WFSC WAUPUN FIGURE SKATING CLUB HANDBOOK 2017-2018 SEASON WAUPUN FIGURE SKATERS INTRODUCTION: Welcome Skaters and Parents!! We are happy to have you as a member of the Waupun Figure Skating Club for the 2017-2018 skating season. We hope this handbook will help answer many of the questions you may have about the clubs policies and functions. We suggest you keep this handbook in a convenient location, as you will want to refer back to it on occasion. If you should lose your handbook, please contact a member of the board of governors, found on the next page, to obtain a replacement. We welcome your comments and concerns as the year evolves. With your concern for the youth and the success of this program, we expect to make this season better than the last. Please watch the bulletin boards, flyers, newsletters and website for upcoming events and due dates. Please access the website for additional information at: www.waupunfigureskating.com or check out our Facebook page at Waupun Figure Skating Club or Email @ waupunfigureskatingclub@gmail.com BOARD OF GOVERNORS: The Board of Governors is elected at the Figure Skating Banquet by the parents of the skaters. At the first meeting following the banquet, club officers are nominated and voted on by the balance of the board. The executive committee consists of the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and USFSA delegate. The executive committee will assign board members to committees to either chair or assist. Each board member is expected to attend all board meetings and work positively to ensure each member of the club has a rewarding experience. We are always open for suggestion and any help that the parents and skaters can offer. If you have any interest in learning more about what is involved in being a board member, please contact a Board member before the Annual Skater Banquet.
2017-2018 Board of Governors Lisa Bille- President Cell: 920-382-3723 Email: blbbbbille@yahoo.com Heidi Portatz- Vice President 920-948-2448 hpotratz@sbcglobal.net Sara Koerner-- Treasurer Cell: 920-319-0279 Email: kuzulkas@gmail.com Stephanie Flecher Secretary Cell:414-313-0841 Email: fletchersn09@gmail.com Melissa Brown Cell: 920-382-1115 Email: mbrown639@gmail.com Jackie Lese Cell: 920-210-8948 Email: Jackie.lese@gmail.com Alissa Bishop Cell: 920-517-9067 Email: bishopskate0902@gmail.com
Matt Babiash Cell: 920-948-1621 Email: mkbabiash@gmail.com Bobbie Kunz 920-960-6475 kunzbobbijo@gmail.com Makensey Baumgardt (Alternate) 920-318-3126 makenseydono@charter.net Chris Bishop (Alternate) 414-335-4270 Email: bishopskate0902@gmail.com Jason Lese Zamboni (Not on Board) Cell: 920-229-2244 Email: Jackie.lese@gmail.com Kate Gulke- Skating Coordinator & membership chair (Not on Board) Cell: 920-318-0001 Email: katiegrulke@gmail.com BOARD OF GOVERNORS: During the skating season, members of the Board of Governors will generally be available during regularly scheduled classes. You will find them in the office or around the rink to answer questions or address concerns you may have. Monies due for registration fees, fundraisers, show fees, etc. can be paid in the office as well in the form of check with an explanation on the memo line. There is a black locked box in the office or you may hand in to a board member.
BULLETIN BOARDS: A bulletin board is located in the blue line room near the concession window. This bulletin board lists board member contacts as well as instructors contact information. Only certain cleared instructors are eligible to give private instruction. Please refer to the board to contact an instructor or board member with any questions or concerns you may have if you cannot find one at the rink. All notices of upcoming events, due dates, volunteer hours, volunteer opportunities, upcoming competitions available, etc. will be posted here. It is the board s responsibility to post the information, but it is your responsibility to read it. These are valuable tools in keeping skaters and parents informed, as well as the website and newsletters. CANCELLATIONS: Cancellation of classes due to bad weather will be announced on our Facebook page & web site. We will try to send an email to all skaters as well. If school has been cancelled due to bad weather, or closed early, chances are quite high that skating will be cancelled as well unless conditions improve by 4:00 p.m. Please tune to the local radio station, our website, FB, and email. If in doubt contact a Board member. REFUNDS ON CLASSES: If there is some reason for a need to drop a class that your skater(s) are in, a full refund will be given if the club is notified BEFORE the first class of each new session. After that there is NO refund. DISCOUNTS: No Discount on multiple family members if Registration is late on deadline. LATE REGISTRATION: Once the deadline for registration is set per session, any late registrations will receive a $10.00 late fee per registration/skater. PRIVATE INSTRUCTION: Private lessons or instruction are offered to any member of the Waupun Figure Skating Club on a first come/first serve basis. These lessons are an agreement made solely by the skater and the chosen pro instructor not the responsibility of the club. Each instructor sets their own fees, their own private lesson schedule, their own practice/performance policies and contracts directly with the skater s family for lesson. Privates at the Waupun rink take place during our club s open ice times. There are no open ice times during regular class time, unless noted on the ice schedule. Watch for updates. While competitions are open to all levels of skaters, private instruction for especially a lower level skater can be solely for the purpose of improving skills taught in basic skills classes. If a skater wants to participate in competitions, then the private instruction is almost essential. COMPETITIVE SKATING: In competitive skating the skater is no longer skating against a standard, as in testing; the skater is skating against other competitors whom he/she wishes to challenge. This means that the skater must not only be better than the other skaters in their group, but also look better and present him or herself better also. To do well, a skater s figure and free skate must be of a fairly higher standard then is required for testing. For additional information regarding individual competitions and the requirements, check with your instructor or a Board member. Open Ice Our club has time set aside for open ice. Open ice is for figure skaters only. Any Waupun Figure Skating club members, (Home club & Secondary Memberships), can use the ice at these listed times. This is also the time for privates if a skater is taking privates. Check out our schedule to see when the open ice times are. At no other time can skaters be on the ice to practice,
have privates, or skate around. During class times, skaters are only allowed on the ice if they are taking that class(s) being taught at the time. Any other skaters will be asked to leave the ice and can return at open ice times. Non-Waupun club members also may use the open ice times. They must pay $12.00 per hour they want to skate. Envelopes are available in the office. Please put name, money, and label open ice. Please give to the rink manager or put in Black box in office. FUNDRAISERS: The Waupun Figure Skating Club is a non-profit organization and therefore requires many volunteer workers to help make the program a success. Fundraisers are needed to help defray the high cost of maintaining the rink and also keep your participation cost down. We need your help if your child is to continue receiving a quality program at a reasonable price. Christmas wreath sale: Each year the Waupun Figure Skating Club sells fresh balsam and cedar Christmas wreaths as a major fundraiser. All of the proceeds go directly to the figure skating program from this project. Each skating family is asked to sell a minimum of three wreaths per skater (six wreaths per family of 2 or more skaters). Checks or money orders should be made out to WFSC, please write one check per skater/family. Orders will not be placed if not paid in advance. Order forms will be available early fall. Wreath pick-up usually takes place the week of Thanksgiving. There is a Buy-Out option as follows: For one skater $30 and for 2or more skaters $50. Buy out option must be paid by the wreath turn in date, TBD. Watch the bulletin board, website, FB, and emails for additional details. Additional fundraising activities: Again if you have any ideas or suggestions for fundraising projects, feel free to bring them to the board s attention. There is also a committee designated for ideas and planning of fundraisers outside of those listed above. HOLIDAY SKATING EXHIBITION: The Holiday Skating Exhibition (AKA Cookie Walk) is a practice program during which skaters get a chance to demonstrate what they have learned so far to parents and guests. All members of the Waupun Figure Skating Club are encouraged to participate in the exhibition. The Basic skills, synchro lines, and Freestyle classes will put on short demonstrations to holiday music themes. Competitive skaters are encouraged to also skate their programs, providing opportunity for people who are unable to attend the competitions, to see what the performers can do. If any skater or group of skater wishes to perform please sign up in advance in the rink office. A sign up sheet will be posted around mid-november. No special costumes are required, however we recommend dressing your child in Holiday attire. The exhibition is open to the public and we encourage everyone to invite family and friends for a great time. There is no admission charged. The annual cookie walk is held during the holiday skating exhibition. Each family is asked to bring two-dozen holiday cookies, bars or candies to be sold as a fund raising activity. VOLUNTEER HOURS: During the skating season parents are asked to volunteer a certain amount of hours. As a volunteer organization it is essential to get this help to maintain the facility and the
program. One place to get some of these volunteer hours is working in the concession stand, ticket taking, or as a rink manager on occasions when board members are not available. At least one Committee is required per family as well. It is your responsibility to find a replacement at that point. If you do not show up and/or find your own replacement, you will be billed at $50 per instance to be paid before the next skating session. If the fees are not paid by then, your skater will not be allowed on the ice. Each family is expected to work 20 hours of volunteer opportunities, unless in the Jump into Skating program (that is 12 hours). Hours will come from concessions, ticket taking, Zamboni, rink cleaning, and/or along with other opportunities that present themselves. The amount of children skating does not change the total volunteer hours required. Jump into Skating(a new skater)- the Jump into Skating program requires 12 hours of volunteer work per family. This applies only to families with skaters in the Jump into skating program only. If you have one skater in jump into skating and one in regular, you will need the 20 hours listed above instead. If you have more than one skater in the jump into skating program, you are still only required to work 12 hours total. There is a Buy-Out option for volunteer hours. Buy-Out option MUST be paid out before October 15 th, 2017 if you are choosing to take this option! Buy-out for volunteer hours is $15.00 per hour. Learn to Skate is 12 hours @$15.00= $180.00. Returning Skaters is $15.00 per hour @20hours= $300.00. If your hours are not met by the end of the skating season, you will then be billed for each hour missed at $20.00 per hour. That bill will be given and need to be paid by before the Spring Ice Show. If your child is not in the show, then it will need to be paid before the next session/season. THE ICE SHOW VOLUNTEER HOURS!!! If your child elects to participate in the Ice Show, you will be required to work during two of the four shows. You are NOT allowed to work all of your hours at the ice show, there is a lot of work that needs to be done throughout the year. Hours not worked will be billed at the rate of $20 per hour. To sign up for the volunteer slots they choose via DIBS or by contacting a board member who can then sign them up. It will be your responsibility to find a replacement if you are not able to make it at those times. All instances where you do not show up for your scheduled time slot you will be charged at the rate listed above ($50 per instance) We thank all of you for the hard work that you put in for our club to continue to grow and remain cost effective for our families! COMMITTEES There is a list of Committees that need help throughout the year. We ask that each family sign up for a minimum of one Committee. As this is a volunteer organization, it takes a village to make it succeed. We ask each family to participate to help make this easier. The committee list is available on DIBS. If you choose not to participate, you will be billed $50 payable before the next skating session. Concession Stand - Concession stand schedules will be available the first two weeks of skating. Sign up is on a first come, first serve basis. Someone will be at the rink to open the stand and assist with any questions. All of the equipment is marked with directions for operation. When working the stand, please check the list of procedures on the entry door. Please remember everyone is charged for food and merchandise from the stand. Public Skating ticket selling - Another way to get necessary volunteer hours is by taking admissions and helping with rental skates for public skating. Again, a calendar of dates and times will be available the first two weeks of skating on a first come, first serve basis. You will be asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to open skating to help set the cash box up in the office. Complete instructions are on the cash box and a WFSC board member will be present to answer any questions. As
ticket taker you will watch the ice to make sure everyone is abiding by the rules and be available if an emergency arises. The WFSC board member will assist you should any situation arise. Limited first aid and ice packs are available. Calling parents or 911 if a more serious injury arises. It is very important we receive all the help we can with the concession stand and ticket takers. If there are any problems reported to the board, privileges to work in the concession stand and/or other areas can be revoked. FAILURE TO FIND REPLACEMENTS FOR YOUR DESIGNATED TIME SLOTS WILL RESULT IN A PENALTY OF $50.00 per instance. YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE ICE UNTIL THIS IS PAID. ICE SHOW: Mark your calendars now! Plans are already underway for this year s Ice Show. It is scheduled for April 6th, 7th, 8th 2017. Show times will be Friday at 7:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Each year the Waupun Figure Skating Club puts on our own special show at the conclusion of the skating season, allowing all the skaters to demonstrate the rewards of their time and efforts of a long season. The 2017-2018 season theme for the Ice Show is The Golden Blade Awards. The seniors as well as the board chose this theme. The Ice Show is a great chance to promote our club to Waupun and area communities, not to mention the fun the skaters have. Of course, anything worth doing is worth doing well. It takes hours upon hours of preparation time on parents as well as skaters and instructors. There are several areas where you can assist. Watch the bulletin board, email, website, sign up sheet, and announcements for opportunity to help out. Please sign up. If your child elects to participate in the Ice Show, you will be required to work during two (minimum) Ice Shows. We need assistance with props, lights, raffles, room parents, etc. The committee lists are available at registration and the parent meeting, while the actual show sign up will be available in February. Skaters interested in participating in the Ice Show must be enrolled in both the second and third session in order to be eligible. Though participation in the show is not a requirement, we encourage it as a reward for a great season Each skater is responsible for completing their own show form and having it turned in a proper time frame. It is very important to get these forms in early as costumes are ordered by mid- November/December. A nominal show fee is assessed to each skater to help defray cost of costumes, props, lights, music, instructor fees, etc. Anyone involved in more than one act in the show will be an assessed additional fee based on the number of performances they are involved in. If a skater is unable to participate in the Ice Show, for whatever reason, after the forms have been submitted, there will not be a show fee refund. A limited number of feature spots are available in the show. These include solos, duets, trios and small group numbers, other than the class number. If you wish to try out for a feature spot you may, providing you have completed Freestyle 4 and are willing to hire, pay for and schedule a private instructor for the number. A sign up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board in the office. Guidelines for Solos and Features are stated below.. Feature Try outs will be held on a Sunday near the end of November or the Beginning of December. We will put out exact date in the near future. SOLO AND FEATURES GUIDELINES SENIOR SOLOS Senior skaters that will be graduating from High School the year of the respective ice show are awarded the privilege of showing the skills they have learned over the years by being allowed to skate a solo demonstration during the ice show. Seniors wishing to perform a solo or feature will not have to attend feature auditions.
prior to their senior year. year. fall session of classes of their senior the final decision. FEATURES Skaters must sign up for a feature audition when announced and posted. fall session of classes of that year. music or program is necessary. Skaters are encouraged to perform their best jumps, spins, and footwork, with the idea of an audience in mind. WFSC coaches will judge and rate the skaters, and decisions will be made between the coaches and the feature committee. of comparable level and ability after auditions, and assigned to the feature they are skating. The music committee will decide all music for the features, but features may be given an available list of music to choose from with recommendations for duet, trio, etc. to choose from for the ice show.
BANQUET: Each year the figure skating club holds an annual meeting/banquet. This is usually scheduled in late April. Awards, picture and show videos are generally distributed at this meeting. Any resolutions are voted on and any board openings are up for election at this meeting. This is the last event of the skating season and an excellent chance to socialize and enjoy a great meal. If you or someone you know are interested in being on the Board, please contact a current Board member so their name may be placed on a ballot. PROTECTIVE HEAD GEAR: The USFSA highly recommends the use of a bicycle helmet or other protective headgear for any skater at the beginning level. Our club requires head gear through age 4. While it is not required by WFSC or USFSA, any parent or skater who feels it necessary to have their skater wear protective headgear is welcome, and recommended to do so. Behavior Procedure: IF there would be a problem with a skater s behavior, either during class time, in locker rooms, or at the rink in general, the following is the WFSC Steps: 1. Verbal warning from coach/board member, 2. Email to parent and sit down with parent, skater, coach, and board member to sign code of conduct 3. Kick out of next class, 4. Kicked out for session. (At no time will reufund on class(es) be given due to behavior misses and/or being removed from class.) Check out our other class and opportunities the WFSC offers. WE have a SYNC Team and a Solo Skater group that goes to competition! For more information see a coach, board member, and/or our website.
U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Program FAIR PLAY Have fun Skate well Play fair In sports there seems to be a need for fair play and good sportsmanship to be taught and displayed. The following fair play codes have been developed with the hope that fair play can be learned and practiced at ice rinks all over the United States. 1. Skate for fun. Skate for yourself. Set goals for your own improvement. 2. Honest effort is as important as victory. Winning is doing your best. 3. Play by the rules. Do the right thing. 4. Cooperate with your instructor, other skaters and the rink management; they make it possible for you to skate. 5. Be nice to everyone no matter the outcome of the competition. Congratulate everyone for a good performance. 6. Control yourself. Negative or bad comments and behavior detracts from the sport and makes you look bad. 7. Treat all skaters as you would like to be treated. 8. Set a good example for younger, less experienced skaters. They look up to you. 9. Remember that the goals of any sport are to have fun, build skills and improve mental and physical conditioning and discipline. 10. Maintain a positive attitude and outlook. Help others to see their strengths. HAVE FUN!