Ice Skating Classes
In December, my daughter had two ice skating birthday parties at Lloyd Center Ice Rink on consecutive weekends. The first time, she was timid and a little nervous about being on the ice. The second time, though, she was whizzing around like a seasoned recreational skater. I even spied her skating in the center of the rink with her friends, trying to learn to spin Yamaguchi-style. Then, when we were in SF on Christmas Eve, she begged to go ice skating at a rink there. For 2-1/2 straight hours, she skated and skated. She outskated me, her daddy, her grandparents, and her uncles. We were exhausted, but she would have skated until the wee hours of the night.
Now that we're back home, she is begging us for lessons and to skate more regularly. I noticed that Portland Parks & Rec is offering Ice Skating Basics, but it isn't clear to me whether the lessons are held at Lloyd Center or ?... This email from Jess is timely:
I wanted to ask urbanMama readers if they have had any experience with ice skating. The only class my daughter has been interested in is ice skating. We had a drop-in lesson at Lloyd Center Ice Rink today. The ratio was 17:1. That's 17 preschoolers on ice skates! Needless to say children were not getting the attention or direction they need. My daughter still really wants to skate. The ice rink said that they will not add more teachers to the class and that my only other option is private lessons. These lessons are $12.50 for 15 min plus we need to rent skates for $5. Can anyone refer a private lesson for cheaper or would anyone be interested in forming a small group (3-4 kids) and paying a private instructor? Is there any other place other than Lloyd Center?
I don't have much knowledge with this topic, but I do know of an ice rink near our house. The Sherwood Ice Arena - www.sherwoodicearena.com - is the official practice rink for the Winterhawks, and they offer figure skating lessons as well.
Posted by: Amanda | January 05, 2007 at 10:26 AM
Lloyd Center ice skating is the most convenient rink in Portland. Sherwood Ice Arena is a very nice rink, but is very cold and has plexiglass walls around the rink. Vancouver has Mt. View Ice Arena, which I have not been to, but I think their rink would be very cold also.
I also don't like the size of the classes at Lloyd Center. But, the good thing is that the beginners can use the plastic chairs for support while they are in the lesson. Also, the child taking the class can go to the rink for free to practice as much as they want.
I would recommend looking into Mt. View or seeing if Lloyd has a Snow Bunnies class at a time that isn't so full. I think they typically have one on Thursday or Tuesday afternoons? Friday nights are usually the worst though. The class size also discourages me, and my daughter has been skating for 3 years. The classes get a little smaller as they advance into higher classes, but not much better.
After the snow bunnies class, the children usually get enough confidence to get out on the ice by themselves, or with ice skating peers. It’s the practice time with her friends that my daughter really enjoys and learns the most.
You can email me if you want some suggestions of instructors at Lloyd that work well with young children. aktomlinson@msn.com
Posted by: atomlinson | January 09, 2007 at 11:58 AM
I LOVE LLYOD CENTER
Posted by: sarah | February 13, 2007 at 04:37 PM
HAVE YOU EVER FLOTED ON TOP OF THE WORLD AND SAW ANYTHING WELL I HAVE IVE BEEN IN LAZERPORT A LOT OF TIMES HAVE U OH RIGHT I LOVE LLYOD CENTER CAUSE ALL THE SHOPPING AND ICE SKATING IT ALL ROCKS I GO THERE STILL BUT NOPT ANYMORE CAUCE I GET TO BUISEY HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH 'FART'HAHAHAHJAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Posted by: sarah | February 13, 2007 at 04:40 PM