FAQ

What about Skates?

SKATES:

Good equipment is important for comfort and safety, as well as ensuring effective progress. For that reason, Connaught SC does not provide rental skates. All skaters must have their own skates, preferably fitted by a skate shop or by a qualified skate dealer. A good fit in a pair of quality used boots is better than a pair of low-quality new boots for skaters starting basic figure skating skills. Leather boots with firm support around the ankle and properly sharpened blades are essential. Molded boots are often too stiff and inflexible.

The boots should be fitted with one pair of socks/tights and there needs to be room to move the toes, but the foot should not slide. Skates need to be laced fairly loosely over the toe and the front of the foot, but snuggly over the ankles. Laces should be tucked in and not wrapped around the top of the skate. The heel must fit firmly and should not be able to move up and down. The child stands up, bends their knees slightly and walks in the skate without the ankles dropping to either side. The skate should feel comfortable. Avoid buying a larger size for skater to “grow into”.

BLADES:

The blades should be sharpened when new and approximately after every 20-30 hours of skating. Ask your coach where to get sharpening done. It is very difficult to learn to skate on dull blades. The blades need to be clean and free of any rust, nicks and ridges. Hard plastic skate guards protect the skate blade from dulling and should be worn while walking on all surfaces. It is not recommended to walk outside due to the possibility of gravel getting into the guards and damaging the blade. Blades and sole plates should be cleaned and dried thoroughly after each session and stored covered with cloth blade covers to prevent rusting.Air out boots after use and remove skate guards for storage. Leaving skate guards on may allow blades to rust. The bottom pick should not be removed – the pick is part of the design of figure skates and is essential to proper balance.

What is proper figure skating attire?

The more experienced skater should wear a skating dress or skirt with warm tights, bodysuit or warm-up pants. The male skaters should wear straight-legged stretch pants and sweater. This enables the coach to see proper body positions. Gloves should be worn for practices and warm ups. Long hair needs to be tied back.

How is CanSkate different from the local rec program?

Canskate is the only Nationally Recognized Learn to Skate Program for beginners of all ages. It was developed by experts to teach the fundamentals of skating in a progressive and sequential manner.Our highly trained Skate Canada NCCP Certified professional coaches will make sure that your child has all the tools needed to learn the basics needed for all types of ice sports.

Group lessons include:

· 45 minutes of professional coaching, with a maximum of 10 skaters to 1 coach.

· Badges and certificates are awarded upon achievement of various levels within the program.

· Special event days, themed days, on-ice parties, music and fun throughout the sessions.

When you/your child registers for a CanSkate program at Connaught Skating Club, you also become a member of Skate Canada, the national sport governing body for figure skating in Canada.

How does my child register in the figure skating program?

The first thing to do is learn to skate - the CanSkate program prepares skaters for all types of ice sports. If your child shows an interest in continuing in figure skating, talk to a club coach. Every child must be assessed before entering the figure skating stream of our club. If you are already a member of our club the best way to stay informed of your child’s readiness is to speak to your coach. If you are interested in joining our club from another club or program please email skate@connaughtsc.com for assessment dates and availability.

What should I have in my skate bag?

Skates
Skate Guards Save your skates and your sharpening. Skate guards are inexpensive and should be worn when skaters are walking in their skates off the ice. Be sure to label your guards with your skater's name.
Soft Rag Keep a rag handy to dry blades and skates after use. Do not put wet guards back on after drying!
Fabric Blade Covers (Optional but recommended) Skaters with figure skates should consider using fabric blade covers to put on their blades after they have been dried off with a rag. The fabric will absorb any additional moisture that wasn't caught by the rag and will protect the blades in the skate bag. These covers can be made or purchased at a skate shop (all colours and patterns are available now including ones with animal heads and legs!) or you can make your own.
Screw Driver (for those with separate blades that are screwed to the boot). Always handy to have in case a screw becomes loose.
Helmet All children are required to wear a CSA approved hockey helmet at CanSkate sessions. Parents should also consider helmets with face guards for young beginner skaters. More proficient skaters may be exempted at the coach’s discretion.
Hair Elastics and Clips There is nothing more frustrating than trying to skate with your hair flipping into your face. Keep extras in your bag just in case.
Gloves or Mittens
Clothing Beginner CanSkaters should ensure that they are dressed warmly. Snowsuits or snow pants are appropriate for first time skaters only. Once skaters can move about, clothing that permits more movement is in order. Nothing fancy is required. Just ensure that the clothing is not too loose and provides some warmth.

Skates
Skate Guards Save your skates and your sharpening. Skate guards are inexpensive and should be worn when skaters are walking in their skates off the ice. Be sure to label your guards with your skater's name.
Soft Rag Keep a rag handy to dry blades and skates after use. Do not put wet guards back on after drying!
Fabric Blade Covers (Optional but recommended) Skaters with figure skates should consider using fabric blade covers to put on their blades after they have been dried off with a rag. The fabric will absorb any additional moisture that wasn't caught by the rag and will protect the blades in the skate bag. These covers can be made or purchased at a skate shop (all colours and patterns are available now including ones with animal heads and legs!) or you can make your own.
Screw Driver (for those with separate blades that are screwed to the boot). Always handy to have in case a screw becomes loose.
Helmet All children are required to wear a CSA approved hockey helmet at CanSkate sessions. Parents should also consider helmets with face guards for young beginner skaters. More proficient skaters may be exempted at the coach’s discretion.
Hair Elastics and Clips There is nothing more frustrating than trying to skate with your hair flipping into your face. Keep extras in your bag just in case.
Gloves or Mittens
Clothing Beginner CanSkaters should ensure that they are dressed warmly. Snowsuits or snow pants are appropriate for first time skaters only. Once skaters can move about, clothing that permits more movement is in order. Nothing fancy is required. Just ensure that the clothing is not too loose and provides some warmth.

What should I have in my skate bag?

Why is there a Skate Canada Membership fee?

The Skate Canada fee is payable once per skating year (Sept 1-Aug 31) per skater, and is not pro-rated at any time. This fee is set by the National level of Skate Canada. Skate Canada returns 50 percent of the membership fee to the Sections, thus eliminating the need for Sections to collect the Section Development Contribution. The centralized collection of all the fees will increase efficiency and reduce duplication allowing Sections to focus on other value added activities for Section programming development.

Skate Canada has increased its programming to provide more benefits to members. These benefits include: CanSkate development and training, improvements to the CanPowerSkate program, the introduction of the STARSkate Program, the addition of a development team at the elite level, revised and updated coach training materials for all levels and the development and implementation of the Cumulative Point Calculation (CPC) judging system. Several new events have been added: Junior Nationals, STARSkate National Championships and Festival Synchro. Additional initiatives include a national CanSkate advertising program and providing membership cards to the clubs for distribution to all Skate Canada members.

The fee is necessary at the national level to allow Skate Canada to sustain existing programming and to move forward with initiatives such as a national advertising campaign to promote CanSkate and rolling out CPC to all levels of competition, while maintaining a balanced budget.

Skate Canada would remind members that their benefits of membership include:

An accident insurance benefit at a substantially lower cost to the members than that available in other sports .
Access to high quality programs that are recognized and often sought after internationally and by other national sport organizations.
Access to qualified, NCCP certified Skate Canada professional coaches who have been trained through high quality training programs developed by Skate Canada.
National registry of figure skating qualifications (tests) and results (for qualifying events) held in a central computerized system for easy access.
Test certificates and Award of Merits for tests passed.
Web site
Online store with special pricing for members on materials and Skate Canada merchandise.
Members only access to information including event announcements, rule book, information on athlete development, talent ID and off-ice training.
Toll free telephone and fax access to member services and national office.
Have the opportunity to participate in inter-club and invitational competitions.
Elite athlete and skater development funding and programs.
Opportunities for skaters to compete for positions on the national teams.
Voting privileges and opportunity to participate in the decision-making and direction of the Association.
The opportunity to purchase selected Skate Canada event tickets prior to the general public.
Benefit from participation in a sport that promotes fun, fitness, achievement and the development of essential life skills such as confidence, time and stress management, teamwork and motivation/commitment

We are a sport organization that strives to provide opportunities for all our members. There is competition on many fronts for the sports and entertainment dollar and Skate Canada must be able to move forward to market the benefits of being a member of this organization and to provide the best programs possible for our members, so that figure skating remains as part of the cultural fabric of this country.

Why is there a Skate Canada Membership fee?

Skate Canada would remind members that their benefits of membership include:

An accident insurance benefit at a substantially lower cost to the members than that available in other sports .
Access to high quality programs that are recognized and often sought after internationally and by other national sport organizations.
Access to qualified, NCCP certified Skate Canada professional coaches who have been trained through high quality training programs developed by Skate Canada.
National registry of figure skating qualifications (tests) and results (for qualifying events) held in a central computerized system for easy access.
Test certificates and Award of Merits for tests passed.
Web site
Online store with special pricing for members on materials and Skate Canada merchandise.
Members only access to information including event announcements, rule book, information on athlete development, talent ID and off-ice training.
Toll free telephone and fax access to member services and national office.
Have the opportunity to participate in inter-club and invitational competitions.
Elite athlete and skater development funding and programs.
Opportunities for skaters to compete for positions on the national teams.
Voting privileges and opportunity to participate in the decision-making and direction of the Association.
The opportunity to purchase selected Skate Canada event tickets prior to the general public.
Benefit from participation in a sport that promotes fun, fitness, achievement and the development of essential life skills such as confidence, time and stress management, teamwork and motivation/commitment

How does Connaught Skating Club "fit" into Skate Canada?

All Canadian figure skaters belong to a club or school, skating clubs and schools belong to a Region, Regions belong to a Section and Sections belong to Skate Canada.

The BC/YT Section of Skate Canada is comprised of 5 regions, one of which is the BC Coast Region. Connaught Skating Club is part of the BC Coast Region. Their website is http://www.skatebccoast.com/ Each region has its own Regional Council, with an executive. Regular meetings are held to discuss such matters as regional test days, skater development programs, and to act as a forum for an exchange of ideas.

The staff of the BC/YT Section handle numerous tasks throughout the year that act as a catalyst for the Provincial programs, seminars and schools that take place around the province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. With a great number of combined years of skating experience, the group help bring together the many bodies and factions that make up skating in BC. The BC/YT Section Office is located at:

Suite #2-6501 Sprott St.
Burnaby, BC V5B 3B8 604-205-6960
http://www.skatinginbc.com

Skate Canada directs the activities of all the Sections in Canada. A detailed description of their role can be found at http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/about_skate_canada/who_we_are/ . Perhaps the most striking feature of Skate Canada's organizational structure is its reliance on volunteers. All members of the Board, the Sections and Committees receive no payment for their contribution to Skate Canada. Similarly, the judges, referees and other officials are all volunteers and as such, receive no remuneration for their hard work and dedication.

Each year an Annual Convention and General Meeting (ACGM) is held. Many of the major decisions governing the activities of the Association are made at the ACGM. Each Skate Canada member club is entitled to send an official delegate to this meeting where proposed rule amendments are voted on by the Delegates and the Board of Directors. Clubs unable to send a delegate can still vote on issues by sending in written instructions called proxies.

The Skate Canada website is http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/ .You can use your Skate Canada number to log onto the Members Only section of the Skate Canada website. If you don't know your number, email info@connaughtsc.ca .