Our Programs

Skills, Tests, Achievement, Recognition - this is what STARSkate is all about!

Preliminary STARskate

In Prelim StarSKATE, skaters have ice available three days a week, including group stroking lessons. During this time they will be able to receive private, semi-private, or group lessons from one of the club coaches. Typically a skater at this level would receive a minimum of three lessons a week, one in each discipline (skills, dance and free skate). These lessons are arranged between the parent/guardian and the coach. Payment for these lessons is the responsibility of the parent/guardian and is to be paid within 14 days of billing for the skater to remain in good standing.

Intermediate and Senior StarSKATE

StarSKATE offers opportunities for skaters of all ages to develop fundamental figure skating skills in the areas of ice dance, skating skills, free skate and interpretive skating. Unique in Canada, this program teaches figure skating skills in a group and/or private lesson format in a progressive and sequential manner and includes specifically designed awards and incentives. Skaters have the opportunity to take Skate Canada Tests through a nationally standardized testing system. Skaters who have mastered figure skating skills in StarSKATE may also choose to pursue synchronized skating or pairs skating.

The StarSKATE Program is for the club's more advanced skaters with ice available three days a week including group stroking lessons.

This criteria can change as skaters attain higher levels and numbers dictate. Coaches also have the authority to move skaters as needed to fit into their coaching schedule. Most of the skaters in the Preliminary and StarSKATE program have, or will be, competing in the various competitions in our Region.

The StarSKATE program consists of figure skating skills in four areas - Skating Skills, Ice Dance, Free Skate and Interpretive. Each area is divided into the following levels:

STAR 1-5 assessments are coach-assessed and include skills, free skate (also freeskate, free skating) and dance. Senior Bronze to Gold (STAR 6-10) tests are evaluated by Skate Canada trained evaluators.

Skating Skills

Skating Skills are a combination of fundamental skating movements, executed on a pattern and skated solo. The basic components of all disciplines of figure skating are incorporated into the program. The movements are derived from former compulsory figures, free skating and ice dancing. The objective of the Skating Skills program is mastery of the basic fundamentals of skating - edge quality, control, power and speed.

Ice Dance

Consisting of seven levels of tests, the Dance Test program teaches timing, musicality, rhythm interpretation, structure as well as basic skating skills such as edges, flow, control and unison.

The dances in the STARSkate Program can be tried in any order but a candidate must pass the required number of dances in a dance test before proceeding to the next level. In addition to the traditional compulsory dances, there are also Creative Dances to challenge skaters creativity, artistry and originality.

Free Skate

Free skating consists of the execution of jumps, spins, footwork, field movements and stroking, either in isolation or performed in sequence to music.

Interpretive

The objective of the Interpretive program is to encourage and develop skaters creativity, expression, musicality, movement, interpretation of music, as well as the use of space, rhythm, line and style. The program provides skaters with the opportunity to explore the performance aspect of skating without focusing on technical elements.

The Interpretive tests consist of skating to and interpreting a piece of music 2.0 to 3.0 minutes (+/- 10 seconds) in length. Skaters can take Interpretive tests as individuals and/or as a couple (male/female, female/female or male/male) at four levels.