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| Q. My child wants to start skating and has never skated before. Where do we start? |
| A. It depends on the age of your child. All children will START in the Learn-To-Skate Program (which starts at age 3). However, if your child is 8 years or older, he or she may be automatically moved into the CanSkate program so they don't feel uncomfortable in classes with younger, smaller children. This will be at the coach's discretion. |
| Q. How old does my child have to be to start lessons? |
| A. Children must be at least 3 years of age. To start in our Fall session (October start date) your child must be 3 by October 1, 2009. To register for our Winter session (January start date) your child must be 3 by January 1, 2010. |
| Q. How is my child evaluated? |
| A. Skaters are constantly being evaluated by the coaches each lesson. If a coach feels your child has the skating abilities and skills to move to a different level, you will be contacted. Therefore, your child may not be kept in the same program for the entire session (or season). Skaters receive report cards at the end of the Fall session (at the last class in December) and again at the end of the Winter session (at the last class in March). |
| Q. What if I have concerns about the coaching of my child? |
| A. Please talk to one of our head coaches directly. While we have Program Assistants on the ice helping out, the head coaches should be consulted for any concerns. Our coaches want to make skating a very positive experience for you child(ren) so if you have concerns, please address your coach. For coach contact information, please see the coach section of this website. |
| Q. My son wants to play hockey. He's never skated before, but I want to put him in PreHockey. |
| A. PreHockey is a coach-recommended program. If your child has never skated before, he or she will begin in the Learn-To-Skate program and will be moved up to Pre-Hockey upon coach recommendation. |
| Q. When do lessons start? |
| A. Lessons for our Learn-to-Skate and Can-Skate programs begin in October. Please see the registration section of the website for more detailed information. |
| Q. What equipment does my child need? |
| A. All LTS (Learn-To-Skate) and CS (CanSkate) skaters need skates (either figure skates or hockey skates depending on where you want your child to progress to) a proper fitting CSA approved hockey helmet (with or without the mask - although we recommend the mask), ski pants, a warm jacket, mitts that won't stick to the ice. We recommend warm clothing as the rink can be quite cold; however, the helmet, skates and mitts are MANDATORY. Pre-Hockey skaters can bring their own stick as well. No shin pads or knee pads. Hockey gloves are also allowed. |
| Q. Can parents go on the ice? |
| A. The answer is no. The parent is not allowed on the ice unless they are registered with Skate Canada and have the permission of the Learn-To-Skate/CanSkate Coach. We have several Program Assistants to help with each session as well as the Learn-to-Skate/CanSkate Coaches. |
| Q. What is the Music fee? |
| A. For Preliminary Prep, Group SS, SS and Competitive skaters only...To help assist the coaches on the ice, parents are required to help play the music. A music cheque is required at the beginning of the season which will be cashed. A music schedule will be completed and each parent is responsible for making sure their shifts are filled. Once all music shifts are completed, the music fee money is returned as a club credit in the skater's account. |
| Q. What kind of fundraising does the Club do? |
| A. There is no fundraising obligation for parents of skaters in the Learn-to-Skate (LTS and Pre-Hockey) and CanSkate (CS, Pre-Power) programs. Fundraising/Volunteer Commitments begin at the Spin, Spiral, Jump stage. To keep the cost as low as possible fundraising is a necessary reality. Each family is expected to return and sign a letter of acknowledgement of their understanding of their commitments. This season, the ASC will be hosting a Competition in 2009/2010 and will require volunteers to make it all possible. |
| Q. What if I missed the registration dates? |
| A. E-mail our Administrator, Tracy Jaman at airdrieskatingclub@yahoo.ca to find out if there are any openings. If there are spots remaining, you can arrange to complete and in-person registration. There are NO registration forms available on our website. |