Parents-- what do you want to see out of your kids figure skating club?

[jumpingbeansmom]

We need some ideas to breathe life into ours! &)

[isakswings]

I will be interested in other responses since we are in a similar boat.

Re-activation of the junior club. I think since the club is mostly made up of kids, having a good junior club is crucial to the clubs survival. Having a junior club, shold create unity and hopefully allow the kids to be more involved with their fellow club members. Our club is hoping to get a junior club board elected and we would like to see the kids actively involved in planning a quaterly activity. One of the biggest issues we see in our club, is the lack of unity among our members. Maybe this is a common thing in clubs??

Clinics. I would love to see more clinics come to our club. We usually have one a year but it is not hosted by the club.

Unity... and I think that would happen if we could get the above things going

a mentor program... for both new members and parents of new members. Parents of new members are usually like deer caught in headlights. It's confusing to try and navigate the world of figure skating!

[Sk8tmum]

Efficiency, professionalism, and a happy atmosphere. We skate at two clubs now; one higher profile, one lower profile. I'll tell you, my guys are far more eager to hit the ice in the smaller lower profile club - because of the outgoing executive, coaches who take the time to smile and say "hi", and the lack of nastiness and politics on the ice and in the dressing room.  It all starts from the top.

Other little things, if you can: get pictures of the skaters up in the arena; celebrate accomplishments in newsletters and in bulletin boards - and not just big things, but small ones like LTS stages, landing an axel for the first time, passing tests too of course, plus competition participation (not just placements); get somebody to put pictures or small newsstories in the local press: all of these things help with image. Club jackets that the kids can wear so that they feel like a "team" - and they are also walking billboards!

[jumpingbeansmom]

Efficiency, professionalism, and a happy atmosphere. We skate at two clubs now; one higher profile, one lower profile. I'll tell you, my guys are far more eager to hit the ice in the smaller lower profile club - because of the outgoing executive, coaches who take the time to smile and say "hi", and the lack of nastiness and politics on the ice and in the dressing room.  It all starts from the top.

Other little things, if you can: get pictures of the skaters up in the arena; celebrate accomplishments in newsletters and in bulletin boards - and not just big things, but small ones like LTS stages, landing an axel for the first time, passing tests too of course, plus competition participation (not just placements); get somebody to put pictures or small newsstories in the local press: all of these things help with image. Club jackets that the kids can wear so that they feel like a "team" - and they are also walking billboards!

I love these ideas...thanks!

[FigureSpins]

I've never been a member of a club with a "junior board."  How do you prevent it from becoming a clique?

I really like the idea of doing fun activities that aren't training.  Freestyles are so expensive and younger skaters often get caught up in socializing on the ice.  I think it would be a good idea to have a monthly or weekly get-together on a public session where the kids can hang out, fool around, and just have fun together without worrying about this move or that spin.  It's cheaper than renting club ice time and it encourages comraderie.  The difficult part is finding a session that works for everyone.  It would be AWESOME if you could ask the rink to welcome the club members over the loudspeaker at that public session.  (You could probably get a group discount rate.)

My skating parents and students all get along really well and they've embraced the other families on their synchro teams.  Last year, we had a number of potlucks for the 20 or so people involved.  The dads watched football, the moms chatted, and the kids played.  We took turns hosting it at our houses and everyone brought something to eat, which resolved the various food needs and gave us all something new to try. 

One mom taught the girls how to knit, another lives near a park/playground where the girls could walk over to play.  Another has a huge house and yard - they had a blast playing on the hammock, tossing horseshoes, etc.

I think that the kids and the parents need to have fun with each other.  It develops respect and makes them support each other on the ice since they're not strangers. 

If your club has weekend practices, what about having a picnic lunch a few times each year?
Have everyone bring their own box lunch, go to a park nearby and just hang out.


I really like the idea of a mentor program.  I act as the mentor for my students' families, but I've had multiple people ask to be on my email distribution because their coaches don't provide as much information or guidance.  That's uncomfortable for me because I don't want to be accused of soliciting someone else's students.  I often have new skating parents ask me for information and guidance.  If the Club offered that assistance, it would encourage families to change from the rink's basic skills program to the club's membership.  Even if it's still a Basic Skills program, mentoring will bring in new members earlier than waiting until they're ready for their first test.

[PinkLaces]

We skate at a rink with plenty of free style ice sessions run by the rink.  A skater would never have to join the club unless they wanted to skate on one of the few club ice sessions (or test or compete in USFS). We have doubled our membership in the last 2 years.  I think the main thing is: people want to be included and respected, no matter what the level or talent of their skater. 

*Coaches set an important example in how they expect their skaters to behave toward other skaters and their parents.

*Club jackets - this is a big draw especially for the little ones.

*Club photo - we got one of those photos like the HS sports teams get of all the members to hang in our rink.  Big hit!

*Quarterly social event - 2-3 are potlucks hosted at a member's home.  1 is a skating event.  If your rink does birthday parties, this is a good way to keep costs down.  We also have a very nice banquet every year where we give test pins and talk about other skating accomplishments like regionals, etc.

*Updated website with competition results and tests passed. Quarterly newsletter with the same info, because not everyone is tech savy.

*Volunteer recognition - on our bulletin board for volunteer hours over a certain amount.

*Skating exhibitions one or two times a year.  Kids can do any program they like and then there is free skating afterwards.

[skatingmum2]

What about mini shows (preferably that the kids choreograph), impromptu artistic exhibitions the kids can do - and love the idea's mentioned above.