Ice Show: 1st Information Bundle for Contract Skaters

All Rochester Figure Skating Club contract skaters who wish to skate in the club’s {source 0}2026 ice show, must complete the Online Registration Process by Saturday, November 15, 2025. A $25 late fee will be assessed for entries submitted after November 15.

Registration is now open! To sign up for the ice show:

1. Registration is now available on this website (not the Customer Portal where you normally register). You do not need to be logged in to register, but this will retrieve any personal information saved here (eg: for testing registration).
2. Complete the Ice Show Participation Form.
3. Fill in all required fields – including your skater’s measurements and select your costume sizes! Your registration will not be complete until we have all information requested.
4. After completing this form, ensure your preferred payment information is entered in your RFSC Customer Portal profile. You will be charged a costume deposit of $40 per number once the cast list is posted (see the Costume Information section for details).

Registration Important Dates

• General Registration is Friday, October 3 through Saturday, November 15, 2025
• Late Registration, $25 late fee will be assessed for entries submitted after November 15.
• Registration closes Sunday, November 30, 2025

Agreement

By completing the online registration, you will be agreeing to participate in the Ice Show and to the following:

1. Skaters must agree to participate in all show numbers in which they are cast, for all performances, even though they don't know which numbers those will be at the time of registration.
2. Skaters are responsible for their own measurements and understand that they are responsible for any size alterations that are needed.
3. Costumes cannot be returned or exchanged for different sizes. PLEASE MEASURE CAREFULLY!
4. Costumes may not be altered before pictures without approval from the costume committee.
5. Costumes must be worn as directed by the costume committee and show director—NO EXCEPTIONS.
6. Skaters who are cast as soloists in the show must have their costume approved no later than Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
   Soloists who do not have their costume for picture day will not be pictured in the show program and the picture will not be posted at the rink. Please plan accordingly.
7. Skaters may not wear their costumes prior to show performances, except at the request or approval of the costume committee and/or show director.
8. Costumes must be covered if worn by skaters in the audience during show performances or any show rehearsals.
9. The Rochester Figure Skating Club does not control photos that are taken by outside media sources. By registering for the show, you acknowledge that photos may be taken by members of the media during practices and show week performances.
10. Photos taken on show picture day in March will be publicized in our show program and may be displayed in the RFSC communication showcases at the Rochester Recreation Center. These photos may also be used in media outlets to publicize the show and the club in general.
11. Skaters and parents must respect all fellow skaters, volunteers and directors of the ice show. Many hours are spent preparing for an outstanding show that is fun for skaters as well as pleasing to the audience. Please be considerate of others to make it a positive experience for all involved.

Ice Show tryouts are intended for higher level, contract skaters with specific skillsets. You will be contacted by your professional coach if you qualify. Please check with your coach if you have questions.

Show Numbers

A show number is any of the following:

Does Not Require a Tryout

• Grad Feature—For all the skaters in their first year of contract ice.
• Large Singles Group—For all skaters after their first year of contract ice. Most skaters will remain in a large group for several years, depending on their skating level and skillset.
• Teen Group—Skaters are chosen based on skating skills and in consideration of age.
• Sophomore/Junior Number—Skaters who are either sophomores or juniors in high school who have not been included in a feature and have passed preliminary singles or above.
• Senior Feature—Skaters who are seniors in high school who have passed preliminary singles, pre-bronze skating skills, bronze dance or above.
• Axel Number—Skaters who are pre-silver skating skills or higher and/or have strong jumping skills
• Opening/Closing (Finale)—Skaters are chosen by consideration of age, line skating strength or tryout placement. Sometimes skaters earn one of these numbers before they earn a small feature group number.
• Father/Daughter Number—For any girl who is at the pre-preliminary singles or preliminary skating skills or higher on November 4, 2025 (Hiawathaland test session is the last RFSC test session before this cutoff). Dads should be able to skate forward and backward, stop and turn. For more information see the Father/Daughter Information page.

Require a Tryout

• Small Feature Group, Duet or Trio—Skaters may earn placement into one of these by achieving a high score in their show tryout.
• Free Skate Number—Skaters are chosen based on tryout placement and skating skills.
• High Feature—Includes all the skaters who have a solo.
• Solo, Highlight, or Feature&—mdash;Skater may earn one of these by one of the following:
  1. Very high tryout placement and/or
  2. Graduating seniors who are skating a minimum of nine free skate units per week at RFSC (a senior solo or highlight is not guaranteed and will be determined by skating skills and tryout score).
     The type and length of the program will be determined by the needs of the show and the skater’s singles test level:
     • Pre-Bronze highlight in a group number
     • Bronze highlight approximately one minute in length
     • Pre-Silver and above highlight approximately one and one-half minutes in length.

Qualifications

A skater may be placed in 1 to 4 numbers based on the following:

• Their parent's permission as indicated on the Participation Form
• Tryout placement score
• Singles testing level
• Skating Skills
• Number of units contracted and skated per week (Singles, Skating Skills/Dance, Power, Edge and Synchronized). Units will be determined by registration as of September 30, 2025 with the expectation that the contracting and skating of those units will be maintained throughout the year. Changes in a skater’s contract may affect casting.
  • 5 to 8 units per week = 1 number
  • 9 to 14 units per week = up to 2 numbers
  • 15 or more units per week = up to 4 numbers

Senior Soloists and Senior Small Group numbers will work with the artistic director in the selection of music.

Senior Soloists and Senior Small Group numbers will work with the costume committee in the selection of costume/dress options, which include color choices. Costumes must be approved by the costume committee by December 31, 2025.

Costumes will need to be purchased for each number in which a skater is cast. In the past, the average cost per number for costume and accessories has been approximately $$90–110.

Skaters who participate on a synchronized team or have tested in dance may qualify for an additional number(s). The Father/Daughter number is considered an additional number and does not count toward the above listed maximums.

Final decisions will be made by the artistic director and casting committee. The cast list is posted around Thanksgiving.

If you will not have a solo in the show, you may skip this section and move on to the Costume Information section.

It is important that solo performances fit in with the theme and general appearance of the Show. For this reason, a soloist may not independently select music, costume color or style.

• The Artistic Director selects all the music for the show, including soloist's music. Graduating seniors who are soloists have input to the selection of their music but the Artistic Director makes the final determination.
• Soloists will work with the costume committee in the selection of a costume.
• Soloists may not wear any costume or dress that has already been worn for competitions or other shows! To be fair to everyone and maintain a fresh look for the show each year, all soloists must agree to purchase a new costume or dress for the show.
• The costume committee will contact soloists after the cast list is posted to discuss costume options, which will include color options for each soloist as determined by the costume committee and artistic director.
• Soloists must have their costumes approved by the costume committee no later than December 31, 2025.
• Any soloist who does not have their costume for picture day, will not be pictured in the show program and a picture will not be posted at the rink. Please plan accordingly!

All soloists are required to attend a special lighting session with the Technical Director. This session is on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 8:30 am on the South Rink (time is tentative—a final schedule will be distributed). Soloists are to wear their solo costume(s) to this session.

Soloists will not receive any monetary funds for performing in the RFSC Ice Show. Solo performances are for the greater benefit of the Rochester Figure Skating Club and the audience. U.S. Figure Skating has rules that allow payment for performances, but it is not RFSC policy to pay club members to perform in our annual ice show. Prior to the show, the soloist is not allowed to perform the solo, wear the show costume or use the solo program at any engagement, except for show-related practice or performance.

The soloist is required to skate the minimum required units as outlined on the Show Casting Information page. If the skater is injured and unable to skate the required number of units per week, a doctor's note must be submitted to the Show Director.

Measurements for Costumes

You will be asked to select costume sizes during registration. Please measure your skater before you begin the registration process so you have the information you need to complete the costume sizing section of the online registration form. Excellent instructions for measuring can be found at Weissman Costumes (one of our show vendors). Or, watch their "How to Measure" video:

Skaters are responsible for any costume size alterations that may be required. Changes to the design of a costume will be made only at the direction of the Costume Committee and Show Directors. ALL costumes must be worn as directed by the costume committee and show directors

If you have any questions on this please contact our costume chairperson:

Brenda Brown
Email Brenda Brown

We will be including a Father/Daughter number in the Show again this year. Sign up to be in this number by indicating "yes" for the Father/Daughter question on your online Show Registration Form.

• Participation is open to any girl who has passed pre-preliminary singles (not to be confused with Learn2Skate pre-free skate badge), or preliminary skating skills or higher on November 4, 2025 and her father. Please note that the Hiawathaland test session in October is the last RFSC test session before this cutoff date.

  While the intent is that skaters will skate with their fathers, exceptions can be made. It is possible that a skater could skate with another family member (grandfather, uncle, older brother) or a neighbor or friend. However, a skater will not be allowed to skate with her boyfriend.

• Dads should be able to skate forward and backward, stop and turn.
• There is one mandatory rehearsal scheduled on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 5:00–6:30 pm. Attendance is required for both father and daughter at the mandatory rehearsal and all show week rehearsals.
• Cost: $5 for each Father participating (one father with two daughters is still only $5). This amount will be added to your regular skating bill to help cover ice costs.
• Father/daughter couples will skate one show each. You will be contacted about your preference.
• If there is more than one daughter in a family, the father may skate with only one daughter in a given show.
• This number is considered an "extra" number and will not count toward the show number maximum as outlined on the Show Casting Information page.
• Skaters choosing to perform in the father/daughter number in the show must be willing to purchase an extra costume if needed.

Father/Daughter Rehearsal Schedule

Mandatory Rehearsal
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
5:00–6:30 pm

To maintain continuity for the show and to be fair to all skaters we enforce the following policies for rehearsal attendance:

• Attendance is taken at all rehearsals.
• Skaters may not miss more than one rehearsal per number during the show session. This includes rehearsals scheduled on Monday and Tuesday of show week. All skaters must be present for Wednesday and Thursday show week rehearsals.
• While any off-ice sessions scheduled are required for all skaters in those numbers, it does not count toward the one allowed miss.
• Arriving to rehearsal 10 minutes late or leaving rehearsal 10 minutes early counts as half a miss.
• Attendance is required for both father and daughter at the mandatory rehearsal and all show week rehearsals.