The instructors at Kraken Skating Academy welcome all newcomers with open arms and, as importantly, open minds. The arms help new skaters get their bearings on a decidedly slippery surface. Those open minds? They allow every newbie to make a personal choice about future skating pursuits.
“We set up our [Learn to Skate] curriculum around progression,” says Chad Goodwin, director of the academy during a recent conversation. “To start out, they’re all beginners. They’re learning the same skills whether they move on to hockey or figure skating… the kids [and adults] drive it, what would interest them. Some of them know, others don’t know yet and are still learning how to skate and enjoying that part.”
Beginners are a specialty for Goodwin and the Learn to Skate program at Kraken Community Iceplex, proven by the 2,341 youngsters (ages 3 to 17) and 457 adults who participated in the program’s inaugural year. That makes it the state’s biggest and nation’s fifth largest Learn to Skate program in 2022, as per Learn to Skate USA. The 2,798 participants lacing up at Kraken Community Iceplex also represent the largest membership among first-year programs for the skating season between September 2021 and June 2022.
Good stuff for a first-year program that is in the middle of summer learn-to-skate programming and starting up fall sessions at all levels Sept. 12. Registration is open and you can visit here to sign up. Not surprisingly, slots are filling up fast in youth and adult programs.
“I’m very proud of what the Kraken have done to help grow the popularity of ice sports in Seattle,” said team CEO Tod Leiweke. “It’s clear our Kraken Community Iceplex staff has started a great movement. Chad is a great leader and has put together a fantastic team of skating coaches who are dedicated to helping people of all ages grow their skills. Seeing more and more people engage and grow with this sport is what we hoped and envisioned.”
“When we first created Kraken Skating Academy, our goal was to provide more access to ice sports in Seattle to help grow the figure skating and hockey communities,” said Goodwin. “Not only has our program taken off, we’ve also seen Learn to Skate programs grow around the state.”
Kraken skating and hockey instructors hit the road last summer to make stops at rinks across the state, staging workshops for beginners plus various levels of youth skaters and hockey players. Goodwin, Director of Youth Hockey Martin Hlinka, and player development coaches Katelyn Parker and David Kyu-Ho Min nicknamed their nine-stop tour the “road show.” Virtual flyers and local rinks from Everett to Vancouver, WA, and Lynwood to Tri-Cities promoted events presented by the Kraken.
The fruits of their labor of love of skating are apparent in the statewide increase in new skaters. The team’s first NHL season no doubt stands too as a motivator for the increase in Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs in Washington, plus the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing inspired new figure skating entrants.
Kraken Skating Academy stats include 55 percent female participation. Of kids progressing in the program, 365 graduates moved on to hockey participation while 83 are part of figure skating programs at the Iceplex. One hundred-ninety-six youth received financial assistance for the program through the One Roof Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena.
“It’s definitely been a collaboration of a lot of people to make all this happen,” said Goodwin. “It was a great opening year. We put a lot of people on the ice for the first time from kids to adults. We are continuing to do it with our summer programs.”
Goodwin talks regularly about the Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs being a “safe place” to acquire new skills with individual support and encouragement.
“The goal is making skating fun, making it a safe place to learn,” said Goodwin. “That’s our focus the first two weeks, plus our skaters getting to know the coaches and the coaches getting to know the families. We help everyone get to know their way around the facility.
“It’s about allowing the little ones to feel confident. We have lots of three- or four- or five-, six- and seven-year-olds getting on the ice for the first time. We’ve tried to find ways to make them feel confident in themselves and, importantly, learn how to fall down and get up again. We want even this part to be fun and for the skaters to feel safe.”
Development coach Katelyn Parker, a former collegiate player and NCAA coach who returned to her Bellingham and Pacific Northwest roots to be a driver in girls skating and hockey at the Iceplex, echoes the sentiment about fun as a common denominator for learning how to skate.
“For us, it’s all about making it a fun space on the ice,” said Parker. “Learning to skate or learning the ABCs can be frustrating at times. You want to get better quicker. But it can require practice time. If it frustrates you a bit but you are still having fun, you will come back to the rink.”
The fall fun starts the week of September 12 and registration is open now. Parents take note: Classes are filling up fast for kids learn-to-skate groups. Adult participation is trending up too.
To register or learn more, visit here.
“The first thing is to sign up,” said Goodwin. “It’s the next opening to learn to skate here at Kraken Community Iceplex. Adult classes have filled up really quickly. I can’t believe how many adults want to get started in this area. It’s amazing. They’re just as excited as the kids to learn. Plus, a lot of parents have started to learn how to skate because their kids started. They want to go to public skating sessions as a family. That’s been really neat to see.”
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