Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There is a R50 once off registration fee and a R130 annual subscription fee that is required from all the skaters and if under 18 also from a parent representative. You are further required to pay for the group lessons, please read our Membership costs section for a break down of these.
JB have implemented a barcoded system. Each member is issued with a barcoded membership card. Lessons will be loaded onto your membership card in batches of 4 sessions.
Entry and boot hire costs are paid to the rink itself on a weekly basis. For further info: Membership costs
Parents may also take advantage of the club prices. We will be giving adult classes.
The younger the better!! We take skaters from the age of 3 to 100. If your child is under 3 please speak to our Committee Member on PRO duty regarding suitability.
Our intake of new members will take place each week. The Junior Blades constitution states that at least one adult per family must enroll as a member of the club.
In order to register you will be required to be at the rink by no later than 08h00.
Membership Application Forms to be completed and membership and joining fees collected. A copy of the adult members ID as well as the child/children's birth certificate/s are compulsory and need to be handed in with the Application Form on the day of registration.
Please Note: New members are to collect their membership cards at the Front Desk on the Saturday following registration which will then enable the skaters to partake in their lessons.
Click here to complete the online Application Form.
New members’ parents will attend a meeting (dates & times to be confirmed) in the Ice Station Function Room (upstairs at the back of the ice rink). Junior Blades Committee members will be present to introduce you to the club, the rules & regulations as well as to answer any questions.
There is more information about our club processes on the General Information page.
Members can log into the member portal by clicking the member login link on the menu. The credentials to be used are your membership number (the parent/guardian) and the password that was emailed to you when you joined JB. If you need to reset you password please visit the front desk during club times to have it reset.
The member portal displays the following information:
a. The main members profile and all the members linked to it.
b. The full purchase history for the main member and any members linked to it.
c. Number of Lessons remaining.
d. Linked members' profiles.
e. Linked members' attendance register.
f. Linked members' grading tests.
You may either hire skates from The Ice Station or purchase your own skates. New skates are sold in The Skate Shop along with a variety of other items.
Alternatively if you wish to purchase 2nd hand skates initially, please enquire at the Front Desk on the last Saturday of each month when we run a 2nd hand table. If you purchase outside of this, please ask a committee member to check the quality of skates before purchasing.
Junior Blades Ice Skating Club teaches their members to figure skate therefore please ensure that you wear figure skates and not hockey boots. When getting your skates from Boot Hire please specify that they must be figure skates. Ensure that the boots are fastened correctly before getting onto the ice.
Take a look at this informative page on the correct way to lace up your skates and how best to look after them.
The Junior Blades Uniform is compulsory for ALL members one month after joining. It consists of a Turquoise T-Shirt with the JB Logo in black, New tracksuit top (black & turquoise) which is available for purchase at the clothing stand near to PRO every Saturday morning. This can be worn with any black tracksuit pants, black leggings or a black skirt.
Also available at the clothing stand are black sweatshirts with a turquoise JB Logo.
Please ensure that your child's hair is kept neatly out of the face.
Junior Blades Ice Skating Club teaches their members to figure skate therefore please ensure that you wear figure skates and not hockey boots. When getting your skates from Boot Hire please specify that they must be figure skates. Ensure that the boots are fastened correctly before getting onto the ice.
We have a pre-beginners and beginners class followed by grades 1 - 6, 4 intermediate classes and 2 stroking classes. Our elements have been divided between these classes and each grade builds on the skills learnt in the previous grades. The intermediate and stroking classes build on the grades plus introduce skaters to the various disciplines of ice skating.
All skaters in the grade lessons will be tested by the co-ordinator as and when they are ready, skaters in the intermediate and stroking classes will be tested by a SAFSA judge. The JB coaches will determine when a skater is ready to be tested.
There are approximately 6 to 8 elements per grade. To master these elements needs regular attendance and regular practice after each lesson to reinforce what has been learnt.
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition - Perfect Practice makes Perfect Skaters!!
When skaters have passed their grade, it will be recorded on our computer database immediately. If there is sufficient time for the next grade, the skater may then go and exchange their band for the next grade's band and return to the ice in the next grade's time slot. The computer system will automatically send you an email to inform you of the test outcome. You are entitled to purchase the badge for that grade if you so wish, these are great to sew along the sleeves of your JB sweatshirt.
All skaters in Grade 3 and up are welcome to try out for our synchro team, please speak to the team manager in this regard. Please read further information and contact details for our synchro management team.
Black skating pants and with Black Junior Blades T-shirt, JB sweatshirt/tracksuit. Hair to be kept out of the way in a bun with a hairnet.
The club is here to teach children the basics of skating and sets the foundation for future Western Province and National skaters in various disciplines: Solo, pairs, ice dance, hockey, and synchronized team skating.
Once a skater has mastered the basic skating skills in the clubs' grade lessons, they may proceed to having private lessons. These lessons are offered by the Ice Station's resident professional/pro-am coaches. In order to be eligible for private lessons during SAFSA ice time the skater will need to become a member of the South African Figure Skating Association - WP (SAFSA-WP).
In order to become a SAFSA-WP member you will need to :
Appoint a professional/pro-am coach. Click here the list of Professional/Pro-am coaches. Complete the SAFSA application for membership form. Click here for the application form.
Provide a copy of the skater’s ID/birth certificate must accompany the application. Pay the Annual membership fee (1st April to 31 March) of R500 (R250 if Jan, Feb or March) into the following bank: SAFSA WP – BANKING DETAILS – SUBS 2019ABSA Bank: Branch 632005
Acc name: SAFSA WP Subs :
Account no: 9349328261
(Reference) SURNAME & INITIAL + Subs
Email POP: afalconer100@gmail.com
Please note this bank account is only used for SAFSA-WP subscriptions annually, and any further EFT payments will be advised as to which bank account to use.
All correspondence (application form, copy of ID/birth certificate, proof of payment) must be put in to the SAFSA office letterbox which can be found upstairs adjoining the Function Room. The SAFSA-WP committee will collect the documentation prior to their next meeting and they will notify you of the outcome of your application.
The following two websites will give you a more in depth view to this wonderful sport:
The Ice Station: http://www.icerink.co.za South African Figure Skating Association: http://www.safsa.org.za
Many hours of hard practice on the ice, as well as off ice training including, but not limited to, fitness, ballet, specific dance training, etc. It requires a skater and their family to make choices that affect their regular lives - to choose what will help make you a champion.
Our skaters have successfully competed in various disciplines on provincial, national and international levels. The disciplines currently catered for within South Africa are: figure skating (solo), ice dance, pair skating, synchronized team skating and ice hockey. After competing at provincial and national levels, skaters are selected to represent their Association and South Africa at either international club events, or ISU (International Skating Union) recognized competitions, Grand Prix's, World Championships and the Winter Olympics.