2026 Season Planning
January Is National Skating Month — Time to Plan Your Best Season Yet!
January is National Skating Month, a perfect time to celebrate the joy of skating and jump-start your competitive journey for the year ahead. Whether you’re a new skater or returning after a break, now is the ideal moment to meet with your coach, set your goals, and begin planning your music, choreography, and costuming for the upcoming local and regional competition season.
Why January Matters for Figure Skaters
National Skating Month is a celebration of everything we love about skating—from the first glide on the ice to mastering new skills and expressing artistry through performance. This month gives skaters a chance to reset, recommit, and focus on goals for the rest of the season:
Assess strengths and areas to grow
Refine jump and spin technique
Start music selection and editing
Plan creative choreography
Build costuming ideas that elevate your performance
January is also a great time to soak up inspiration from elite competitions like the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the ISU Four Continents Championships and of course gearing up for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Feburary. These performances can spark ideas for your own programs and help you understand what judges are rewarding in terms of artistry, movement quality, and musical interpretation.
Local & Regional Events: Your Competition Roadmap
Skaters in Austin, Central Texas, and beyond can stay plugged into the competitive scene through the Heart of Texas Figure Skating Club. They publish and online schedule of local, regional, and series competitions—perfect benchmarks for planning your year’s training and program milestones.
👉 Check out the complete list of events here:
https://www.texasfsc.org/schedule
This schedule is an excellent resource for skaters and parents planning travel, test sessions, and competition entries as part of a season strategy.
Start With Your Coach: Set Goals, Choose Music, Design Your Program
A strong season begins with a clear plan. Now is the time to:
🎯 Meet With A Coach
Discuss your goals for 2026—whether that’s mastering a new jump, improving presentation, earning qualifying scores, or debuting a new program at your first competition.
🎵 Music Selection
Music sets the artistic tone of your program. Coaches help choose music that fits your skating style, age, and competitive level. They’ll guide you toward choices that support both technical elements and strong performance quality.
✂️ Music Editing
Once you have your music selected, clean cuts and thoughtful edits make all the difference in how your choreography flows. Simple edits can be handled by our Skate VIDA coaching team, but for more advanced cutting, mixing, or custom edits, we recommend professional services like Hugo and his team at Sk8Mix (https://unisons.pro/figure-skating-music-editing/). These experts tailor music specifically for figure skating, helping your program feel polished and intentional.
💃 Choreography
With your music in hand, your coach can choreograph crafted transitions, steps, and movements that highlight your strengths and match musical phrasing. This is where your personality and performance style truly come to life on the ice.
👗 Costuming
Costumes are an important part of performance presentation. They should reflect your music and choreography—enhancing your theme without overwhelming your skating.
Let’s Make This a Month of Progress
National Skating Month isn’t just about celebrating the sport—it’s about setting a positive tone for the year’s training and competitions. If you’re ready to begin your program journey, contact us at Skate VIDA today. We’re here to help you build a plan that feels exciting, achievable, and perfectly tuned to your goals on the ice.
Whether you’re preparing for your first competition or elevating your ninth, January is your time to shine. ⛸️🎶