Skating Skill Levels
These are the skill levels established by the Ice Skating Institute's "Learn to Skate" program:

Basic Levels:
Beginning and Advanced Tots
These classes are for ages 3-5. Students work on falling, marching, gliding, and moving forward and backward. Each child must wear gloves and a toboggan or helmet for protection.
Beginners (Pre-Alpha)
Beginner students learn to balance and do simple glides on both feet. Anyone over 5 who has never taken classes should start here.
Alpha
Once you have passed Pre-Alpha, you move to Alpha and learn forward stroking, forward crossovers in both directions, and a simple stop.
Beta
Students who pass all the Alpha skills now work on backward stroking and backward crossovers in both directions, plus a T-stop with each foot.
Gamma
After Beta, students begin to work on two different kinds of turns (forward outside edge 3-turns and inside mohawks), as well as a hockey stop.
Delta
This is the last basic level. Students work on inside edge 3-turns, forward edges, bunny hops, lunges, and shoot-the-ducks.

Freestyle Levels:
This is where you go once you have mastered all the basic levels. There are 10 levels which all include different jumping, spinning, and footwork maneuvers.

Freestyle 1
Forward Inside Pivot; Backward Outside and Inside Edges; Two-Foot Spin; One-Half Flip; Forward Arabesque; Waltz Jump
Freestyle 2
Ballet Jump; One-Half Toe Walley; One-Half Lutz; One-Foot Spin; Two Forward Arabesques; Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 3
Backward Outside or Inside Pivot; Salchow Jump; Change Foot Spin; Backward Arabesque; Toe Loop or Toe Walley Jump; Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 4
Flip Jump; Loop Jump; Sit Spin; One-Half Loop Jump; Two Backward Arabesques, R and L; Backward Outside and Inside Three Turns in Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 5
Lutz Jump; Axel Jump; Camel Spin; Camel-Sit-Upright Spin; Fast Back Scratch Spin; Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 6
Split Jump; Split Falling Leaf Jump; Jump Combination (Axel-1/2 Loop Jump- Flip Jump); Double Salchow Jump; Cross Foot/Layback/Sit Change Sit Spin; Spin Combination with Change of Foot and Position, Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 7
Double Toe Loop/ Double Toe Walley; Two Walley Jumps in Sequence; Combination Spin with Change of Foot & Position; Flying Camel Spin; One-Foot Axel into 1/4 Flip into Axel; Jump in Opposite Direction; Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 8
Double Loop Jump; Double Flip Jump; Split Lutz; Jump Combination (1 1/4 Flip-1 1/4 Flip-Double Salchow); Flying Sit Spin/Axel Sit Spin; Illusion/Camel Jump Camel Spin; Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 9
Arabesque/Bauer/Spread Eagle Combination; Double Lutz Jump; Jump Combination (Axel-Double Loop Jump); Axel in Opposite Direction/Double Axel Jump; Three Jumps in Sequence; Flying Camel into Jump Sit Spin; Dance Step Sequence
Freestyle 10
Jump Combination (Double Axel-Double Toe Loop); Triple Edge Jump; Death Drop; Axels in Sequence/Triple Toe Assist Jump; Double Jump R & L/Triple Toe-Double Loop Jump; Arabian Cartwheels/Butterflies; Dance Step Sequence

Ice Dancing
Skaters who have passed Alpha can learn different patterns of footwork on the ice to ballroom dance music. There are over 20 ice dances that are currently in the Ice Skating Institute’s 10 ice dancing tests.

Synchronized Teams
Skaters who have passed Beta are eligible to take part in our synchronized teams. Teams of 8 or more skaters perform a 3-4 minute routine with different footwork -- the trick is everyone is doing the same thing at the same time!

Hockey, Pairs, Couples, Figures
There are also progessive skill levels for Hockey, Pairs, Couples, and Figures.

Join the Ice Skating Institute!
Benefits include:
$5,000 excess accident insurance policy. (claims must be filed within 90 days of accident)
Personalized membership card.
Recreational Ice Skating - quarterly magazine featuring recreational ice skaters, programs, events and tips.
Test registration and patches.
Opportunities to perform locally and nationally.
Access to skating manuals and brochures.

Evan Lysacek
Mirai Nagasu
Michelle Kwan
Sarah Hughes
Emily Hughes
Timothy Goebel
John Zimmerman
Sasha Cohen, and more....

... they all skating skating in the Learn-to-Skate program designed by the Ice Skating Institute! These skaters have become part of an elite group of the most talented figure skaters in the world who train for many years to represent their country on Olympic or World skating teams.

Adam Blake
Austin Blake
Jennifer Roberts
Bradley
Kassandra Hazard
Larry LaBorde
Galen Labotka
Michelle Sheppard
Mary Lu Shipstad
Robert Unger
Jose Zulueta...

...These skaters all trained or taught at our rink -- the Ice Chalet -- and became professional show skaters for Disney On Ice, Rosstyn Ice Shows, or Holiday On Ice.

Did you know...
The vast majority of skaters simply enjoy skating as a recreational activity. Millions of people take lessons and visit skating rinks just for the fun of it! Figure skating is an elegant and demanding sport that helps you develop balance, coordination, and artistic abilities while becoming more physically fit, and you can do it for most of your life!