U.S. Figure Skating announced today the recipients of the 2020-21 U.S. Figure Skating Community Development Grants. Six member clubs and programs have been awarded $2,000 each for the purpose of developing community-based programs and events designed to attract, involve and inspire new generations of figure skaters.
A six-member selection committee reviewed 20 applications and awarded grants to those clubs and programs that were most effectively able to demonstrate how they would use the award to develop their initiatives.
The recipients of the grants are Amelia Park Ice Arena (Westfield, Massachusetts); Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena (Washington, D.C.); The Ice Factory of Central Florida (Kissimmee, Florida); Nashville FSC (Franklin, Tennessee); Skating Club of Taos (Taos, New Mexico); and The Next Ice Age (Baltimore).
The grants will be used in the following ways:
- Amelia Park Ice Arena will offer free Learn to Skate USA lessons to 50 children between the ages of 5 and 10 in an effort to provide skating opportunities to all, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, religion or socioeconomic status. The program will serve the goal of bringing in and retaining customers by showcasing diversity on the ice and instilling an everlasting love for the sport.
- Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena will continue to expand its KOI (Kids On Ice) Learn to Skate USA program. The program provides free and/or subsidized skating lessons to local children from disadvantaged neighborhoods seven days a week and includes School Skate for Fitness and Kids On Ice PLUS (includes speed skating, hockey, figure skating and synchronized).
- The Ice Factory of Central Florida will provide 28 free Learn to Skate USA sessions that includes four 30-minute lessons, four weeks of rental skates and four public sessions. The goal of this program is to increase community outreach and foster growth in all areas of the rink’s operations.
- Nashville FSC aims to re-establish its outreach program for children staying at the Centennial Sportsplex Red Cross Shelter who lost their homes from a tornado that hit Nashville last year and are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide a semester of Learn to Skate USA classes and will include an end-of-session party to celebrate the joy and camaraderie of skating.
- The Skating Club of Taos will expand its synchronized skating program by hiring an instructor and enhancing recruitment. The club hopes synchronized skating will bring in more skaters and increase membership. The program will also provide these lessons at a discounted rate.
- The Next Ice Age is partnering with Baltimore City Recreation & Parks to provide free Learn to Skate USA instruction to participants of their B’MORE program. They will also further develop the program and its Learn to Skate USA classes, specifically at Mt. Pleasant Ice Arena.
The Community Development Grants, started by the Robert V. Hauff and John F. Dreeland Foundation, were established in 2010 with the purpose of providing funding to eligible member clubs and Learn to Skate USA programs throughout the United States. Formerly known as the Hauff and Dreeland Community Development Grant, the U.S. Figure Skating Community Development Grants were awarded to the applicants who successfully demonstrated program plans that embody the principles of U.S. Figure Skating’s mission and that will be strong role models in promoting the sport of figure skating throughout their communities. For more information on the grants or any of the recipient programs, please click here or contact U.S. Figure Skating.
