Equipment
What you'll need to skate
Safety equipment is required to skate with the Club. Safety is paramount for everyone participating at practices and competition. Skaters are not permitted to be on the ice if they are missing any of the following listed items – no exceptions unless noted.
All Safety Requirements come from Speed Skate Canada's Procedures and Regulations "Red Book".
Helmet
A helmet must be worn for all on-ice activities to prevent head trauma or traumatic brain injury due to impact with ice, boards, boots, bodies, blades etc. 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) and Learn to Speed Skate (Group C) programs, helmets must be ASTM F 1849 certified or CSA approved. Hockey helmets will do. Bike helmets are not permitted due to penetration of blades in the ventilation holes and they do not offer face protection.
For competitive speed skating in groups A & B, a speeding skating ASTM F 1849 certified is required.
Protective Eyewear
All skaters in Learn to Skate (LTS) must wear a hockey helmet with a full face cage or visor.
All speed skaters in Groups A, B, and C must wear 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.
Neck Guard
Skaters in all groups 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
For the Learn to Skate (LTS) program a pair of old or new leather gloves or a good pair of snow gloves or mitts are suitable. Knitted gloves, mitts or hockey gloves are not permitted.
For C Group: 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 A and B Groups: a pair of cut & puncture resistant gloves must be worn. ie: Kevlar or Dyneema.
Knee Protection
Full frontal knee coverage of the patella is required by all skaters at a minimum. The thicker the foam, the better the impact energy absorption will be. Protection may be worn over a skater’s outfit (for competitive skating). Inside is acceptable if not competing.
For Learn to Skate (LTS), 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.
Built in knee padding made available in various skins suits is not sufficient enough and separate knee pads most be worn.
Ankle Socks
Ankle socks are required for all A, B and C Group skaters. They 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
Shin protection is mandatory for A, B, and C Groups and optional for Learn to Skate (LTS).
It 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
Learn to Skate (LTS): Hockey skates are the most practical and recommended skate.
A, B, and C Groups: The Club offers a speed skate rental program for the season. Protective skate guards and soakers are mandatory for all rental skates.
Undergarments
Although optional for Groups B and C, it is highly recommended to have a Kevlar or Dyneema undergarment for extra protection. This will prevent cuts and puncture wounds parts of the body not already covered by protective gear.
For A Group, full coverage Dyneema is recommended for all skaters.
No specialized undergarments are required for Learn to Skate (LTS).
Outer Garments
For Learn to Skate (LTS), a comfortable layer of outdoor clothing is recommended such as thin snow pants, splash pants, a thin winter coat or a vest. Bulky outer garments may interfere with movement and may cause overheating.
For Groups A, B and C, a speed skate skin suit is recommended. Comfortable, close fitting, not bulky clothing is sufficient for younger skaters in Group C who may not want to wear a skin suit. 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.