6’3?!”
Yes. I’m tall. I’m an above average sized human.
I’m taller now than I was at earlier stage in my life. Thank you for informing me.
But no, I’m not 6’3, and no, you’re not 6’2, because I’m 6’1”
Joking aside, of all people, I know EXACTLY what it’s like to go through growth spurts. I went from being one of the shortest skaters in my event. To one of the tallest skaters in ALL events! That’s including pairs and ice dance! Although sometimes it may be discouraging, it is 100% manageable if you have the right attitude towards it. I know it sounds super cliché, but it’s true.
Looking back at it, I was a pretty talented little dude who could pick up things relatively quickly. By the time I was 13, I was doing all my triples including triple/triple combinations. I say ‘relatively’ because if we look around the world today, there are some 13-year old’s out there doing some crazy stuff. But nonetheless, I had good sessions, I had bad sessions, but progression was steady.
I heard of skaters struggling through growth spurts. But I always assumed that it wouldn’t affect me. Well…it did.
Now it’s not like it happens overnight. I didn’t suddenly wake up one day a realize, “woah, I’m taller today, my jumps feel off.” When you’re clocking 20+ hours of training a week, the change is very slow from a day-to-day perspective. In my case I noticed it in my overall consistency over the course of a few years. I’d say from 14-17 was the biggest adjustment period and by the time I was 18, my height stabilized. Suddenly, jumps that would seem so easy when I was 13, would feel more challenging. I think that’s probably the biggest mental hurdle to jump over when dealing with growth spurts. “I was better before than now.” “I’m not improving.” I don’t have a simple answer to getting over that. Some people find it more devastating that others and react a little differently in these situations. For me, I always knew where I wanted to be, so I just kept going. Now of course there were times where it absolutely SUCKED. But I wasn’t doing alone. My coaching team with Tracey Wainman and Gregor Filipowski helped guide me in the right direction. I think it’s absolutely vital to have good support system to help you get through those tougher times.
Surprisingly, my choreography and overall skating also took a hit from my newly gained height. Extensions, lines, and general body awareness were out of whack. Sometimes I’d watch myself skate on camera, and it looked like I was trying to skate the same way I did with a smaller body. My posture looked sloppy, knees were bent, extensions were missing. But the funny thing was I didn’t feel any of that while I was skating. I felt that my body was in perfect positioning. But once the camera came out, I could only cringe at the sight of my skating. The contrast between how I felt vs. what I looked like in reality was unreal. However, my team at home was constantly on top of it so it was impossible for me to ignore. That, along with extra work with a ballet instructor, really helped me get settled in my new body.
Being in the men’s event. The obsession slowly turned towards TRIPLE AXELS!!! QUADS!! QUADS!! QUADS!!! Personally, I find learning new jumps to be quite a big project. And I mentioned that I was already struggling with consistency on jumps that I learned prior. Adding to that, my foot size was also changing which meant I was growing out of boots constantly! All of this compounded and made the learning process of new skills a little more difficult than it already was. I landed my first triple axel when I was 15 years old. But then lost it the week after. Then I landed a couple more times the following weeks. and then I lost it for an entire year. I changed my focus to quad salchow. I landed my first one when I was 16 but getting it consistent in a program took some work. Eventually the axel came back to me when I was about 16.5 years old. Those 2 jumps were MAJOR milestones in my career. Considering where the sport is going these days, it’s really tough to be competitive without them. Not impossible, but tough. I don’t have any crazy wisdom about how to learn jumps faster, unfortunately time is a major factor. I just did my best to work at it and stay patient, and slowly I was progressing.
Possibly the most frightening part about growth is injury. Every athlete’s worst nightmare, yet we’re so familiar with it that we’re almost desensitized to it. Going through a growth spurt makes you more prone for injury. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Pain is a warning sign from your body. Listen to it. I’ve had all kinds of injuries. Achilles’ tendonitis, hip flexor strains, sprained ankles, back pain, knee pain, neck pain, a torn labrum, etc. etc. All of which were warning signs and telling me what I should be doing. Whether that be increasing body strength, getting rid of muscle imbalances, working on flexibility, going for more massages, doing proper warmups, changing technique, or changing training habits. The list can go on forever but again, it’s very individual specific. Over the years with the help of my coaches, friends, and Skate Canada, I got connected to many professionals that would help look after my body. I have a team of doctors, physio therapists, massage therapists, as well as Pilates and strength instructors that help guide me and ensure that my body is ready for what I want to do with it on the ice. It’s especially important when you’re growing, but it will remain important for the rest of your career.
At the end of the day, every skater has to deal with growth spurts one way or another. I ended being one the tallest in my field. At my most recent competition (World Team Trophy) people noticed I was the tallest person on gala practice from all events! It has its pros and cons. Unfortunately, from a jumping perspective, it leaves me really little room for error, especially on the more difficult jumps. It’s a nice challenge, I guess. However, from a performance perspective, I do believe there is an elegant look to really long lines. Nonetheless, I won’t hide from a challenge. I’ll continue to try and push the envelope when it comes to both my technical and artistic abilities!
-Roman Sadovsky
