Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need for skating?

Precanskate, Canskate and PreStar participants will need skates (figure skates, hockey skates or recreational skates), gloves and a CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approved hockey helmet with a face cage.  The helmet needs to have a CSA sticker on it.  Skate guards, soakers (soft blade covers), and a cloth to dry blades are recommended.  Skaters can wear sweat pants, snow pants, hoodies, winter jackets or anything that is comfortable and warm.  Jeans are not recommended.

StarSkate skaters will need appropriate figure skates, gloves, skate guards, soakers, a cloth to dry blades, sneakers and a yoga mat. In their skating bag, it is recommended that they have an extra pair of gloves, a water bottle, hair brush, a bag of hair elastics, hair gel and/or hair band to keep hair out of their face, a pack of tissues, and hand sanitizer. Skaters can only drink water while they are on the ice and the water bottle cannot be made of glass.  StarSkate skaters can wear skating dresses, skating skirts, leggings/form-fitting pants and form-fitting shirts, jackets to practices.  Skirts and dresses are preferred when possible.  SkarSkate skaters cannot wear anything with a hood, oversized jackets, jeans or loose-fitting pants to practices.  For competitions, skaters need black gloves and a club jacket or form-fitting jacket that does not have a hood.

Where can I buy skates?

For Precanskate and Canskate, you can buy skates at Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, specialty skating stores or second hand on Facebook Groups, Sparky's Edge Skate Shop.  Our skating club may have some secondhand skates in storage available for purchase as well.  For PreStar and StarSkate, skates need to be purchased from a specialty figure skating store and you will need to know what jumps and skills your skater is working on.  Do not buy second hand skates for StarSkate skaters unless Cynthia has looked at them first.  Talk to Cynthia or message her at snowvalleyskatingclub@gmail.com if you have questions about purchasing skates for StarSkate level skaters.  Dry the skate blades as soon as possible after stepping off the ice to avoid rusting the blades.  Whenever possible, do not leave skates in the car when it is hot or cold, bring them inside and take the soakers/guards off to let the blades warm up to room temperature.  Make sure your skater puts on their skate guards as soon as possible after stepping off the ice.  Do not leave guards on skates overnight because the blades will rust.

Can I join a skating class after the season has started?

Skaters can join Precanskate and Canskate sessions if the session is not full and if it has not been more than four weeks since the session started.  Contact us for a prorated cost.  If it has been more than four weeks since the session has started, please contact us.  For PreStar and StarSkate late registrants, please contact us.  Purdys Fundraising is mandatory for all skaters regardless of when they join the session.

My child does not want to continue skating, can I get a refund?

Within the first two weeks, skaters that would like to withdraw from their program can get a prorated refund minus the Skate Canada registration and insurance fee, music/safety fee (if applicable) and a $20 administration fee.  Please note, refund cheques will not be issued for amounts under $10.  After two weeks, refund requests will need to be sent to the SVSC Executive Board for approval.  Refunds for medical reasons do not require Executive approval as long as supporting documentation (letter and Physician’s note on Physician’s stationery) has been provided to the Treasurer.

I have a question for the coaches, what is the best way to contact them?

Coaches are busy on the ice with skaters so while they are coaching, it is not a good time to approach them with questions.  You can talk to coaches before or after a session if they are free but it is best to contact them at snowvalleyskatingclub@gmail.com, through our website contact form or on Facebook.  

What is a coaching bill?

For StarSkate skaters, program fees cover ice rink rentals, off ice classes and stroking lessons.  During freeskate and dance sessions, private, semi-private and group lessons will be billed directly to the skaters every two weeks.  There are coaching fees when skaters attend competitions.  Coaching bills can be paid by e-transfer on to snowvalleytreasurer@gmail.com.  Skaters that fall behind in payment for their coaching bills will not receive lessons until their invoices are paid in full.  If you have concerns about your coaching bill, please contact us at snowvalleyskatingclubcoaches@gmail.com.  If you would like your skater to receive additional lessons when possible, please inform the coaches at snowvalleyskatingclubcoaches@gmail.com.  If your skater is going to miss practice, coaches must be emailed at snowvalleyskatingclubcoaches@gmail.com at least 24 hours in advance to avoid being billed for coaching lessons.  If your skater needs to miss practice at short notice, please text all the StarSkate coaches.

PreStar skaters will receive coaching bills if they attend competitions like Jamboree but their program cost includes lessons from coaches during practices.  PreCanskate and Canskate skaters do not receive coaching bills.  

When will I get my first program?

First year StarSkate skaters will get a program called a Showcase.  It is a one minute long program where the skaters dress up and skate as a character.  Music choices must be age appropriate and discussed with Cynthia, our Director of Skating.  Skating dress/costume choices must be approved by Cynthia before purchase.  Once music has been approved by Cynthia, she will cut the music for your skater to make it a one minute long program and the music cutting fee will be invoiced on your next coaching bill.  

Where can I buy skating dresses and tights?

Our skating club has some secondhand skating dresses and skirts available for purchase in our storage room or you can buy them from specialty figure skating stores like Cyclone Taylor Figure Skating (Vancouver), Skater's Edge Boutique Ltd (Coquitlam), North Edge Ice Sports (Prince George & Campbell River) or Figure Skating Boutique (Markham, Ontario).  There are also Facebook Groups that sell second hand figure skating products like North West Skating Swap, BC Figure Skating Swap & Shop, Emazing Lil Skating Boutique, and Calgary Figure Skating Buy and Sell.  Weissman is a good option for Showcase and Artistic dresses.  To order an outfit from Weissman, you need to contact our Treasurer, Bev.  She will check the price and size availability.  Please note these prices are in USD and will have shipping & customs fees.  Our SVSC Weissman's account offers a 15% discount.   Do not buy skating dresses for programs without Cynthia's approval.

What competitions can I participate in?

PreStar skaters can go to a fun competition in February called Jamboree.  The location alternates every year between Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Terrace and Houston.  First year Junior Star skaters (Star 1 level) and higher level skaters, can go to several competitions every year in addition to Jamboree: Kla How Ya in December, CNC Regionals in January and Super Series Finals in March.  Kla How Ya locations alternate between Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Terrace and Houston.  CNC Regionals location alternates between Prince George, Vanderhoof, Quesnel and Williams Lake. Super Series Finals are always in Kelowna.  There are other skating competitions in British Columbia and Alberta that our club does not go to but individual skaters can attend.  Talk to your coach about which competitions would be the best fit for your skater. 

What is Elite Ice?

Elite Ice is a great opportunity for StarSkate skaters to receive extra lessons on Non-Instructional Days (NID), statutory holidays and on school days up until 4:30 pm.  The cost for Elite Ice is an $18 Elite Ice fee paid through Uplifter and either a 30 minute or 60 minute private coaching lesson fee that will be added to your bi-weekly coaching bill.  There is a maximum of two skaters on the ice for each Elite Ice session (60 minutes).  If there are two skaters on the ice, one skater will receive a 30 minute private coaching lesson while the other skater has 30 minutes of freeskate.  To request Elite Ice, please contact Cynthia at snowvalleyskatingclubcoaches@gmail.com.