Ice C.H.I.P.S.

BFSC offers a free weekly group lesson for all club members with an emphasis on beginners skills.

Our amazing Ice CHIPS on-ice coordinator, Coach Beth Wainman, leads a 30 minute group lesson each Sunday from 3:00-3:30. For the most effective learning and improving skills, consistent attendance is encouraged.

During Ice CHIPS time, eligible Freestyle-level skaters are invited to participate in our Junior Coach program by assisting Coach Beth or arranging to shadow/assist another coach's private lessons.

Prairie Polar Blast ISI Figure Skating Competition

The date for the 2025 Prairie Polar Blast competition is February 22 & 23, 2025.

The deadline to register skaters is January 7, 2025.

This event is free to watch. Please come show your support!

2025 Prairie Polar Blast Competition Schedule
2025 Prairie Polar Blast Schedule by Skater

The Annual Ice Show

'Skating through the Decades' was a hit in 2024!

The theme for 2025 is 'A Night at the Movies'. Tickets are on sale now for performances March 29th and 30th!
CLICK TO VISIT OUR TICKET SALES PAGE

With the vision and encouragement of the coaches and support of dedicated volunteer parents, the talented BFSC skaters bring to life a fun and exciting theme or story on ice!

Letter Award Program

Started in 2017, The BFSC Letter Award recognizes BFSC members that have demonstrated long-term commitment and dedication to the sport of figure skating and to the Brookings Figure Skating Club. Through this program, BFSC skaters have the opportunity to receive recognition in the form of the time-honored tradition of a chenille letter for the time, effort, commitment, and dedication that they have invested in figure skating.

While the award itself is similar to varsity letters earned in high school athletics and extracurricular activities for excellence and achievement, there are also some key differences. 

All skaters that are full/regular members of BFSC are eligible to earn a BFSC letter.

Signifying the color of a skate blade, the first letter a skater earns will be a silver chenille "B" (short for BFSC) with a figure skater pin. Those earning additional letters will receive a service bar for each letter earned.

Letters and bars are presented at the BFSC annual meeting and awards banquet each spring to those that have earned a letter in the previous 12 months.

Whereas high school varsity letters for athletic and extracurricular activities typically require the participant to attain a particular level of achievement or perform in a certain number of competitions or performances each year, the BFSC board of directors recognized that not everyone has the same figure skating goals and structured the program to permit many different paths to a letter. Participation in a wide variety of events and activities, development and advancement in skill level, performances, assisting with the development of other skaters, and general volunteer service to the club will all enable a skater to make progress toward earning a letter.

A wide variety of activities have each been assigned a point value ranging from 1 to 20 points. Skaters will earn points and track their progress as they complete activities that are of interest to them. There are no required activities, meaning that no one is required to participate in a certain number of competitions, for example, or reach a certain ISI level in skating (such as Freestyle 4) to earn a letter. For their first letter, skaters must earn 200 points; for subsequent letters, skaters must earn 100 points. The BFSC Letter Award Program and Letter Award Tracking Worksheet, contain program details. 

Academic Recognition Program

Started in 2017, The BFSC Academic Recognition Program was established out of the understanding that it can be difficult to maintain high standards in the classroom while being involved in activities outside the classroom. The program recognizes BFSC members that are excelling in the classroom while actively participating in the extracurricular activity of figure skating. Through this program, BFSC skaters (along with BISA hockey players) have the opportunity to have their name and accomplishment publicly recognized at Larson Ice Center. 

All skaters that are full/regular members of BFSC, and are enrolled in a school or homeschooling program in which an A/B/C/D/F or E/S+/S/N grading system is used are eligible for recognition of their success in the classroom.

Based on their grades for the most recent academic semester, students meeting the respective criteria are recognized as a Gold Scholar, Silver Scholar, or Bronze Scholar. One of the nice parts of the program is that the Brookings Ice Skating Association (BISA) has approved a very similar program in which hockey players are also recognized for their achievements in the classroom. A list of all figure skaters and hockey players being recognized is posted at Larson Ice Center following the first and second semesters each year.

A concerted effort has been made to keep the program as simple as possible. With this in mind, there are no GPAs involved, no complicated calculations, and +/- are not considered (an A+, A or A- are all considered to be an "A"). It's as simple as this:

• Students receiving results under an A/B/C/D/F system: Gold Scholar: All As Silver Scholar: All As and Bs, with more As than Bs Bronze Scholar: All Bs or higher; a C may be offset by two As (for example, a student receiving A/A/B/B/B/C would qualify since there are two As to offset the C)
• Students receiving results under an E/S+/S/N system: Gold Scholar: All Es Silver Scholar: All Es and S+s Bronze Scholar: All Ss or higher; an N may be offset by an S+ (or higher) (for example, a student receiving E/E/S+/S+/S/N would qualify since the N is offset by one of the S+s or Es)

The system is completely self-reported on an honor system. That is, all the student or parent needs to do is send an email to the club indicating which recognition level was achieved for the previous semester - specific grades do not need to be reported, and local schools are not involved in the reporting process. Just remember to send an email by February 1 for first semester results, and by July 1 for second semester results.

Senior Scholarship Program

The Brookings Figure Skating Club established the Senior Scholarship in 2015 to recognize and provide financial assistance for post-high school educational expenses to a BFSC member that is a currently a high school senior. The scholarship is funded by proceeds from BFCS's annual fundraising event, the Brookings Summer Arts Festival food booth, and the Annual Ice Show.

Interested seniors may complete and submit an application covering goals, extra-curricular activities, awards, service to both the community and BFSC, and two essay questions. Recipients are selected by the BFSC board of directors, and the scholarship may be awarded to a single senior or divided between two deserving seniors. The recipient is announced at the Annual Award Night at the recipient's high school, and an award check is sent directly to the educational institution the recipient will be attending.

Past Scholarship Recipients

2023 - Beth Wainman
2022 - TJ Cass and Jensi Jensen
2021 - Cherish Stern
2019 - Emily Stratmoen and Charlotte League
2018 - Brittney Hogie and Piper Schulz
2017 - Bethany Hotchkiss
2016 - Maisie Heldt and Haley Patrick
2015 - Hope Delfanian