Skating School

Learn to Skate at East West Ice Palace

Our Skating School offers classes for all ages and abilities — from pre-schoolers to adults, beginners to advanced skaters. Classes begin with the fundamentals and progress to more advanced and specialized skills.

East West Ice Palace participates in the Learn to Skate USA program, created by U.S. Figure Skating and endorsed by USA Hockey, US Speedskating, the Professional Skaters Association (PSA), and the Special Olympics.

Our goals for the Skating School at East West Ice Palace:

1. To make your skating safe and pleasurable.
2. To improve your skills through progressive levels which will bring confidence and satisfaction at each step.
3. To build a solid foundation which will serve you well if you later decide to pursue an ice sport, whether it be figure skating, speed skating, or ice hockey.

Registration Information

Our program runs year-round. You can start at any time.

Classes are offered on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Attendance is flexible. Pick and choose what fits your schedule.

The tuition is $160 for each set of 8 classes, plus a $20 annual enrollment fee to cover membership in the Learn to Skate USA program. The total to start is $180.

The tuition works out to $20 per class. For this price you get a half-hour class, skate rental, and public session admission on each day you take a class.

Most of our students attend one class per week, but you can choose to do more (or less) if you prefer. Each class you attend will use one class credit. We keep track of how many credits remain in your account and will let you know when they are running low so you can add more.

This system is very flexible. You can attend on whichever day(s) of the week you prefer and vary your schedule from week to week as you see fit. If you are out sick, away on vacation, or simply busy with other activities, you will not lose any credits. They are yours to use at your own pace. They will not expire.

Registration is handled at the rink. If you want to start on the same day that you sign up, please arrive at least 20 to 25 minutes before the scheduled class time. It will take about that long to complete the paperwork, get your skates and lace them up, introduce yourself to the teachers, and get out on the ice without being rushed.

If you are considering taking classes but aren’t ready to commit to a full set of 8, we offer the option of a “Trial Class”. This is a single class priced at $25, intended to help you decide whether you want to continue with more. If you do decide to upgrade from a trial class to a full set, we recommend that you do so the same day — we’ll apply the trial class fee toward your total and count the trial class as the first of your 8 classes (at the $20 price rather than $25, saving you $5). If you wait until a later date, the normal rates will apply for an 8 additional classes.

Ages and Ability Levels

Many people ask, “What is a good age to start skating?” There are no real limits. Ice skating is a lifetime activity, something you can do for pleasure, health, and fitness at any age. We generally find that most children do well on the ice from around three years old, though that is not a fixed minimum. Some are ready to tackle the challenge much sooner than that. As to the grown-ups, if you are in good health and are accustomed to physical activity, you can learn to skate too. Many of our parents like to take classes along with their young ones.

Beginners age 5 and under should start with the Snowplow Sam 1 thru 4 classes, which are specifically designed for the youngest students. Once these students have progressed sufficiently and are promoted to Basic 1 or above, they can attend whenever Basic classes are offered, regardless of age.

Beginners from age 6 to teens should start in the Basic 1 thru 6 classes.

Adults start with Adult 1 thru 6.

The Pre-Free Skate and Free Skate 1 thru 6 levels are for students who have completed the Basic 1 - 6 or Adult 1 - 6 curriculum. The Axel class is for those who have completed Free Skate 6 or its equivalent. It is suitable for skaters working on the axel and double jumps.

All these levels are offered on all three days, though on Saturdays the levels are at different times. Pay attention to the schedule below. Additional information regarding the curriculum can be found in the fliers in PDF format below.

Selecting a Class

We’ll help you find the class and level that’s right for you. We’ll start by asking a few questions about your interests and your prior skating experience (if any). Then, during your first class session, your teacher will conduct an informal evaluation to decide the proper placement based on your current abilities.

Attire

It is not necessary to be fancy. It is necessary to stay warm. This is ice skating after all, and ice is cold — no way around that fact. So wear warm clothes.

For the youngest skaters, a warm jacket or snowsuit (or perhaps a couple layers of sweatpants) will protect against the cold and also provide some padding to avoid bumps and bruises. Gloves or mittens are essential, since it is normal for the youngsters to spend some time on their hands and knees while they learn.

The older skaters will figure out how much clothing they need to keep warm without restricting their movement. A good plan is to start with multiple layers that can be peeled off as their bodies warm up from the exercise.

Good socks are also essential. These must come up at least a few inches above the ankles to prevent the skates from rubbing directly against the skin. Athletic socks are recommended for rental skates, but thinner ones are better if you have skates of your own.

Safety Gear

It is not a requirement, but we do strongly recommend that the little ones wear a helmet (such as a bicycle helmet) to protect against head bumps. Knee pads are a good idea, too. Falling down is an unavoidable part of learning. Warm clothes and a bit of padding will help a young skater overcome the fear of learning something new.

Class Schedule

Day	Time	Class Levels
Wednesday	5:40 – 6:10 pm	Snowplow Sam   (age 5 & under) Basic 1-6 Pre-Free Skate Free Skate 1-6 Axel Adult 1-6
Friday	5:40 – 6:10 pm	Snowplow Sam   (age 5 & under) Basic 1-6 Pre-Free Skate Free Skate 1-6 Axel Adult 1-6
Saturday	4:00 – 4:45 pm	Power Stroking    (Basic 5 & up only)
	4:45 – 5:15 pm	Pre-Free Skate Free Skate 1-6 Axel
	5:15 – 5:45 pm	Snowplow Sam   (age 5 & under) Basic 1-6 Adult 1-6

Schedule subject to change.

Classes Offered

Snowplow Sam 1 – 4 Introduces preliminary skills to our youngest skaters. Learn dips, swizzles, wiggles, and stops. Ages 5 and under start here.
Basic 1 – 6 Six carefully planned levels allow the beginning skater to feel comfortable on the ice while learning the basic techniques which form the foundation for all aspects of ice skating. Ages 6 thru teens start here.
Pre Free Skate For those skaters who develop an interest in figure skating, Pre Free Skate begins exploring the specific skills needed to move into the the various figure skating disciplines.
Free Skate 1 – 6 Skaters learn jumps, spins, footwork, and other exciting athletic and artistic moves.
Adult 1 – 6 Promotes overall fitness, improves balance and coordination while mastering the basics of ice skating. Ages 18 and up start here.

Specialty Classes

Specialty classes provide an opportunity for the more advanced skaters to work on specific skills. Power Stroking classes are offered on an ongoing basis. Other specialty classes are offered occasionally for limited periods. Come back to this page for announcements.

Ice Hockey

For skaters with an interest in ice hockey, we generally recommend starting in the Skating School program. Work thru the Basic levels — up to Basic 5 if you can. This will give you a solid foundation for the skating skills you need before moving into the rink’s in-house hockey program.

Curriculum Information in PDF format:

Snowplow Sam Curriculum	Basic Curriculum
Free Skate Curriculum	Adult Curriculum

Bonus Credits

This is a rewards program for students who attend frequent classes:

For each multiple of 8 Skating School classes you attend within the period of a calendar month, you earn one bonus credit (i.e. one free class).

In other words, 8 classes attended during the month earns 1 credit, 16 earns 2, 24 earns 3, and so on.

Bonus credits are applied to your account on the first day of the following month.

It’s totally automatic. You don’t need to do anything at all.

Ask at the check-in desk to find out how many bonus credits you’ve earned and how close you are to your next.

Family Accounts

In short, family accounts provide families with multiple members in the Skating School:

1. Simplified accounting.

2. Reduced cost, not by changing prices, but by providing rewards based on frequency of attendance.

The details:

Families share a common pool of Skating School class credits. All family members draw from this pool.

When the pool is drawn low, renew for the whole family with one or more sets of 8 classes — how many sets is your choice.

It is not necessary to track each family member’s standing and renew each one individually.

Bonus credits are computed as described above, but based on the total family attendance for each month. This is greatly to your advantage since it will be far easier to accumulate large attendance totals.

For example, two family members attending once per week for 4 weeks in a month will total 8 classes and earn one bonus credit.

If your family has more than one student enrolled, ask at the check-in desk to find out whether we’ve already created a family account for you. Let us know who is a member of your family. Moms & dads, brothers & sisters, cousins, etc. can all be family members. You decide who to include. The only requirement is that you agree (1) to allow all family members to draw from the shared pool of class credits and (2) to pay a single invoice for the family as a whole when it comes time to renew. We will not “split the bill” for you.

In our records, families are identified by the “first member”. You can decide which family member this is and change it at any time.

There is no change to pricing. New students must each be enrolled for eight classes ($160) and pay the Learn to Skate USA enrollment fee ($20). Once enrolled, students can be assigned to a family at any time. Their class credits will be merged into the family pool.

If it later becomes necessary to split off a student from a family, we can set an effective date for that change, leaving previous activity as a family member unaltered.