The Professional Coach

The Skate Canada Professional coach is a huge component of your child's figure skating experience. Not only is their role to each and develop technical ability in a skater, but they are also a role model, a manager, a strategist and a volunteer. Coaches play an important role in developing well-rounded individuals. They share the responsibility of creating a positive environment that will promote physical development and well being, mental development, positive self-image, social skills development discipline, self-reliance and independence, and principles of fair play and good sportsmanship. It is important for parents and coaches to establish good communication about a child's progress and experience in the sport.

To fulfil their role as experts of figure skating, coaches must continually upgrade their knowledge. Technique, nutrition, communication, sport science, planning, running programs, and administration are a few examples of some of the areas coaches understand. To start coaching in a Skate Canada club or skating school, coaches must be certified at Level 1 of the National Coaching Certification program. They must also hold a valid First Aid certificate, be coaching members of Skate Canada for the current and abide by the Skate Canada Coach's Code of Ethics.

Coaching Certification is divided into five levels. Level 1 is the entry level and level 4/5 is the Olympic and World level. In levels 2&3, a coach can be certified in a particular discipline. A coach may be Level 3 certified in Singles and at the same time Level 2 certified in Dance. These areas of specialization are important for skaters to know as these levels are an indication of the specific expertise of the coach.

Here is a brief overview of what skill level you can expect a coach to have at each level of certification.

Level 1
At this level coaches will get a basic appreciation for planning, sport safety, skill development, growth and development, skill analysis and physical preparation. They will learn about the CanSkate program, STARSkate program, basic technique, communication, rules, music, choreography, ethics, and our sport system. Coaches at this level are competent at guiding parents, preparing skaters and administering Skate Canada Learn to Skate programs at a basic level by selecting and implementing (pre-packaged)plans and materials. They are also competent at guiding skaters through the Skate Canada STARSKate Test program and preparing them for non-qualifying competitions at a basic level by selecting and implementing (prepared) plans and materials.

Level 2
At this level, coaches will learn about rules, business management, physical preparation, Skating Skills (Sr. Bronze and Jr. Silver), interpretive skating, ice shows, skill analysis, coaching as a profession, and equipment among other things.  Coaches at this level are competent at guiding parents, preparing skaters and administrating Skate Canada CanSkate program, and STARSkate programs at an intermediate level and are competent at preparing, guiding and developing competitive athletes at an intermediate level by selecting, modifying and implementing prepared plans and materials. This coach may also be competent at organizing and administrating all Skate Canada programs, on and off the ice at an advanced level by selecting, modifying or creating and them implementing plans and materials.

Level 3
At his level, coaches will learn about preparing a yearly planning instrument (YPI), physical preparation, Skating Skills (Sr. Silver-Gold), skill analysis, mental preparation, competition accounting, program design and training, team building, planning, teaching progressions, packaging, and management. Coaches at this level are competent at guiding parents, preparing skaters and administrating Skate Canada programs at an advanced level by selecting, modifying or creating and then implementing plans and materials. They are also competent at preparing skaters for non-qualifying/qualifying competitions at an advanced level and for life after sport. They are also competent at organizing and administrating all Skate Canada programs, on & off the ice at an advanced level (high test and competitive).

Level 4/5
Levels 4 & 5 of the Coaching Certification program represent the highest components of coach education available in Canada. They Level 4/5 program is the top level of professional training for coaches and was developed for coaching high performance athletes. These levels prepared coaches for leadership roles in national and international competitions, and ensure they will be effective at any level in the high performance sport system. Level 4/5 consists of an applied study program of twenty tasks incorporating all 3 components theory, technical, and practical as they apply to the sport of figure skating in each of its disciplines. Twelve of these must be completed for Level 4 and the remaining eight tasks for Level 5. The high performance coach is competent at preparing, guiding and developing athletes for high performance competitions and life after sport by planning, implementing and evaluating tasks at the elite level.

Coaches are also required to be certified at a certain level to be accredited at competitions. These levels may vary from Section to Section across the country for invitation competitions. However, qualifying events have a predetermined level of certification required by every coach attending the championships. For example, a coach must be certified at Level 2 to be accredited at Sectionals or the Eastern or Western Challenge Competitions. Junior Nationals requires coaches to be certified at the Level 2 for Juvenile and Pre-Novice events and at Level 3 for Novice events. Coaches attending the Canadian Championships must be Level 3 certified.

In addition to certification, coaches are encouraged to attend clinics and seminars throughout the season to upgrade their knowledge about the sport.

For further information visit the "Professionally Speaking" section of the Skate Canada website.

Adapted from Figure Skating: What Every Parent Needs To Know complements of Skate Canada

Skate Canada Coaches Code of Ethics