Registration for Falling Leaf Classic is now open

Hello skaters and coaches!

The San Diego FSC is excited to announce our first Compete USA Falling Leaf Classic to be held October 20 and 21st at San Diego Ice Arena.

Registration through Entryeeze can be found here:

http://comp.entryeeze.com/Home.aspx?cid=873

We are excited to offer many opportunities to compete or skate an exhibition. Events include, Freeskate, Ice Dance, Skating Skills (formerly Moves in the Field), Showcase, Theatre on Ice and Synchronized Skating.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in October!

For more info visit: fallingleafclassic.org

New competition FALLING LEAF CLASSIC 

Mark your calendars, we are so excited to announce that we will be hosting our new competition FALLING LEAF CLASSIC on October 20th, 2023.
Stay tuned for additional information but definitely Save the date!

Test Name Changes

At the 2022 Governing Council, delegates approved changes to the test structure which went into effect July 1, 2023.  All members received communication about the changes via email and updates on the U.S. Figure Skating website.  The most substantial change is that the term, “Moves in the Field” has changed to “Skating Skills,” and pre-juvenile through senior will reflect a bronze-silver-gold path.

Tests is the largest “program” in U.S. Figure Skating, with nearly 60,000 tests taken in a given calendar year.  The test structure separates figure skating from other sports by providing a self-driven path for each athlete to excel in their own way and earn important accolades.

Striving to become a “Gold Medalist” is a long-honored tradition that our athletes should be encouraged to work towards and that both clubs and U.S. Figure Skating should support and recognize as a worthy goal. In addition, while tests have historically driven the levels that athletes compete in, the disparity that we see between the skill level in tests and its parallel level in competition has grown significantly over time.  This can be frustrating and confusing for skaters and parents.

The goals of the change were to modernize and refresh the language of our test structure, as well as distinguish it from the competitive structure, in order to provide more clarity and importance for skaters are parents as they move into identifying as a figure skater.

Moves in the Field vs. Skating Skills

The term “Moves in the Field” was adopted approximately 30 years ago when U.S. Figure Skating moved from figure tests being the base of skating to a series of skills done “in the field” vs., on a small patch of ice, replacing it. While this reference made sense for those transitioning from figure skating moves in the field, it has become outdated.  Moves in the Field are essentially core skating skills, and re-naming the track to more accurately reflect what should be learned is cleaner and more understandable. 

With the adoption of IJS, skating skills have become an even more impactful term.  Skaters receive a mark specifically for skating skills as one of three marks in their Program Components Score, emphasizing that it is important for skaters to work on this area as a foundation for skating.  This is across all disciplines, just as skating skills is a prerequisite for all other tests.

Finally, the term Moves in the Field is unique not only to figure skating, but figure skating in the U.S. The term is not found in any other federation, including our closest neighbor, Skate Canada, which also uses Skating Skills as a test discipline.

 Free Skate vs. Singles

While the term “free skate” was used to title tests in the singles discipline, in other parts of the sport, “free skate” is a competition segment.  I.e.,  singles short program or free skate, pairs short program or free skate, synchronized short program or free skate.  “Singles” is consistent with “Pairs” and distinguishes the test as being in that discipline of figure skating.

Bronze-Silver-Gold Pathway

While it has been a time-honored tradition to become a “gold medalist,” U.S. Figure Skating awards gold test medals, has gold test jackets and clubs honor their members through gold medal honor-rolls, this is unofficial, with the exception of pattern dance and adult tests.  Skaters, for years, have followed the pattern of juvenile-intermediate-novice-junior-senior; while calling the final test their “gold test,” and celebrating appropriately! In order to provide skaters with a clearer and more exciting journey to earn that gold test, all tests have been renamed to illustrate this progressive path.

Skating skillsSinglesPairsFree Dance (Solo and Partnered)Pattern Dance (Lead and Follow; Solo and Partnered)
Pre-PreliminaryPre-Preliminary   
PreliminaryPreliminaryPreliminary
Pre-BronzePre-BronzePre-Bronze
BronzeBronzeBronzeBronzeBronze
Pre-SilverPre-SilverPre-SilverPre-SilverPre-Silver
SilverSilverSilverSilverSilver
Pre-GoldPre-GoldPre-GoldPre-GoldPre-Gold
GoldGoldGoldGoldGold
 International

Click HERE for a more extensive illustration.

Supporting our athletes

Once a month, U.S. Figure Skating will send out individualized emails to all athletes who pass a test (or complete a pattern dance level) recognizing their accomplishments. The email will include a graphic of where the athlete is on their journey to the gold test, as well as a graphic they can display on social media platforms. The bronze-silver-gold pathway will be more clear to those outside of the sport, where terms like “pre-juvenile” and “novice,” which have other meanings may not appropriately describe the accomplishment.

Test patches will be refreshed for the first time in twenty years, and U.S. Figure Skating is in the process of adding a product line to the online store, including jackets for both Gold Medalists, and for test skaters of all levels to display their patches. 

Eligibility changes

The final adjustment to encourage athletes to achieve within the test program is that singles athletes are now allowed to test higher than their competitive level in both the Excel program and the well-balanced program / NQS track. As the skills expected in competition have significantly surpassed technical requirements for parallel test level, it was important to recognize that many athletes were being “held back,” in their tests.  This will allow singles athletes to compete at an appropriate level for their skill while still having the opportunity to earn their gold singles test in a time frame that works for them.  This has always been allowed in the skating skills track (i.e., you were allowed to have gold moves in the field test and juvenile free skate), as well as in competitive requirements for synchronized skating, ice dance and pairs.

Singles tests will remain a baseline prerequisite for competition, and athletes will not be allowed to “move down or backwards” in competition.  For example, if you enter the National Qualifying Series in the intermediate women’s event, you must have passed at least the pre-silver singles test, but you are welcome to accelerate and test higher.  You may not, however, enter juvenile girls next season. Click HERE for the competition eligibility chart.

SDFSC Exhibition for NQS competitors & Excel National Final Qualifiers

The SDFSC would like to offer our members who will be competing in the National Qualifying Series competitions (Juvenile and above) and/ or the Excel National Final, the opportunity to perform their programs before their big events!

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023

Time: 7:10am- 9:40am

Location: San Diego Ice Arena

All participants will need to make sure their membership is renewed with the SDFSC prior to participating. 

If you would like to participate, please fill out this Google Form and we will be in touch with the final schedule by June 28, 2023

https://forms.gle/vPuscdM3xMqC5tua8

Good luck to everyone!

~SDFSC Board

2023 SDFSC Annual Meeting

Thank You to the 86 members who voted and the 56 members who attend the meeting making each official by surpassing the quorum requirements.

If you missed it, we have:

If you missed the meeting and would like to receive the recording, please let us know and we’ll send it your way.

SDFSC 2023 Annual Meeting Announcement

Date: 2020-06-13

Time: 12:00 am – 12:00 am

Location: Online video conference

This year’s meeting will be held on June 13, 2020, at 9:00 am as an online video conference. We will still need to get participation to conduct business and install the new board. More details will be posted by the end of May.

  • Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom webinar on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 9:00am.
  • Board Candidates are included in your email; other nominations by the membership at large are due by Saturday, May 20, 2023.
  • Annual Election Ballots will be sent for the SDFSC Board of Directors and the SDFSC Junior Board Executive Committee by Saturday, May 27, 2023, in separate emails.
  • Membership in Action Video – if it is a member having fun, we want your pictures and videos – submit by May 28, 2023,  just drag and drop to the lin on your emails.
  • Membership renewals for the 2023-2024 season will begin in late May/June. Please make sure your Entryeeze phone numbers, email and USPS addresses are up to date. Collegiate members, please review and confirm your information.

Ice Dance Weekend – The Enchanted Forest

The Bay Area Ice Dancers are holding their annual social ice dance weekend in San Diego at SDIA on October 7th through 9th, 2022. Skaters of all dance levels and ages are welcome. The whole weekend includes 10 hours of ice time with both social dance and on-ice clinics. You can sign up for a day or the whole weekend. Many more details are available on the Bay Area Ice Dancers website, or you can go straight to the Registration page.

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2022 National Showcase

Huge congratulations to Erin & Justin Ly for another fabulous competition at the 2022 National Showcase held by the Skating Club of Boston.

Erin Ly

Gold, National Champion, Adult Silver Character Performance
Gold, National Champion, Adult Silver Interpretive

Erin & Justin Ly

Silver (2nd), Masters Showcase Duet-Trio

Justin Ly

5th Parade of Adult Champions
Bronze (3rd) Masters Emotional Performance

Silver (2nd) Masters Lyrical Pop
Silver (2nd) Masters Choreographic Artistry

Congratulation to SDFSC competitors

The Excel National Festival was held last week in Boston and the results are:

  • Broderick Cotter- Intermediate Plus Men – Champion
  • Ari Cavaliere – Pre-Preliminary Boys – Champion
  • Violet Kim – Beginner Girls – Champion (Group D)
  • Payton Cook – Beginner Girls – Champion (Group F)
  • Ava Weismiller- Pre Juvenile Girls – Bronze (Group B)

Other competitors:

  • Makenzie Cotter- Pre Juvenile Plus Girls
  • Sophia Spooner- Pre Juvenile Plus Girls

The results are posted here: IJS Results page

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