Whats New at Skate Great
Janice Smith Basic Skills Competition Announced
Our Annual Basic Skills Competition will be held on March 31st at the Hamburg Town Arena. Competition forms will be available soon!
Annual Rising Stars on Ice Show
Our annual Ice Show, Rising Stars on Ice, will be held on April 28th at 6:00. ALL LEARN TO SKATE AND RISING STARS SKATERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FUN-FILLED EVENT! This year's theme is "Celebrating 50 years- Past Present and Future." Please click here for the Ice Show form or you may register online by April 1st. If you have further questions, please contact the Show Director at 818-8298.
Ice Card Sale
Our ice cards are on sale this week, January 23-27! You may purchase cards for 10% off online or at the ice manager's table during our skating sessions. Stock up today, the next sale will be in April!
Skater Competes in National Championships
Skate Great and skater Kaitlin Hawayek and her partner Michael Bramante will be skating at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, January 22nd-29th in San Jose CA. Skate Great would like to wish Kaitlin and Michael the best of luck!
Winter Learn to Skate Forms
Registration for our January - March programs are now available!
East Aurora Learn to Skate (Begins January 8)
Holiday and Leisure Rink Learn to Skate (Begins the week of January 30)
Hamburg Session 3 - Register online at www.townofhamburgny.com (Begins February 1st) SOLD OUT!
Successful SCWNY Test Session
Congratulations to all of our skaters that passed tests at the December 8th test session at Leisure Rinks!
Skate Great would like to recognize Eric Fiorello for passing his Senior Moves in the Field Test! Eric is a sophmore at Buffalo State College.
Congratulations skaters!
Skate Great Survey
Please download this survey and email back to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or hand in to the registration table to receive $5.00 ANY Skate Great Program! We appreciate your feedback.
Skater advances to Junior Nationals!
Congratulations to Jimmie Koszuta for qualifying for the 2012 Junior National Championships in Michigan! Koszuta finished 6th in Juvenile Boys at the North Atlantic Regionals.
Congratulations to our other Regional Competitors:
Mary Kate Deacon, Gabriella Dignitti, Lindsey Jenson, Erica Wong and Emily Beckman who placed 3rd in the Initial Round of Intermediate Ladies and finished 10th overall!
North Atlantic Regional Championships
Good luck to our skaters at the 2012 North Atlantic Regional Championships held in Amherst, NY from October 14-18! Pictured from left to right: Lindsey Jenson (Juvenile Ladies), Mary Kate Deacon (Intermediate Ladies), Emily Beckman (Intermediate Ladies), Erica Wong (Intermediate Ladies), Gabriella Dignitti (Juvenile Ladies), Jimmie Koszuta (Juvenile Men). Missing from picture: Kaitlin Hawayek (Junior Ice Dance)
Hawayek and Bramante finish 4th in Romania
Kaitlin Hawayek and her partner, Michael Bramante, placed 4th at their first Junior Grand Prix event in Romania! They have been selected to respresent the U.S. in their second Junior Grand Prix Event in Estonia later this month. Please click on this link to watch their international debut:
Hawayek Selected for Junior Grand Prix
Kaitlin Hawayek and her partner, Michael Bramante have been selected by USFS for the Junior Grand Prix event to be held at Brasov, Romania from September 21-25th!
According to the USFS - The 2011–2012 ISU Junior Grand Prix will be the 15th season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP), a series of international competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It is the junior-level complement to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating contested by senior-level skaters. Skaters will compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singes, pair skating, and ice dancing.
Skaters will earn points towards qualifying for the final at each of the seven Junior Grand Prix events. The top eight skaters/teams in the series from each discipline will meet at the Junior Grand Prix Final, to be held concurrently with the senior final.
Team USA is defined as those skaters who are selected by the International Committee, International Committee Management Subcommittee and/or the International Skating Union to represent the United States at ISU events including, but not limited to, spring internationals, Junior Grand Prixs, Senior Grand Prixs, Senior B internationals, ISU championships (Four Continents Championships, World Junior Championships, World Championships, World Team Trophy) and the Olympic Winter Games. In addition, Team USA consists of the primary coaches, secondary coaches, judges, team leaders and medical personnel selected to represent the United States at the competitions mentioned above.
While attending international assignments, team members are recognized as ambassadors for U.S. Figure Skating and the United States of America. Not only is it an honor to be selected, but it is also an opportunity for team members to gain valuable experiences on an international stage.
2011 State Games Medalists
Congratulations to our 3 competitors who competed at the 2011 State Games of America in San Diego, California!
Emily Beckman won the Gold Medal in Intermediate Ladies, Erika Augustyniak won the Bronze Medal in Novice Ladies and Leanne Schroeder took the Bronze Medal in the Junior Level.
Congratulations skaters!
Ice Cards Now Available Online
Skate Great has now made it available to purchase ice cards online at any time of the year! Simply click on "Register Now" and search for Ice Cards under Programs. If you have any questions, please call Jessica Lauria at 716-228-0036.
Skate Great finishes 6th in the US!
Skate Great has been ranked 6th in the country by USFS for the 2010-2011 skating season out of over 1000 Basic Skills Programs!
We continue to be the #1 Basic Skills provider in Western New York.
Thank you for another successful year!
Skate Great Skaters at Nationals!
Congratulations to our Skate Great skaters who just competed at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Kaitlin Hawayek and her partner Michael Bramante won the bronze medal in the novice dance category.. She is the first skater from the Skating Club of WNY to win a medal at U.S. Nationals.
Jordan Bauth placed 11th in the novice ladies category.
Both Kaitlin and Jordan are graduates from the Skate Great programs. Congratulations Skaters!
Certificates now available!
Skate Great gift certificates are the perfect gift for everyone on your list! They're available in any denomination and are good toward any Skate Great program -- from to Rising Stars to Mommy and Me. You may also purchase cards online in $25, $50, $75 and $100 denominations. So don't wait, call the Skate Great office at 580-3458 and order yours today!
Janice Smith 1958 - 2010
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Skate Great's founder and director, Janice Smith, after a valiant 3-year battle with cancer.
Under her leadership, Skate Great became one of U.S. Figure Skating's largest Basic Skills programs in the country. During her 30-year coaching career in WNY she coached 30 skaters to their USFS gold medals and coached numerous skaters at the regional, state, sectional, and national levels.
Jan will be forever remembered for her devotion to the sport of of figure skating and her positive, lasting influence on the skaters she coached.
Donations for the Janice Smith Scholarship Fund can be made to the SCWNY and mailed to 11 Brynstone Court, Amherst NY 14228.
Click here to read Janice's obituary in the Buffalo News.
On-line Registration is Now Available
In addition to mailing your registration, you can now register for Skate Great's programs on-line. Just click here and you'll be connected. Don't forget to download our Learn to Skate Waiver (required).
Skate Great is Now on Facebook!
Skate Great and Independent Health
Skate Great is now a participating provider in Independent Health's Health and Wellness FlexFit Family Network. Now you can use your Independent Health FlexFit Family Debit Card to register for any of our programs online.
