Northfield Skating School

On January 3rd, 2008, the Northfield Skating School directors hosted our second parent meeting of the 2007-08 season. Parent meetings are held before the opening day of each set of lessons. The goals of these evenings are to keep parents and skaters informed and to encourage communication with our skating families. Our Jan 3rd meeting covered these topics:

• Benefits of skating at all levels
• US Figure Skating and the Basic Skills Program: the FUNdamentals of skating
• Policies and expectations of our program
• How to Help Your Child Get the Most Out of Skating
• Questions!

We were thrilled that about 75% of new parents as well as a few returning parents and even a handful of skaters attended. If you were not able to attend, feel free to contact me to be emailed a copy of the presentation.

Nearly 50 friends (including a handful of parents) joined their skating buddies for the Northfield Skating School’s first ever Bring-a-Friend event on Sunday December, 16. The turnout was fantastic and friends seemed to enjoy learning, practicing, and playing games on the ice. Special thanks to volunteers Kathryn Jamison and Tim Komatsu for helping out at the check-in table. Bring-A-Friend day will be a regular event from now on for the skating school. Our next Bring-A-Friend day will take place on the final day of Session 2 – March 9, 2008.

This winter we have the rare and exciting opportunity to see the nation’s greatest skaters compete at the 2008 US Figure Skating Championships at the Excel Center in St. Paul. The event lasts from January 20, 2008 – January 27, 2008 and showcases the USA’s top skating talent. This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity!

NSS has reserved group tickets to the following events:

• Wednesday 1/23 7pm, Championship Pairs Short Program and Opening Ceremony
  (lower level, $27)
• Friday 1/25 7pm, Championship Men Short Program (lower level, $27)
• Saturday 1/26 4:45pm, Free Dance and 8:15pm Championship Ladies Final (lower level, $92 or mid-level, $52). Note: these 2 events are sold as a package and may not be purchased separately
• Sunday 1/27 7pm, Championship Exhibition (Top finishers in all events) 7pm (lower level, $45)

Tickets are priced at a reduced rate and NSS will absorb handling fees. To reserve, please contact Carey by DECEMBER 10 with the events and the number of tickets you would like to reserve. SUPPLY IS LIMITED. Payment to the Northfield Skating School will be necessary to reserve your spaces.
I hope some of you will be able to take advantage of this unique opportunity!

You can now register for Session 2 Online! Click here for online registration. It is exactly the same as what you find on the brochure, so if you have registered already, you do not need to register again. PLEASE NOTE: We do not accept credit cards. If you use the online form, your registration will be complete when you send payment to the Northfield Skating School, PO Box 145 in Northfield.

Earlier this month, NSS received a Shearer Microgrant from the City of Northfield.Click Here for the full story!

Below, L to R: Kittel Evenson, NSS Assistant Director; Charlene Coulombe-Fiore of the Northfield Economic Development Authority, and Carey Tinkelenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Northfield Skating School.

Beginning this session, NSS has the pleasure of welcoming six Skating Assistants to our staff. Skating Assistants are volunteers with a love for skating and working with children. They help Skating Instructors conduct group lessons and provide personal attention to skaters during lessons and practice. Of our 6 Skating Assistants, 4 are current NSS advanced skaters and 2 are college students with backgrounds in skating and leadership. NSS now boasts a total of 15 Skating Instructors and 6 Assistants – our largest, most experienced staff yet.

Top Row, L to R: Julia Mandsager, Sofie Jokela, Amelia Shuster, Kayla Johnson
Bottom Row, L to R: Hattie Ryan, Sara Sektnan

Check out the Photos page for updated snapshots of our opening day of 2007-08 lessons on Oct 21st! Many thanks to staff, parents, and skaters for our smoothest opening day yet.

Below (L to R): Volunteer Kathryn browses Skating magazine at the check-in table, skaters warm up their skills in the practice area, and Instructors Gene and Sarah help their class with turns

We are currently looking for volunteers to help with our check-in and merchandise table during our first lesson and to help at the merchandise table each week. If you would like to volunteer for an hour slot during any week of lessons, please contact Carey The volunteer sign-up list will also be posted at the arena during lessons.

Volunteering during your child’s lesson time is a great way to get engaged and involved in the program! Plus, all volunteers will be provided coffee and blankets to keep warm while helping us out. We truly appreciate your help!

Thanks to all who took the time to come to the Armory during the rainy MEA break to stay informed about NSS! If you weren’t able to make the meeting, you may contact me to receive a copy of the presentation.

Our new PARENT HANDBOOKS have been printed and will be available at the arena on Sunday. In them you will find information about the goals and philosophy of NSS, photos and biographies of our staff members, policies and equipment information, and tips for how to help your child get the most of skating and our program. Enjoy!

Yesterday was the final day of our pre-season staff training. We are eager for our season to begin next week so we can get back on the ice and start teaching again! Training was expanded this year to include both on and off-ice presentations, cooperative lesson planning, goal-setting, and our special guest speaker, Thomas Hickey, group teaching guru and Director of Figure Skating Operations at Shattuck St. Mary. We kicked off yesterday with a custom-made jeopardy game (with staff members as the answers) to learn about the range of skills and talents of our staff team. We’ve got everything from aspiring archeologists to future medical students to synchronized team skaters to golf and dance team captains. We even have a staff member who trained Monkeys at the MN zoo!
Below (L to R): Coaches meet to prepare for their first day of classes, coach Laura Mansell warms up in front of our new US Figure Skating dasher board, and Tom shares his expertise – note the creative traffic patterns on the chalkboard.