Registration for SkateStar program @ The Rink in May

The SkateStar program will be launched at The Rink starting this weekend ~ 5th & 6th May.

For the month of May, registrations will be for Core Blades 1 only. This is suitable for absolute beginners who have not ice skated before.

Registration starts on Monday 30 April at 3pm. I presume you have to go to The Rink to sign up, or call them at 6684 2374/5.

Figure Skating Sessions in May

Figure skating sessions have been announced on the SISA website.
Basically the sessions are:

Sat 5 May 5-7am
    ~ "structured" session, 2 hours with program music played

Sun 6 May 5-6am & 7-8am
    ~ "open" practice ice sessions , 1 hour each without music

Tue 8 May 9:45-10:45pm
    ~ "open" practice ice sessions , 1 hour without music

Sat 12 May 5-7am
    ~ "structured" session, 2 hours with program music played

Sun 13 May 5-6am & 7-8am
    ~ "open" practice ice sessions , 1 hour each without music

Tue 8 May 9:45-10:45pm
    ~ "open" practice ice sessions , 1 hour without music

Note that these sessions are open to all figue skaters, but prices are different for SISA members, affiliated Club members and non-members. Check out SISA's announcement for more details.

World Team Trophy 2012

Team Japan took the World Team Trophy, with fantastic performances from the Men and Ladies competitors.

Daisuke Takahashi skated a near-perfect free program, to give himself a comfortable lead over Canada's Patrick Chan.

In the Ladies event, Akiko Suzuki won with a lovely free program, though she seemed to be struggling with a few combination jumps and a popped 3Lo.

Japanese Pairs team Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran led in the short program, but faltered in the long to finish to 3rd place.

SkateStar Program ~ lessons at The RInk @ JCube

The SkateStar program is set up by the Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA) and will be implemented by The Rink at JCube. (Incidentally, I still maintain that the use of "proceeding" as an adjective is wrong... but that is beyond the scope of skating)

Here is the message sent out to SISA members today:

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

The SkateStar Program will commence at "The Rink" at JCube on Saturday and Sunday, 5th and 6th of May 2012!

4 sessions are available for the SkateStar Program which are scheduled for:
   Saturday: 9.15am-9.45am or 9.45am-10.15am
   Sunday: 9.15am-9.45am or 9.45am-10.15am

The 5 week skating course is a 30 minutes group lesson costing S$160 inclusive of rental skates and a complimentary 2 hour public session proceeding.

"The Rink" at JCube will revert to you when the management is able to take bookings for the courses in the next couple of weeks. For private lessons bookings (1-1 coaching), please fill in the attached form and either email it to Stuart Clays, Head Coach of The Rink at JCube at stuart.clays@capitaland.com, or drop in at the ice rink and the JCube team will revert back to you as soon as possible. Please note that in most cases, beginner students will need to complete Core Blades 1 to 4 before private lessons are available.

The SKATESTAR program was developed by the Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA) in collaboration with the Singapore Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) to cultivate the sport of ice skating in Singapore. It is Singapore’s only national learn to skate program. The program is designed to teach the fundamentals of ice skating through a progression of skills that is fun, challenging and rewarding.

Program Objectives: To teach the fundamental skills and correct techniques of ice skating;
To provide a fun and safe ice skating experience for beginners of all ages;
To provide all skaters (recreational and competitive) with the basic foundation for skating which will enable them to continue to more advanced figure skating or speed skating;
To provide a standardized methodology for coaching ice skating in Singapore;
To promote physical fitness by focusing on coordination and balance;
To teach life skills (discipline, perseverance and determination);
To have fun!

We look forward to seeing you on the ice soon!

Rate Sheets for The Rink @ JCube

It was a busy first week of operation for The Rink at JCube. I'm sure many have been asking about the rates and session timings ~ right, it is no longer a "come as you wish" concept, and for good or for bad, Singaporeans will quickly adjust to it.

In any case, I've taken photos of the rink's rate sheets. On one side is the session timings (photo below). It is a bit hard to read the "terms and conditions" in the dark area at the bottom, so I suggest you should go get a copy for yourself.

UPDATE: This schedule is now obsolete. There is a revised schedule as of 1 Oct.

And of course everyone would like to know the cost. Below are the rates, and though they did mention learn-to-skate classes at $160 for 5 lessons, they failed to say these are *group* classes (yes, there were many people asking me about it). Also, this must be the first time I've ever seen the word "proceeding" used as an adjective!

I'm curious to see how this second week goes, and whether things will settle down somewhat. It is wonderful to see a vibrant skating scene, but there is still uncertainty where it will put the sport of figure skating.

Winter Carnival ~ fun and skating for all

It was two days of fun for skaters ~ experienced and beginner. The events started with a speed skating demo and a figure skating performance, presented by SISA's speed and figure skaters.

After that were 3 sessions of organised group lessons for beginners, followed by a session of "family free skate" where parents also got on the ice with the kids!

As a coach on the ice, it was wonderful to see so many young kids interested in skating ~ and picking it up so fast. We covered the basic skills in the first level of our SkateStar program, and most of my groups picked them all up! Of course in the actual course we would be spending more time mastering each of these skills before moving skaters to the next level.

During the family free skate, parents also got their feet wet... and many of them were doing pretty well. Overall, it seemed like the participants had a great time and enjoyed their sessions.

For those interested in checking out the SkateStar program organisation, you can visit the website of the Official SkateStar Program.

If you are starting out and would like to purchase skates and accessories, feel free to visit my online store, Chowskates.

Opening performance at The Rink at JCube

Max Ko, presenting the first performance at the media launch for the opening of The Rink at JCube:

Artistic Seminar with Kevin Cottam

The Singapore Ice Skating Association has been organized a series of seminars in this first week of operation of The Rink at JCube. This morning was a seminar by Kevin Cottam, a well-known choreographer.

Skaters worked on concentrating on the core, the center, balance and control. Many good pointers, especially for the skaters in the beginning freestyle levels.

Winter Carnival ~ 6 & 7 April at The Rink @ JCube

"Winter Carnival" this Friday and Saturday at The Rink @ JCube will start with a performances at 12 noon, followed by FREE SkateStar Mini Workshops (free lessons) ~ half-hour sessions from 12:30 until 2:30. See the flyer below for more details!
** UPDATE 5 Apr 2012: sessions have been moved to a later timing. Sessions will start at 1:45pm.

The Rink @ JCube Opens Today!

Today was the opening of The Rink at JCube ~ Singapore's first Olympic size ice skating rink. Of course I had to go for a spin on the ice.

One thing that disappointed many figure skaters was the rule of no jumps and no spins on public sessions. The rule is set up for safety of skaters in the rink, during public session. In that case, the rink should offer closed sessions for figure skaters!