In figure skating, you have four minutes to do your best. It's your time; you do your best.
~Michelle Kwan
What to expect for your first lesson
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled lesson time. This will give you time to purchase your admission and skate rental (if you don’t have your own pair of skates), which is not included in my fee. Admission at Northcross is $6 unless you are a current Learn-to-Skate student and rental is $4. Also use this time to get skates on and warm up on the ice (if you’re comfortable).
I’ll meet the skater and the parent/guardian in the lobby right in front of skate rental. If I’m coming between other lessons, I’ll meet you right at your designated start time.
Attire
You should bring gloves and warm clothing– the rink is kept at 40-something degrees and the ice is even cooler of course. Wear thin, long socks; ankle socks just won’t be comfortable (and those rental skates can get icky sometimes).
During the lesson
I’ll be with the student the whole time. Parents, you are free to watch on the sides during the lesson.
I generally follow the USFS Learn-to-Skate curriculum. With private lessons, there’s a lot more flexibility to jump from one level to another, depending on the skater’s learning ability. For example, a skater can be learning most of the elements from Basic 2 but may learn something from Basic 3 or 4.
After the lesson
About 2-3 minutes before the end time of your lesson, I’ll bring the skater back to the lobby and can chat briefly with you. For future lessons, I’ll let the skater go on his/her way and will get on with the next student to maximize lesson time. Unfortunately it is difficult to find time to chat between lessons that are back-to-back. If you would like to talk with me, flag me down during the resurface. And of course, feel free to call, text and email me. I’m in with the technology now and will get back to you as soon as I can.