I am new to the sport; I can’t skate, where do I start?
The best place is at the Paradice Ice Arena with their “Learn to Skate Program” and once you can skate you will be able to progress to into club skating. For more details on the actual program that Paradice Ice Arena follow, please look at the NZIFSA Kiwi Skate Learn to Skate program.
The flow chart below will help to tell you when an appropriate time would be to progress to club skating and joining our club. If you are a little unsure please contact us on info@allegro.org.nz and we will be able to help / advise / point you in the right direction.
For skate school further info can be found at www.paradice.co.nz.
For ice hockey further info can be found at www.aiha.org.nz.
For speed skating further info can be found at www.icespeedskating.org and www.haurakiiceracingclub.org
Don’t forget the age old saying “the more you practise” the better you become, so work with your coach to determine on and off the ice training and achievable goals.
The Allegro Ice Dance Club have a number of coaches and skaters that coach at the Paradice “Learn to Skate Program”. While learning to skate, you do not need to worry about which discipline you will take up as that becomes a natural progression as you learn to skate. Many skaters from the Paradice “Learn to Skate Program” often start by joining a synchronized skating team as it provides the opportunity for skaters to meet other skaters with similar ages and abilities.
For more information contact us on info@allegro.org.nz.
Often skaters will decide to do both singles and synchronized skating or perhaps dance and synchronized skating. Being an ice dance or doing pairs is dependent on finding a suitable partner. If you are interested in one of these disciplines and need some help finding a partner contact us at info@allegro.org.nz.
Figure sessions are run by Paradice Ice Arena and are held in the morning before school as well as in the afternoon. For more information on the cost of a figure session and when they are held go to Paradice Ice Arena Figure Skating Page.
I know how to skate; how do I find a coach?
The first place to start is with your local rink as they have coaches that are contracted to the rink. We recommend that you try a number of coaches before settling on one. Coaches are a very personal thing and one coach may not suit all skaters / personality as we are all different. The availability of a coach and their fees may also determine who you decided to learn from. All coaches have something to offer skaters. You can also find the NZIFSA Accredited coaches on the coaches page of the NZIFSA website.
Is there someone I can contact locally to purchase new figure skates?
There is one main supplier in Auckland.
Be sure to mention you are from Allegro Ice Dance Club for a discount!
When starting out you will most likely use a very standard blade, however as you progress through the grades or move into ice dance or synchronized skating, you may decide to use a blade that different to the figure skaters.
As the boots and blades (known as figure skates) are pricey we recommend that you take good care of them by using and skate guards (plastic covers on your blades) when walking around the rink and once you have taken your boots off your feet, dried your blades, put on blade soakers which are fabric protectors designed for soaking up any moisture off your blades once you have dried them.
If you are over in Australia and Sydney specifically, pop into the Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink and visit Margaret at her shop – she has a close association with figure skaters in New Zealand and has been helping them with various supplies for years!!
