Skaters in the STARSkate program can test their figure skating skills in four areas – Skating Skills, Ice Dance, Free Skate and Interpretive. Each area is divided into the following levels:
Primary Level Tests
- Skating Skills: Preliminary, Junior Bronze
- Free Skating: Preliminary, Junior Bronze
- Dance: Preliminary, Junior Bronze
- Interpretive: Introductory
Intermediate Level Tests
- Skating Skills: Senior Bronze, Junior Silver
- Free Skating: Senior Bronze, Junior Silver
- Dance: Senior Bronze, Junior Silver
- Interpretive: Bronze
Senior Level Tests
- Skating Skills: Senior Silver, Gold
- Free Skating: Senior Silver, Gold
- Dance: Senior Silver, Gold, Diamond
- Interpretive: Silver, Gold
You will hear the terms “low test day” and “high test day”. Preliminary, Junior Bronze, and Senior Bronze are considered “low” tests, and Junior Silver, Senior Silver, and Gold are considered “high” tests. Each year, the Kemptville Skating Club usually hosts three low test days and two high test days. Sometimes our skaters will skate tests at test days at other clubs.
Is your skater is ready to test?
Your coach will let you know when your skater is ready to test.
About 3-4 weeks before a test day, the coaches submit a list of skaters that are ready to test to our Test Chair. About one week before the test day the coaches confirm with the Test Chair the skaters that are testing. (Sometimes coaches will pull skaters from a planned test if they feel the skater is not quite ready.)
The test schedule is usually communicated by email and posted on the bulletin board in the arena lobby.
Test fees
The Test Chair will give you an envelope with your skater’s test information and fees for the test.
- Skate Canada fee: A payment to Skate Canada for each test ($15-20).
- Hospitality fee: A payment made to the Kemptville Skating Club once per test day to cover the evaluator’s mileage and a gift.
- Ice fee: Applicable if we need to rent extra ice over and above our regular time. This fee varies for each test day.
- Coaching fee: This fee is between you and your coach; they will add it to your regular bill.
If your skater is testing at another club, their fees will likely be different, and sometimes they will charge an extra fee to skaters who are not members of their club. The Kemptville Skating Club does not reimburse you for any of these extra fees.
Volunteers
To run smoothly, test days require volunteers! We need an ice captain (who keeps the schedule flowing), people to play the music, runners, and food for the volunteers and evaluator. About a week before test day, the Test Chair will send an email with a list of needs. If your skater is testing, you are expected to help out with the food/refreshments for at least one or two test days per year.
On test day
Female skaters should wear a skating dress or skirt. Male skaters should wear a skating outfit of comfortable pants and shirt.
Skaters must arrive at least an hour before their scheduled test time – test days sometimes run ahead of schedule. When you arrive at the arena, check in with the ice captain. The ice captain will let you know which changing room to use.
The ice captain will make sure your skater knows when to be on the ice.
Test day schedules allow for an on-ice warm up of about 3-10 minutes (depending on the test and number of skaters). This warm up also allows coaches and dance partners to spend time on last-minute instructions before the tests begin.
A Skate Canada evaluator watches and evaluates each test. Parents and guests may watch from the stands or the lobby – but remember that is a test and silence is required.
After the test, the evaluator gives the evaluation sheet to the Test Chair, who will then give it your skater’s coach (or directly to the skater if the coach is unavailable). Test sheets are made available periodically throughout the test day. You and your skater should wait patiently until the Test Chair has the opportunity to hand out the sheets.
It is a good idea to keep the test sheets for future reference. The Test Chair submits the results of the tests to Skate Canada to be added to the skater’s profile, but sometimes there is a delay before they are visible online.
(This content modified from the Winchester Skating Club website.)