Club Information
Frequently Asked Questions
We are an inclusive club and we try our best to cater for all skaters. However we do not have the luxury of a huge amount of ice time so we have to put certain standards in place. Every team has a different age/standard requirement and these will be stated on a season by season basis by our coaches.
There is no access to skate hire during our session times so all skaters must have their own skates
As we are working together as a team on our training sessions we ask that all skaters wear black leggings and a black top and/or jacket. From a coaching point of view it is easier to train synchro when all skaters look and work together as one.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of our sport gloves are not recommended as there is a lot of ‘hand holds’ and gloves can make this more dangerous.
Club tops can be purchased and printed and this will be arranged on a team by team basis.
Of course! We don’t get ice time to allow skaters to train “full time” so it is encouraged that they pursue other pathways that will work in harmony with synchro. Sara is a singles coach alongside synchro. Lots of our skaters compete in singles/ice dance at Championship level as well as synchro. All progression is good progression!
Currently £52 per month for Topaz/AzuralZulu and Quartz, and £65 for Zariba they are payable every month regardless of when a session is cancelled or not. Fees cover ice and coaching costs and these may change during the year if ice costs increase or ice times change. Currently membership is £72 per year due on the 1st of June.
Other costs such a competition outlay, NISA membership, kit costs etc may be required but we will explain these further. We don’t have the luxury of a main sponsor and we try our best to fundraise throughout the year however if there is no fundraising then there is no subsidy to the cost of skating.
For the 19/20 season the training times will be as follows
- Zariba – Please see Sara
- Zulu – Sunday 1915-2015 lesson
- Topaz – Saturday 0600-0715 lesson
- Quartz – Saturday 0715-0815 lesson
- Starz – Saturday 0700-0815 lesson
Skaters are welcome and encouraged to use the ice out with lesson times as long as they are safety conscious as ice priority is given to the team(s) in a lesson. There will always be a Coach on the ice at all times to deal with any questions, issues and for skater safety.
We are all about progression. We get very little time on the ice so extra practice is always good whether that’s in group lessons or 1-1 lessons. Skaters are encouraged to attend fieldmoves classes (Tuesday and Thursday 1700-1730 – see Sara) in order to progress as synchro standard is based on fieldmove standard.
Synchronized skating is all team based. lf your skater is lucky enough to be chosen to be part of a competitive team then they must attend practice. We understand illness and injuries are a part of everyday life and we are very understanding however frequent absences from practice will result in sacrificing the skaters place on the team.
The development team is more of an introduction to synchro. This is a new idea for the 18/19 season as we were constantly turning skaters away for not being the right age/standard. We gained some extra ice time on the Saturday morning and slightly restructured the other teams to be able to include a further pathway into our club. lt will be a non competitive team for the time being.
We are all about instilling the passion and fun in sport however the end product is to have teams that are ready to perform in championship competitions therefore skaters must behave in a manner that makes everyone’s learning environment a productive one!
All on ice decisions are made by the Team coach’ These decisions are made for the benefit of the Team and are final. We have over 10 years of experience in Team coaching. There is no parental involvement in anything that takes place on the ice. Off ice we are always looking for Parent volunteers for various things so don’t be shy!
Topaz, Zulu and Zariba are fully competitive teams. Final team selection takes place closer to competition time (usually about summer time). Team selection is final and the strongest team will be put out to competitions.
Zariba, Quartz, Zulu and Topaz are competitive teams. lf you or your skater are selected to skate in one of these teams you will be required to go to competitions. We attend at least 2 competitions a year. These are the BRITISH Championships and the SCOTTISH championships. Unfortunately they are both very close together with one being in January and the other in February.
All members of the competitive teams need to be a fully paid up members of NISA. The current cost of a junior membership is £55 and a skater will not be able to compete without a NISA membership.
Every team has a manager. At the moment those managers are
Topaz – Wendy Legge/Leanne Pirie
Starz Brii Stephenson/Emma Watson
Zulu/Zariba – Gayle Stephen
The manager is in charge of the running of the team off ice and all competition forms etc. You will be required to sign on your child’s behalf when asked by your manager. Your manager will also keep you up to date with any details of competitions and requirements. We never withhold information from parents however please be understanding that we cannot release dates, timetables etc until they become available to us! This is often only a couple of weeks in advance of the competition. The timings of competition is dependant on the draw and the draw is not done until sometimes the night before the skaters skate. We will have a rough idea but Sara and Lucy send out a “Skate Day Itinerary” the night before the competition with all the details of warm ups, practice and competition skates.
As you can imagine the logistics involved in synchro are not easy for anyone! Sometimes you just simply have to bear with us.
An alternate is a skater who does not skate in every competition for various reasons which can include newness to team or the team just has an overflow of skaters.
At competitions the alternates are on standby to skate at the entry point to the ice with the team coach; ready in skates, full costume and makeup while the team competes. Alternates can be asked to fill in for a skater who is sick, injured, or absent. Any skater may have a problem at any time with their blades, a boot lace may come undone or even a screw could come loose at the last minute and prevent them from skating.
With all this in mind an alternate is counted as much a part of the team as the rest of the skaters as they may need to jump into the routine on very short notice, in fact right up until the team is ready to start.
There are many reasons why someone is chosen to be an alternate and the coaching team will have thought very hard about their choices. Remember the coaches are thinking of the team as whole and not just individual skaters. The selected alternates would still be expected to attend the regular and any additional training sessions planned to maintain the correct standard and will get the opportunity to skate within the team regularly.
Remember that being selected as an alternate does not mean you are not a competent skater or are doing things wrong. You are still a vital part of the whole team.
The coaches may at any time replace a team skater with a team alternate if they feel the team as a whole would benefit from the change, this is what the alternate is for and again this is not a reflection on any of the individual skaters involved.