looking for help!

[<32skate]

Message deleted.

[techskater]

I hate to ask this question, but are you authorized by your club to be conducting this search?

[CanAmSk8ter]

Me and my friend are getting higher in our levels of skating and our goals are to be successfull in competitive skating. Our coach, who is not very qualified to coach us as we get higher in our levels and is not commited to her job, is evidentily leaving us in the next year. Our coach wants to leave our club with someone who is barly qualified to coach and our club will continue to go down hill and we need some help to keep our club going. Our club has many young skaters who will eventually need a qualified coach to help them move up and improve.If there are any coaches who are looking for a new position and who is ready to be commited to a club or anyone who wants to comment or give some advice we would love to hear from you! either post a comment or you can reach me at my email address rubber_ducky_63@hotmail.com. Thanks!


Honey, I feel for you and your friend, but hiring a new coach to work at your club is something that the grown-ups in charge need to be doing. A classified ad for a coach would absolutely have to include basics like where you're located, how much ice time you have, how many members you have, what level skaters you need a coach for, and what tests and/or PSA Ratings you would want a coach to have. Some of these are not things I'd suggest you put on the internet, and others are things for your club to decide. Also, as a coach, the fact that you're criticizing your current coach and the potential replacement doesn't exactly make me want to come in and coach you.

Have you and your friend thought about traveling to a skating camp over the summer, or even going to take some lessons at another rink over a school vacation? That way you could get some instruction even if your coaching situation is still in flux.

[Virtualsk8r]

Since you've indicated that your location is Prince Rupert - and I have relatives who managed to escape there! (but a friend who moved there to teach high school lol) I have been told how small the town is. You are actually lucky to have a rink now - my relatives didn't even have a swimming pool and no outdoor ice because it never gets cold enough to freeze!

The town isn't really big enough with a population of about 12,000 and since the pulp mill shut down, there's not much industry other than fishing until the big container port is built. And, it rains almost every day of the year - that's 90-100 inches of rain. Not to mention the lack of sunlight....But no snow!!!

The outdoor life is great, if you don't mind the rain -- but the reality is that no coach could earn a decent living working full-time as a coach and a high -level competitive coach would find themselves under-utilized. So, unless your club can find a coach who is married to someone transferred there to work for the government -- you will find it difficult to get a coach beyond Level 1.

That said - if your current coach is really interested in helping you achieve your competitive goals, her/his lack of experience is not necesssarily a roadblock. There are books, videos, manuals, and websites that your coach can access in order to improve their knowledge of teaching elements and skills. In fact, you can do the same. Do you have a copy of the Skate Canada rulebook? Learn the steps to the skills tests and dance tests yourself and ask your coach or club to order the SkateCanada videos for Skills, Dance, Coaching etc. Your new coach might be barely qualified in your opinion, but if they are fully certified Level 1 (which any Skate Canada club would ensure) - then perhaps you can help them educate themselves so that the new coach can help you.......Judging manuals are also helpful.

The other option - which another poster indicated - was to spend time away in the summer or on breaks, if you can, at a city with a bigger skating club and therefore higher level coaches. I don't know if Terrace has a bigger club, but it is the closest town and about twice the size of Prince Rupert.

Skaters from Northern Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, BC and other areas with smaller clubs - frequently spend time in major training centres in the summer in order to pass competitive tests and gain new skills....so you are not alone.

There are lots of great places to skate in BC -- so voice your concerns about your lack of training options to your club executive and see if they can contact Skate BC for summer options for you......or to reassure you that their coaches are up to standard.

Give your coach the chance to prove he/she can help you by proving you are serious about becoming more competitive.

Good luck!

[<32skate]

Honey, I feel for you and your friend, but hiring a new coach to work at your club is something that the grown-ups in charge need to be doing. A classified ad for a coach would absolutely have to include basics like where you're located, how much ice time you have, how many members you have, what level skaters you need a coach for, and what tests and/or PSA Ratings you would want a coach to have. Some of these are not things I'd suggest you put on the internet, and others are things for your club to decide. Also, as a coach, the fact that you're criticizing your current coach and the potential replacement doesn't exactly make me want to come in and coach you.

Have you and your friend thought about traveling to a skating camp over the summer, or even going to take some lessons at another rink over a school vacation? That way you could get some instruction even if your coaching situation is still in flux.


Thank you for your support. The intention of this letter is not exactly to find a coach but simply vent our situation to a sympathetic ear. Because of this kind communication, when the club begins their search for a new coach people may already be aware of what our needs are. It is also just to look for advice on our skating careers and options we may have. We do not mean to criticize our currant coach, in fact we are very good friends! But she has made it very clear that coaching is somthing she does not want to do and is looking into other career options. Thank you for your suggestion of summer school, we have been attending summer schools for 6 weeks every summer for almost seven years. For us summer time is when we catch up with other skaters at our level and learn everything we don't have the opportunity to learn at our own club.
Thanks again for your time.

[<32skate]

Since you've indicated that your location is Prince Rupert - and I have relatives who managed to escape there! (but a friend who moved there to teach high school lol) I have been told how small the town is. You are actually lucky to have a rink now - my relatives didn't even have a swimming pool and no outdoor ice because it never gets cold enough to freeze!

The town isn't really big enough with a population of about 12,000 and since the pulp mill shut down, there's not much industry other than fishing until the big container port is built. And, it rains almost every day of the year - that's 90-100 inches of rain. Not to mention the lack of sunlight....But no snow!!!

The outdoor life is great, if you don't mind the rain -- but the reality is that no coach could earn a decent living working full-time as a coach and a high -level competitive coach would find themselves under-utilized. So, unless your club can find a coach who is married to someone transferred there to work for the government -- you will find it difficult to get a coach beyond Level 1.

That said - if your current coach is really interested in helping you achieve your competitive goals, her/his lack of experience is not necesssarily a roadblock. There are books, videos, manuals, and websites that your coach can access in order to improve their knowledge of teaching elements and skills. In fact, you can do the same. Do you have a copy of the Skate Canada rulebook? Learn the steps to the skills tests and dance tests yourself and ask your coach or club to order the SkateCanada videos for Skills, Dance, Coaching etc. Your new coach might be barely qualified in your opinion, but if they are fully certified Level 1 (which any Skate Canada club would ensure) - then perhaps you can help them educate themselves so that the new coach can help you.......Judging manuals are also helpful.

The other option - which another poster indicated - was to spend time away in the summer or on breaks, if you can, at a city with a bigger skating club and therefore higher level coaches. I don't know if Terrace has a bigger club, but it is the closest town and about twice the size of Prince Rupert.

Skaters from Northern Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, BC and other areas with smaller clubs - frequently spend time in major training centres in the summer in order to pass competitive tests and gain new skills....so you are not alone.

There are lots of great places to skate in BC -- so voice your concerns about your lack of training options to your club executive and see if they can contact Skate BC for summer options for you......or to reassure you that their coaches are up to standard.

Give your coach the chance to prove he/she can help you by proving you are serious about becoming more competitive.

Good luck!

Thank you for your response!
when did your relatives move here? would I know the high school teacher? We have had a pool and an Arena for about 30 or 40 years now I think...

Our economy has grown since the mill shut down we now have a strong tourist industry, a new container port, and Ridley Terminals inc. has many new exports and imports and has doubled its no. of employees! We do expect our population to grow within the years to come. Our club used to have a very good coach and many skaters who did very well but after she left our club went down hill. Our current coach has worked very hard to keep things afloat but has not had the resourses to do more.

I would like to ask how I could obtain DVD's or any other resourses on skating to help me to improve my skating. I have tried the Skate Canada web sites without succuss. I would particularily like to see ALL the skaters at Canadians Championships.

It is very encouraged to know that there are other skaters who are in the same boat as me and I hope all the hard work that my family, coaches and myself have put into this sport will pay off and that I will feel the satisfaction that I did all I could.
Thanks for the encouragement.

[<32skate]

I hate to ask this question, but are you authorized by your club to be conducting this search?

My intention is not to be conducting a search, Im sorry if you misunderstood.

[<32skate]

I hate to ask this question, but are you authorized by your club to be conducting this search?

:oops: My intention is not to be conducting a search, Im sorry if you misunderstood.

[Virtualsk8r]

Try the Skate Canada online store for material -- look under videos, manuals and music.....

http://shopping.skatecanada.ca/clientdeploy/default.aspx

You need to put in your Skate Canada number and password, which is your last name if you have never been on the website before.

Take a look at the judging stuff - the videos have a lot of great stuff on them that is applicable for competitive tests too. The ISU dvd is really good.

The videos of skaters at Canadians, etc. are only available to the participating skaters - and then just their performance...However, this year CBC has made a committment apparently, to show every skater at Canadians (not sure about Jr Nationals) either during their prime time show (which is really the last flight of senior events) or on CBCCountryCanada, which is only available on subscription on satellite or cable.

Also check out Youtube for skating performances.....and Icenetwork in the states has some Canadian access.

Stuff is out there - it just takes patience to find it. Check out the Skate Canada website again, especially the Members Only section where you can access test sheets, rule amendments, CoP information and levels, etc......Lot's of information to keep yourself informed.

[jp1andOnly]

prince rupert is too small for higher level coaches to be going. There isn't enough work. That tends to happen all over Canada in more rural areas. You cna always travel to the lower mainland in the offseason for training.

As for getting performances of skaters at Canadians, you can't. There is privacy rights against it. Again, come down to the lower mainland, check out some of the skaters at your level and you will get a better assessment.