About Us
The Better Edges Figure Skating Club is for skaters of all ages and abilities. We are a non-profit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(7). The club is not part of the rink; however, it does contract ice time from the rink. Since the club is entirely run by volunteers; parents, relatives and friends are encouraged to attend all Better Edges meetings, activities, and to volunteer and participate in all fundraising activities.
Club Rules and Regulations
1) Skaters and parents are advised that any abuse of the rules and regulations of the skating club may result in the skater being excused from the ice for a period of a time to be determined by the board of directors.
2) No ipods, lap tops, walkman or any personal listening devices on the ice.
3) "Right of way" will be given to the skater doing his or her program.
4) Coaches giving lessons may play their programs a determined number of times.
5) Programs will be played in a specific order, if the coach or skater waves off their music or are not on the ice when it is their turn; their music will be placed in freestyle order for the second playing of music.
6) Be respectful, courteous, and supportive at all times to coaches, fellow members, parents and competitors.
7) Dues must be paid on or before the due date specified on the contract. In the event that the club cannot meet its financial obligations to the rink, all the members may be subject to an assessmet to cover the shortfall. Every attempt, including conducting fundraising activities, will be made to avoid this situation.
8) The club is not responsible for damaged, stolen, lost or misplaced property, including money. Bring at your own risk.
Volunteers
As the club is solely run by volunteers, we need volunteers to serve in the following capacities either as an individual or as a part of a committee:
- Fundraising events - organize events like 50-50 raffles, hoagie sales, etc. to raise funds for the club
- Competition organizer - gather information about upcoming competitions and distribute the information to the club members. Select a competition for the club to compete at as a team.
- Annual show - there are many roles and ways to help with the show from organizing the show, selling tickets, putting together the program, etc.
- Play music during practice sessions. On crowded sessions or as a competition appraches, there is a great demand by the skaters to have their music played. The process is a lot more orderly when a volunteer controls whose music gets played by lining up the music and playing them in order. Also, having a volunteer run the music box reduces the likelihood of a single skater getting his/her music played excessively.
These are just some of the examples where volunteers are needed. There are many other volunteer opportunities with the club.
Workshops, Private Lessons, and Coaches
The coaches are not employees of the club. However, the right to coach during club ice time is a privilege, and all coaches are bound by the same club rules and regulations as club members. The club reserves the right to revoke teaching privileges. The coaches independently set their own fees according to their experience and credentials. All coaches fees are to be paid directly to the coach and not the club.
Throughout the season, workshops may be offered during club ice time. In a workshop, the skaters are grouped according to their skating level determined by the coaches and work with a coach for 30 minutes. Participation in workshops is not mandatory but strongly encouraged as they are an effective way of getting instruction at a significantly lower price. The cost of the workshops is determined by the coaches. The demand for the workships will also determine their frequency.
Coaches also can conduct private lessons where a skater gets to work one-on-one with the coach. While the decision to start private lessons is an individual one, it is usually recommended that a skater starts private lessons when he/she needs individual attention, or is interested in competing or learning more difficult elements like jumps and spins. Private lessons need to be set up directly with the coach. Prior to agreeing to private lessons with a coach, it is recommended that you first discuss fees, lesson duration and frequency with the coach.
Communication
The best way to receive news is from emails, the club website, or the bulletin board at the rink. Please make sure that the club officers have your current email address. If you have anything that you would like communicated/posted via the website please contact any of the board members.