About Us

In the past three and a half decades the Oswego Figure Skating Club has made its mark on the Oswego community. It has fostered the sport of figure skating and brought together people from all walks of life. The goals of the club are to provide members of all ages an opportunity to train, develop, test and compete as figure skaters. This is accomplished through the guidance and lessons provided by a professional staff.

The Oswego Figure Skating Club currently has a combination of full club members taking private lessons, basic skills members enrolled in the Learn-to- Skate Program who take group lessons, and members in an adult program who take both group and individual lessons. The club has been represented at National, Sectional, Regional and many local competitions and is proud of the many successes our skaters have achieved.

The Oswego Figure Skating Club, Inc. is a figure skating organization sanctioned by the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA). The rules and format we follow in the Club are those outlined in the official rule book of the USFSA. It must be understood that the rules we abide by in this club are the rules which govern the sport of figure skating on ice. By following this format we are benefiting from the informational material gathered through the world since the birth of the sport.

The ice arena at the Golden Romney Field House opened in the fall of 1964 and ushered in a new recreational outlet for townspeople and students in the greater Oswego area. During the 1964 – 1965 skating season a number of people talked about the possibility of organizing a skating club, but it took the initiative of Mrs. Barbara Wells to move the project forward. She opened her home for organizational meetings in April of 1964 and by September the Oswego Figure Skating Club was accepting memberships. Mr. Donald Bourlier was appointed the club professional and served in that capacity for two years. Probationary membership was granted by the United States Figure Skating Association in 1965 and full membership was achieved in 1966. Additionally, the club became an incorporated body on January 28, 1969, under the Membership Corporation Law of the State of New York.

Mrs. Mary Parnell was appointed club professional in 1966 and the first informal club ice show was staged under her direction in March 1967. Though several club members had previously passed USFSA Preliminary Figure Skating Tests given out of town, the club’s first sponsored USFSA test session was on March 18, 1969. Members of the Syracuse FSC and the Ice Club of Syracuse also participated in this initial test program.

During the 1968 – 1969 season the club adopted the Basic Ice Skating Skills program of the USFSA as the foundation for its instructional program. During the season two opportunities were presented for measuring accomplishments against the standards of this program. Both of these sessions were well attended and enthusiastically received. To implement this program Mr. and Mrs. John Caneen were appointed as additional instructors at the annual meeting of the club in May 1969. They were in charge of production of the Clubs 1970 and 1971 Ice Shows.

The 1974 – 1975 season began with the opening of the 2 new city rinks. The Fort Ontario (now Anthony J. Crisafulli)  rink on the East side and the Kingsford Park (now James P. Cullinan) rink on the west side.

In the fall of 1991, the club reorganized. The current bylaws were adopted and a 13 member Board of Directors was formed.

During the 1997 – 1998 skating season, another milestone was made when the club hosted its first competition, “The Port City Invitational” on February 7 – 9. Over 150 skaters from surrounding clubs and Canada participated in this event.

In 2004, the Oswego Figure Skating Club purchased a Jump Harness from Marc LeBel’s Buffalo Company. LeBel has sold and installed Jump Harnesses all across the United States and Canada and in Europe. This apparatus will help train area skaters in proper technique for height, quick rotation and clean landings of the difficult skating jumps such as the Axel, Salchow, Loop, Flip and Lutz.