Club Ice Rules

We are so excited to have you join us on the ice. For your safety and others, we ask you to please review the following documents before stepping out on the ice (parents, please review these rules with your skaters). We look forward to seeing you out there!

Club Ice Rules and Regulations

Be considerate.

As always, be courteous to other skaters and coaches, and ACCOMMODATE each other’s patterns whenever possible. We expect that all skaters, regardless of level, will assume and yield the right-of-way in a fair and equitable manner.

  • If you are a less experienced skater, please be extra careful to stay aware of other skaters and look ahead of where you are skating to see what others are doing or are about to do.
  • If you are an experienced skater, please be patient with the less experienced skaters—remember, you were new to freestyle sessions at one time too. We expect the more experienced skaters to set a positive example with their conduct.
  • Communicate with each other!  If you are unsure of a pattern being skated, ask the skater, or download the USFS rule book and review the patterns so you are familiar with what different Skating Skills and Dance patterns look like. If you are doing a Skating Skills or Dance pattern, talk to other skaters if they are interfering with your patterns and explain what areas of the ice you need to use. Parents are expected to support these communications with their children.

Keep moving

  • It is dangerous for both you and other skaters to stand still during a session. It is especially important not to stop in the middle of the ice or any of the jumping corners.
  • Do not wander without purpose on the ice. When you have completed an element, move quickly to the sideboards if you want to “think” about what you’re going to do next. Otherwise, merge cautiously back into the existing traffic patterns.

Be alert

  • When skating backwards it is your responsibility to constantly look where you are going, not back where you just came from. When doing perimeter patterns, avoid blind spots by turning your head quickly to the new curve.
  • Due to the variety of patterns being skated during sessions (freestyle, ice dance, and skating skills patterns); along with alternating directions (counter-clockwise & clockwise), we stress the importance of always being alert.

Falls

It is important that you stand up quickly from a fall unless you are hurt. If you are hurt, a coach or monitor will assist you.

Vest Rules

  • When it’s your turn to play music, you receive vest privileges. Remember to wear a vest as it gives you right-of-way. If you are not wearing a vest, you do not have the right of way regardless of if your music is playing.
  • Do not put the vest on and skate around until it is your turn. When you are done with your program, take the vest off.
  • Only the skater(s) whose music is playing has vest privileges.

Music Rules

  • Add your name to the white board queue to hold your place for your program, dance, or skating skills pattern run. Your name may only be listed in the queue once.
  • You may have vest privileges a maximum of two times per 30 min segment if the queue allows. This applies regardless of if the skater is in a lesson or not. Once your music has played for 30 seconds or more, you must re-enter the queue to restart your program.
  • You may practice skating skills patterns with the vest, but must play music distinct from background music. You may do two patterns back to back, but that completes your access to vest privileges for this 30 min segment.
  • A skater may be bumped by a coach a maximum of one time.
  • Each coach is allotted 2 cuts per 30 min segment.
  • If there is no music monitor, there is a single queue for all skaters.
  • If there is no queue and a skater would like to play their music additional times, they must ask the monitor for permission first.
  • If you are unsure, ask the monitor.
  • During peak times, these rules are subject to change based on music monitor discretion.

Earbud Use on Club Ice

  • Eligible figure skaters may only wear a single earbud during Club ice for safety reasons.
  • Figure skaters may use a single earbud to play their program music, dance test music, when choreographing a program, or during a virtual lesson. Earbuds are not permitted for listening to background music. 
  • To be eligible to wear an earbud during Club ice, figure skaters must have passed Freeskate 1 and have their primary coach confirm that they have sufficient ice awareness.
  • When wearing an earbud, the figure skater must remain aware of and be considerate of the other figure skaters on the ice. If a figure skater is not doing this, the monitor will suspend this privilege until cleared by their primary coach.

Right of Way

Please know your priority on the ice and defer your space if needed: 

  1. Skaters wearing a vest for program runs or a skating skills pattern
  2. Skaters in a lesson
  3. Skaters in designated areas for jumps and spins
  4. Everyone else

Zones

Generally, spins should be practiced in the center of the ice and jumps outside the blue lines (unless doing a program).  However, no skater should stay in the same section of the ice (especially corners) for long periods of time. Move to other areas so that everyone can work on elements on different parts of the ice. See a diagram of where spins and jumps should be practiced here.

Group Numbers

When doing group numbers, be mindful of non-participants who are trying to utilize their own practice time.

Patching holes

A slush bucket may be available to fill-in divots at the end of a session. If a bucket is available, skaters are responsible for patching holes made in the ice. Please start 5 min. before the end of the session.

Talking/Socializing

  • Please do not stop in the middle of the ice and talk.
  • Coaches should talk to skaters at the boards.
  • If a skater needs to talk to a parent/guardian, the skater should leave the ice, not stand at the boards or the entrance door to the ice surface.
  • We have limited ice time, so socializing while on the ice should be at a minimum!

Entering and Leaving the Ice

  • Put skate guards on the rail – please do not leave them in the path of skaters getting on and off the ice – this is a safety issue.
  • When entering the ice or moving out from the boards, watch for other skaters before you skate out into traffic. i.e. “look before you cross the street.”
  • As a courtesy to the next skaters, please exit the ice in a timely fashion when our time slot is over or the Zamboni doors are opened.

For more information about registering for club ice and the various levels able to skate, please see here.

Last updated 7/28/2026