Best ice skating clubs and coaches in Europe

[Missy100]

Hi, I have a 5 year old competitive ice skater we currently live in the usa but need to move to europe. Can you please advise which are some of the best figureskating clubs and coaches in Europe and how one can connect with them. My kid currently skates 2 hours everyday and loves this sport so much
Thank you !!!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi and welcome! Obviously if you're needing to move to Europe, there's a country and town you will be in?! Can you at least give us that much information and then it will be easier to guide you to the best closest training centers.

 

[Missy100]

Hi and welcome! Obviously if you're needing to move to Europe, there's a country and town you will be in?! Can you at least give us that much information and then it will be easier to guide you to the best closest training centers.

We will be working from home so can go anywhere ... we were interested in Barcelona but i heard their rink has been closed and might reopen in December ... also home schooling is not leagel from what we read and school days are long till 4 / 5 hard to train properly

 

[yesterday]

We will be working from home so can go anywhere ... we were interested in Barcelona but i heard their rink has been closed and might reopen in December ... also home schooling is not leagel from what we read and school days are long till 4 / 5 hard to train properly

First: how "europe" is "Europe" for you? UK, other islands or the continent? A country that's part of the European Union or not?
Second: education is considered very imporatant. Depending on the country you may have slightly different systems, but apart from in-person-school days school is also mandatory until a certain age and also recommended afterwards. It's not as flexible as it would be nice for (ongoing) athletes but it (a) secures certain standards and possibilities for a living after the career and (b) there's specialized sports (boarding) schools, again depending on the country, where it is easier to combine school and training and they also offer distance learning above a certain age as long as the student takes exams and succeeds.

Really, you'd have to look into the countries and systems and schools independently in detail.

But one more important issue: Most rinks in most countries here close over the summer. Not just for a month for maintenance, but from ~March/April to ~September/October. Those who don't are mostly also the bigger rinks (+CoEs) where European elite skaters train. Also think about the climate of the countries. Not for the rinks but for where you would like to live, esp. if it's for longer.

 

[theblade]

First I would consider what is happening in different countries re: actual ability to move around as residents. There is variation between countries. Schooling is the second key issue, so specialized schools would be a consideration. And there are some European skaters that end up in the States training during the summer anyway (getting choreography and extra help from elite coaches at training facilities here).

Because your kid is still quite young, a lot of off-ice training can happen, too. Dance, basic gymnastics for strength training, flexibility classes, etc.

As to who are some of the best coaches, you and your skater should identify who are some of the skaters you most respond to. That can lead the way to coaches. Also, some coaches don't take skaters until they are in later levels, like Novice of Junior, but have feeder coaches/rinks that develop skaters around your age.

 

[Friday]

home schooling is not leagel from what we read and school days are long till 4 / 5

That really depends on which country in Europe you are referring to: as said by others, each country has different systems, but homeschooling is legal in Portugal, France, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Estonia, Austria and Switzerland.

Normaly, it has to be decided by a local school director or local authority if the child is allowed to stay at home and which learning curriculum has to be followed. Most of the time, the learning process needs to be monitored by a local school and the child has to participate in exams yearly.

Also, school days aren't that long for primary education most of the time and school lasts till 1 pm (at least in Germany and Austria). The longer school day is most likely something like afternoon care for when parents are at work.

Most rinks in most countries here close over the summer. Not just for a month for maintenance, but from ~March/April to ~September/October.

I can second this, it really sucks. There are exactly 3 rinks open in Germany all summer (to public or hobby skaters), no more. But some rinks are only closed one or two months a year (like May/June - July) but it's only allowed for the skaters that are competing or in the performance cadre to keep training in that time.

 

[Missy100]

Wow guys this forum is wonderful thank you so much for the input i really appreciate it !!!
I really didn't know about the rinks closing etc ... feel very spoilt now lol we are in Arizona not exactly famouse for skating but we have 4 ice rinks within 15 to 30min drive open all year round ice time available daily 5am till 6pm .. $14 for 1h slot individual coaching $80 per hour. Can you advise which rinks are open all year round ?

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Wow guys this forum is wonderful thank you so much for the input i really appreciate it !!!
I really didn't know about the rinks closing etc ... feel very spoilt now lol we are in Arizona not exactly famouse for skating but we have 4 ice rinks within 15 to 30min drive open all year round ice time available daily 5am till 6pm .. $14 for 1h slot individual coaching $80 per hour. Can you advise which rinks are open all year round ?

Not until you can give us a bit of a clue as to town/city or at least country!

In the UK, many Scottish rinks are either closed in the summer. They are also inclined to give priority to the sport of curling rather than figure skating, so you really need to be looking at Dundee for decent training facilities. The other "top rinks" are considered to be Cardiff (in Wales), Sheffield, Nottingham and Alexandra Palace in England. Rinks are actually few and far between, especially in the south west of the country. Temporary seasonal/Christmas rinks pop up in many towns but they are not for training and often prohibit even skating backwards.

Sadly, the sport is woefully unfunded here and the skating association is hopeless. Good coaching is hard to find (although massive egos abound) and by Junior standard, most promising athletes with enough money move to North America (especially Canada for ice dance) in order to give themselves a chance of putting in a decent performance on the world stage. All the "qualifiers" and "elite camps" in the world can't disguise the fact that what British Ice Skating are calling our "elites" really aren't anywhere near. This makes me very sad, as we're a nation with a great skating history.

Home schooling is definitely a thing here but, frankly, if you think you have a child with the talent and drive to get to the top, I'd be staying in the US!

 

[theblade]

I'm assuming the job/move to Europe is necessary. But until you do, Arizona is a pretty good state to start skating. Four rinks open 15-30 minutes year-round is fairly optimal, no matter what state or country you are currently living in. Also, $80 per hour is a decent rate if your coaching is solid/reputable, and there are some well-qualified coaches there, given your kid's age. (Rates may seem expensive to some, but cheaper to others whose kids are older competitive skaters.) Ice time fees have crept up the past few years; it costs a lot of money and takes energy to run a rink.

Until we know more about the potential countries your family is considering, we cannot advise you too much on specific rinks/coaches. Definitely make hay while you can in Arizona. The school year has started. Is your child currently attending?

(Perhaps others can speak towards this, but are there any North American skaters that do online schooling through a vendor in the States or Canada while training in Europe? I'm guessing probably not. In the past 2.5 years skaters have tried to find locations to settle and train with minimal red-tape/restriction of movement. Just idly wondering.)

 

[Minz]

Really, no one can do anything until you tell us where you are moving - even if it’s just a general idea. Europe is a big continent and things obviously vary wildly from place to place in almost every way.

 

[Missy100]

I would love to find a list of per country rinks that are open all year round. My husband is a marathon running working on setting an age group world record so we need to also find a suitable place for him to run. .. which has an ice rink open all year round. We were keen on Barcelona but the rink is closed till december and i am not sure if its normally open all year round... i am assuming italy austria switzerland must have good rinks open all year round

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Off the top of my head, Italy has probably best rinks I can think of. Other than that, there are a few good rinks dotted across Europe but the best ones I hear about are in Italy.

Again, where in Europe? Russia is very different to UK for example. Consider school, culture, etc and then narrow it down to a country, and then we can guide you on best rinks in the country.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I think most of Italy's rinks are closed over the summer. I used to train in Switzerland when I was at school, but usually came back to the UK at the end of March.

You could check out Innsbruck in Austria. I believe the rink there is still open all year round. It certainly was when I skated there, but that was 1984...

And then there's Obersdorf in Bavaria, Germany, but whether that's suitable for a 5 year old, I don't know.

 

[Minz]

Also a few things to keep in mind -

Europe is a huge continent and each place has different rules, customs and cultures. A place that has a skating club 10 minutes away might not be the best place to live.

Additionally - consider other barriers that you might need to deal with. I’m not very familiar with the school system in Europe, but assuming your child speaks only English, you will need to find place with a school that teaches in English.

Budget is another factor - the cost of living will vary depending on where in Europe you want to go. Then add the expense of skating.

Edit - Also, what about the unforeseen? How long do you plan to be in Europe for? Your child is 5 years old. Things change. What happens if they decide to stop skating? I’m not saying this will happen, but you need to think about all of the possibilities when it comes to something this big.

 

[Friday]

I don't know a lot about Italy, just that there are a few beautiful rinks in South Tyrol. As said before, Oberstdorf in Germany is open all year around and there are some courses for kids from local clubs. Innsbruck actually isn't open during the whole year I think (they close in June?, but not sure about that) but there is a rink in Tefls (about 30 minutes by car) that is open during the whole year.
Apart from that, I don't know anything else except for Stephane Lambiels elite rink in Champéry

 

[Missy100]

Off the top of my head, Italy has probably best rinks I can think of. Other than that, there are a few good rinks dotted across Europe but the best ones I hear about are in Italy.

Again, where in Europe? Russia is very different to UK for example. Consider school, culture, etc and then narrow it down to a country, and then we can guide you on best rinks in the country.

Thank you which rinks in Italy do you recomend that are open all year round with natural ice

 

[yesterday]

Thank you which rinks in Italy do you recomend that are open all year round with natural ice

You could try it here: https://www.fisg.it/contattaci/

 

[storm]

Thank you which rinks in Italy do you recomend that are open all year round with natural ice

No natural ice rinks are open year round. Which country can you get a residence permit in? It's very hard to get in some countries!

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Thank you which rinks in Italy do you recomend that are open all year round with natural ice

What do you mean by natural ice? I doubt there are any natural ice rinks open year round in anywhere you'd want to live.

In terms of standard ice rinks, I'm not sure. I have a few friends from Elite ice clubs like YGA, but I have no idea about something appropriate for a 5year old. As others suggested, don't decide location on skating at this stage, look for culture and then look at skating after, because at this age its hard to predict the future.

 

[gleungc6]

When you say 'natural ice rink', do you mean outdoor ice rinks that are open all year round? I don't think there are any.