The Binghamton Figure Skating Club (BFSC) has been part of the Southern Tier community since 1972. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization affiliated with US Figure Skating Association.
The purposes of the Binghamton Figure Skating Club, as described in our constitution, are:
- To encourage the instruction, practice and advancement in all types of figure skating
- To encourage and cultivate a spirit of fraternal feeling among skaters
- To sponsor, produce, or cooperate with production of amateur ice exhibitions and shows.
History
The Binghamton Figure Skating Club was founded in 1972. For many years, our home was the semi-enclosed ice rink at Grippen Park in West Endicott, until the historic flood of 2011 damaged the rink beyond repair. Over the years, the Club has introduced many people to the joys of figure skating, and from time to time has hosted famous skaters, including Adam Rippon, a 2016 U.S. National Champion.
In 2009, the Club earned its status as a tax-exempt non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, providing it additional flexibility to promote the wonderful sport of figure skating.
In 2020, the club adopted a new logo with a skate and a B carved into the ice to represent the sport we love and our beloved hometown of Binghamton! The logo was a team effort with many club members offering up ideas and suggestions and voting to decide what would best suit our club. We are thrilled with the outcome and are proud to represent Binghamton as both recreational and competitive skaters.
The original BFSC logo, pictured below, was designed for the club by a local artist, Mr. Klein, based on sketches from coach and club member, Sue Niland. Founding member of the club, Fred Hottenstein, recalls that happened between 1972 and 1975, not long after the club’s founding in 1972. Except for the words, the image is composed completely from circles. Every part of the abstract depiction of a skater in the arabesque position is either a circle or an arc of a circle. This design identifies a skater without specific gender or age in one of the most iconic positions associated with ice skating. As every skater knows, skating is based on circles. Originally the figures of “Figure Skating” were controlled exercises skating on one foot around circles, with various turns (3-turns, brackets, rockers and counters). Now we do “Moves in the Field” which include many arcs of circles, and ice dances are all based on lobes (parts of circles).
