If your club awards USFS test pins....

[PinkLaces]

Does your club give pins for USFS tests passed?  Do they give them out at the annual banquet?  If not, when do they give them?

If there was a skater that took at test with their old club, then switched to your club mid-way through the year (to be a full member, not just associate), would your club award them their pin?  They did not test at your club. They only paid for a half-year membership.

If a high level skater passed a senior test and then switched to your club mid-year, would your club award them the pin?  It costs $150.  Most other pins cost $8.00.

[Isk8NYC]

Our club offers pin/patch/both/none on the application, but it's optional and the skater pays the charge.
I think that the Club pays for the Senior and Adult Gold pins, though.  I think they do give them out during the Annual meeting/dinner.

That's awkward to have the skater switch mid-year and test.  Could you ask the skater to pay for some/all since you prorated her membership fee?

[drskater]

So few of our skaters test that we always buy them pins or the cheaper patches.

I thought gold medalists got something from USFS anyway?

If your club has the $$, go ahead and buy the appropriate pins---just make sure to take pictures, announce the awards in your newletters and bulletin boards, and write off the expenses as marketing/promotion and publicity--if the skaters are now in your club, use their achievements to your advantage!

[Isk8NYC]

That's a great idea - our local paper reports scouts who achieve Eagle and Gold Awards, this is comparable and the Club should send out announcements or press releases to mark the achievement.  It'll attract new skaters, especially higher-level ones who appreciate the recognition you give your members.

[lindafmb]

We get our USFS certificates from our coaches after we test, but we get our pins at our annual awards banquet for any tests we passed between beginning of May of one year thru end of April the following year. I've passed four USFS tests in previous years, so I've received four pins so far. I'll get another one--or possibly two more, depending how I do on my test session in two weeks--at this year's banquet. I've never been asked to pay for them directly, but we do have a fee to attend our banquet, which probably covers both the catering and the pins.

[davincisop]

You can get pins and patches??

[Clarice]

You can get pins and patches??

Yes.  Look on the USFS web site, in the Members Only section, in the On Line Store.

[PinkLaces]

Thanks for your replies.  Our club buys the pins and gives them out at the annual banquet.  We have had super small membership in the past and this year have a skater that passed her senior tests.  She is a long time member and since we haven't had anyone pass a senior test in several years, we plan to make a big deal about it at the banquet. We are buying her the pins.

There is a new coach that came to our rink that brought several competitive skaters that are homeschooled and skate during the day.  The coach quit or was fired (depending on who you talk to) from the old club.  They all became members - most associate, but a couple completely switched their memberships to make our club their home club. The new coach is not a nice person and has driven out a well-loved coach. A couple of the board members are having heart-burn over the possibilty of some new skaters coming in mid-year and paying the half year membership and expecting to get their gold pins from us. The concern is that these skaters will go where the coach goes and could be gone tomorrow. How to handle this is going to be discussed at the board meeting.

Skaters passing senior and gold tests get a letter from the president of USFS and a pin - not the gold medal pin that costs $150.

[AgnesNitt]

You can get pins and patches??

Here I think.

[Debbie S]

A couple of the board members are having heart-burn over the possibilty of some new skaters coming in mid-year and paying the half year membership and expecting to get their gold pins from us. The concern is that these skaters will go where the coach goes and could be gone tomorrow. How to handle this is going to be discussed at the board meeting.

That sounds like a messy situation. If this coach is causing trouble, you shouldn't allow him/her to coach on your club's ice. The board could probably get around this by saying that skaters must be members for the full year to get the medal. From your first post, it sounds like they passed their tests while still members of the old club - in that case, just say that they weren't members when they passed the test and that's that.

[Isk8NYC]

That sounds like a messy situation. If this coach is causing trouble, you shouldn't allow him/her to coach on your club's ice. The board could probably get around this by saying that skaters must be members for the full year to get the medal. From your first post, it sounds like they passed their tests while still members of the old club - in that case, just say that they weren't members when they passed the test and that's that.

Great suggestions, all. Can you give a coach notice that s/he isn't going to be allowed to coach on club ice?
S/he might end up on the rink freestyles, which you can't do anything about, but our club had the option of declining coaches. 

Can you review the bylaws and/or prior meeting minutes to see if there's a precedent for the Senior skater?  Or, if it's something that might happen next year, propose an amendment to the bylaws saying that pro-rated memberships aren't eligible for the award or they have to pay for it.

If it's less than $50, just write it off to good will and use it as a PR opportunity.

[tazsk8s]

There is a new coach that came to our rink that brought several competitive skaters that are homeschooled and skate during the day.  The coach quit or was fired (depending on who you talk to) from the old club.  They all became members - most associate, but a couple completely switched their memberships to make our club their home club. The new coach is not a nice person and has driven out a well-loved coach. A couple of the board members are having heart-burn over the possibilty of some new skaters coming in mid-year and paying the half year membership and expecting to get their gold pins from us. The concern is that these skaters will go where the coach goes and could be gone tomorrow. How to handle this is going to be discussed at the board meeting.

Skaters passing senior and gold tests get a letter from the president of USFS and a pin - not the gold medal pin that costs $150.

Our club has traditionally purchased the gold medal pins for those passing senior tests, but we're not that big and there have only been a handful over the years.  We only bought them for full members...associate members got whatever their home club gave out.  We did have a situation once where a skater had dropped her club membership for an individual one, then just "happened" to add the club membership right before one of her senior tests, only to not renew the club membership again when it came due.  Since nothing was written down by the previous board that started the gold medal thing, our board decided to formalize it so that one had to be a full member for a year in order to get their medal.

[Isk8NYC]

Good way to word the bylaw change.

[PinkLaces]

I like the wording on the by-law change, too.  We were thinking of changing it to 2 consecutive years.  The meeting is tonight.  I see that personnel changes are on the agenda.  Should be interesting.