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Fall 2018 Welcome & Important Information

By Laura, 09/29/18, 7:15PM CDT

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Welcome to the Fall 2018 Session

 

LEARN TO SKATE USA CLASSES BEGIN MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 6:30 PM BOTH NIGHTS!
(See the specific class schedule below)

 

 

Where Do I Go the First Night?

You can enter through the main doors of the circle drive or through the doors from the back smoke stack parking lot. We will be skating in the North rink which is accessible from the second floor of the arena. You will find benches in the hall to sit and put your skates on.  The floors have a rubber mat all the way to the ice.  The rubber mats may have small rocks and dirt on them from shoes. If you have guards, make sure you wear them to the ice to protect your blades.

The first week of skating (Oct.1st & Oct. 4th) learn to skate classes will be in the South Arena “Big Arena” due to only one sheet of ice being in. 

Name Tags

We will have name tags that should be worn every practice.  Your child's name will be on an animal coded name tag that will correspond to a coach.  These name tags will be found on a table in the hallway near the FFSC Office on the second floor of the arena.  Your child will need to be wearing their name tag to get onto the ice.  If your child doesn't have a name tag, please go to the registration table to get one.  Apprentices will be at the door to direct skaters to their class and help those that need help.  Coaches will collect name tags after class and they will need to be picked up each week.  The first week of skating is always a little crazy.  We will try to keep everyone informed as best as possible.  When a skater first registers, they start in Snowplow Sam or Basic One depending on the age of the child.  I will have extra coaches on the ice helping and testing skaters to get them placed in the correct level.  As a skater passes a level we move them up, we don't want skaters getting bored.  We want to make skating fun and challenging!

Class Schedule

6:30-7:00 Snowplow Sam 1-4, Basic 1-3 and Hockey 1-2 Group Lessons
7:00-7:15 Snowplow Sam 1-4, Basic 1-Pre Freeskate and Hockey 1-4 & Power Practice Time
7:15-7:45 Basic 4-Pre Freeskate Group Lessons, Hockey 3-4, Power Group lessons Freeskate 1-4 Group Lessons
7:45-8:00 Freeskate 1-4 (stroking & dance)

If you have are not sure what class your skater is in, please contact Heather at 218-770-0532 or by email fergusfallsskatingclub@gmail.com.


*NOTE THE CHANGE OF ICE TIME FOR BASIC 4…

Learn to Skate USA Membership

  • Learn to Skate USA is the only beginning skating program in the world endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating.
  • After registering with Learn to Skate USA you will receive a record book to track your progress, a membership card, secondary sport accident insurance, a parent handbook and the Learn to Skate USA magazine filled with helpful information about all aspects of skating.  This should all be mailed to you!
  • Due to liability, your skater must be a registered member with Learn To Skate USA before stepping on the ice! Parents are also not allowed on the ice unless they are registered as a member with Learn To Skate USA!

Skates & Clothing

Make sure you have your skates sharpened!  If they are brand new, they still need to be sharpened.  If you sharpened them last year, they are probably due for a touch up.  Cullens Home Center/Fergus Home & Hardware sell & sharpen skates, sell guards and other skating supplies.  You can reach Dan Zierden at 998-5070.  The rink will also have skate sharpening.  For the start of the season some new arena staff members will be getting trained on how to do this and they will not be able to sharpen skates every night. Therefore, if possible, please drop your skates off during the day at the Park & Rec office in the lower lobby to get sharpened and then you can pick them up later that day or the next day if needed. Please dress your skater in warm layers. Heavy jackets and snow pants can be restrictive and difficult to move in. Tights, leggings, or cuddle dud type clothing under warm sweatpants is suggested for their lower body. A few layers on top with a warm sweatshirt or non-bulky coat is suggested for their upper body. Gloves and hats would be recommended as well. Snowplow Sam skaters are not required to wear helmets but recommended.  Bike helmets work great!

Club Communication

We will be communicating by email (MailChimp) and Remind notification system (see more details below) so make sure you check the email you registered with online frequently!  You can also check our website at www.fergusfallsskatingclub.com  Please also check for important information on our FFSC bulletin board at the rink. The ONLY time we cancel skating is when the rink is closed.  If school is cancelled due to weather, the rink closes and we have to cancel classes.  You can listen to the radio for cancellations, check your email, Facebook or our website. Notification of cancellations and other important reminders will also be sent out via Remind.
To subscribe to text message notifications via the Remind notification system, please send a text to 81010 with the message @ffsk8.

Volunteer Information

The Fergus Falls Skating Club is mainly run by volunteers. Our club needs the support of our skating members and their parents to operate smoothly and successfully. All Learn to Skate USA(2 hours), Learn to Skate USA & Hockey Private Lesson skaters (5 hours), and Advanced skaters (10 hours) are required to contribute a specific number of volunteer hours during the October through March skating season. Changes have been made to our volunteer requirements. You are required to track your own volunteer hours by using the Volunteer Tracking Form. This form must be turned in at the end of the season or when you have reached 25 hours and have earned a credit. See the Volunteer Credit Incentive Program details. All volunteer opportunities and sign-ups will be made available via Sign Up Genius. You will receive a separate email invitation to these sign ups and the links will be posted to our website.  Please contact Laura Dewey at 218-332-0196  with any questions or concerns in regards to volunteering.

Fundraiser Information

Please be sure that if your child is 4 years or older, they are required to participate in the Fall 2018 fundraiser. The Fall 2018 fundraiser is Ole & Lena Pizza sales and Steel Tumbler sales. Please be sure that all checks are written directly to YOU so you can write just one check payable to the FFSC when you return your order sheets. Fundraiser packets need to be turned in on MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH or THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18TH. Fundraiser pick up night details are TBD. Get out and sell!  If you have any questions in regards to fundraising, please contact Heidi Hull at 218-205-1909.

CLICK HERE to download a fundraiser packet.

Other Useful Information

The concession stand will be open most evenings at 5:30 pm. During the first few weeks of skating, the concession stand will have a limited menu. Charging will not be allowed at the concessions, but there is a prepaid system that can be used. There is also an ATM machine on the 2nd floor and a vending machine on the 1st floor of the arena.