Equipment Requirements
Specifics file Equipment Photos
Eye Protection: To prevent eye injuries resulting from ice chips, a collision with a blade or other objects. For speed skating, 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.
Head Protection: To prevent major & minor head trauma or traumatic brain injury due to impact with ice, boards, boots, bodies, blades etc. A helmet must be worn for all on-ice activities. 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) & Learn to Speed Skate (Group C) programs, helmets must be ASTM F 1849 certified or CSA approved. Hockey helmets, winter sports helmets, bike helmets with very small ventilation holes (a skate blade must not be able to penetrate any ventilation holes of the helmet), or a speed skating helmet, will do. For competitive speed skating in groups A & B, a speeding skating ASTM F 1849 certified is required.
Please Note: Parents are welcome on the ice with the LTS skaters but they MUST wear a helmet and skates.
Neck Guard: To prevent cuts & puncture wounds to the neck area, especially in the areas of the major arteries. All speed skaters 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: To prevent cuts & puncture wounds on the hands from blades. For the Learn to Skate program a pair of old or new leather gloves or a good pair of snow gloves or mitts are suitable. NO KNITTED GLOVES OR MITTS OR HOCKEY GLOVES. For the speed skating programs: for Group C: 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 groups A & B, a pair of cut & puncture resistant gloves must be worn. ie: Kevlar or Dyneema.
Knee Protection: Prevent puncture and blunt force impact wounds to the knees. Minimum requirements: Full frontal knee coverage of the patella. The thicker the foam, the better the impact energy absorption will be. Protection may be worn over a skaters outfit (for competitive skating). Inside is acceptable if not competing. However, it must be noted, that built in knee padding made available in various skins suits is not sufficient enough and separate knee pads most be worn. For Learn to Skate, 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.
Ankle Socks: To prevent cuts & puncture wounds of the Achilles tendon from blades during the thrust phase of the stride or accidental collisions. 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: To prevent cuts & puncture wounds along the shin from a skate blade as well as protection from contact with blunt objects. These are a mandatory item for all speed skating levels. They 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: For Learn to Skate: Hockey skates are the most practical and recommended skate. For all other groups, the Fredericton Speed Skating Club carries a wide range of speed skates for a reasonable rental rate for the season. For group A & B, speed skates can either own or rent. Protective skate guards are mandatory for all rental skates. Please Note: If skates are rented from the club, the blades and boots must be maintained and returned in good condition. Blades must be sharpened regularly and all rented skates MUST be returned sharpened and with soakers or there will be a replacement charge applied. (The club offers a free training program for learning how to maintain your skates and blades.)
Undergarments: To prevent cuts & puncture wounds to any other part of the body not already covered by protective gear. Although optional for groups B & C it is highly recommended to have a Kevlar or Dyneema undergarment for the extra protection. For Group A, full coverage Dyneema is recommended required for all skaters attending National Level competitions.
Outer Garments: For Learn to Skate, a comfortable layer of outdoor clothing. Thin snow pants, splash pants, thin winter coat or vest is sufficient. Remember, the young skaters will be on the move, so something to bulky may interfere with movement and overheating. You want them to be comfortable. For speed skating, although a speed skating skins are everyone’s preference; for younger skaters, comfortable, close fitting, not bulky clothing, is best. 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.
Please Note: If skates are rented from the club, the blades and boots must be maintained and returned in good condition. Blades must be sharpened regularly and bolts checked for tightness, as they may become loose with wear. A thin layer of oil should be added to blades on occasion to prevent rusting. All rental skates MUST be returned sharpened and with soakers at the end of season or there will be a replacement charge applied.
Rounding of blades –rear and front tips of all speed skates must be rounded to a minimum of 1 cm and is mandatory for all skate competitions. Using a nickel for a reference will help in achieving this goal.
How to Sharpen Speed Skates- click here