How Does Your Figure Skating Club Send Off Its Regionals Skaters?

Here’s an excellent question from reader B.M.:

I am wondering what type of activities other clubs do to recognize and “send-off” their competitive skaters to Regionals. There was a gap in competitors and our small club really hasn’t done anything recently to recognize the skaters’ hard work or energize their enthusiasm as they head off to Regionals. Since most of our competitors are in the non-qualifying levels, our skating club experiences are limited. Any suggestions your readers might have would be helpful? Thanks!

Our club usually has an exhibition that’s open to the public for our Regionals skaters. We send out a press release and invite the media. After the exhibition, we have cake and punch and the figure skaters all decorate door signs the kids have made for the skaters’ hotel room doors.

Someone with a fancy camera takes the skaters’ photos on the ice, both as a group and as individuals. We send those photos to the media, along with the press releases (below).

In the past, I’ve also invited the media to these events. Sometimes a camera crew will show up, sometimes not. I can tell you this: if the skating exhibition is scheduled for a Friday night during football season, the TV crew probably won’t show up.

If you’ve never written a press release before, allow me to give you a quick primer:

1. Compile a list of local media e-mails. Set aside an hour or two to look up local newspapers, TV and radio stations online. Search for the person in charge of story ideas, the managing editor, the sports editor, and the station director. Capture their names on a spreadsheet and update it every six months. Get the e-mails for hometown newspapers, too.

2. Draft a press release. You can use my Mad-Lib style press release below:

___(Figure Skating Club Name)___
Media Advisory
Local Media Contact: __(name)___, ___(phone number)___, ___(e-mail)___

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

___(date)___

TO: ___(local media outlet)___
FROM: ___(figure skating club)___
WHAT: ___(figure skating exhibition)___
WHEN: ___(date)___
WHERE: ___(rink)___, ___(address)___
TIME: ___(time)___

The ___(name of figure skating club)___ is sending __(number)__ figure skaters to US Figure Skating’s ___(region)___ Regional Competition, which includes figure skaters from ___(states)___. The club is inviting the public to attend an exhibition of its top-level figure skaters at the ___(rink)___ in ___(town)___ at ___(time)___ on ___(date)___.

The ___(region)___ Regional Competition is one of nine Regional Competitions held across the nation and takes place October ___(date)___ through ___(date)___.

Regionals is the first step a figure skater takes on the path to qualifying for Sectionals and/or the U.S. Figure Skating Championships next January.

US Figure Skating has eight competitive levels and figure skaters who qualify to compete at Regionals must have achieve the ___(level)___ level, or the ___(ordinal number)___ level. Skaters at the ___(level)___ are invited to compete at Regionals, but as non-qualifying competitors. The ___(name of figure skating club)___ will have figure skaters in the ladies singles, mens singles, pairs, and ice dance events.

Figure skaters who will represent the ___(name of figure skating club)___ are: ___(first name, last name)___, ___(age)___, ___(town)___; ___(first name, last name)___, ___(age)___, ___(town)___; ___(first name, last name)___, ___(age)___, ___(town)___; ___(first name, last name)___, ___(age)___, ___(town)___; and ___(first name, last name)___, ___(age)___, ___(town)___.

The ___(name of figure skating club)___ has ___(number)___ of skating members and ___(number)___ of member families. It hosts a figure skating competition every ___(month)___ and operates a Learn to Skate program on ___(day of the week, plural)___. The ___(name of figure skating club)___ was established in ___(year)___ and is affiliated with US Figure Skating, the governing body of the sport.

For more information about ___(name of figure skating club)___, please visit the club website: ___(web address)___. For more information about US Figure Skating, visit www.usfsa.org.

###

3. Send out the press release. E-mail it one week in advance of the event and again the day before the event. In the case of TV stations, I also send out the press release on the day of the event. Do not e-mail the press release as an attachment; no one wants to run the risk of opening a virus. When I send my press releases, I always send them bcc: to my entire media group.

4. Ask parents to fill out a press release form. When they’re eating cake, pass out the following form to parents. They can fill it out at Regionals and send it off to their local paper when they return from Regionals.

Press Release
Media contact: ___(parent’s name)___, ___(phone number)___, ___(e-mail address)___

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
___(date)___

___(Name of school)___ ___(grade)___ grade student ___(name of skater)___ competed in US Figure Skating’s ___(USFSA Region)___ Regional Competition last weekend. ___(last name)___ , ___(age)___, is a competitive figure skater in the ___(discipline)___ who competes at the ___(figure skating level)___, which is ___(number)___ below senior level, the highest US Figure Skating level. The ___(region)___ Regional Competition is one of nine held across the nation and is the first step for figure skaters to qualify for the US Championships held in January.

___(last name)___ competed against ___(number)___ figure skaters from ___(number)___ states on the first day of competition and placed ___(ordinal)___. ___(He or She)___ skated ___(his/her)___ ___(time in minutes)___ -minute ___(long or short)___ program to music from ___(artist, movie, album)___. ___(last name)___ ___(attempted/landed)___ a ___(impressive jump)___, ___(but/and)___ ___(did/did not)___ qualify for the final round of competition.

[For skaters who advance to finals] In the final round of the competition, ___(last name)___ skated ___(his/her)___ ___(time in minutes)___ -minute ___(long/short)___ program and ___(attempted/landed)___ a ___(impressive jump)___. Out of ___(number)___ of skaters from ___(states)___, ___(last name)___ placed ___(ordinal)___.

[For skaters who advance to Sectionals or Junior Nationals] ___(His/her)___ placement has earned ___(him/her)___ a spot at the ___(name of competition)___, to be held in ___(city)___ in ___(month)___. Only ___(number)___ of skaters nationwide will be competing at this event.

___(last name)___ is a member of US Figure Skating, figure skating’s governing body, and ___(name of figure skating club)___. ___(He/She)___ trains under local figure skating coach ___(name of coach)___ and skates at ___(rink)___ in ___(town)___ . ___(He/She)__ practices on the ice ___(number)___ of hours each ___(day/week)___ and also has ___(off-ice/ballet)___ lessons. ___(last name)___ attended the ___(figure skating camp or clinic)___ last ___(month)___ and worked with ___(big-name coach)___.

In ___(his/her)___ spare time, ___(he/she)___ enjoys ___(hobby, sport, activity)___. ___(last name)___’s parents are ___(Mom’s first and last name)___ and ___(Dad’s first and last name)___ of ___(town)___.

###

A one-year old with cake smeared all over herself

5. Ask parents to obtain a photo. Advise parents to check with their local newspaper about photo submission guidelines. Parents will need to know the resolution for the images and whether or not they’ll need a photo release. Often, local newspapers can send parents their photo release by e-mail.

What does your club do to send off its Regionals skaters in style? Do you hold an exhibition? Do you invite the media? Do you help with the skaters’ expenses? Do you have a pizza party? Please share your club’s traditions in the comments.

Thank you very much, B.M., for the great question! If you have a question for Ice Mom or the Advisory Board, I encourage you to e-mail me! If you have a suggestion for a blog post, that would be great, too! E-mail me at IceMom.Diane@gmail.com.

Photo credits:
Confetti Cakes for Kids book party: Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Cake / Rachel Kramer Busse on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Cakes and Fruits: aNantaB / Ananta Bhadra Lamichhane on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Birthday Cake: fifikins / Fiona Henderson on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Nevermind Them, Let Me Eat Cake!: peasap / Paul Sapiano on Flickr.com Creative Commons

Lynne

Our club is having a send off party with an exhibition. This is our first year with the club and also my son’s first year going to regionals, so I have no idea what it will be like. They also are giving all the skaters who are skating in qualifying events a club jacket. Those skaters skating in a non-qualifying event will receive a club gift and can choose to purchase a club jacket. I’ll give more feedback after the event.
Anonymous

Wow, this is great! Our club isn’t doing a thing- and I have to tell you that in my opinion, one girl from our club is a ringer to win our region this year! They haven’t even recongnized the skaters going. I think the exhibition is such a good idea and so is the jacket. The club did give some money to one of our skaters last year that went to jr. nationals. Our regionals are NEXT WEEK!!!
Anonymous

My club usually has a “dress rehearsal” where the skaters perform their routines and show off their costumes. It is not a free event – there is a $5 charge to come in, but people who do come can skate during “public times” between the competitive routines. We also have a full spaghetti dinner with pasta, sauce, salad, bread, desserts provided by the the skate club members, and soda/drinks provided by the rink snack bar (rink owner = coach = willing to give more to club events than most rink owners). Skaters can sell the tickets in advance and after the first $50 (which goes to the rink) they can keep the profits as a personal fund raiser. Some people are good at making money from this, and some not so much. It used to be a really big event, but lately fewer people have been participating and it sort of seems like people are not interested in doing this anymore. We might not be doing this event in the future, so I don’t know if this is a good example or not for an event to host, but it is what my club used to do.

We also have a fund raiser for our top skaters who qualify for the really prestigious events (yes, many top level skaters in this area – both junior and senior level). We have another fund raiser night with a silent auction where prizes have been donated by the club, club members, local businesses, and even some skating equipment companies (once had a gift certificate for a pair of custom Klingbeil boots donated…). We tend to get some local press for these events, though not as much as you might expect. All of the skaters going to the high-level competition perform, as well as the up-and-coming skaters who have placed well in lower level events. We also have the “public skate time” during this event. It is really fun because we tend to draw all the top skaters in the local area to perform, so it is a great afternoon of live skating for those who can’t attend the events in person.
yoyomom

We recently switched clubs and each club does “send-offs” a little different. Our old club held an exhibition during club ice a week or so before regionals. There was little advertisement of the event, so therefore, usually only the normal club-ice skaters were there. Cake was usually served and the skaters were given some sort of send-off gift. Our new club advertised the send-off for weeks ahead of time and so therefore, there were tons of people there. Pictures were taken to post on the boards and in the media and then a party (cake, food, etc) was held afterwards. Gifts are given to “qualifying” regional skaters.
Figur Sk8r

at our club, we just sign posters for each skater to put in there hotel room, sometimes we have exbitions, no one ever gets in the paper unless theyre a certain coaches, letts call her miss c. anyways miss c makes sure that all of her skaters get in the paper & go on the news, she makes it seem more importiant than it really is, her skaters get special treatment
Iceskatecraze

Our club had an exhibition the last Friday (our regionals starts this Friday) where all of the regionals skaters got to perform their programs, then we had cake afterwards. A board member also made a poster with pictures and names of all the girls going, and had club members sign it. It’s currently hanging in the hallway of our rink, and it might also be going to regionals with the skaters.
Anonymous

We have 3 clubs in our “skating no-man’s-land” area, the one we have previously belonged to for many years did very little, they did contribute a nice amount of money towards going, it probably covered the entry fee and one night in a cheaper hotel. Some years they would have some kind of recognition on the bulletin board and/or the website. The other 2 clubs would alternate years that they would host an exhibition for all the skaters in the area going to Regionals. There was an entry fee and the proceeds were split amoung the attending performers. There would be a program with a pic of each skater and a bio about them. There would be cupcakes or something like that afterwards. One Exhibition years ago Matt Savoie skated and Ryan Janke came another year. This year the host club was very disorganized and did not end up having the Exhibition until last night (our Regionals is THIS weekend!) and they did not advertise it like they normally do w/posters, etc. :~( I think there may not be very many skaters going from our area this year, it’s pretty far away – about an 8 – 9 hour drive. I think my daughter’s good friend is the only girl from our rink going as an Open Juv. this year. (My own daughter has gone to the past 3 Regionals -2 Juv, 1 Intermediate – but is not going this year.) I have heard that the other 2 Clubs give out free Club jackets for kids going and one Club pays the entry fee ($140 for Qualifying!) I think that all that stuff Ice Mom’s club does is great, I like the picture idea! Our area is mostly “hockey land” so I cannot imagine any press showing up! Good Luck at Regionals for those who are going!!! Ice Mom should post a blog entry about how everyone’s kids did if everyone can report to her… and maybe a general FYI informational post about going to Regionals for people who have never been? Your 1st time can be very interesting, you will learn a lot! ;~)
Helicopter Mom

Well, we had our send off this weekend (it was my first time to go) so now I can comment… Our club gives all the qualifying skaters a club jacket. They also got a small backpack with the club’s logo on it with a towel, a pair of gloves, tissues and a chapstick inside, which was a nice addition. They took each skater’s picture with all their loot. Then the non-qualifying skaters got the bags with the stuff too and also had their pictures taken. Then they took a big group picture, then just qualifying and non-qualifying. Non-qualifying can buy a similar jacket if they want. I ended up getting my poor broken ankled girl a jacket after all (since her coach reminded me that a year is a loooong time to watch your friends skate around wearing a jacket that you would have had if only you hadn’t broken your ankle!) in spite of the fact that she can’t compete. It cost $85. Which was borderline crazy but since that seems to be what “skating” jackets cost and this one has the club insignia, letters across the back and her name embroidered on the front, it was okay. Anyway, back to the event. They served pizza, salad, sandwiches, cake and cupcakes, which was nice. Oh, they also gave jackets to the qualifying skater’s coaches but very few were there.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

I was thinking about your daughter when I wrote the post for October 4 – how to cheer up an injured skater. So sad that she’s missing out on Regionals this year.

I would have totally bought the jacket for Ice Girl, too. $85 is a chunk of change, but yeah, I would have broken down and bought it. Heck, Ice Dad would have bought it and he’s much cheaper than I am.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

Hi, Super Skater!

Thanks for the great blog post idea about how everyone did at Regionals. We totally need a brag day, don’t we?

It’s also a great idea to explain what Regionals is like, for those who have never been, too.

Thanks so much for the ideas!

I love that your club (or area clubs) give some money to the skaters. It’s such an expense, but it’s great that they offset it some.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

You know, some coaches are just better at getting the word out than others. If you’d like your coach to do this, you might want to mention it to her and give her the form. You can also give the form to your parent to fill out and send to the media. I think you deserve to have your name in the paper, too!
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

Isn’t that a nice surprise for your skater? It’s great that tons of people were there and that they received recognition for their hard work.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

I think the even sounds terrific. I wonder why it’s losing momentum? It seems like a bargain for people who want to come – food, entertainment, and skating. I’d totally be there.

It’s nice that the club does a fund raiser for the skaters, too. Competing can be so expensive and it’s great that the club tries to help out.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

Good luck to your son!
Lynne

Thanks, but because New England is a boy scarce region, it ends up that he won’t be going to regionals. He was the only juvenile boy that signed up, which makes his “experience year” a little scary as we’ll be going to Junior Nationals instead.
Lynne

I’m sorry that your daughter will be missing Regionals. I hope her ankle is feeling better soon. How much longer is she in a cast?
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

OMG! He passed up Regionals and is going right to Junior Nationals! Holy cow! Talk about being thrown in! Good luck to him!
Lynne

We were given the option of competing at a different regional, but that would have meant greater travel and more of an expense and his coach chose not to do that. I go between being excited and having mild panic attacks. It will definitely be an experience. He doesn’t have the option of competing in our regionals because they don’t hold an event with only one skater, per USFS rules. So thanks and hopefully he does well enough not to be demoralized.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

You know, what ever he does is enough. What a great opportunity, no matter how it happened. It’s a terrific thing to put on a skating résumé.

Monitoring icenetwork.com’s UGL Regionals results. Trying not to bite nails as the rankings slowly come in…
Anonymous

Really?? WOW!!!
http://icemom.net/2010/10/does-your-figure-skating-club-do-anything-special-for-advancing-skaters.html Does Your Figure Skating Club Do Anything Special for Advancing Skaters? | Ice Mom.net

[...] proud. I wrote a post before Regionals began about how clubs send off their Regional competitors. [object Selection] Many clubs host an exhibition, give out club jackets, and serve [...]
Anonymous

Are Regionals in America like States in Australia??
Just wondering