Skate Canada Competitive Skate Program

The Skate Canada Competitive Program can be fun and challenging for athletes seeking to hone their skills in a competitive environment. From the Juvenile to Senior level, there are several opportunities throughout the season to participate in competitive events. While progression to higher levels of competition, and increased proficiencies are the ultimate goal, skaters, parents and coaches alike should never lose sight of what is truly important – the personal growth and development of the athlete.

Skaters can choose to take tests at whatever level they wish to enter the competitive stream. Skaters should note that some categories do have age restrictions. Skaters can choose to be competitive in singles, pairs or dance.

Competitive Skate at the Coquitlam Skating Club

They say "attitude is everything" and that certainly is true for competitive figure skaters. You have to love what you do and our skaters love to skate. Putting the right attitude out the on the ice is key but so is excellent coaching, proper training, and support from your family, your fellow skaters and your club.

Most of our skaters are introduced to competitions at a fairly young age, often at the Pre-Preliminary or Elementary level. These competitions are strictly for fun and skaters are encouraged to go out, enjoy themselves, and show everyone all the great skills they have accomplished. Our skaters have a great time cheering on their fellow skaters (and often standing on the podium together).

Like the Star Skate Program there are levels to the Skate Canada Competitive Program as well.

• Pre-Juvenile
• Juvenile
• Pre-Novice
• Novice
• Junior
• Senior

As skaters progress, they may choose to enter the more serious competitive ranks, working to qualify for nationals and international assignments. Such a choice requires increased dedication and support from the skater, their parents and coach(es). Such skaters (at the Pre-Novice level and higher) can expect to train on-ice at least 10 hours a week or more and train off-ice at least two hours a week. (These amounts may vary between freeskate competitors and ice dancers). The British Columbia and Yukon Territory Sectional Championships can be held anywhere in the province. Those advancing on to Western Challenge Skate can be sent anywhere from BC to Western Ontario. Skaters lucky enough to advance to either Junior Nationals or Canadians (for junior and senior level competitors) can expect to travel anywhere in Canada. This isn't meant to deter any competitive hopefuls, just to give you an idea of what you could be getting into.

Why Our Skaters Are So Successful

It all starts at CanSkate. Most of our competitive skaters are graduates of the CanSkate Program. It provides them with the basics to move on to start figure skating. Many of our younger skaters are also graduates of the Early Figure Skating Academy.There they have received lessons from our professional coaches on proper figure skating technique. Having well qualified coaches who ensure that our skaters learn proper technique right from the start gives them the edge not only competitively but in the Star Skate Program as well. Learning proper jump technique with single jumps, for example, increases the success of adding additional rotations later. Skaters warm up well before their sessions to maximize their time on-ice and work hard in off-ice conditioning classes to improve their strength and endurance. Many also take dance classes to improve their line and form. Our skaters are taught that competing is fun and they like to push themselves and each other to excel. It is not uncommon for skaters at the same level to be the largest (and loudest!) cheering sections for each other. Our club, and most importantly our coaches on the ice, do not tolerate negative attitudes and sportsmanship qualities are encouraged and rewarded.

In terms of programs, our club is able to offer a large number of sessions at at variety of times to serve the needs of our competitive skaters. We offer spin patches, stroking sessions, and edges and turns work (sometimes offered during stroking time) to continually improve on the basic skating ability of our skaters.

Coaching is key. We are lucky to have attracted and retained an outstanding coaching staff. All of our coaches have been successful competitive skaters in their own right, many of them national champions in their respective countries. They all are qualified under the NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) and are constantly upgrading their coaching education. They are well respected within the coaching and skating community in Canada and are often invited to perform seminars at other clubs and events across the country.

Off-Ice Conditioning classes are designed to focus specifically on the needs of figure skaters. Skaters work on improving strength, flexibility and endurance. Not only does this improve performance on the ice but it also aids in preventing injuries.

From an administrative end, our club tries to assist parents by providing ice at a reasonable cost; giving deductions based on the amount of ice purchased. Simply put, the more ice you purchase, the cheaper the rate is.

Registering For Competitive Sessions

Please consult the current registration brochure for registration information.