Organization: THE SKATING CLUB OF HOUSTON
Mission: THE SKATING CLUB OF HOUSTON FIGURE SKATING CLUB IS DEDICATED TO PROMOTING AMATEUR FIGURE SKATING IN NORTHERN HOUSTON BY HOSTING TEST SESSIONS AND COMPETITIONS AS WELL AS PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COACHES AND OFFICIALS.
Activities: FIGURE SKATING IN THE U. S. CAN EITHER BE COMPETITIVE OR RECREATIONAL, AND THOSE LEARNING TO SKATE CAN CHOOSE EITHER ROUTE. WHILE COMPETITIVE SKATERS ARE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE U. S. TESTING STRUCTURE TO EVENTUALLY COMPETE IN QUALIFYING COMPETITIONS, RECREATIONAL SKATERS CAN ALSO OPT TO TAKE TESTS IN ORDER TO CONTINUALLY CHALLENGE THEMSELVES AND THEIR ABILITIES. TEST SESSIONS CAN ONLY BE HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES AND CONTROL OF A MEMBER CLUB. THE OFFICIAL TESTS OF U. S. FIGURE SKATING MAY BE TAKEN BY ALL FIGURE SKATERS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF A CLUB.
OUR SYNCHRONIZED SKATING TEAMS COMPETE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND LEARN SKILLS BASED ON THE U. S. FIGURE SKATING SKILL LEVELS. SYNCHRONIZED SKATING IS A TEAM SPORT IN WHICH 8 TO 20 SKATERS PERFORM A PROGRAM TOGETHER. IT USES THE SAME JUDGING SYSTEM AS SINGLES, PAIRS, AND DANCE AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY TEAMWORK, SPEED, INTRICATE FORMATIONS, AND CHALLENGING STEP SEQUENCES. THE VARIETY AND DIFFICULTY OF ELEMENTS REQUIRE THAT EACH TEAM MEMBER IS A HIGHLY SKILLED INDIVIDUAL SKATER. THERE ARE SO MANY BENEFITS TO PARTICIPATING IN A TEAM SPORT, AND SYNCHRONIZED SKATING IS A GREAT WAY FOR FIGURE SKATERS TO COMPETE IN A SPORT THEY LOVE WHILE ENJOYING ALL OF THE ASPECTS OF WORKING WITH OTHERS IN A TEAM ORIENTED SPORT.
OUR THEATRE ON ICE TEAM COMPETES BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY ON BEHALF OF UNITED STATES FIGURE SKATING AND IS COMPOSED OF SKATERES OF VARIOUS LEVELS. IT COMBINES THE GRACE OF FIGURE SKATING WITH THE EXCITEMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE. TEAMS CONSIST OF BETWEEN 8 AND 30 SKATERS. SOLO SKATING IS DISCOURAGED, BUT IS PERMITTED IN LIMITED NUMBERS IF IT ENHANCES THE OVERALL TELLING OF THE PROGRAMS STORY. THE PROGRAMS ARE JUDGED BY REGULAR U. S. FIGURE SKATING JUDGES AND ARE EVALUATED ON TECHNICAL MERIT AND PRESENTATION WITH EMPHASIS ON ORIGINALITY, COSTUMING, ARTISTRY, AND MUSICALITY. THERE ARE SERVERAL TOI COMPETITIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND U. S. FIGURE SKATING IS MAKING AN EFFORT TO STANDARDIZE AND PROMOTE THIS DISCIPLINE. SKATERS, BOTH COMPETITIVE AND NONCOMPETITIVE CAN LEARN AND GROW ON A THEATRE TEAM. BEST OF ALL, A TEAM CAN DRAW CLUB SKATERS TOGETHER AND INCREASE CLUB SPIRIT.
NTEE category: Recreation & Sports
Secondary category: Youth Development