LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
NATIONAL SKATING MONTH ENJOYS RECORD PARTICIPATION
When you walk into Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin’s office at U.S. Figure Skating, there’s a chart
posted on the wall of all National Skating Month (NSM) participants through the years. It stretch- es a foot taller than Wehrli-McLaughlin herself. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary in January, NSM has become a monumental success
story. This year, a record 420 kits were mailed to Basic Skills programs, rinks and clubs across the country. In its inaugural year in 2002, NSM sported a participation number of 110. The goal of NSM is to increase awareness of and participation in U.S. Figure Skating pro-
grams. It’s a vehicle for U.S. Figure Skating member clubs and Basic Skills programs to reach out to new members in their communities every January, enticing them to give ice skating a try in a relaxed, fun-filled atmosphere. The kits include promotional items such as posters, postcards and a media packet, along
with bookmarks, logo pens, stickers, gloves, cinch sacks, lip balm and other fun items to raffle. Clubs and rinks use a variety of fun ways to introduce skating to the newcomers of the sport dur- ing NSM, including open houses, free lessons and games on the ice. A wrap-up story with photos from NSM will appear in the March issue of SKATING. Wehrli-McLaughlin, senior director of membership, couldn’t be more proud of the growth
of NSM and those clubs and programs that have embraced this golden opportunity to grow their membership.
“Our clubs and our Basic Skills directors have really gotten behind this national campaign
to bring new families to the rink,” Wehrli-McLaughlin said. “Every day, somebody gets interested in skating — in the wintertime especially — and NSM is the perfect time for us to try and drive more people to the rink to start in our Basic Skills Program.” As part of its 10th anniversary NSM campaign, U.S. Figure Skating ran a nationally tele- vised ad during Caesars Tribute II: A Salute to the Ladies of the Ice, which aired on New Year’s Day on NBC.
“I thought it was phenomenal and inspired me to go to the rink. I am very proud to be a part
of this great sport and the ad showed so many of our elite competitors and skating celebrities in their own words saying what they still love about skating,” Wehrli-McLaughlin said. Two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan served as this year’s spokesperson for NSM.
She and her daughter, 3-year-old Nicole, are featured on the promotional poster and in NSM advertising.
The image of Nancy encouraging Nicole, Wehrli-McLaughlin said, is priceless and is the ex-
act message U.S. Figure Skating wants to send in terms of skating being a family activity. “That picture really spoke to a lot of people because it looked like Nancy’s child was tak-
ing her first steps again and everyone remembers and how exciting that is,” Wehrli-McLaughlin said.
Wehrli-McLaughlin added that the clubs and Basic Skills programs have become more cre-
ative over the years when it comes to attracting new skaters during NSM. The Capital Clubhouse Skating Academy in Waldorf, M.D., reached out this year to the lo-
cal public schools with a visit from U.S. Figure Skating’s mascot, Snowplow Sam. Snowplow Sam also pitched the local NSM event in a television ad. That ad can be found on You- Tube. More than 300 people attended the Capital Clubhouse Skating Academy’s public skating session on Jan. 7. The Twin City Figure Skating Asso- ciation also got creative and offered free lessons for visually impaired people in the area.
“I really think these are different de-
mographics that we are reaching,” Wehrli- McLaughlin said. “Our goal is that each per- son leaves with a smile from just having a great, safe, fun day at the rink, and looks forward to coming back sometime soon.”
U.S. FIGURE SKATING Suppliers
U.S. FIGURE SKATING Sponsors
U.S. FIGURE SKATING Licensees
4 FEBRUARY 2012
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