CanSkate is a learn to skate program where all successful skaters, hockey players and speed skaters master their first skating skills and develop their passion to skate.
The program teaches the fundamental skills of skating forward and backward, stopping, turning, jumping and spinning. These skills are taught and emphasized through fun activities and continuous movement in small groups.
Professional Skate Canada coaches, who are assisted by trained program assistants, teach CanSkate. Awards and incentives are used to motivate skaters to achieve and develop their skills as well as to keep interest high! CanSkate is a feeder program to all other Skate Canada programs. Our club offers this program to children beginning at age 3.
CanSkate Lesson Plan
Each CanSkate session follows an established plan:
Whole group warm up
Individual group activity
Skills practice
Group activity
Whole group cool down
CanSkate Session
Skaters working on Stages 1 through 5, skate in the CanSkate sessions, which are twice per week from 4:30 to 5:30 on Monday and Wednesday. Skates who have passed Stage 5 move on to Juniors.
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StarSkate and Competitive Skating
StarSkate is the program a skater enters when they want to learn how to "figure skate". This program is organized differently than the CanSkate program, so parents and skaters usually have many questions when they move to this level. The coach and the club executive are available to help answer questions you many have.
At Port aux Basques Figure Skating Club, the StarSkate and the Competitive Programs run at the same time. At this level of skating, the program is broken into four aspects, they include:
Stroking - These sessions train power, endurance and flexibility and are essential to a skater's growth.
Freeskate - During these lessons, skaters learn how to spin and jump. They also learn field movements (spirals, etc) and practice competitive routines (solo). Interpretive (artist) skating is also included in these lessons.
Skills - During these lessons, skaters learn various step sequences and turns set to music (mohawks, 3 turns, etc).
Dance - During these lessons, skaters learn ice dances set to music (for example the Dutch waltz). Once perfected, the dances can be done with a partner.
The disciplines for the StarSkate Program are Freeskate, Skills, Dance and Interpretive, and they include the following levels:
Preliminary
Junior Bronze
Senior Bronze
Junior Silver
Senior Silver
Gold
The CompetitiveSkate Program can be trained in singles, pairs, or dance. The levels included in CompetitiveSkate Program are:
Pre-Juvenille
Juvenille
Pre-Novice
Novice
Junior
Senior
There is alot of overlap in both of these programs, therefore they can be completed at the same time.
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