Ancaster Skating Club

For skaters who have passed CanSkate Stage 3 and up, this session offers skaters working on CanSkate Stages 4, 5, or 6 in a full 50-minute group lesson with a Professional Coach. The session also assists skaters to move through the CanSkate program as quickly as possible and to make a smoother transition into the Skate Canada StarSkate (Test Stream) Program. For those who would like to progress even more quickly, two sessions per week are recommended, along with private lessons (see below).

StarSkate is the name for the Skate Canada Test Program that has been the mainstay of figure skating in Canada for more than four decades. The Skate Canada StarSkate program is a high quality program that teaches the fundamentals of figure skating in a progressive & sequential manner, in four main areas:

• Freeskate (jumps, spins, stroking, field moves, etc.);
• Skills (skating movements in a prescribed pattern);
• Dance (ice dancing basics);
• Interpretive (interpretation of music).

At the A.S.C., StarSkate is offered within three skill levels: Junior, Intermediate and Senior (see qualifications below). Skaters in these programs have the option of taking Skate Canada Tests and participating in competitions. A Pre-StarSkate program is available, and provides a transition between CanSkate and the StarSkate program, in a group lesson format.

Lessons in the StarSkate Junior, Intermediate and Senior sessions are taught in a private lesson format, with some group lessons being provided in stroking, spins, etc.; a schedule of group lessons will be provided at the beginning of the season.

All skaters in StarSkate Junior, Intermediate and Senior MUST take private lessons from an A.S.C. Professional Coach of their choice. Parents are responsible for contacting their choice of coach from the list of A.S.C. Professional Staff. Lesson times are to be arranged directly with the Professional Coach.

Intermediate and Senior skaters are strongly encouraged to work on ALL areas of skating (ie., freeskate, dance, skills, interpretive and off-ice) to strengthen their skating skills, turns and edges, and to build a stronger foundation for freeskate and dance. SKATERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SKATE AT LEAST TWICE PER WEEK to progress appropriately through the StarSkate program.

Please note: The StarSkate schedule has been modified this year so that Intermediate and Senior skaters can skate up to 4 times per week!

THE OFF-ICE PROGRAM HAS BEEN EXPANDED!

One weekly session of off-ice was offered last year, and we found this to be so beneficial to our skaters that we are expanding this program! Off-ice warm-ups (15 minutes) will be offered before our Monday and Tuesday Intermediate/ Senior sessions; in addition, 30 minute off-ice sessions will be available after the Monday/ Tuesday Intermediate/Senior sessions as well as before the Saturday Intermediate/Senior session. Each 30-minute off-ice session will take a particular focus (eg., cardio, flexibility or jumps/spins). All sessions will be available for one low fee, and all intermediate/senior skaters are encouraged to participate in as many sessions as possible. There are many benefits to participating – improved core strength, flexibility and balance, which will help with each skater’s on-ice achievements and performance.