What is PreCanSkate & CanSkate?
PreCanSkate is a fun and supportive program designed for our youngest beginners, offering a gentle introduction to the sport of skating. This program focuses on developing the basic skills needed to skate confidently, including how to stand, fall safely, get back up, find balance, and move forward on the ice. Through a playful and engaging approach, PreCanSkate helps skaters build strength, coordination, and confidence in a positive environment.
CanSkate is the Skate Canada flagship learn-to-skate program. It provides kids with the best foundation for figure skating and hockey and introduces a healthy, lifelong activity at an early age. CanSkate promotes fun, fitness and participation. The CanSkate program teaches fundamental skating skills like skating forwards, backwards, how to stop, turn, spin and jump. The skills are taught and emphasized through fun activities and continuous movement in small groups. Skills are assessed frequently, and ribbons are also awarded at each level. CanSkate offered basic skating instruction taught in a group lesson format but Skate Canada professional coaches who are assisted by trained program assistants. The CanSkate learning environment is enhanced through fun, music and colourful teaching aids and props along with praise and feedback from coaches. This unique intro-to-ice environment is designed to stimulate and maintain interest and enthusiasm among skaters, allowing participants to gain the physical competency and confidence to remain active for life!All skaters must have a CSA approved ice skating helmet. Bike helmets are not acceptable. Parents are not permitted on the ice with their children and no hockey equipment is allowed on the ice. Skaters should be dressed warmly but not in clothing that is restrictive. Parents of CanSkate children must have someone at the arena that is responsible for their child while he/she is on the ice.See more on equipment requirements here.
CanSkate is broken into Pre CanSkate and Stages 1-6. In each Stage, skaters will be working to develop 3 fundamental areas - Balance, Control and Agility: 1.) Balance: Concentrating on most forward skills, pushing technique and edges.
2.) Control: Concentrating most backwards skills, stopping and speed elements.
3.) Agility: Concentrating on most turning and jumping skills Once a skater has completed the skill requirements for a fundamental area they will receive a ribbon. A skater needs ALL THREE ribbons in order to successfully receive a badge and pass a Stage. Once your child receives their ribbon, although they may or may not change groups at this time, they will continue to work on the skills required in the other fundamental areas that they need to complete in order to receive their badge, as well as begin working on the skills in the next stage in the area in which they received their ribbon.
Once Skaters have successfully completed all 6 Stages in the CanSkate Program they will advance to the next level in skating called STARSkate. This level requires skaters to skate on multiple days and learn new things in the area of dance, skills and free skate. A coach will meet with the parent and skater and explain the process of moving onto this level.