Six Reasons Your Family Should
Learn to Skate WRITTEN BY ANNA LAU
When you reside in a state like Montana, you may find yourself searching for activities to fill those long winter months to stave away the blues. Skiing is often the first winter sport that comes to mind, but let’s not forget about skating. In Gallatin Valley, we are fortunate to have several great outdoor skating lakes, ponds and parks in addition to an indoor facility.
What if you and your family don’t know how to ice skate? Is it going to be another expensive hobby? The Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association (BAHA) recognizes the importance of making ice skating affordable and accessible to the general public in a state where winter takes precedence over every other season. This fall, BAHA took over the Learn to Skate program and drastically reduced the price to a mere $75 per six-week session. If that’s not reason enough to immediately sign up your kids (and yourself) for a session of Learn to Skate, BAHA has compiled a list of additional reasons to learn a valuable skill this winter.
1. Skating is excellent exercise.
Skating is a great form of physical activity that emphasizes coordination, balance and agility. With a central focus on lower body movement, skating helps develop strong leg muscles, making it an excellent complement to other winter sports.
2. Skating teaches one of the greatest life lessons.
The first thing you learn in a skating lesson is how to fall. Sounds counterproductive, right? Every skater, no matter how skilled and experienced, knows it’s inevitable that they are going to fall, over and over again. We see it more often than not during the Olympics in figure skating. Professional skaters fall down... a lot. But they always get right back up and continue with their routine. No matter how many times we fall, we too must learn to get back up and keep pushing forward.
3. Skating is FUN.
Every parent wants to know that, above all else, their child is having fun on the ice. BAHA instructors are constantly creating new ways to make learning to skate fun and engaging by using toys, games and creative incentives throughout each session. It is their number one goal to make sure everyone is all smiles before leaving the rink.
4. Skating is a lifetime sport for anyone at any age or ability.Because skating
is a low-impact activity, it can be grouped in with golf, swimming, skiing and biking as a lifetime sport. That means it’s never too late to learn – mom, dad, grandma and grandpa can join in on the lesson too. There are also many adaptive forms of ice skating for those with ranging disabilities.
5. Skating is an inexpensive winter activity the whole family can enjoy.
Additional opportunities for winter fun open up when everyone in the family knows how to skate. The Gallatin Valley has multiple maintained outdoor skating rinks, ponds and two indoor sheets of ice (located at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds) for recreational skating and pick-up hockey.
6. Skating offers a smoother transition into ice hockey.
Kids and adults who have taken skating lessons before playing hockey excel much faster, and have an easier time transitioning into hockey than those who don’t take any formal skating lessons. One shouldn’t have to worry themselves about the correct placement of his/her feet and trying to maintain proper balance while performing a simple drill such as stickhandling a puck through cones.
Want to Learn More? Learn to Skate is offered on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday evenings for all levels ranging from first-timers to advanced skaters of all ages. To register for Learn to Skate or gain more information, visit bozemanhockey.org/ learntoskate. Written by Anna Lau, Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association.
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