Hello and welcome to Team Comets or Team Clover!
A lot of things work differently now that your child has joined a team. This page is meant to guide you through the most important changes. If anything is unclear or if you have questions, the team leaders are always available, for big and small matters alike.
There is quite a bit of information on this page, but we kindly ask you to read everything.
First practice / Important to know
Plan to be present at the first practice session. As mentioned, many things are new, and it can be comforting for your child to have a parent nearby. One of the team leaders is often there too and can answer any questions.
In Team Clover, skaters must be able to tie their skates themselves. If your child isn’t able to do that yet, please practice at home beforehand. This requirement does not apply yet in Team Comets, but if your child needs help tying their skates, we ask parents to leave the locker room once the skates are tied so that the team and coaches have space.
Team leaders
Each team has 2–3 team leaders, and all questions regarding your skater and the team should go through them, not the coaches. You can reach the team leaders on Slack in fcomets or fclover, or via direct message.
A friendly reminder – each team’s leaders are simply normal parents, helping out in this role in their free time.
Coaches
Coaches in Team Comets: Emma R & Jessica
Coaches in Team Clover: Elvira Y & Uma
Communication channels
The club and we team leaders communicate via the Slack app. If you don’t already have access, you can get it here.
After receiving an invitation, you will be added to the channel fcomets or fclover (förälder-team name). That’s where we post information about upcoming performances, and you can also ask general questions there. For private matters, please send a direct message to the team leaders.
⚠️ Three important things in Slack:
- Make sure all notifications are turned on so you don’t miss anything.
- Update your profile with your child’s name and team.
- Please also add your phone number so that ice monitors can reach you in case of emergency. We team leaders and the coaches keep a contact list, but it’s helpful if ice monitors can find your number easily.
There are also a few “Canvases” you can access by pulling down the top of the channel. There you’ll find, among other things, a list of important dates.
Slack also includes a good buy-and-sell forum, as well as #allmänt for general club information and #hittegods for lost and found.
Information about events, camps, fees, schedules, ice monitor schedules, and more is available on Nacka TK’s website.
SportAdmin
In the SportAdmin app, you receive invoices and report absences. The exact training times listed in SportAdmin are often inaccurate because they only show ice time and not warm-up or off-ice training. Always follow the schedule on the website!
Fees
In the teams, you pay both a skater fee and a team fee. The skater fee includes training, ice time, coaching costs, autumn and spring camps, and more. The team fee covers costumes, travel and competition costs, and other team-related expenses. Here is the fee list.
Schedule
The schedule can be found on the website: www.nackatk.se/schema
“Lila 8” is technique training for Comets, and “Lila 7” is technique for Clover. Sessions with the team’s name are synchro practices (where they skate their program). “Golv” means they practice their program off the ice. Warm-up and stretching are mandatory, as both prevent injuries.
Absence reporting
Download the SportAdmin app and report absences directly in the app if your child cannot attend. In the case of injury, skaters should still be present to observe and learn from the training.
Ice monitor (”isvakt”) duty
Sitting beside the ice as an ice monitor (isvakt) is a very important role where we parents can help.
All parents will serve as ice monitors for a few practices per term. See the isvakt schedule located on another tab in the team’s schedule. You’ll also find information there about what the role involves.
If you cannot take your assigned slot, it is important that you swap with someone else. It’s usually easiest to name a specific person you want to swap with in Slack. A general request tends to work less well.
Parent involvement
We strive to have having regular contact with parents! Good communication helps us understand how your children are doing off the ice as well, which allows us to provide better training. Feel free to talk with the team leaders and coaches before or after practice!
For practical questions, especially during performances, the team leaders are your primary point of contact.
To keep the team and its organisation running smoothly, all parents need to help out. Early in the season, certain roles are assigned with designated leads. Beyond that, parents help where needed—organising fundraisers, booking travel, etc. Parents will also need to help at other events the team participates in, such as shows or club-run competitions.
Equipment / Costumes
For practice sessions:
- Neck guard – for example this CCM Neck Guard X30 Jr – Mandatory at all practices. No neck guard, no ice time!
- Proper skates – read more here! (Blades are usually included. Used skates are fine as long as they’re not broken in the boot.)
- Helmet (and, after passing the helmet test, a protective-style headband)
- Water bottle – the sessions are long and training is intense
- Gym shoes and a jump rope for off-ice warm-up and conditioning
For performances:
- Club fleece from K-Skate – black club jacket to be purchased new or secondhand from the buy/sell/trade channel on Slack.
- Black leggings for girls or trousers for boys
- For performances, skaters need high-cut underwear that won’t show under costumes. Try them under a swimsuit to check the fit.
- It is extremely important that skate guards and the club fleece are labelled with your child’s name. Guards go into a bag or box when they step onto the ice and must go on immediately when they step off (often at a different door).
- Do not sharpen skates right before a performance; it usually takes a few practices to break them in.
Costumes
For performances, skaters wear costumes. The team leaders are responsible for these. There are two different costumes: one for training/warm-up and one for the show, along with tights.
Helmet test / competition test
If your child hasn’t already started talking about the helmet test, they soon will. It’s a major milestone. The helmet test means demonstrating certain skills for a licensed examiner. After passing, they may skate without a helmet (but with a protective headband).
The coaches decide when skaters are ready, and the test takes place during a regular practice.
It varies a lot when children are ready. For some it’s quick, for others it takes time. There can be a lot of chatter around it, and sometimes one skater in a pair of friends passes before the other, which naturally leads to strong feelings. We’re here to help support them through that.
At our performances, skaters generally skate without helmets or neck guards. Ultimately, it is you as parents who decide whether your child may skate without a helmet during performances. Please talk to us if you have questions or concerns.
Performances
A skater who is not present at the last team practice before a performance cannot take part in the performance. This is because that final practice is when the placement of all skaters is set.
Before each event, the team leaders will send out a packing list/checklist.
Snacks / Account in the café pärm
Our teams train hard, with sessions that are much longer than in the skating school. Make sure your child brings good snacks—preferably things that can be eaten quickly, as breaks are short. No candy during practices!
In the café, you can add credit to the “pärm” so the children don’t need to bring money or cards. You pay in any amount, and the skater signs for what they buy. Everything is logged in the ledger.
Group chat for the skaters
There is a chat group for the skaters where the coaches send information, videos, reminders, and more. Ask your child to talk to the coaches or to one of the skaters who has been in the team longer.
Skater rules (download links)