StarSkate
Skills, Tests, Achievement, Recognition – this is what STARSkate is all about!
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 who have mastered figure skating skills in STARSkate may also choose to pursue synchronized skating and pairs skating.
STARSkate has been the mainstay of figure skating in Canada for more than four decades.
When you register for a STARSkate program, you also become a member of Skate Canada and will have access to:
- Opportunities to be recognized through a nationally standardized testing system for achieving specific figure skating skills
- Complimentary Gold Test pins
- Invitational and interclub competitions, including the STARSkate championship stream
- Specifically designed awards and incentives
- STARSkate Skater of the Year awards program
- Progress updates and report cards
- Special STARSkate events and club functions
- Opportunity to be talent-scouted
- Opportunity for personal growth and the development of important life skills such as goal-setting, self-discipline, confidence, time management, healthy lifestyle and coping strategies to deal with success and failure.
What is Group STARSkate?
Group STARSkate is a beginner figure skating program taught in a group format. These sessions teach the skills for achievement of the STAR 1-4 levels of the STARSkate program. Group lesson coaching is provided and included in the cost, but skaters also have the option to book a private lesson at additional cost, with one of the available professional coaches during the Group STAR 1-4 time-slot. The skater will be pulled from the group led instruction for the 15 minute private lesson. Click HERE to review coach credentials, contact information and rates.
Pre-requisite: Skaters must have completed CanSkate Stage 4 and be a minimum 5 years old.
What is Private Lesson STARSkate?
Private Lesson STARSkate offers skaters the chance to receive private, one-on-one lessons from a coach, as well as more individual practice time for skaters working on the STAR 3+ levels of the STARSkate program. Coaching is not provided by the club during Private Lesson STARSkate sessions. It is up to the registrant to hire a Lethbridge Skating Club Professional Coach to provide lessons during these sessions. Click HERE to review coach credentials, contact information and rates.
Pre-requisites: Skaters must have completed all STAR 2 assessments and be a minimum 5 years old. Skaters should also be able to demonstrate maturity and strong ice awareness on these sessions.
Parents are encouraged to follow the below diagram when signing up for lessons to ensure their skaters are receiving adequate instruction for their development, whether through group lessons or private lessons.
Once a skater is in the Skate Canada STARSkate Program, there are several options. Skaters may choose to take standardized tests, enter competitions, or progress to the CompetitiveSkate Program. Often, a beginning in STARSkate can also lead to skaters getting involved in Synchronized Skating, evaluating skating tests, judging at competitions, becoming a coach, or participating as an adult skater for life-long enjoyment.
The STARSkate program consists of figure skating skills in four disciplines – Skating Skills, Ice Dance, Free Skate and Artistic. There are 12 levels of STARSkate, and each discipline has its own unique set of skills and requirements at each level.
Skating Skills are a combination of fundamental skating movements, edges, turns, and stroking exercises. The objective of this discipline is to master edge quality, control, power and speed. The basic components of all disciplines of figure skating are incorporated into this discipline, and that is why we include stroking lessons in many of our STARSkate classes.
Ice Dance consists of steps, patterns and routines that express different styles of dance and music. This discipline teaches timing, musicality, rhythm, interpretation, and emphasizes accurate steps, proper carriage, and character. There are 29 traditional dances to learn in this discipline, as well as several Creative Dances for skaters to try out.
FreeSkate consists of the execution of jumps, spins, footwork, field movements and stroking, either in isolation or performed in sequence to music. We strongly encourage all skaters to participate in off-ice skating lessons in order to strengthen the muscles they need to perform the skills in the FreeSkate discipline. At our club, we offer a variety of off-ice classes, jump harness work, and new this year, an electronic spin trainer!
Artistic exists to encourage and develop a skater’s creativity, expression, and movement. In this discipline, skaters train their use of space, rhythm, line and style while creating programs to music. There is less emphasis on technical elements and more focus on performance.
Competitions for STARSkate Athletes
STARSkate participants love to compete! Feedback indicates that even though a skater may choose not to participate in the Skate Canada CompetitiveSkate Program, they still want the opportunity to test their skill in a competition situation. Skate Canada offers several opportunities to do this.
Club Competitions
Clubs offer competitions for their own members to compete against each other. The club determines the categories offered, and they generally follow Skate Canada STARSkate guidelines (e.g. length of program, category name, type of event offered, etc).
STARSkate Interclub Competitions
These are events involving a number of clubs in the same region or area. The categories offered at these competitions are standardized by Skate Canada and usually include something for everyone. The STARSkate Championship program provides opportunities for skaters who want to remain in the STARSkate program but also want to have the challenge of competing up to a Sectional level in a credible, nationally standardized event.
Invitational Competitions
These are events coordinated by a Section or Club and offered, generally, to both STARSkaters and competitive skaters.
