StarSkate FAQ

Our StarSkate program is for skaters who have completed Stage 6 of CanSkate.

If your skater did not complete CanSkate with a Skate Canada club but has taken skating lessons through another program, please contact info@rideauskating.ca to arrange a skater evaluation.

Skaters should register for StarSkate sessions associated with their StarSkate FreeSkate, Skills and Dance test levels.

Registration is available on-line on this website Here

Having challenges? Email us at info@rideauskating.ca and we will be happy to help you with registration.

For skaters to see regular progress we recommend skating at least two days per week at the STAR 1 and STAR 2 level with increased frequency as your skater progresses.

The Skate Canada membership and Safe Sport Fee must be paid for every skater registered with the Rideau Skating Club on annual basis. The membership runs September 1 to August 31 of each year.

The membership and safe sport fee provides insurance for each member providing our club and skaters a safe environment in which we can enjoy skating.  If you move away from the Rideau Skating Club, you can register in any Skate Canada club in your new city and start at the badge level you left off at!

Not all coaching costs are included. Please read the session description at the time of registration carefully to see what coaching costs are included on that session. All StarSkaters under the age of 18 are required to have a Skate Canada Coach. Please contact our coaching team at skatecoachingteam@gmail.com for more information on coaching costs and structure. 

We accept late registrations for any of our sessions if space permits. Please feel free to register for a session where space is available. Our prices automatically pro-rate each week. 

Our full refund, program change and missed classes policy can be found in our Member Policies.

Please contact info@rideauskating.ca for any questions regarding refunds or program changes and your coaching team regarding missed classes

Yes, skaters may drop in to sessions where space is available. Skaters using a drop-in as a replacement session must follow the guidelines outlined in the Member Policies. Please review the policy before attending.

Drop In classes are available for registration 48 hours prior to the start of the class. Before this time, the drop-In option will not be visible.

• Hover over the word Registration in the top banner
  • Move your cursor down and click on the registration link for the desired program category: STARSkate, Off Ice Classes, etc.
• OR choose the program category from the list on the left hand side of this page
• Scroll through the program offerings and click the Register button for the desired program
• If you are within 48 hours of class start time, you will get a pop-up window asking you to choose the full program or the drop-in option.
• Click on Drop-In
• Choose the skater to be registered for the drop-in class
• Select the date for the drop-in class (there will be only one date visible)
• Complete the checkout process
  • Review your shopping cart
  • Complete Billing Information and Policy Review and Acceptance
  • Complete Payment Information

You will receive notification of the successful registration!

No! Your child has mastered Stage 5 of CanSkate, so they are no longer required to wear a helmet. We do recommend the use of soft helmets and headbands for concussion protection. 

Equipment is important to the success of your skater. Finding the right pair of skates for their foot shape, skating level and height/weight is extremely important for their progression to continue. We recommend visiting a figure skate specialist such as Figure 8/Hockey One on Industrial Avenue in Ottawa or BSharp on Strandherd Avenue in Ottawa. 

Once you have secured figure skates, we recommend getting them sharpened by a figure skate sharpening specialist such as Figure 8, BSharp or Mark McNabb (contact the coaches for more information)

Athletic clothing, skating skirts, leggings and/or simple skating dresses can be worn by skaters during practice ice. Hooded sweatshirts are not recommended as they can affect the skater’s balance and obstruct their view. 

Skating lessons are a fun and exciting challenge for young children. Our Skate Canada Certified Professional Coaches are fun and enthusiastic individuals who are committed to providing quality skating programs for our members.  Our coaching team will use a combination of group, semi-private and private lessons to help guide your skater through the various figure skating disciplines including skills, dance, freeskate and synchronized skating. 

Skaters move to the next level of STARSkate by completing STARSkate assessments. Your skaters' coach will guide you through the assessment process and let you know when they are ready to be assessed. Feel free to speak to your skaters' coach outside of their on ice time if you would like to know more about your skaters progress and the assessment process.

For the STAR 1 to 5 levels, the assessments are done by the coach during a regular session time.

Your coach will notify you that your skater is ready for an assessment. The assessment must be purchased prior to assessment being conducted. Assessments are purchased online Here

Once the agreed upon date/time is established, the coach will conduct the assessment during a regular training session. Your skater will be provided with the assessment results at the completion of the assessment.

For STAR 6 to Gold levels, the assessments are done by an external assessor on a designated club assessment day.

STAR 6 to Gold Skating Skills and artistics may be assessed on a regular skating session by an assessor-coach.

Costs:

• Star 1-5 Assessments- $12.00
• Star 6 to Gold Skills- $12.00

To purchase a StarSkate assessment, visit the link below and log in to your account. Ensure that you select the correct assessment(s) for your skater and checkout!

Purchase Assessments Here

The Star program has assessments in 5 disciplines:

• FreeSkate

• Skills

• Dance

• Synchro (starts at Star 2)

• Artistic (starts at Star 5)

At the Star 1 level, there are 3 assessments total- FreeSkate, Skills and Dance. 

At the Star 2 level and beyond, there are multiple parts to the Dance and FreeSkate assessments. For assessments that have multiple parts, it is not required for all parts to be assessed on the same day.

Star 1-5

Star 1–5 assessments are conducted during regularly scheduled lessons as skaters are ready for them. These assessments do not require a third-party evaluator or participation in a designated “assessment day”. All of our staff and associate coaches are qualified Star 1–5 Coach Assessors and are able to assess in all disciplines from Star 1 through Star 5.

The only Star 1–5 assessments that must be completed outside of a skater’s regular lessons occur at the Star 5 level. These assessments are still conducted by our coaches but require “clear ice.” To meet this requirement, they may be scheduled during a special event or at the beginning or end of a Star 6–Gold assessment day.

Star 6 to Gold

Star 6 to Gold assessments are conducted either by an external evaluator or by a qualified coach-assessor. 

Star 6 to Gold Skills can be assessed by some of our coaches on regular sessions. Star 6 to Gold Dance and Freeskate must be assessed by an external evaluator on an assessment day. Star 6 to Gold Assessment days are held approximately 4 times per year at RSC.

The $12.00 fee and assessment results are submitted to Skate Canada by the club, so that the skater’s records are kept up to date. These assessments will stay on the skaters Skate Canada record, and can be accessed by any club nationally. If you ever move to another city, your new club will be able to access your assessment records.

You can check your records either through the Rideau website or the Skate Canada members only site.

To access your skater’s levels on the Rideau SC website, 

1. Select the “My Account” option in the top right corner

2. Select “Skaters”

3. From the list select the skater you wish to look at (their name is the link)

4. From the left hand menu listed below their name, select Achievements and it will show you the assessments they have completed.

Every skater is different and progresses at their own rate. Most skaters will try one or two tests their first season testing. This will generally increase as skating improves and decrease at the higher level when the skills required for a test become more technically difficult.

No! The StarSkate program is built to be flexible, allowing skaters to move through assessments at their own pace. Each discipline—Skills, Dance, Freeskate Elements, Freeskate Program, Synchro, and Artistic—is assessed independently.

Skaters can be evaluated based on their ability in each specific discipline, regardless of their level in other areas. They must complete all required assessments in one discipline before advancing to the next level in that same discipline.

It’s very common for skaters to advance more quickly or prefer working in one discipline over another. For instance, your skater might be working on assessments in Star 5 Skills, Star 4 Dance, and Star 3 Freeskate all at the same time.

For any group lessons, the coaches will change which group the skaters are working with based on the discipline and skills being focused on to ensure that skaters are being challenged.