Chaska Figure Skating Club

What is CFSC? The Chaska Figure Skating Club (CFSC) encourages instruction, practice and advancement of young people under age 18 and adults in, moves in the field and free skating. The skating club encourages and cultivates a spirit of fraternal feeling among ice skaters and produces amateur ice shows, exhibitions and competitions. CFSC is affiliated with the U.S. Figure Skating (USFS).

By joining the club, a skater is able to contract for practice ice in 3-month blocks at a substantial discount, and they have access to highly qualified skating professionals for coaching/instruction in their sport.

Board of Directors CFSC is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board meets monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Chaska Community Center. All members are welcome to attend the board meetings. We also encourage parents to consider getting involved in the club whether it’s serving on the board, participating on a committee, helping to plan the ice show or simply volunteering your time at a club fundraiser.

Coaches Our professional coaches are an important and integral part of our figure skating club. We are fortunate to have talented and experienced coaches associated with the club. Our coaches are classified as independent contractors. The coaches associated with the club are listed on the club website, but the selection of a coach is between the coach and the skater/parent. When selecting a coach, possibly the most important factor is the relationship between the skater and the coach, followed by that between the coach and the parent. Coaches have a set hourly rate, depending usually on experience. The coaches will provide their fees upon request.

What are the different types of memberships within the club?  1st Year Junior Club (No Membership Fee)  2nd Year Junior Club ($50 Annual Membership Fee)  Home Club ($105 Annual Membership Fee, $65 for second family member in same household)  Other: o Associate (has a Home Club membership at another club) ($105 Annual Membership Fee)

o Sustaining (non-skating adult, i.e. board members, alumni, etc.) ($25 Annual Membership Fee) o Collegiate (attending post-secondary school) ($110 covers 4 years) o Reciprocal membership $25/calendar year - designed for those clubs without year-round ice whose members may want to take advantage of our spring and summer ice to be able to skate when their rink is closed.

What is the Junior Club? The Junior Club is an introduction into the CFSC. You and your skater choose how often he/she would like to skate. Typically a Junior Club skater will skate 2-3 times per week, more if they’d like to progress faster. Since there is no annual fee to be in the club (or $50 for their second year), this is a good way to get involved and see if it’s something your skater would like to continue with. Since the contract comes out quarterly, you can choose to take time off or reduce/increase the ice time in a quarter if you choose.

What are Jr. Club Lessons? This is a class that 1st or 2nd year Junior Club skaters can sign up for. The class consists of 15 minutes of small group lesson with an instructor plus 15- 30 minutes to practice on their own during a Jr. Club – Low Test or Open Session. This is a great way to give the skater additional skill development time outside of skate school. It is also a good way to bridge the skater into becoming a Home Club skater.

Private Lessons

Updated 2/2017 You can choose for your skater to have lessons with a private coach on a day of the week and at a time that works for both the skater and coach. This instruction is NOT included in the club ice contract fee. You will pay the individual coach directly for their time and should work out the details of payment with the coach (rate, when to pay, etc.).

Progression of Skating Levels While in the Junior Club, the coaches are working with the skaters on the USFS Basic Skills with the skater. Upon the recommendation of the coach, the skater can begin testing through the U. S. Figure Skating levels. In order to test, skaters must be full home club members of CFSC. Within each level, the Moves in the Field test must be completed before the Freestyle test. A skater can pass as many Moves in the Field as desired before testing for Freestyle. If the skater is in a competition, he/she will compete based on the Freestyle testing levels they have passed.

Moves in the Field / Freestyle Levels:  Pre-Preliminary  Preliminary  Pre-Juvenile  Juvenile  Intermediate  Novice  Junior (Silver)  Senior (Gold)

Contracting for Ice Time The quarterly contract sign ups are available on the website and are due in February, May, August and November. The contract periods run:

September – November December – February March – May June – August

You can choose to contract for ice time for the quarter and pre-pay for the ice. More ice time equals higher discounted ice rates. You can trade ice times anytime within the quarter if your skater cannot make it for a session that you have chosen.

What is a Rink Monitor? The rink monitor is a parent volunteer who tracks skater attendance, watches over activities on the ice and plays skaters’ music during club ice sessions. When you fill out the quarterly contract, you will receive a link to Signup Genius to signup for your rink monitor shifts. Number of shifts is dependent on how often your skater skates. The schedule will be posted on the website. Instructions on what to do when you rink monitor can be found in the rink monitor binder.

If you are signed-up to monitor and do not show up, you will be billed $10. If the scheduled rink monitor does not show up, you can fill-in and will receive a credit of $6.

Club Communication Information can be found on the club website www.chaskafsc.com. E-mail is also used quite frequently. Most e-mails are sent from [email protected]. There is also a club mailbox (file folders in the rolling cart in the club room) with alphabetical folders. Periodically check the folder for your last name to see if there is anything in there for you. It’s also a place where you can leave things for other club members.

Attire/Clothing: What can we wear? Most skaters have practice attire and testing/competition clothing. For practice, skaters commonly wear:  bottoms: skating skirts, stretch/lycra pants, athletic leggings  tops: short sleeve fitted, t-shirt with light jacket over it that can be removed  tights (several options: footed, over the boot, footless, etc.)  lightweight gloves

For competitions skaters wear:  dresses or themed outfits (to go with music)  tights  bun form for hair (or other similar item to keep hair out of face) Updated 2/2017 Exhibitions We hold a few exhibitions each year. Usually they are in the months of June, August and December. This is a time when family/friends can come and see the skaters perform a program they’ve been working on or they can choose to do a small group routine (if offered by the club or their coach). There is a minimal fee to participate ($5 for each program skated). Organized group routines cost more as they usually include the ice time, instructor fee and exhibition registration fee. The event is free for the spectators. We usually have people sign-up to bring a food or beverage item to share and have a little social time after the event for the skaters and their guests.

Competitions 2nd year Junior Club and Home Club skaters can compete in competitions. There are a few that our club typically attends. Your skater may choose to go to them but it is not a requirement. The ones that we usually go to are:  January – Mankato  March – Farmington  June – Star of the North (location varies, it has been in Chaska, St. Cloud, Rochester, St. Paul)  November – Burnsville

If you and your coach choose to register for a competition, you will register through the hosting club’s website. Approximate cost is $60-$100 for the event registration. You also pay a fee to the coach for the event(s) your skater is in. See your coach for approximate rates for this.

Fees and Costs Not all fees and costs are required by the club, just the annual membership fee. Other items listed here are optional and will give you an idea of the additional opportunities of which your skater may take advantage. • Annual membership fee (required) – no fee for 1st Year Junior Club  Contract for ice time (fee varies depending on how often you sign up for per contract)  Exhibitions  Competitions (1st year Junior Club cannot compete)  Annual banquet  Annual Ice show  Logo CFSC clothing

Parents’ Role in Skating The best way you can help your skater is to learn about the sport yourself so that you can make informed decisions in consultation with your coach. Understanding the complexities of tests, competitions, jumps, spins, and all the other areas takes some time. Understanding the elements of the sport allows a parent to understand when a skater has skated well or poorly and to note progress. In addition, it helps when discussing the sport with the skater and assisting them in setting personal goals. Spending time at the rink allows the parent to observe the interaction between coach and skater and gives some idea of the aims and objectives at any point in the career. As well, it shows the skater that you are interested in their skating and eases the pressure of competition. The balance between being supportive and obtrusive is maybe hard to judge, and it is important that parents, as well as skaters, maintain a balanced approach to the sport.

The coach is the best judge of the skater’s progress, and parents should get to know the coach and make sure they understand the coach’s view of the skater’s abilities and progress. Parents have a further responsibility to the coach and to the club. You can help your coach by getting the skater to the rink on time, paying coaching bills promptly, and by letting the coach know if your skater will not be attending a regular session. You can help the club by becoming involved and volunteering.

Resources • CFSC website: www.chaskafsc.com • Electronic Monitor located in Rink 1 at the Chaska Community Center • Monthly board meeting. 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:45pm at the Chaska Community Center • Rink Monitor • Other parents

Updated 2/2017