skater’s corner
Interested in improving your skating but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place! This is an area for you to keep in-touch with other skaters and find resources to make your ice dreams come true!
off-ice Training resources
Downloadable Curriculums and Skater Checklists
Free Video Resources from U.S. Figure Skating
Free Video Resources from Learn to Skate USA
Downloadable Documents from Learn to Skate USA
Learn to Skate USA Crossword / What Do I Wear When I Ice Skate?
Learn to Skate USA Word Search / What Do I Wear When I Ice Skate?
how do i get started?
LEARN TO SKATE USA®
Before you can figure skate, you need to learn the basics of ice skating. Endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating, Learn to Skate USA®, powered by Toyota, introduces beginning skaters to the fundamentals of ice skating. Through personalized attention, skaters are better prepared to move on to more specialized forms of skating.
At the early stages, Learn to Skate USA® teaches everyone the fundamentals of ice skating before moving on to specialized programming that allows you to hone your skills. For aspiring figure skaters, participants advance to participate in the free skate, ice dance, synchronized, Theatre On Ice, Artistry in Motion, pairs and Axel Club curricula.
ICE SKATING DISCIPLINES
SINGLES
In singles figure skating, men and women compete solo, demonstrating required elements during a program that can include jumps, spins, step sequences and more. There are two segments that make up domestic and international competitions: the short program and free skate.
PAIRS
As defined by the International Skating Union, pairs figure skating is "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating as compared with independent Single Skating.” Each pair consists of one male and one female skater, and together they complete both a short program and free skate. In contrast to ice dance, pairs skating features overhead lifts, and side-by-side jumps and spins.
ICE DANCE
With its roots in ballroom dancing, ice dance features a male and female performing a choreographed routine to music. Similar to singles and pairs, ice dance has two competition segments: a rhythm dance and a free dance.
SYNCHRONIZED SKATING
In synchronized skating, a team of eight to 20 skaters work together to perform a choreographed routine in unison. Originally known as “precision skating” due to the high level of coordination needed to successfully manage such a large number of people on the ice at one time, synchronized skating is a true team sport that brings individual skaters together into a single, cohesive unit.