The Snowplow Sam levels are designed to help the preschool-age skater develop preliminary coordination and strength to maneuver on the ice.
The "basic skills" are the fundamentals of the sport. These eight levels of the program introduce the fundamental moves; forward skating, backward skating, stops, edges, crossovers, turns and Mohawks. Upon completion of the Basic 1-8 levels, skaters will have a basic knowledge of the sport, enabling them to advance to more specialized areas of skating.
Each free Skate level is divided into four sections: moves in the field, spins, dance/footwork sequence and jumps. the Free Skate levels are designated to give skaters a strong foundation on which to build their skills. This is the point where the skater can choose whether to pursue a recreational or competitive approach to the sport of figure skating.
Synchronized skating is a team sport in which 8-20 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. As with the other disciplines, all teams perform a free skate with required well-balanced program elements. In addition, teams at the junior and senior level perform a short program consisting of required elements.
The Dance program focuses on the components of ice dancing and reviews the basic edges and the turns while skating to music. Skaters will learn dance patterns in the U.S. figure Skating test structure. These tests may be taken with or without a partner.
The Moves in the Field Tests are basic skating moves skated without music. In particular, the Moves are designed to emphasize one or more of the following qualities: POWER, EDGE QUALITY, EXTENSION or LINE, and QUICKNESS or PRECISENESS OF SKATING MOVEMENT. Although all four qualities are simultaneously important, even critical, to good skating, the Moves are designed to allow the skater to focus on one or more specific qualities.
