Equipment

Safety equipment is required to skate with the Club. Safety is paramount for everyone participating at practices and competition. Skaters are not permitted to be on the ice if they are missing any of the following listed items – no exceptions unless noted.

All Safety Requirements come from Speed Skate Canada's Procedures and Regulations "Red Book".

Helmet

A helmet must be worn for all on-ice activities to prevent head trauma or traumatic brain injury due to impact with ice, boards, boots, bodies, blades etc. It must be securely fastened under the chin at all times and the forehead should be covered with no more than a two inch gap between eyebrows and helmet.

For Learn to Skate (LTS) and Learn to Speed Skate (Group C) programs, helmets must be ASTM F 1849 certified or CSA approved. Hockey helmets will do. Bike helmets are not permitted due to penetration of blades in the ventilation holes and they do not offer face protection.

For competitive speed skating in groups A & B, a speeding skating ASTM F 1849 certified is required.

Protective Eyewear

All skaters in Learn to Skate (LTS) must wear a hockey helmet with a full face cage or visor.

All speed skaters in Groups A, B, and C must wear a pair of shatter-proof, poly-carbonate safety glasses or a complete shatter proof visor for a hockey helmet. All glasses must be held in place with a strap. Clear or yellow lenses are recommended.

Neck Guard

Skaters in all groups must wear neck protection which covers the lower half, of the full circumference of the neck and covers the soft tissue area just below the chin to the point extending below the chin line, joining the armpits at the front of the body. It must be made of Kevlar, Dyneema or ballistic nylon. This protection must be fastened securely with little slack.

Hand Protection

For the Learn to Skate (LTS) program a pair of old or new leather gloves or a good pair of snow gloves or mitts are suitable. Knitted gloves, mitts or hockey gloves are not permitted.

For C Group: a pair of old or new leather gloves or a good pair of snow gloves or mitts is suitable, however a pair of cut resistant gloves is recommended.

For A and B Groups: a pair of cut & puncture resistant gloves must be worn. ie: Kevlar or Dyneema.

Knee Protection

Full frontal knee coverage of the patella is required by all skaters at a minimum. The thicker the foam, the better the impact energy absorption will be. Protection may be worn over a skater’s outfit (for competitive skating). Inside is acceptable if not competing.

For Learn to Skate (LTS), although skaters can wear the hard-shell knee pads, it is much better for impact energy absorption if they wear a foam style knee pad. Speed skating knee pads or volleyball knee pads are sufficient.

Built in knee padding made available in various skins suits is not sufficient enough and separate knee pads most be worn.

Ankle Socks

Ankle socks are required for all A, B and C Group skaters. They must be made of Kevlar or Dyneema and must be worn on both legs, from the tops of the boots to 10 cm over the tops of the boots. The longer the length coverage, the more area protected.

Shin Protection

Shin protection is mandatory for A, B, and C Groups and optional for Learn to Skate (LTS).

It must be made of a hard plastic or built-in cut resistant material with some impact energy absorption. Full frontal shin coverage is from within 2.5 cm of the top of the boot to within 2.5 cm of the bottom of the knee. The protection maybe worn over or under a skater’s skin suit or it can be integrated in the skin suit itself.

Skates

Learn to Skate (LTS): Hockey skates are the most practical and recommended skate.

A, B, and C Groups: The Club offers a speed skate rental program for the season. Protective skate guards and soakers are mandatory for all rental skates.

Undergarments

Although optional for Groups B and C, it is highly recommended to have a Kevlar or Dyneema undergarment for extra protection. This will prevent cuts and puncture wounds parts of the body not already covered by protective gear.

For A Group, full coverage Dyneema is recommended for all skaters.

No specialized undergarments are required for Learn to Skate (LTS).

Outer Garments

For Learn to Skate (LTS), a comfortable layer of outdoor clothing is recommended such as thin snow pants, splash pants, a thin winter coat or a vest. Bulky outer garments may interfere with movement and may cause overheating.

For Groups A, B and C, a speed skate skin suit is recommended. Comfortable, close fitting, not bulky clothing is sufficient for younger skaters in Group C who may not want to wear a skin suit. Clothing such as dry fit or under armour over a layer of long johns, will work great. Close fitting splash pants are acceptable as well. The closer the fit the better but being comfortable and ability to move freely must be kept in mind. Please note: Two pieces of clothing are okay but at no time should skin being showing, especially during a fall, therefore they must be tucked in tight.

The Club runs an extensive speed skate rental program for skaters in Groups A, B, and C. The Club endeavours to have speed skate rentals available to all skaters who want to rent skates. Speed skate rentals are offered to both minimize the financial outlay required by parents on the purchase of new skates and to make it easy for skaters to try out the sport.

Information about the rental program will be made available to registered members before the start of each season.

Skate sharpening

Speed skates cannot be sharpened by your local ice rink pro-shop or sports store. Learning to manually sharpen speed skates is vital. The Club holds a speed skate sharpening clinic annually. Further details will be provided by the Club’s Equipment Manager during the regular skating season.

Skate Care

• Protective skate guards and soakers are mandatory for all rental skates.
• Blades and boots must be maintained and returned in good condition.
• Blades must be sharpened regularly and bolts checked for tightness.
• All rental skates must be returned sharpened and with soakers.
• A thin layer of oil should be added to blades on occasion to prevent rusting.
• Rear and front tips of all speed skates must be rounded to a minimum of 1 cm. This is mandatory for all skate competitions. Use a nickel for a reference will help to achieve this.

Rental Fee Policy

• Rental fees must be paid before or at the time of rental.
• Payment can be made through IceReg or by e-transfer.

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Board pads are a required part of speed skating safety. They are protective mats placed against the rink boards to protect skaters in case of falls. Properly installed board pads are mandatory for all speed skating practices and competitions. Protective padding standards are established by Speed Skate Canada. Further information can be found in Speed Skate Canada's Procedures and Regulations, The Red Book.

Who sets up board pads?

Board pad setup is reserved for adults and advanced skaters only:

• Parents and coaches are responsible for setting up the board pads.
• A Group (Advanced) skaters are also responsible for setting up board pads for A Group practices.

For safety reasons, skaters in C Group and B Group, as well as siblings or other children, are not allowed to setup board pads or help with the carts. It is important that all parents participate in setting up the board pads as part of the team effort before practice begins.

When are board pads set up?

Board pads must start to be put up 15 minutes before practice starts.

• Please arrive to practice at least 15 minutes early to help ensure the board pads are fully set up before skaters take the ice.
• Once the board pads are installed, the Zamboni will flood the ice.
• Delays in setting up the board pads will shorten practice time. Practices cannot be extended to make up for late starts

Who takes down the board pads?

Board pads are taken down after practice by parents, coaches, and skaters in B Group or A Group, depending on which group is on the ice for the club's last practice of the day. For safety reasons, no children or young siblings are permitted to take down board pads.

Why it matters

Helping with board pads isn't just fulfilling club responsibilities, it is critical for every skater's safety. Properly installed board pads ensure skaters can practice in the safest environment possible. It is a small task that has big impact. When everyone contributes to putting up board pads, practices run smoothly, efficiently and safely.