Coaches, ever wonder what all the hype is around CanSkate Excellence and if your club should get involved? Here is what coach Christine Whyte from Skate Muskoka said about her and her clubs experience in the program.
The process of becoming a CanSkate excellence “exceed standard” club was very rewarding. I have been coaching CanSkate for over 25 years and have always thoroughly enjoyed the program. When circuits were first introduced, I was initially hesitant. No one really likes change, but in the words of another coach, I needed to “make peace” with the changes because they weren’t going anywhere. Once I did, I found myself fully embracing this new format and getting excited to create new circuits and new ways of teaching on them.
I attended the webinar training which detailed all of the requirements for achieving an “exceeded” rating. I highly recommend that all coaches who plan on coaching on a CanSkate session attend this webinar. The program requirements chart is very clear and easy to follow, and Skate Ontario is there to support you while you navigate implementing these new requirements. I had reached out to Skate Ontario multiple times while “engaged” about props, ratios, music… and they were always quick to respond and send the information or links I was looking for.
The most challenging part about trying to achieve CanSkate “exceeded standard” is convincing coaches who are perhaps older and more experienced than you to adjust their coaching style. This was not an easy discussion to navigate, even in a club that had positive coaching relationships. When it came time for our first on ice session evaluation, the evaluator stated that more changes were still needed to how skaters were being taught on circuits. We were able to get an “achieved standard” rating but knew we could be exceeded with a few changes. The written report from Skate Ontario allowed me to open a conversation with the other coaches about adjusting their coaching styles and expectations to accommodate the new standards. Once we were able to do this, we asked to again be evaluated by Skate Ontario. This time we were successful in achieving our CanSkate Excellence Exceeded Rating!
Sign up for one of our free CanSkate Excellence trainer webinars being offered next month.
Tuesday August 8th 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Tuesday August 15th 11:30am to 1:00pm
Thursday August 17th 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Monday August 21st 10:30am to 12:00pm
Email Denise Harris at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Denise Harris
Coordinator, Club Programs
100-2605 Skymark Avenue, Mississauga, ON L4W 4L5
T. (905) 212-9991, 117
M. (705) 928-4122
E. [email protected]
