Canskate (information from SkateCanada)

Designed for beginners of all ages, the focus is on fun, participation and basic skill development. Participants earn ribbons and badges as skills are mastered. Skaters are taught in a group lesson format by Skate Canada professional coaches and supported by trained program assistants. CanSkate is the foundation and feeder program for all other Skate Canada club and community ice sport programs.

CanSkate Program Objectives

  • To provide participants and families with a safe, welcoming and inclusive first experience to the sport of skating
  • To develop skating and motor skills through natural learning phases (introduction, acquisition, retention/mastery)
  • To use skill progression and repetition throughout the stages to introduce physical literacy and establish quality basic skating skills
  • To foster personal achievements and satisfaction through skill acquisition, reward and recognition
  • To evoke an interest in life-long participation in skating

Program Structure and Awards

The CanSkate program curriculum is organized into six progressive stages of learning. Each stage is broken down into three Fundamental Areas:

  • Balance: concentrating on most forward skills, pushing technique and edges
  • Control: concentrating on most backwards skills, stopping and speed elements.
  • Agility: concentrating on most turning and jumping skills.


The awards consist of:

  • Three Fundamental Area ribbons for each stage
  • Six stage Badge


Starskate (from SkateCanada Website)

 What is StarSkate?

 Skills, Tests, Achievement, Recognition – this is what STARSkate is all about!

 

STARSkate offers opportunities for skaters of all ages to develop fundamental figure skating skills in the areas of ice dance, skating skills, free skate and interpretive skating. Unique in Canada, this program teaches figure skating skills in a group and/or private lesson format in a progressive and sequential manner and includes specifically designed awards and incentives. Skaters have the opportunity to take Skate Canada Tests through a nationally standardized testing system. Skaters who have mastered figure skating skills in STARSkate may also choose to pursue synchronized skating or pairs skating.

 

How STARSkate works:

 The STARSkate program consists of figure skating skills in four areas – Skating Skills, Ice Dance, Free Skate and Interpretive. Each area is divided into the following levels:

Primary Level Tests

  • Skating Skills: Preliminary, Junior Bronze
  • Free Skating: Preliminary, Junior Bronze
  • Dance: Preliminary, Junior Bronze
  • Interpretive: Introductory

Intermediate Level Tests

  • Skating Skills: Senior Bronze, Junior Silver
  • Free Skating: Senior Bronze, Junior Silver
  • Dance: Senior Bronze, Junior Silver
  • Interpretive: Bronze

Senior Level Tests

  •  Skating Skills: Senior Silver, Gold
  •  Free Skating: Senior Silver, Gold
  •  Dance: Senior Silver, Gold, Diamond
  •  Interpretive: Silver, Gold

PowerSkating (from SkateCanada Website)

 CanPowerSkate is an action-packed, high energy instructional power skating program geared to hockey and ringette skaters that focuses on balance, power, agility, speed and endurance. Skills, techniques and conditioning drills are taught in a progressive format that emphasizes how the skills apply to game situations. CanPowerSkate provides an alternative to figure skating and is an excellent complement for those athletes playing on hockey or ringette teams. Its unique skill award program provides incentives and motivation for skaters to continue to achieve.

 

CanPowerSkate is geared to skaters aged approximately six or older who already have basic forward and backward skating skills (they must be able to skate the length of the rink using alternate strides) and are able to stop on command without use of the boards. For safety reasons participants should wear full hockey/ringette equipment that is CSA approved.

 

How does CanPowerSkate work?

 The CanPowerSkate program consists of skills divided into six levels, arranged in progressions gradually increasing in complexity. Levels 1 to 3 focus on the fundamentals of skating, Levels 4 to 6 place additional focus on the acquisition of efficient technique, speed, agility, technical aspects of stride and acceleration and skating with the puck/ring. Skaters are evaluated on skill level and are timed as they perform a test involving skills in a course-like pattern. The skater receives a mark combining his skill performance plus test time. This determines whether the skater receives a Bronze, Silver or Gold award bar for that Level.