Junior Academy – Prince George Figure Skating Club

What is Junior Academy? Junior Academy is a learn-to-figure skate program. The curriculum for this program has been developed by our own coaches for skaters to build a solid foundation for long term success in the sport of figure skating. Skaters will work on basic skating skills, turns and transitions, performance/presentation, jumps, spins, field movements and much more! Typically a skater will come on the ice and warm-up for several minutes, performing basic skating skills, after that they will begin their instruction time with the coach (es) followed by creative skating or free time. Note: at the end of every session, skaters are asked to curtsey to their audience. We invite you to cheer and applaud their hard work.

Off Ice training is a vital part of the Junior Academy curriculum. Skaters will train flexibility, learn and strengthen positions that they will use on the ice, perform exercises that will further develop their motor/movement skills and patterns. The off ice portion of the program is not meant to be optional so please be sure your skater attends.

Clothing & Equipment

Skaters should be dressed in tight fitting, athletic clothing or skating dresses. Bulky, baggy clothing, hooded jackets or sweatshirts, jeans, etc are not acceptable skating attire. Coaches need to be able to see the skater’s body as they move to make corrections.

-Hair and bangs should be tied back off of the face.

-Helmets are optional, but if your skater would like to wear one, it needs to be a CSA approved hockey helmet.

-Skates should have strong ankle support and should be purchased through a proper skate shop like Koops Bike & Skate Shop or North Edge Ice Sports – both of which are located in Prince George. Please do not tie laces around the ankle.

Viewing the session: We invite parents to view the Junior Academy sessions from the bleachers. The arena staff has asked that parents refrain from viewing from the player’s benches/box. At this time parents/caregivers are not welcome to view off ice training sessions – the space does not allow for it and it can be very distracting for the instructor and skaters.

Behaviour: It is expected for all skaters to listen and follow instructions, participate in all activities and to adhere to all coaches and program assistants on the ice. If a skater is not doing this, they may be asked to leave the ice for the rest of the session.

Off Season Skating: PGFSC offers skating programs for Junior Academy in “Fall” September, “Winter” Oct-Mar, “Spring” April-May and “Summer” July/Aug. Each of these seasons has a different schedule – days, times and arenas are different – subject to the city ice allocation. PGFSC encourages participation in all seasons for the best possible development of your child’s skating and overall progress.

Competitions & Dueling Blades Events: At this stage your skater is eligible to begin competing in figure skating competitions and dueling blades event. Please speak to one of the coaches if this is something your skater may be interested in. It is encouraged!

Coaches & Private Lessons: The Junior Academy coaching team consists of Jennifer Auston, Barbara Eimer, Danielle Sidsworth, Olivia Jenaway, Grace Osted and Mary Chidiac. Your skater may wish to choose to have a privately billed lesson on the Friday ‘freeskate’ session. Please speak to our Director of Skating to set up a private lesson for your skater: 250-640-9842 or jenniferauston_sk8coach@hotmail.com.

Communication:

-EMAIL is our main form of communication. Please keep an eye on your email for important information from the PGFSC or the coaches.

-Website: www.pgfsc.ca

– Facebook – search Prince George Figure Skating Club and like us

– Instagram – @pgskating Find us and like us!

– Bulletin Board & Handouts – we will send letters and notices home from time to time and then they will get posted on the bulletin board(s). Currently our bulletin board is set up just inside Kin 2 near the PGFSC office.