Purpose

The purpose of our Club is to encourage all types of ice-skating. Our focus and leadership are inclusive – we foster the fraternal feeling among ice skaters and ice skating supporters. Our competitive skating program, governed by the USFSA, provides a path to the Olympics. The sectional and regional competitions provide skaters the opportunity to reach the National, World and Olympic events. On the other hand, the Club is also a host to various recreational and social skating-related activities.

Home Rink

The Tulsa Figure Skating Club maintains a partnership with the Oilers Ice Center as its home rink. All freestyles, test sessions, shows, competitions, and special events are hosted at that facility unless otherwise specified.

Oilers Ice Center   6413 South Mingo Tulsa, OK, 74133 Phone: 918-252-0011 Fax: 918-252-4449

Governance

The Club has a Constitution and Bylaws that effectively lay out the method of operation for the Club. Operations procedures are specified by job responsibilities to Board members and officers. The present Constitution and Bylaws are the result of past amendments and are kept on file with US Figure Skating.

“The Board of Governors shall manage the affairs of the club In accordance with the Bylaws of the Corporation”

Every year the members are given the opportunity to choose the managers of the club. Serving on this Board provides club members with an opportunity to meet new colleagues, develop skills, gain experience, participate in decision making for the club and contribute to the sport of figure skating. Each year at the annual meeting, four Governors will be elected for a three-year term from a slate of eight candidates.

TFSC has no staff, paid or otherwise, so the Board member is a working manager in charge of a key area of the club’s business. The assignment carries accountability and responsibility for performance. The most effective Governors have a respect for team play. The Board of Governors will conduct the business affairs of the Club in good faith with honesty, integrity, due diligence and reasonable competence.

Ideal Governors are people of principle who have integrity and open minds. Generally, the best governors are simply efficient, bright people who are willing to achieve the goals. Competence is a desirable quality because of the job assignments of a working board. And, enthusiasm counts for much.

As a Board member, loyalty is to the business of the Club. Above all else, the Board of Governors must act in the best interests of the TFSC.

Affiliation with U.S. Figure Skating

All competitions in figure skating on ice in the United States, especially the regional, sectional and national championships, are sanctioned by the US Figure Skating Association and are conducted by member clubs like the Tulsa Figure Skating Club. The US Figure Skating Association is the National Governing body for the sport of figure skating on ice, and as such its mission is to provide programs to encourage participation and achievement in the sport. It is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and serves as the United States member of the International Skating Union.

The Charter Member Clubs of the US Figure Skating Association numbered seven in 1921 when the association was formed and when it first became a member of the International Skating Union, the body that governs the sport internationally.

U. S. Figure Skating

U. S. Figure Skating (USFS), formerly the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA), is the National Governing Body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. As such, it provides the framework and sanctions that encourage the compliance of member clubs for qualification as national and international skaters in all sanctioned events up through the Winter Olympic Games. It is a member of the International Skating Union.

USFS is a group administered by a staff of thirty-five in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but run by a democracy called the Governing Council of delegates from the member clubs. Unpaid volunteers hold all of the important positions in the organization and the organization is composed of Committees formed for every major and some minor purpose. The very nature and composition of the organization virtually guarantee that change will be slow. The President relies on charm and charisma to attempt to lead this herd of delegates.

Although skating was born in Europe, the free and expressive figure skating traces its origins directly back to an American by the name of Jackson Haines. He was born in New York in 1840 and died in 1875 in Finland. Just before the Civil War, separate crazes of skating and dance swept America. During this time, Haines combined them together in a new form of expression. Figure skating in America had developed a stiff and rigid style. The free and expressive movements of Haines new style virtuoso performances were frowned on, if not actually condemned.

In 1863 Haines claimed to be the champion of America. However, at that time many self-proclaimed “championships” were held without any legitimate or official claim to the title. The cool reception given to him in his own country prompted him to go to Europe, where he was enthusiastically received. When he arrived in Vienna, he was an immediate success. It was in Vienna, as a direct result of his pioneering performances, that the so-called “International Style of Figure Skating” was born. It wasn’t until many years later, after the turn of the century, that this style came back to America.

Although local skating clubs had been formed and competitions held since the middle of the 19th century, the sport functioned informally, and some years were to pass before the formation of the United States Figure Skating Association in 1921 (now known as U.S. Figure Skating). USFS established a process for the growth in this country of the modern sport of figure skating. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of member clubs, individual members and associate members.

When the association was first formed and became a member of the International Skating Union (ISU), there were seven charter member clubs of U.S. Figure Skating. When TFSC joined in 1938, the member clubs numbered 24. Now the organization has more than 600 member clubs across the country. Membership in U.S. Figure Skating carries certain privileges and entitles figure skaters to participate in the tests, competitions and exhibitions sponsored by the association.

Until the early ’20s, there were no set standards of figure skating proficiency; if a skater felt qualified to compete, he or she did so. Today, tests – figure, free skating, moves in the field, pair, dance and synchronized team skating – are the measurement of progress in the various branches of the sport. Official test sessions sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating are conducted by member clubs for their members and members of collegiate clubs, as well as for individual members.

Competitions on every level are a principal incentive for figure skaters to train, develop and improve their proficiency. By ascending the competition “ladder,” competitors registered with U.S. Figure Skating gain entry into international figure skating events – among them the Olympic Winter Games and World Championships. All figure skating competitions in the United States, especially the regional, sectional and U.S. Championships, which are the steps that are ascended to qualify for international competitions, are sanctioned directly or indirectly by U.S. Figure Skating and are conducted by member clubs.

Exhibitions provide exposure for the talents of figure skaters. U.S. Figure Skating member clubs are eligible to hold figure skating exhibitions in the United States with the sanction of U.S. Figure Skating. Most people are aware nowadays of the professional ice shows that tour the world, but how many people know the genesis of this extremely popular form of show business? In the 1920s and ’30s, commercial ice shows did not exist. At that time, a few U.S. Figure Skating member clubs regularly mounted ice carnivals – showcases for the top national and international skating talents. Only later, after champions such as Sonja Henie had gained their reputations through these carnivals, did they turn professional and inaugurate the professional shows that have developed into the multimillion-dollar businesses they are today.

In addition, U.S. Figure Skating publishes SKATING magazine (est. 1923), which provides factual in-depth coverage of the world of skating for sports enthusiasts.

U.S. Figure Skating made its home on the Internet when U.S. Figure Skating Online debuted in 1995 (www.usfigureskating.org). The web site features news, results, ticket information and athlete biographies.

U.S. Figure Skating continues to focus its efforts on the elite athletes with top competition promise. The club social and exhibition skaters, which are 99.9% share of members, must rely on their home club for organization and support.

Club Sanction Requirements: (USFS Elements that apply to TFSC)

• The applicant club must submit an application and pay the annual dues specified.
• A club is deemed to be organized when an election of officers and directors has taken place and a constitution and bylaws have been approved by the members of the club.
• The club shall have made arrangements for exclusive ice time at a place where ice is available for use exclusively by the club.
• The club shall have adopted a program for the use of its ice time, which as a general practice provides for separate time for figures, free skating, ice dancing, synchronized team skating or other figure skating programs.
• The officers, directors and all figure skating members of the sanctioned club shall be registered with USFSA. In no event shall the officers be ineligible persons as defined in ER 1.04 of restricted persons as defined in ER 5.01.
• The club shall have no less than twenty-five home club members, ten of whom are adult members over the age of eighteen (18) years.

Joint Statement of Recognition

The US Figure Skating Association, the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) and the Ice Skating Institute (ISI) recognize and support each other’s role in the development of figure and recreational skating in the United States.

The PSA is the organization of teaching and performing skating professionals, which provides and promotes the education and certification of figure skating coaches.

The ISI is the organization of ice rink owners, operators, instructors, participants, builders and suppliers which supports the development and operation of ice rinks and provides and promotes recreational ice skating programs in the US.