Pre-Governing Council Seminars Part 2


After a less-than-healthy lunch, a bit of time in the Florida sunshine, and a chance to chat with Kathy Drevs, I headed back to the seminar rooms. 

But first, I should mention two fun tidbits about the hotel. The big ballroom where we'll be spending the next two days is right next to the pool area. And since the cell service within the hotel is weak, we may have to adjourn to the pool whenever we need to vote on something tomorrow. You know, just so everyone has a decent signal. For the good of the organization. 

Second fun or at least amusing element is that there is big cheer competition at Disney this weekend and they are everywhere in the hotel. And while we figure skaters are used to sequins and shiny objects, cheer folks really take it to the extreme. Although our synchro teams can usually match these people with hair and (sound) volume. 

Okay - back to the seminars (unless I get distracted again ... no guarantees). The rooms were freezing and I was very glad that I brought my heavy sweatshirt.

Getting Involved in Leadership/Governance

Scott Brody did a great presentation on how governance works (or should work) at both the club level and the national level. I strongly believe that clubs should have a junior board, allowing skaters to have a voice and participate in governance. It's a great way to develop future leaders and these skaters stay involved in the sport longer. 

Scott talked about how USFS governance is set up and how people can get involved with committee work at a national level. 

Competition Best Practices

This was a long session with LOTS of information. 

Skate Safe aka Safe Sport

Procedures for event organizers are based on requirements from the US Center for SafeSport, including a quality control system.

These procedures cover compliance and credentialing, focusing on keeping banned and suspended individuals out. 

Starting in 2025-26, the US Center for SafeSport will conduct audits that can extend down to club, not fall competitions. These audits will verify the implementation of SafeSport requirements.

Medical Guidelines for Competition

These are STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS: One medical person rinkside at all times in the siteline of the event referee. Appropriate personnel include Athlete Trainer, EMT, paramedic, M.D./DO, or sports physical therapist. (Not sure why PAs, nurses and NPs aren't included.)

Competition Planning Toolkit

The Accounting Innovation Group presented the toolkit that they have created for competitions that provide guidance for staffing, planning, 104 best practices and more. These all can be found on the USFS website. 

Scoring System Technician (SST) plans (formerly knowns as Technical Accountants)

The goal of plan is to decouple the requirement for SSTs to first get an accountant's/Scoring Official's appointment. This will allow individuals who have a technical background and are interested in becoming an SST join our ranks. Right now there are about 50 active Level 2 & 3 SSTs in the country to cover over 500 competitions. 

All current Level 1 SSTs will be required to recertify to retain their appointment. Level 2 will also require retraining as the software undergoes changes. (See the morning seminar on Figure Skating Manager).

Want more detail?

Send me an email (meharty at gmail.com) and I will send you the AI-generated notes from each of the sessions. 

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