“We thank the Greater Chicagoland Learn to Skate USA Committee for its ongoing support of Skate America. The committee, composed of the most dedicated skating directors representing two dozen rinks in the Chicago area, uses a team approach to deliver quality pro- grams to its skating community. U.S. Figure Skating commends its eff orts and commitment to membership growth in our sport.”
— Brenda Glidewell, Director, Membership Development, U.S. Figure Skating
The Greater Chicagoland Learn to Skate USA Committee
was formed seven years ago by seven local skating directors from local park districts and privately owned facilities. Each skating director was in search of a new approach that would strengthen participation, so they teamed up to get the job done. Today there are 24 Learn to Skate USA rinks in the Chicago area, and the Greater Chicagoland Learn to Skate USA Committee is thrilled to fi nd itself growing and thriving. Through its ability to work as a team, the committee has given its members the opportunity to nurture and develop each student’s skating skills while participating in group outings, hosting the Greater Chicagoland Learn to Skate USA Championship and attending monthly meetings.
During last month’s Smucker’s Skating Spectacular,
more than 200 skaters representing the Chicagoland Learn to Skate USA Committee rinks performed, skating to a program choreographed by Loni Bertone and 1988 Olympian Susie Wynne. Two of the Chicagoland skating directors, Megan Macleod
and Kathy Janik, were excited to watch their Learn to Skate USA pupils participate in the Smucker’s Skating Spectacular. “This was the fi rst time for most of our skaters to experience
a big performance, in front of a big crowd,” said Macleod, who is the programs manager at Canlan Ice Sports in Romeoville, Illinois. “It was exciting for everybody to have that experience and have fun with it. It encourages them to keep trying hard and working for their goals.” The new Learn to Skate USA program, Macleod said, has
been extremely well-received. “Everybody is transitioning into it very well,” she said. “I love
the new website and all the director-fun stuff that is off ered.” Janik said her students were “out-of-their-minds excited” to
skate on the same ice as the sport’s elite, as well as in front of a large audience that included family and friends. “We are a fairly new rink, so we sent a smaller group,” Janik said of her pupils at the Morgan Park Sports Center, located on the south side of Chicago. “They have become really good friends and they were excited to state together there, and take it all in. It was an incredible experience that they may not have again.” Janik hopes that this fun experience will inspire others in the
area to give skating a try. “That’s why we do this,” Janik said. “We are here to get them to succeed and see them enjoy the sport we all love.”
U.S. Figure Skating extends its sincerest thanks to the following rinks and directors involved with the Learn to Skate USA Committee Partnership and congratulates them on their success:
All Seasons Ice Rinks — Dona Bengson and Vicki Revere Canlan Ice Sports — Megan MacLeod Carlson Ice Arena — Monique Bailey Carol Stream Ice Arena — Barb Giblin Crystal Ice House — Kim Johnson Downners Grove Ice Arena — Barb Foltz Fox Valley Ice Arena — Rockne Brubaker Glacier Ice Arena — Chris Heiser Glenview Ice Center — Dorie Cascio Highland Park Centennial — Sheila Lonergan and Inga Fedorova Ice Valley Ice Centre Ice Arena — Angela Pace-Tousignant
Leaf Ice Centre — Stefania Berton Morgan Park Sports Center — Kathy Janik Pleasant Prairie RecPlex Ice Arena — Jane Boundy Rink Side Sports Ice Arena — Laura Baran Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex — Cathy Brown Rocket Ice Arena — Michelle Tepkasetkul Seven Bridges Ice Arena — Gerianne Johnson Skokie Skatium — Kerry Murphy Southwest Ice Arena — Paula Bowsman Triphahn Ice Arena — Missy Motyka Winnetka Ice Arena — Ashley Coveny
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