Skate Canada

I know that the following section contains a lot of information. However, understanding the ins and outs of this sport will set both skaters and parents up for success as they will be able to take full advantage of all the resources Skate Canada has to offer.

Skate Canada makes the rules for and monitors all figure skating in Canada. It's where curriculum for skaters and coaches is developed, and it oversees all skater development.

Everything we do on the ice has a purpose, and hopefully this section explains why!

The Basics of Skate Canada

Membership

Every single skater, from CanSkaters to Canadian Olympians, is a member of Skate Canada. There is no option to skate at a club and not have a membership. Skaters progress through Skate Canada levels by taking tests administered by coaches or judges, who are also trained by Skate Canada.

All skaters are also members of their home club and of Skate Ontario.

STARSkate

STARSkate is the name of the figure skating program under Skate Canada's "Learn to Train" and "Train to Train" Long Term Athlete Development model.

STARSkate ranges from STAR 1 - STAR 10 and Gold levels.

There are four disciplines within STARSkate:

1) SKILLS (turns, edges, field movements)

2) DANCE (elements, patterns, rhythm, timing)

3) FREESKATE ELEMENTS (jumps and spins)

4) FREESKATE PROGRAMS (a routine, musicality, creativity, skating abilities)

Skaters progress through STAR 1-Gold in each discipline, and may do so out of order. For example, a skater may be working on STAR 5 Skills and STAR 3 Freeskate Program levels simultaneously. It is important for skaters to round out their skating skills by practicing all disciplines.

Signing In

I HIGHLY recommend that all skaters retrieve a login for the Skate Canada Membership site. This website contains resources and allows skaters to track their past achievements.

Please see below for steps on accessing the membership site.

The Skate Canada Membership site can be overwhelming at first, so take your time becoming familiar with it.

Fees

There is an annual membership fee that all skaters pay in order to participate at a club. This fee is worked into your registration payment in September. It is $58.70 in the 2023/2024 season.

For each test, there is a $12 processing fee that must be paid prior to the skater taking a test. This fee is paid to the club via cash, cheque, or e-transfer, and our club's test chair deposits it directly to Skate Canada.

Testing

Skaters progress through STARSkate levels via tests. All STAR 1-5 tests are administered by the skater's base coach and all STAR 6-Gold tests are administered by judges on specific test days.

Each element on a test is graded by the administrator at either a Bronze, Silver, or Gold rating.

- Bronze = not to standard

- Silver = at standard

- Gold = exceeded standard

Skaters should be aware that each STAR level is assessed to different standards. For example, a salchow jump is tested both at a STAR 2 and a STAR 3, with a STAR 3 performance example assessed at a higher standard than the previous level.

Please view this link for videos on performance examples prior to all tests.