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Learn to Figure Skate

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USFS Basic Skills Membership
All skate school participants, for both figure skating and hockey classes, must have a valid United States Figure Skating (USFS) Basic Skills Membership purchased in their name. This is an $20 mandatory insurance that lasts for a year. The calendar year for Basic Skills is June 1- May 31. Please purchase this before you register for your skate school class, as you will not be able to register for skate school classes unless you have this purchased. Choose ‘Register’ on the menu bar on the homepage of our website, then choose ‘Memberships’. Each skater is required to have this membership.

Please note: Children ages 3-5 must start in Learn to Skate classes before taking Basic Skills classes.

Learn to Skate 1 (age 3-5)
This class is for young beginners who are interested in pursuing figure skating or hockey. The class focuses on introducing young children to beginning skating skills in an atmosphere of fun, using games and ice-safe toys to help teach basic skills. Elements include proper falling and getting up, marching, gliding and forward swizzles.

Learn to Skate 2 (age 3-5)
This class is for young children pursuing figure skating or hockey who are familiar with skating. Skaters in Learn to Skate 1 progress to this level. Elements include forward skating, one foot glides, forward and backward swizzles, curves and beginning snowplow stops.

Learn to Skate 3 (age 3-5)
Prerequisite: Learn to Skate 2. This class is for young children, pursuing figure skating or hockey who have completed Learn to Skate 2. Elements include forward pumps and stroking, advanced backward swizzles, one foot glides on a circle and beginning forward crossovers, backward pumps and backward stroking.

Basic Skills

Basic 1 (ages 6 and up)
These introductory levels allow new skaters ages 6 & up with no prior skating experience to build confidence while learning the basics of figure skating – how to balance on the ice as well as forward and backward skating. These levels are the fundamentals of the sport.

Basic 2 (ages 6 and up)
This class has a prerequisite of Basic 1 and continues to teach the beginning elements of skating including: one foot glides, forward and backward swizzles, and snow plow stops. Other elements include two foot turns, one foot glides and backward two foot glides.

Basic 3 (ages 6 and up)
This class has a prerequisite of Basic 2. Elements include forward stroking, forward pumps, backward one foot glides, forward slaloms and beginning two foot spins.

Basic 4 (ages 6 and up)
This class has a prerequisite of Basic 3. Elements include forward inside and outside edges on a circle, forward crossovers, standing outside 3-turns, backward pumps, backward stroking and backward snowplow stop.

Basic 5 (ages 6 and up)
Prerequisite is Basic 4. Elements include backward inside and outside edges on a circle, backward crossovers, beginning one-foot spin, hockey stop and side toe hops.

Basic 6 (ages 6 and up)
Prerequisite is Basic 5. Elements include standing inside 3-turns, backward to forward turns, t-stops, bunny hops, forward lunge and forward spiral.

Pre-Free Skate (ages 6 and up)
Prerequisite is Basic 6. Elements include standing inside mohawks, forward and backward edges on a circle, backward crossovers to backward edge glides, forward pivots, ballet jump, forward inside and outside 3-turns in a moving circle, combination moves of crossovers and edges, one-foot spin, waltz jump and mazurka jump.

 

Freestyle

Freestyle 1
Elements include advanced forward stroking, forward outside and inside edges, backward outside 3-turns, scratch spin, waltz jump and half flip jump.

Freestyle 2
Elements include backward outside and inside 3-turns, progressive chasse sequence, waltz 3’s, beginning back spin, waltz-side toe-waltz jump and toe-loop jump.

Freestyle 3
Elements include forward and backward crossovers in figure 8 pattern, waltz 8, advanced forward consecutive swing rolls, backward inside 3-turns, back scratch spin, salcow jump, half lutz jump and toe-loop combination jump.

Freestyle 4
Elements include spiral sequence, forward power 3-turns, backward progressive chasse, sit spin, loop jump and waltz/loop combination jump.

Freestyle 5
Elements include backward outside 3-turn to forward inside Mohawk sequence, spiral sequence, forward outside slide chase swing roll sequence, camel spin, forward to backward upright spin, flip jump, loop-loop jump combination and waltz-falling leaf-toe-loop jump combination.

Freestyle 6
Elements include alternate backward crossovers to backward outside edges, five-step mohawk sequence, camel-sit spin combination, split or stag jump, waltz-half-loop-salcow jump combination, lutz jump and walk-through axel jump.

Freestyle 7
Elements include edge work and skating exercises, axel jump and double Sal.

Jump & Spin
Skaters learn how to jump and spin on the ice.