athletes

Welcome to the S.T.A.R.S. home page where you will find information about S.T.A.R.S. - what it is, who it's for, how to register and exciting news about how YOU can get Tanith Belbin or Rockne Brubaker to come see you at a S.T.A.R.S. Combine this year!

Watch the top athletes from 2012 S.T.A.R.S., along with Tanith Belbin and Rockne Brubaker, in an icenetwork feature during the 2013 U.S. Championships:

Cassandra Smith, Abby Buck, Brooke Bowman, Heidi Sullivan, Hailey Bowman and Ainsley Peterson from the Lakewood Winter Club participate in the S.T.A.R.S. event in Seattle.

Become a better athlete as you become a better skater-- participate in S.T.A.R.S. (Standardized Testing of Athleticism to Recognize Skaters)!

S.T.A.R.S. is a new system of off-ice fitness assessment and development designed to support U.S. Figure Skating's existing testing and competition progressions. Its development is based primarily on the need to promote robust, all-around fitness in young American skaters; to push and maintain the athletic ability curve ahead of the skills curve; to ensure that young figure skaters are physically prepared to handle the introduction of new, more complex and more demanding skating skills; and to reduce the potential for injury typically sustained during the training of these new skills.

One of the key features of S.T.A.R.S. is that it is a system designed to establish standards of athleticism for figure skaters and to encourage progression through the system by incorporating a "building" series of tests, achievement awards and improvement certificates.

Participating skaters will have access to age-, gender- and competitive-matched assessment data across the United States and the opportunity to be recognized not only for national performance but for individual achievement and personal improvement. In addition, S.T.A.R.S. will provide a sequence of opportunities for the coaches and families of skaters who demonstrate exceptional aptitude for athleticism and figure skating as an athletic sport.

Preliminary testing has already confirmed that participation stimulates interest and motivates young skaters to practice the off-ice assessments. Participation in S.T.A.R.S. should be fun, motivating, challenging and personally rewarding. We look forward to working with you!