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.

The STARSkate legacy

STARSkate has been the mainstay of figure skating in Canada for more than four decades. When you or your child registers for STARSkate at the Innisfil Skating Club, you also become a member of Skate Canada and will have access to:

• opportunities to be recognized through a nationally standardized testing system for achieving specific figure skating skills
• invitational and interclub competitions, including the STARSkate championship stream
• specifically designed awards and incentives such as badges
• STARSkate Skater of the Year awards program as applicable
• Progress updates and report cards
• Special STARSkate events and club functions
• Opportunity to be talent-scouted
• Opportunity for personal growth and the development of important life skills such as goal-setting, self-discipline, confidence, time management, healthy lifestyle and coping strategies to deal with success and failure.
• It measures their progress and allows them to see the results of their hard work
• It allows the coach, parent and skater to plan the season ahead
• Assessments may be done at any time throughout the season
• Your coach will decide which assessment your child is prepared for and will advise you when as assessment will be done for athletes in the STARSkate Program.

How STARSkate works

The STARSkate program consists of figure skating skills in four areas – Skills, Ice Dance, Freeskate and Artistic.

What Options do I have as a STARSkate Athlete?

Once a skater is in the Skate Canada STARSkate Program, there are several of options. Skaters may choose to remain in the STARSkate Program, taking tests (although not mandatory) at organized test sessions and honing learned skills. Skaters may also choose to enter competitions, while still trying Skate Canada tests. Other skaters may feel that they have progressed to a point where they may wish to enter the Skate Canada Competitive Skate Program or become involved in synchronized skating, evaluating or judging, or participate as an adult or varsity member.

Skills

Skills are a combination of fundamental skating movements, executed on a pattern and skated solo. The basic components of all disciplines of figure skating are incorporated into the program. The movements are derived from former compulsory figures, free skating and ice dancing. The objective of the Skills program is mastery of the basic fundamentals of skating - edge quality, control, power and speed.

There are 11 Skills assessments in the STARSkate program:

• STAR 1
• STAR 2
• STAR 3
• STAR 4
• STAR 5
• STAR 6
• STAR 7
• STAR 8
• STAR 9
• STAR 10
• Gold

Ice Dance

Ice Dance consists of 12 levels of assessments. The Dance assessment program teaches timing, musicality, rhythm interpretation, structure as well as basic skating skills such as edges, flow, control and unison.

The dances in the STARSkate Program can be tried in any order but a candidate must pass the required number of dances in a dance assessment before proceeding to the next level. 

The Dance assessments are as follows:

• STAR 1
• STAR 2
• STAR 3
• STAR 4
• STAR 5
• STAR 6
• STAR 7
• STAR 8
• STAR 9
• STAR 10
• Gold
• Diamond

Freeskate

Freeskate consists of the execution of jumps, spins, footwork, field movements and stroking, either in isolation or performed in sequence to music.

There are 11 Freeskate assessments in the STARSkate Program:

• STAR 1
• STAR 2
• STAR 3
• STAR 4
• STAR 5
• STAR 6
• STAR 7
• STAR 8
• STAR 9
• STAR 10
• Gold

Each assessment consists of two parts - Elements in Isolation and a Free Program except for the Gold. The Gold assessment is a program only.

Artistic

The focus of the Artistic discipline is the development of program components, musical movement and creativity.  Artistic combines skating aspects such as turns, edges and field moves, with creative spins and the ability to project emotion and artistry.  The aspects developed through Artistic assessments benefit every discipline in skating. 

Please note, skaters need a strong foundation of basic skating skills, edges and turns, spins and field moves for the entry level of Artistic (STAR 5).  Skaters must have completed STAR 4 Skills prior to entering STAR 5 Artistic.

There are four Artistic program assessments in the STAR 1 - Gold structure:

• STAR 5
• STAR 7
• STAR 9
• Gold

All Artistic programs offer assessment in two main areas - Required Content and Program Components.

Competitions for STARSkate Athletes

STARSkate participants love to compete! Our feedback indicates that even though a skater may choose not to participate in the Skate Canada CompetitiveSkate Program, they still want the opportunity to test their skill in a competition situation. Skate Canada offers several opportunities to do this.

Club Competitions

Clubs offer competitions for their own members to compete against each other. The club determines the categories which generally follow Skate Canada STARSkate guidelines (e.g. length of program, category name, type of event offered, etc.) The club may also offer other creative events such as longest shoot-the-duck, similar pairs, spins and jumps, etc.)

STARSkate Interclub Competitions

These are events involving a number of clubs in the same region or area. The competition categories offered generally fall in line with the applicable Skate Canada Section specifications, so that all Interclubs within the Section are standardized (this allows Skate Canada Sections to offer a Section Final). The STARSkate Championship program provides opportunities for skaters who want to remain in the STARSkate program but also want to have the challenge of competing up to a Sectional level in a credible, nationally standardized event.