Prince George
Figure Skating Club
Location:
Kin Centre Arenas
2187 Ospika Blvd.
Prince George, BC
Tel: 250.563.4768
Fax: 250.564.8318
CONTACT US
Junior Academy
www.coastregistry.com/clubs/princegeorge
OFFICE HOURS:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| 3:30 - 5:00 pm | 3:30 - 5:00 pm |
Please contact the club through voicemail or email.
The Prince George Figure Skating Club is excited to include the Junior Academy program. It is a bridging program to ease the transition between CanSkate and Skate Canada's Star Skate program.
A Junior Academy handbook is available to all skaters enrolled in the Academy program. It can be obtained from the PGFSC office.
While taught in the group format for the majority of the time skaters are now given the opportunity to work on skills independently and are encouraged to obtain private or semi-private lessons from one of our available coaches. Special ice times are available for skaters to take private lessons, called junior freeskate sessions. Skaters should be skating two sessions per week for optimal skill progression.
Parents need to become aware of budgeting and other related costs involved beyond the CanSkate level. Costs can include club ice fees, coaching fees, test fees, competition entry fees & expenses, choreography, skates and off-ice fees.
Moving from Junior Academy to the Star Skate program at the junior level, skaters must be able to do a waltz jump, salchow, toe loop jump, forward 1 foot spin, backwards 1 foot spin and a spiral. This prepares them for half of the elements for the Preliminary Freeskate test.
Selecting a Coach
Hiring a coach generally occurs during our Junior Academy program. Communication is a very important aspect at this level of skating. It is a parental/skater decision on who to hire to coach their skater.Some factors to consider when hiring a coach include:
- Who does the skater enjoy or "fit" with? All skaters have been exposed to our coaches through the CanSkate program.
- What is the coach’s availability for lessons? Can the coach be at the rink when your child is skating?
- What is the coach’s fee structure? 15 minute private lessons vary, dependant on the number of years coaching, the level of the certification and the background of the coach. Ensure the coach’s certification meets the needs of your child. Please refer to our coaching page for bios of all our coaches. Other factors to consider when hiring a coach can include billing procedures, cancellation procedures and how open the coach may be in providing semi private lessons.
- Is the coach willing to work as part of a team? Skaters can have different coaches for different disciplines.
- What if my child wants to change coaches? If at any time you are finding that your coach is not a good fit for your child you can switch coaches simply by filling out a change of coach form and notifying the coach and after you have paid your bill you may switch. Please refer to the Policy & Procedures page.
The Four Disciplines of Skating
At the Junior Academy level skaters are encouraged to take lessons in all four disciplines to become a well-rounded skater and athlete.
- Freeskate: Skaters practice their jumps, spins, footwork, and field moves as well as programs for competition during this ice time. Skaters typically receive a 15 minute private or semi-private lesson during the freeskate time.
- Ice Dance: Skaters work on dance patterns. There are currently 23 basic ice dances starting with the preliminary dances of the Dutch Waltz, canasta and Baby Blues. Dance lessons can be taught in private of semi-private group lesson format.
- Skills: Consist of 6 levels. They are a combination fundamental skating movements, executed on a pattern and skated solo to prescribed music. The objective is the mastery of the basic fundamentals of skating (edge quality, control power and speed).
- Interpretive: Encourages creativity and movement to music. Provides the opportunity to explore the performance aspect to skating, without the pressure of technical elements such as jumps. Skaters can take tests at 4 different levels: Introductory, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Equipment
Junior Academy and higher should discuss boot and blade options with their coach. More advanced skaters buy boot and blades separately. Skates are now bought at stores specializing in figure skating.
- Moisture must be wiped off the blade and boots after each session.
- After skating boots must be allowed to air dry.
- Sharpen skates regularly. Generally skates are sharpened every 20 hours of skating by an individual experienced in sharpening figure skates.
The club does host used skate/dress sales where parents can purchase used skates and dresses. Please check the bulletin board by the PGFSC office and our web bulletin board for upcoming skate and dress sales.
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seasonal schedules
