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We wish all of our skaters the best of luck at their February competitions. The Provincial Starskate Championships is being held on February 24-26, Sydney Sexsmith will be skating at AB Winter Games February 11, and the Edmonton Region Funskate and Winsport competition round out the other 2 weekends! Due to all of these events, February is a rocky month for schedules, so please check the Club calendar (www.stalbertsc.com) to make sure you have skating schedule correct. Here is a re-cap of the irregularities this month:

Feb 4th- No Skating- Funskate. (Saturday skaters are welcome to skate Friday afternoon)

Feb 18- No 8:30-9:15am edge class- (Winsport Comp.) Regular scheduling thereafter.

Feb 25- No Skating- Starskate Finals (Saturday skaters are welcome to skate Friday afternoon)

Please note: Junior & Jumpstart skating will continue as scheduled from 10:45am-12:00pm on all these Saturdays

Feb 12- There is no JR skating on February 12 due to a Low Test-Day from 5:30-7:15pm. Intermediates are welcome to skate with the Seniors that night.

I will be emailing out the schedule for the week of February 26- March 3. The Special Olympics are being hosted in Seruvs Place that week and we have lost all of our ice time. I am trying to replace this ice with contributions from hockey and Ringette, however they cannot guarantee me anything at this time due to playoff schedules. So, I will be emailing the week before with a complete schedule.

Fun Day held on January 14 was a great event. Thanks to everyone who participated and volunteered to give us a great reason to have a pizza party!! Congratulations to the "Orange Tiger- Lilies" on their victory!!

Lastly, our Summer Camp information is now on-line and available for registration. Camp begins June 4 and ends August 4, so be sure to fit in some skating so your hard winter work doesn't go to waste! Deadline to register without penalty is May 10, 2012.

Enjoy your month and be sure to use that extra day we get this year to do something fun!!

March 10- High Test-Day will take place in the Performance Arena. All programming in the Troy Murray Arena is as scheduled.

March 18- There will be a Low Test Day on March 18 from 5:30-7:30pm, so JR skating will be cancelled.

March 24 & 25- Last Day for Saturday and Sunday Jumpstart is March 24 & 25. If you would like to participate in the May 11 Ice show, you can add 6 weeks of Thursday skating for an additional $108.

March 30- Sign-up for March 30 simulations is available in the skating office.

I’d like to welcome back all of you and your skaters to the St. Albert Skating Centre’s 2011-2012 season. Over the past months, our staff has been attending clinics, camps and seminars in an effort to bring back new ideas and better technique to our Club skaters. We are excited about the opportunity to make our programming as effective and enjoyable as possible for all skaters, and to provide the quality of coaching necessary for those who aspire to compete annually at the Sectional Championships every November.

Many of our skaters participated in a successful SASC Summer School at Servus Place this summer, which cumulated in 2 competitions in Leduc and Burnaby. We congratulate those skaters who competed, and all skaters who participated in our summer school. Your efforts on the ice and in fitness training are to be commended. I hope the parents in the stands will notice how much these skaters have improved.

I have some additional notes listed below to start off the season. If you have any questions, please consult the website at: www.stalbertsc.com or email me at sasc@telusplanet.net.

I’m happy to be returning as the SASC’s Skating Director for a fifth season and I wish everyone an enjoyable and successful season.

· New this year, Skate Canada has implemented a mandatory helmet policy for all skaters in Jumpstart. It is required that all skaters have a CSA approved helmet for Jumpstart in the 2011-2012 season. Those who do not have a helmet will not be admitted on the ice.

· Jumpstart orientation will be held on September 15, from 5:30-6:30pm or September 17, from 10:45-11:45am in Dressing Room #4 of the Troy Murray Arena. These times are during skating class, so they are convenient to attend. I will explaining why the Jumpstart program is organized the way it is, what important dates to watch for, and the necessary equipment your skater needs. I will also be available for any questions you might have.

· All off-ice warm-up and jump classes will require running shoes. You are welcome to bring a mat for stretching, however some are also provided.

· The SASC has hired a new coach for the upcoming season! Daniela Bahry is a very experienced Coach and past Club Director who has extensive dance and music training. Her career highlights are posted on our club website: www.stalbertsc.com. If you are interested in receiving lessons with Daniela, please contact your current coach, or Devan in the office.

· Our Office Assistants this year will be Fallon Dickie and Allison Dyck. We are fortunate to be able to offer office hours while skating programs are in progress to help have classes run smoothly.

· Saturday morning INT/SR skaters: please consult the Club “Calendar” for scheduling deletions to your programming during the year. In order to ensure all ice time is utilized, I have cancelled some ice when there are competitions happening at the same time. In the event that INT/SR ice is cancelled and there are skaters who are not participating in a scheduled competition, those skaters are welcome to skate of the Junior ice time from 10:45am-12:00pm. Also note, these deletions were taken into consideration when pricing for June registrations.

As the new skating season starts to get into a routine,, a reminder of the ways you can contact Club information and who you can go to if you have a question:

Club Director: Devan Nychka- sasc@telusplanet.net
Club President: Elizabeth Newnham- enewnham@shaw.ca
Club Vice-President: Kendra Sexsmith- csexsmith@shaw.ca
Junior Parent Liason- Alison Garwasiuk- garby22@yahoo.com
SASC Website: www.stalbertsc.com- for all skating information and schedules.

Also, the SASC Executive will be hosting the event: "Say Boo to the Board" during Jumpstart classes on October 27 & 29. This will be your opportunity to meet members of the S.A.S.C. Executive and to ask them any questions you may have.

One question brought forward from a parent this month is "Why is there classical music played on all days of the week when it is supposed to only be played on "Classical Music Sundays?"

The purpose of playing a variety of music of Freeskate sessions is for skaters to become aware of genres of music they might not otherwise hear at home or at school. Also, the majority of program music used for figure skating is classical music, so it is important skaters are exposed to it at a young age as this music is part of the sport. Lastly, not all skaters skate on Sundays, so it is important to make sure all skaters, regardless of the day-of-the-week they skate, have the opportunity to hear some different kinds of music.

If you have a question, please submit it in writing to one of the email addresses above.

Thank-you & Have a Happy Thanksgiving,

Devan Nychka
SASC Program Director

- A reminder there will be no skating on October 7-10 due to a Ringette tournament

- The SASC will be holding a Silpada Jewerly fundraiser in October. More details to follow....

- There is no skating from Friday, October 7- Tuesday, October 11 due to the Turkey Ring Ringette Tournament.

- There is no Saturday edge class on October 15th, due to the Glenora Competition. All other skating is as scheduled.

- Forms for the Drayton Valley Funskate and AB Winter Game Run-offs need to be received by the host competition committee by November 1st.

- There will be a Starskate Freeskate Seminar held in Medicine Hat on October 22 & 23 with Cynthia Ullmark. For information, please visit the Skate Canada: Alberta website at: www.skateabnwtnun.com

- The SASC will be holding a Silpada Jewerly fundraiser in October. More details to follow....

November is the month where we start our testing of the Jumpstart and StarSkaters. And for our Competitive skaters, they wrap-up their season with the "Sectional Championship" on November 3-6. We wish the best of luck to Natascha Collier, Sydney Sexsmith, Megan Newnham, Vanessa Dickie and Alaura Caskey who will be representing our club in Grande Prairie next week. It has been great to see the enthusiasm and dedication of these skaters as they have prepared all summer and fall for this competition. Also, good luck is sent to all skaters participating in the local test-days and Drayton Valley Competition on November 26th. We look forward to many good skates and fun times!!

- Jumpstarters are invited to wear their Halloween costumes for Jumpstart on October 27 & 29. Please, no scarves, or other tripping hazards.

- The Executive will also be present for Jumpstart classes this week for the "Say Boo to the Board". Please say hello and let the Executive know of any questions or concerns you may have.

- Jumpstart testing will begin on November 10th. Please attend as many classes as possible to help our coaches give an accurate evaluation from the first half of the year. Report cards and "Crazy Hat/Hair" day will be December 1st & 3rd.

- An email will be sent-out notifying you of when photos arrive. All Photos will be put in the skater's mailboxes in the skating office, hopefully by the end of November.

- There will be NO JR/INT or SR off-ice on Thursday, November 3rd due to the Sectional Championships in Grande Prairie.

- Our first Low Test-day will be held on Sunday, November 13th from 5:30-7:30pm. This means there will be NO JR skating or Figures that day. All Intermediate skaters are welcome to skate with the SR's from 7:30-8:30pm. Please visit the skating office for a Test-Day schedule and to pay for your tests. Low Test fees are $25/test

- The first High Test-Day is Sunday, November 20th at the Millwoods Recreation Centre. High test fees are $35/test and are also payable to the skating office.

- There is no INT/SR Edge Class on November 5th (8:30-9:15am) or INT/SR ice time on November 26 (8:30-10:45am) due to competitions.

- For the Drayton Valley competition schedule (November 25-27) please visit the "Competitions" Tab on the Section website: www.skateabnwtnun.com , or visit the skating office for a printed copy.

Congratulations go out to our skaters who competed at Sectionals last month as well to those skaters who passed Skate Canada tests and/or medaled in Drayton Valley last weekend. Also, a special congratulations to Sydney Sexsmith for qualifying for the Zone 5 Alberta Winter Games Team. Great job!! There is a new "SASC Skating Stars" area on the bulletin board to recognize these skaters' achievements. Be sure to check it out!!

December is the month where we all get to have a little fun. Jumpstarters are preparing for their Spin/Spiral/Jump presentations and the Academy skaters are choreographing new programs and performing in fun Club events. I hope everyone is enjoying their participation in our programs so far.

Enjoy your well-deserved break over the holiday season. Our last day of skating is December 22nd and we rejoin our scheduling again on January 2nd, 2012. See you in the New Year!!

- For those skaters wishing to add another day of skating to their week, now is the time! The following days are available:

Please email Devan or see him in the skating office if you are interested in signing up for any of these sessions.

- Fundraising options for bingo and the April 2012 competition will be posted on the Club website on December 15th, 2011 (Directions: The schedule is on the website (www.stalbertsc.com) under the "Fundraising" tab, then: " A) Bingo Information" or "B) Sign-up for SASC SpringSational". We need many volunteers for this weekend to be a success, so please consider this an option to help out.

- For all of those Jumpstarters wanting to see what the next level of skating is, you are welcome to the Monday, December 12 session from 4:50-6:30pm. This day of skating starts with warm-up and ends with a stretch class just like Jumpstart, but the ice time is organized differently. To attend, please email Devan, so adequate coaching can be arranged.

- A reminder the Christmas Concert is on Wednesday, December 21. Jumpstarters will have a half hour warm-up from 5:45-6:15pm. There will then be a 15 minute flood before the Jumpstarters start the show at 6:30pm with their Spin/Spiral/Jump programs. Skaters are to wear their favorite dress as well as their helmet. Family and friends are welcome to attend. The first half of the season will then conclude on Thursday, December 22 with a family skate for all Thursday and Saturday Jumpstarters.

- December 19th will be the last day for private lessons and off-ice classes, due to our special Christmas events:

+ December 21 will be the Christmas concert where the skaters get to perform their existing programs, or create their own program to a Christmas Carol.

+ December 22 will be a Pairs Interpretive Event. No sign-up is needed. Instead, it will be an impromptu fun event for all Academy skaters.

- There will be no off-ice jumps on December 15, due to Devan helping with the Jumpstart Try-outs.

- For those of you who may be out-of-town this holiday, there is a Skating Christmas Camp in Canmore, AB from January 2-6. However, we will also be offering ice in St. Albert that week.

-There will be no Junior Skating on December 18th due to the Low Test-Day from 5:30-7:30pm. Regular Int/Sr skating follows.

It is always nice to for everyone to be back working towards goals after a much-needed break. So let's get to it!!!

January is "Skill Development" month. Any skater who has a new skill recognized by their coach will have their name written on a star and posted on the "Skating Star" section of the bulletin board. With many events taking place in February, March & April, this is the best time for the skaters to acquire new skills in time for the next competition. So let's see how many stars we can get on the board!!

January 14th is our "SASC FUN DAY". This is a club-building event and all skaters in Jumpstart, JR, INT & SR Academy are invited. Pre-Registration sign-up is required for participation and can found in the skating office. All skaters must be signed-up by January 8th in order to participate.

Skaters will find out what team they will be on at 8:00am in the Troy Murray Arena with activities beginning at 8:30am. Skaters will participate in numerous on and off-ice stations acquiring points for their team and towards their own report card, which they will receive at the duration of the event. The day of skating then concludes at noon with a pizza party in the Morinville Room. There is no additional fee to attend this event, so I hope to see many of you there.

A reminder to all skaters that no hooded-sweatshirts are allowed at skating. In addition to them throwing off balance when spinning, they do not look neat; and as my coach used to say, "You skate how you look". So lets look neat, tidy, and ready to skate!

There will be no skating for Jumpstart or Academy skaters on the following days:

Academy skaters have additional group time on Wednesday, January 4th at the following times:

We will be reviewing club stroking patterns, how to skate well with others, and on-ice etiquette.

	# of Skating Days	Dates of Classes	Total Cost	Total Monthly Cost (Jan-April- 4 Months)
Monday: 4:50-6:30pm	16	Jan 2- April 23	$288	$72 (2 spaces available)
Wednesday: 4:15-5:45pm	16	Jan 4- April 25	$288	$72 (1 space available)
Saturday 10:20am-12:00pm	11 (No skate Jan 21)	Jan 6 - March 24	$198	$49.50 (4 spaces available)