Parent Resources - FAQs
Caring For Your Skates
Most department stores and sporting good stores sell skating equipment ranging in price and quality. We have a selection of good quality used figure skates in various sizes at the arena – please ask if you are interested (for small donation to the club).
An essential element of skating performance and safety is sharpening your blades. This should be done by an experienced professional. We recommend a visual check of skate blades each time you finish a session. Look for burrs, dents, flattening of edges or even sharpness of the edge. You can use a thumb nail to make sure both edges are still sharp (a slight movement against the blade should slightly shave the nail). How often to sharpen skates depends on the level of skater and the care of skates.
Here are our base recommendations:
CanSkate: Once every 10 sessions or when needed due to loss of edge/burrs etc.
Future Stars: Once every 8-10 sessions or as needed due to loss of edge/burrs etc.
StarSkate & Advanced: Once every 12-15 hours of skating (approx every 2-3 weeks) or as needed due to loss of edge/burrs etc.
** Figure Skates for Future Star and StarSkate skaters require sharpening by a trained Figure Skate Sharpening Specialist. Please speak to our coaching team on recommended sources for this specialized service. Improperly sharpened skates can impact a skater’s development.
- Wear skate guards when walking off the ice.
A Skater’s blades are the most important part of their skates. Even a small dent or “burr” on the blade can put a skater off balance or inhibit a skater’s ability to perform even the most basic of skills. Therefore anytime a skater is off the ice, their blades should be protected. All surfaces made of rocks, metal, wood, cement can be damaging to the blade. Around the rink, the floor is normally covered with blade-friendly material, however, it is a good habit to automatically wear your skate guards as soon as you step off the ice. Especially during winter months, the rubber floors can be dirty with sand which also damages the blade, not to mention if a blade slips through holes, gaps or joints in the floor it is no longer protected. - After Skating – dry blades well!
It is essential to keep skates and blades dry. Moisture is a skate’s worst enemy and can affect both the boot AND the blades. Once your skater has taken off their skate, do NOT leave the guards on. Skate guards are great to protect while walking but they can be damaging if left on. Take time to wipe the blade to dry fully. We recommend using an absorbent towel or a shammy. You may need to leave skates for a few minutes to warm to room temperature (condensation may form) and then dry again. Use blade covers and a suitable skating bag.
To protect the blades in your bag and to continue absorbing moisture, you should use blade cover a.k.a. Soakers. They come in various textiles and colors and can be found at most sports and figure skating equipment stores. Do not carry skates in hand or over your shoulder as this can lead to damage. Always carry your skates in a bag. There are many options available for all levels of skating and even a good quality duffel bag is a great option. Ideally you want to choose a bag that is comfortable to carry, can keep skates, guards, towel or shammy, extra clothing or mitts and anything else needed for skating sessions.Store skates at home out of the skating bag. A lot of moisture builds up in the boots and around the blades during skating. It is important to take skates out of your bag, open the tongue of the skate as much as possible and have them sit outside of the bag until the next skating session. They will dry at room temperature. If you can, take the inside sole out of the boot to dry it separately. Before returning skates to the skating bag for your next session, do a visual check to ensure the boot and blade is in good mechanical condition. Look for loose screws in the blade, laces for tears or fraying, and boot/heel and blade for separation or cracks.
Skates are an essential aspect of our sport. If you have any questions regarding the care of skates, sizing and fit, suitable skates for your skaters level or any skate related questions, please reach out to our coaching team for help.
CanSkate Questions
CanSkate is Skate Canada’s flagship learn–to–skate program that is geared to beginners of all ages. It offers basic skating instruction taught in a group lesson and circuit based format by Skate Canada professional coaches who are assisted by trained program assistants (PAs wear red pinnies!). CanSkate is the foundational and feeder program for all other Skate Canada programs as well as supporting skating foundations for Hockey, Ringette and Speed Skating.
CanSkate operates two simultaneous sessions – PreCanSkate and CanSkate.
PreCanSkate: A 30 minute program for skaters ages 3 to 4. No previous skating experience is required. Skaters are on the ice for 30 minutes which includes a warm up and 2 circuit based lessons on PreCanSkate Fundamentals. Skaters then leave the ice while the CanSkaters remain to complete one more lesson, participate in the group activity and cool down. Pre-CanSkaters are placed in a group with other PreCanSkaters and are encouraged to learn and advance at their own pace.
CanSkate: A 50 minute program for skaters ages 4+. Skaters are placed in small groups according to both age and skill level. Skaters will participate in a warm up, three coach-led lessons focusing on CanSkate Fundamentals, a group activity and a cool down. Skaters will work on three specific areas of development each night: Agility, Balance and Control and are encouraged to learn and advance at their own pace.
Skaters new to the club will be assessed during their first and second sessions to ensure they are appropriately grouped.
Skaters must have their own skates for this program. Both figure skates and hockey style skates are acceptable for Pre-CanSkate and CanSkate. The choice is your personal preference. If a skater wants to change to another style of skate (hockey or figure skate) later on, we will work with them to adjust.
Important Skate Features: Skates with laces allow for the skate to be better adjusted to fit the child’s growing foot. We DO NOT recommend that you purchase adjustable skates. While this may seem like a cost saving option with a young child that is growing rapidly, it is really detrimental to their progress and as you enlarge this type of skate, the blade becomes too short for the boot causing difficulty for the skater to maintain proper balance and technique. We recommend sharpening skates at the beginning of each fall and winter session of CanSkate. If you have questions regarding skates or need assistance finding appropriate skates, please email the club and we can assist you.
Skaters should wear layers of clothing that are fit properly fitted to allow freedom of movement. Our arena can be cold so we recommend a base layer of long underwear, leggings, or even pajamas, with a warm activity-friendly clothing layer such as sweatpants or similar for bottoms, and sweatshirts or sweaters for tops. Over the clothing layer we recommend lined splash pants and a lightweight winter jacket. We do NOT recommend full snowsuits as they can hinder a skater’s movement and even prevent them from being able to get up when they fall.
Hands need to be warm! We recommend warm winter gloves or mittens. You can layer gloves and mittens if you wish. PLEASE NO FUZZY/FURRY MITTENS OR GLOVES. The strands of these bright coloured mittens stick to the ice surface creating a hazard for others.
Skaters enrolled in Pre-CanSkate and CanSkate will received report cards at the end of fall and winter sessions.
Skaters are awarded ribbons upon successful completion of a set of CanSkate skills and will receive badges upon successful completion of a CanSkate level. Ribbons and badges can be purchase for $1/each.
You will notice children in red pinnies on the ice during CanSkate! These are our program assistants (PA’s). They are an important part in making our PreCanSkate & CanSkate programs a success! Our PAs are Skate Canada members who are current skaters or skaters pursuing their coaching certification. The role of our PAs is to assist our Skate Canada professional coaches in the delivery of our PreCanSkate & CanSkate programs.
The responsibilities of a PA are:
• Demonstrate skills and teaching progressions
• Supervise and assist skaters
• Reinforce learned skills (follow‐up on coach instruction)
• Lead circuits, drills, group activities
• Be a role model for young skaters
Future Star Info
Figure skates are required for Future Stars and Star Skaters. Clothing needs to be in layers when it gets colder and skaters
need to be athletic-type clothing for ease of movement. Knee/elbow pads are ok to use too. Hair needs to be up and out of the face. No hoods up.
The Future Stars program is designed to transition skaters from CanSkate into the StarSkate program. All CanSkaters who have COMPLETED Stage 4 will be invited by the coaching team to register FULL TIME in this session. Skaters who have completed 2 of 3 ribbons in Stage 4 will be invited to BRIDGE to this session – skating 1 day a week with CanSkate and 1 day a week with Future Stars. Skaters will continue to focus on CanSkate stages 5 through 6, along with being introduced to figure skating specific skills including edges and turns, jumps, spins and performance.
Future Stars skate twice a week and share some of their ice time with our StarSkate Session.
Group instruction is included with registration for a portion of their ice time. Additional private, semi-private or group lessons may be available with our coaching team. Lesson fees vary depending on lesson time and if shared with another skater. Lesson fees for these additional lessons will be paid by parents – invoiced monthly. Please speak to our coaching team or our Coaching Team Lead – Coach Shari Kosowan – for more information on fees and lesson availability if you are interested in this option.
All skaters are required to wear CSA-approved hockey helmet until they have passed their complete CanSkate Stage 5 badge. Skaters can continue to wear helmets (optional) – at parent’s discretion.
StarSkate Info
StarSkaters continue to focus on figure skating specific skills including; edges and turns, jumps, spins and performance, through all of the disciplines of Figure Skating – FreeSkate, Dance, Skills and Synchronized Skating – and will work to complete Skate Canada Tests in these disciplines as part of the StarSkate program with Skate Canada.
Skaters who have passed two Star 1 Skate Canada Tests will be eligible to register FULL TIME For our StarSkate session. Future Star skaters who completed their first Star 1 test will be invited to BRIDGE to this session, skating on the Future Star Session, with additional time on our StarSkate session for 20 mins of independent time and/or optional private instruction.
Star Skaters skate three times a week and share some of their ice time with our Advanced Star Session.
Registration includes group instruction for our Edges and Turns class once a week. Additional private, semi-private and group lesson fees are paid by parents. Lessons fees vary depending on lesson time and if shared with another skater – invoiced monthly. Please speak to our coaching team lead – Coach Shari Kosowan – for more information on fees and to discuss your personal budget, as well as options for managing your skater’s lesson time.
Star Skaters are also eligible for Competitions (optional) which include entry fees and coach fees paid by parents. These fees vary, please discuss with the coaching team if this is of interest to you and your skaters.