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Fun Skate Teaches Skating Skills to Elementary Students

2nd graders practice skating skills at Simoni Rink

Cambridge students are hitting the ice! Fun Skate, an annual program offered by Recreation and Cambridge Public Schools, provides weekly skating lessons to Cambridge public elementary school students. This year, Fun Skate expects to serve close to 800 children through a program expansion that includes weekly visits to 2nd grade classrooms as part of Physical Education curriculum.

Free skates and protective equipment are available to all children through the program. With guidance from staff, students learn the fundamentals of skating in the classroom and then travel to Simoni Memorial Rink (155 Gore St.) to practice their skills. But Fun Skate offers more than turning techniques and balancing - it also teaches determination and perseverance. 

"To introduce a program like this at such a young age is wonderful because it teaches a child to try new things and take risks in a controlled, safe environment," says Journey Martin, Recreation's Administrative Assistant and a skate instructor, who remembers one young girl's hesitancy to skate independently. Staff took the time to support her, offering skating pointers and encouraging her to push off the wall and take a risk. By the end of the session, she was skating by herself. "The goal of the program is to empower these kids to try new things and show them that they are capable of something they might not have imagined."

Dez Velez, Recreation's Fleet Manager and another instructor for the program, agrees. "[Through the program,] we are facilitating an opportunity for students who may otherwise have entered adulthood without experiencing ice skating," he explains."What the kids get out of Fun Skate is the exposure, opportunity, and experience to learn a skill.“

The skill-building and joyful experience on the ice also transfers to the classroom. “One of the best things about the program is the feedback we get from the teachers,” says George Rodriguez, Recreation Activities Coordinator. “They always say that having teachers and students in a skating environment helps build a bond with their students that makes a big difference in the classroom.”

Fun Skate will run through March 2025. The program is also supported by the Cambridge Police Department and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which operates Simoni Memorial Rink, for their support of the program.

For more information about Recreation offerings, visit www.cambridgema.gov/Recreation

Page was posted on 1/22/2025 9:51 AM
Page was last modified on 1/23/2025 4:10 PM
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