Monthly Scheduling & Payments
Skaters lesson times with me for the following month will be sent out on the Second Monday of the month. It may get sent out earlier depending upon what is happening that month in skating.
Families have until 3 pm on the Second Wednesday of the month to confirm the schedule for the following month of the month (or earlier).
Families have until 3 pm on the Second Friday to pay for their next month’s lessons.
All fees paid to me must be sent via Zelle, ACH, Cash or Check. If paying in check or cash, it must be given to me at the rink by 3 pm on the Second Friday of the month.
*If you are using your bank bill pay system, and your bank incurs fees, the client must absorb this fee.
There are no make-up lessons or refunds on lessons skaters do not end up taking. If I need to cancel lessons for some reason (i.e. illness) any missed lesson fees will be carried over to the next month.
If you end up doing any additional lessons with me during a month, that fee must be paid to me prior to the lesson occurring.
Families are strongly encouraged to look at their calendars ahead of the second Monday of the month to help plan out any lesson times. If your skater is going to be gone, or there is a big change happening in your schedule that could impact the skater’s goals, it is highly encouraged you let me know about it during your annual planning meeting and as soon as you are aware of it.
Current Fees/Tuitions
Families paying monthly for training is similar to my former tuition method, but with now we are breaking down the daily lesson time schedule for each skater. This is to ensure everyone knows what to expect and for there to be flexibility with the finances when need be. For example, if our choreographer is in town, Melissa may find it more important for your skater to spend time with the choreographer than doing lessons with her. This way families can stay within budget or can plan ahead for additional expenses.
Private Lessons: $70/hr per skater
Semi-Private Lessons: $40/hr per skater
Small Group Classes:
$30/hr per skater (3 skaters in class)
$25/hr per skater (4 skaters in class)
Large Group Classes:
$20/hr per skater (5 or more skaters in class)
The above fees are the same for on ice and off ice classes
Event Fee: $70/event
My event fee is mostly for competitions, but it also covers any other “events” that come up that the skater and family request my attendance. This includes: a show where a skater is a guest skater, in-person test sessions, a camp/workshop that is out of state, a separate event where a skater is being critiqued by a judge, etc. It’s generally expected in skating that your coach will be at a competition that you attend, and if there is ever a time where the skater is doing an event, and I need to charge a fee, I let the family know ahead of time.
Also, please note:
“Event Fee” currently covers everything associated with that event. For a competition, my event fee covers practice ice and the actual event, plus any other additional events.
The fee is required to be paid before I attend the event. Please pay the fee a minimum of 24 hrs in advance.
Travel Fees: Coaches typically invoice families if they need to travel to a competition or event. I usually only charge if the event is one hour or farther away from the St. Thomas Ice Arena. Before a family signs up for an event with a travel fee, I will let them know a travel fee is associated with that event. The travel fee may include gas, plane ticket, hotel, rental car and/or rideshare fees. The total fee is split between all the skaters attending the event. The more skaters that attend the same event, the less the travel fee is per skater.
The approximate travel fee per skater will be sent out as soon as possible. Once skaters are signed up for the competition, then the total cost per skater will be sent out, and the fee will need to be paid by the deadline on the invoice. Sometimes the travel fees may simply be added to your monthly statement if the timing works out.
Miscellaneous Fees: Miscellaneous fees usually mean if I do music editing for your skater instead of sending it out to a professional editor. Some pieces are simple enough that it is more cost-effective for me to do it than to send it to a professional music editor. However, once your skater is doing Silver or higher tests or any NQS competitions, it’s better to send the music to an editor so they can really finesse the piece.
Also, figure skating is an ever-changing sport. If there are any other fees I need a family to pay, I will let them know as soon as possible.
Other Fees:
All other fees and costs in skating families are responsible for paying. This includes, but is not limited to; ice time, costumes, competitions, tests, other coaches and choreographers, workshops, etc. Please be courteous and pay these promptly.