Happy birthday Learn to Skate USA! BY MIMI MCKINNIS
Learn to Skate USA was launched June 1, 2016, with the goal of instilling a lifelong love of skating in its participants. Since then, thousands of skaters of all ages and abilities have come to the ice. This summer, Learn to Skate USA marked its first birthday. Here’s why we’re celebrating:
On March 14, Learn to Skate USA got an early birthday present, announcing a multiyear partnership with Toyota. The program joined U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating on team Toyota as they move toward the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Toyota will work with all three national governing bodies and Learn to Skate USA through multimedia, social channels, major events and grassroots outreach to develop and promote skating across the country.
“We are committed to making an impact with our winter sports presence in the United States,” said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. “With the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games less than a year away, Toyota looks forward to supporting the NGBs and athletes on every step of their
journey as they move toward achieving their dreams.”
In its first year, Learn to Skate USA welcomed more than 119,000 members across more than 1,000 skating programs in 49 states nationwide. While existing Basic Skills programs converted to Learn to Skate USA, more than 100 new skating programs were started as a direct result of the program’s rebrand and resources, successfully bringing the benefits of skating to new communities.
Learn to Skate USA hosted free SkateFest events across the country, introducing many participants to the ice for the very first time. Learn to Skate USA even hosted the first-ever SkateFest specifically designed for therapeutic recreational skaters, giving people with disabilities the opportunity to experience the benefits of skating free of charge.
The program also expanded communications efforts to a grassroots level for the first time, reaching more than 4,400 Facebook page likes between June 2016 and May 2017. Facebook posts reached more than 382,000 users, and Twitter engagement topped out at more than 31,000 impressions. Learn to Skate USA even expanded into print media, enjoying mentions in USA Hockey, Rink, Central Penn Parent and Vogue magazines, among others.
Over the course of National Skating Month, Learn to Skate USA welcomed more than 4,000 members in new media markets and generated more than 2 million online impressions through advertisements, web banners and YouTube videos.
With its inaugural year successfully in the books, Learn to Skate USA proudly looks forward to the continued development of grassroots skating. Members of the only skating program endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating, with support from Special Olympics, the Professional Skaters Association and the U.S. Ice Rink Association, are part of the best beginning skating program in the country.
Congratulations to Alexandre DeLauniere, the 100,000th member of Learn to Skate USA, and to Artistic Edge Skating School, the 100th new skating program of the 2016–17 season.
54 JUNE/JULY 2017
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