My daughter got into the top 100 in the US - aged 11 - but she became too big - freeskate single was her thing....the dance pairs tend to lift on the inner thighs and not with direct contact. Still though..... She's replaced it with two other sports, volleyball, archery and she has taken up Taekwondo too. Iceskating and archery are actually complementary - the stroking (up and down the ice to music) strengthens the thighs and provides a heck of a base for the archery - essentially a lock-down when she takes the stance up, the eye to hand coordination with the bow then taking over.