Does anyone know what is required to be a participant in a USFSA "Basic Skills" comp - do you just have to be a Basic Skills Program Member? Or do you have to be a member of a local USFSA affilliate club as well? Our rink is in transition and my DS is an ISI member and a member of an ISI club, but is not a member of the USFSA club - would he have to be a member of that club as well, in order to be in a Basic Skills comp? If anyone can clarify, it would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm pretty sure you just have to be a basic skills member. When you compete in Basic skills, you do not represent the club. I know that results at basic skills events do not count toward the club trophy at competitions either.

j

You do not need to be member of a FS club but you need to be member of USFSA. In the registration you need to provide you daughter's USFSA registration number. By participating in a group class session offered by USFSA you can become a member. I know you can contact USFSA and register but I am not sure how much money that will be. My dd gets group lessons and she is automatically registered so I never had to investigate the membership thing. She is not a member of an FS club though. I was told you need to be a FS member or have an individual membership with USFSA only for testing (moves etc).

***You do not need to have a full membership though just a basic skill membership.

Thanks!! I have the form for the Basic Skills membership so I just need to turn that into the rink and I guess we're good to go.

I started writing an essay about this, but the simplest answer is that you MUST check the competition entry form. There's an "Eligibility" section that is pertinent. Since your DH passed ISI FS3, he may be ineligible for a particular competition unless they're offering Freeskate and/or Pre-Prel levels.

He'll have to be tested in Basic Skills, so the coach knows what level he should skate.
**The instructor/coach has to sign the competition entry form, verifying that the skater is competing at the appropriate level.**

In any case, all skaters in Basic Skills competitions are supposed to be currently registered with a Basic Skills program or with the USFSA as a Club or Ind. member. It's more for insurance purposes, but it is cited in the Eligibility boilerplate language.

The ID number that the USFSA assigns is unique for each skater. That Basic Skills ID # stays with the skater forever, and is used for Club registration, standard- and adult-track tests as well as competitions. You'll need to wait while the skating program requests the ID# number from the USFSA. (It's available online, and shouldn't take too long at this time of the year.)

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Actually, I just realized that the name of the comp is somewhat misleading - it is labeled a "Basic Skills" comp but does also include FS 1-6. The "Basic Skills" program (encompassing Basic 1-8 and, I think, FS 1-6?) is what our rink is using currently with group lessons, so his coach has a pretty good handle on where he is in that curriculum - they were reviewing all the different elements in yesterday's lesson, not sure exactly where he will test out, but I know she was working on all of that with him. (as DH put it - they were doing a "whole bunch of different weird stuff" LOL).

The Basic Skills curriculum also includes tests with names other than "Basic x." The Free Skate tests are probably where your son will test.

Here's the curriculum link:
http://www.usfigureskating.org/Programs.asp?id=120

Many of the "Open" competitions include Basic Skills events as well as higher-level USFSA testers.

Interesting, a few ISI competitions (like Lake Placid) accommodate USFSA-testers through an "equivalent level" restriction.
Kids don't have to take ISI tests for those competitions, which is good for the skater's pocketbook.
(Bad for the ISI since they lose that test fee, but I guess it's less expensive than not getting those competitors at all.)

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basic skills comps can also include the freestyle levels, basic hockey, Pre-pre, prelim, pre-juv, and for adults, pre-bronze and bronze.

Read the competition form carefully, it should have all the information there.

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

Yeah, each rink handles it differently. My rink has a lot of different levels, but for the 2nd year in a row, there is no pre-bronze....but there is a bronze level for the adults!!!

(I'm handling hospitality and checking in skaters... )

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

That's what my old club did a couple weeks ago and there were only two of us in the Bronze comp and both of us were pre-bronze skaters


I've done every job you can do (except announce) at a competition and I used to think playing music was the most stressful - but I decided ice monitor is the worse...especially with 5 year old girls who's coaches are not paying attention so you've got to make sure they have their guards off and are ready to go, in the mean time trying to make sure the next two groups are within your eyesight.

j

I wasn't even a pre-bronze skater and had to skate UP to bronze....it still haunts me to this day....

I also announced at an "informal" exhibition...where it was discovered (quite by accident) that I have an announcer's voice! Who'd have thunk???? I haven't been asked to announce, though since one of the member's of the rink staff is also a local radio dj.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

[QUOTE=Skate@Delaware;315053]I wasn't even a pre-bronze skater and had to skate UP to bronze....it still haunts me to this day....
[QUOTE]

Well I passed the test, but you are probably more of a pre-bronze skater than me -- most of the "no test" competitors at Adult mids probably would have beaten me.

j