When leaders from Tidewater Figure Skating Club traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado, this spring, they brought more than a successful skating program with them. They brought the story of a community built on belonging and the belief that everyone deserves a place on the ice. That spirit earned the Virginia Beach-based club one of U.S. Figure Skating's highest honors.

During the 2026 Impact Summit, Tidewater FSC received the Prism Award as part of the Coach I.C.E. Awards, which recognize coaches and organizations that exemplify excellence, respect, integrity, community and resilience. The Prism Award specifically celebrates clubs and coaching teams that champion inclusion, embrace diversity and create cultures where differences are valued.

For Tidewater, the award represents something that has been years in the making.

Representing the club at the ceremony were three women whose paths through skating reflect the heart of the organization itself: skating director Jill Stewart, who is celebrating 50 years on the ice this year; club vice president Yana Ginburg, a competitor at the U.S. Adult Championships; and coach Hannah Gubanc, a former competitive skater who earned a silver medal in adult gold solo free dance at the 2023 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships.

For a club that had previously been nominated, hearing its name announced as this year's winner carried special meaning.

"We offer a little bit of everything," Ginburg said. "I think that's why the Prism Award was very meaningful for our club in particular. We know that when someone walks through our door, we may only have them for a limited time, and we want them to have a positive experience."

The reason, she explained, goes beyond medals, rankings, or even competitive success. It is tied to the plethora of opportunities the club has created for skaters of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. That commitment to inclusion is not a program or initiative—it is part of its DNA.

"We are community. That's like the best word to describe us," Stewart said. "We open our arms to whoever wants to skate. I know that's very cliché-sounding, but we truly are that way."

That welcoming atmosphere has been shaped in part by the unique character of the Hampton Roads region. Anchored in a community just minutes from the ocean, Tidewater serves as a sanctuary where beach vacations and military service intersect. Families can spend the morning tanning on the warm sands of Virginia Beach and lacing up their skates at the rink that same afternoon. Visitors often discover the club while in town and return year after year, packing their skates alongside their bathing suits and beach towels.

"Skaters take vacations, too," Ginburg said with a laugh.

Many of those visitors arrive for a single week or two, but all are treated like members of the Tidewater family. That same philosophy extends to the area's large military population. With naval installations throughout the region, many families arrive knowing their time in Virginia Beach may be temporary. Assignments change, orders come, but Tidewater will be waiting to welcome them all when they get the urge to hit the ice.

"We may only have them for a short period of time," Ginburg said. "So, we're very welcoming."

For military families searching for connection in a new place, the rink often becomes more than a training facility. It becomes a home away from home. Gubanc understands that experience firsthand. As the spouse of a military service member, she has spent seven years with the club across two different chapters of her family's journey.

"My mother once told my childhood coach, Calla Urbanski, that she did not need me to be an Olympic gold medalist, but she wanted me to win a gold medal at life," Gubanc shared. "I use that philosophy with my students and try to approach my work with them with that in mind. I want our time to be meaningful because I know what that does for a person."

The club's reach extends far beyond military families. From toddlers taking their first steps on the ice to adult skaters pursuing lifelong dreams, Tidewater strives to ensure that everyone who walks through its doors feels valued. That includes folks from the LGBTQIA+ community, adaptive skaters and people from racially diverse backgrounds.

"I just think we're really a family," Ginburg said.

The club's growth reflects that approach. Competitive opportunities have expanded significantly in recent years, with more athletes advancing through the U.S. Figure Skating pipeline, attending national development camps and earning regional recognition. Adult skaters have found success on the national stage, while members of the coaching staff have gone on to perform professionally with Disney on Ice.

"We're trying to develop a championship pipeline because the competitive structure has changed," Stewart said. "In the last few years, we've had only one skater participate in the National Qualifying Series (NQS), but this year we have four."

What makes Tidewater unique is the culture that promotes kindness and accomplishments. It is found in the first-time skater gaining confidence, the military child making friends after a move, the adult returning to the ice decades after leaving it, or the athlete recovering from an injury who finds both physical and emotional healing through skating.
 
"At one point, we had four different athletes who landed their first Axels in the same week," Gubanc said. "Everybody was happy and celebrating with each of them. It's why we do what we do."

Operating all figure skating and Learn to Skate USA programs at both Chilled Ponds Chesapeake and Chilled Ponds at Yorktown, the club reaches hundreds of skaters each year. But despite its growth, leaders remain focused on the same mission that helped earn national recognition.

Whether someone arrives with Olympic dreams, competitive goals, or just a desire to belong, Tidewater's promise remains the same. As Stewart put it, the goal has always been to help people feel that they belong.

"Because they do."