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Coaching Philosophy

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Skate to Soar coaching uses a holistic approach. Beyond high-qualified teaching on- ice, we also offer sport-specific off-ice conditioning, nutrition, and mental training in our coaching. We consider each student as a whole and unique person with individual needs. We invest most of our time outside of the arena for periodized lesson planning and ongoing professional development. We create a full year planned syllabus so that the athlete can master their skills, rather than merely “pull off” a skill. We teach progressions; meaning that the process of building a skillset will look different from the finished product. We teach from a belief that sport is about more than what the athlete achieves on the podium; it’s about about who they become along the way. The journey of training develops life-long lessons of commitment, planning, discipline, overcoming challenges, and achievement on numerous levels.

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Dear Parents & Adult Skaters,

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Please see below for an outline of our policy and lesson fees regarding the upcoming season. Payment plan and cancellation policy to take effect September 1st 2020

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Hourly Rates:

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These rates are standard & in line with Skate Canada Provincial coach level of accreditation.

*When the session includes ice resurface you will still be billed for a full hour.

 

Private lessons:
$60 + HST /hour

Semi-Private lessons:

$32.50 + HST /hour, per skater

 

Group lessons:

$60 (+HST) + $5 (+HST) per additional skater, divided between the number of students in that group.

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Payment plan & Cancelation Policy:

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*During Covid lockdown we are billing on a bi-weekly basis. When the “normal” skating season resumes, we will return to our regular billing system:

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We use a pre-payment system. The total cost of the scheduled lessons (one season at the time: Fall/ Winter/ Spring / Summer) will be paid within the first 14 days of lessons for each season. You will have the opportunity to communicate any planned vacations / cancellations prior to or within the same 14 day period. Please provide us with a list of these dates at your earliest convenience.

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*For this skating season (now to Oct. 31st, 2020), planned absences must be communicated no later than September 19th, 2020.

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No cancelations in case of illness for up to one week. After one week of consecutive absence due to illness, we will accept cancellations.

Recurring cancellations (more than 1 week of missed lessons) due to medical reasons are only accepted if made at least 24hrs in advance and if supported by a doctor’s note.

The only other exceptions will be in case of serious injury which requires absence for longer than one week. In this case a doctor’s note must be provided.

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Due to the limited ice availability and a very busy schedule we will not be able to accept any cancellations (unless previously scheduled as outlined above) and will not be able to offer make-up lessons.

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In case of a cancellation on our part we will either provide a substitute coach for your / your child’s lesson, a credit or a refund. Under certain circumstances we may not always be able to communicate that a substitute will be covering a lesson. Any substitute will be carefully chosen with the best interest of the skater in mind and will be prepared to follow the lessons as previously planned.

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Please Note: The invoice received for this fall/winter/spring and summer sessions will only cover hours agreed to for regular scheduled lessons. This will NOT include any additional fees: Test Days, Competitions, Music Editing Charges, Ice Time, etc.

 

Separate invoices for these fees will be provided to each client with the expectation of payments received within 14 days after the date the invoices were sent.

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Competition and Test Day Fees: One skater: $100 (+HST) flat fee per competition day

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Two skaters in the same flight (same group on the ice): $60 (+HST) each Three skaters in the same flight: $50 (+HST) each
***Plus transportation costs.

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Accommodation fees (when needed) - will be divided between the number of our skaters taking part in the competition on that same day.

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Music Editing:
$30 (+HST) per piece of music.

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Expectations

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Punctuality:

It is expected that both student and coach will show up for the lesson on time. Otherwise the lesson plan is disrupted (especially in group lessons), and progression is slower. We understand that unforeseen circumstances can come up that may not allow a student to arrive on time. In such cases please communicate with us by sending a text or email.

Warm-Up: Students level Star 3 and above are expected to warmup off the ice, before putting their skates on. Warm-ups are extremely important for both injury prevention and getting the most out of their training. If their first lesson of the day is off-ice, a warm-up will be included in the lesson. If the first lesson of the day is on-ice, skaters are expected to follow the warm-up instructions taught in previous lessons.

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Discipline:

Coaches will take the liberty of sending students off the ice if they feel the lesson is being disruptive or if we determine the student needs to take a short break in order to mentally reset.

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How parents can best help their skater

Encourage ownership and independence in their training (i.e. allow skaters to practice tying their own skates, then re-tie them if they need to be tightened. Have them write down their skating schedule in their agenda and ask them to be the one to remind you when it’s time for practice :) It’s also best for the skaters if parents are not directly involved during a lesson; on-ice, off-ice, or online.

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Be a cheerleader (rather than another coach). We kindly ask that parents leave the guidance on technique up to us coaches. As professionals, we teach with a very strategic approach for the development of each skill. Keep in mind that the process of progressions looks different than the finished product. Although well-intentioned, sometimes advice from a non-professional can confuse or frustrate a skater.

 

The best way for parents to support their young athletes is to simply help them remember that they are incredible human beings regardless of what’s happening on the ice.

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Skate to Soar reserves the right to end coaching services at any point during the season if the client is not complying by the rules set in this contract.

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By signing below the undersigned acknowledges that they have read and agreed to the above noted fees and policies with regard to enrolling in skating lessons with team Skate to Soar. We realize this policy might not be fitting for everyone. For this inconvenience, we do apologize. If it is a problem, we will make every effort to assist in helping find another coach within the club.

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(Signature of parent/guardian) (date signed)