If there is one thing that these kids don’t have, it’s fear, and watching the youngsters whizzing around on the rink of Promenade Ice, you can see that this is beneficial when learning how to balance on blades. Whether they are absolute beginners using the novice-friendly support devices shaped like penguins or bears, or seasoned skaters learning spins and jumps, the coaches and fellow skaters encourage each other in this happy environment.
What is so impressive about learning to skate with Promenade Ice is that there is a distinct program which allows the learner and parents to measure skills development.
It’s not just as simple as no longer falling, or being able to complete a move, the coaches follow the Ice Skating Institute of Asia (ISIAsia) format which has introduced the world of ice skating to millions of people. ISIAsia was initially built on the American learn-to-skate program, which was created by the Ice Skating Institute (ISI).
Before Attempting Freestyle levels 1 – 10, skaters have to go through basic skills, including tests 1-4, and then the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta levels. This gives the young athletes a strong grounding in skills and a confidence in their own abilities as well as a deep trust in their coaches.
ISI holds team competitions which have been developed to encourage skaters of all ages and levels, and the Promenade Ice School team members have an array of hardware that they’ve won. But it’s not all about placement, skaters get team points for participation as well as individual medals.
Because they are valued team members, if skaters do not place, they still get a sense of being a valued and contributing member of the team. A real sense of teamwork is fostered, and the emphasis really is on the fun of taking part rather than the winning, and the stories of the skaters reflects this.
Name: Yasmine Kohli
Age: 12
School: ASK
Freestyle level attained: 1
Years Skating: 3
Total medal haul: 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze
One word for how skating makes you feel: Happy
Fun facts: Yasmine first tried skating with her cousins in Paris at the Eiffel Tower, really enjoyed it and decided to take lessons. She’s also skated in Abu Dhabi, and likes everything about skating; the exercise, the challenge, the competition and says, “The things that we learn are fun, like spins and some jumps, and I enjoy just being on the ice in general.” While not a fan of competition in general, she enjoys the whole experience of skating competitions like traveling and staying in a hotel with the other skaters.
Name: Ariana Javaheri
Age: 6
School: TES
Freestyle level attained: 2
Years Skating: 2
Total medal haul: 6 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
One word for how skating makes you feel: Happy
Fun facts: Skating is in the family as Ariana has a sister and cousins who also skate. Her favorite thing about skating is learning how to do spins and jumps, and she wears tights which are super padded on the hip and coccyx to protect her when she falls. She loves playing tennis too, and reading non-fiction books as well as writing and maths. She likes to watch adventures on television and to learn about a lot of things. Skating is very important to her because it’s the first sport she was introduced to!
Name: Isabella Naughton
Age: 6
School: TES
Freestyle Level attained: 2
Years Skating: 1.5
Total medal haul: 4 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
One word for how skating makes you feel: Happy
Fun facts: At the age of only 6, Isabella likes the challenge of learning something new that skating gives her. She never gets tired during practice because she loves skating and it’s always her Dad that brings her and her two years younger sister, Natalia to training 2-3 times a week. This young athlete says she wants to always get Gold for her team, and she explains, “If I start [something], I don’t want to quit.” Isabella says it’s important to have lessons all the time to keep getting better.
Name: Natalia Naughton
Age: 4
School: TES
Years Skating: 1
Level attained: Alpha
Total medal haul: 3 Gold
One word for how skating makes you feel: Happy
Fun facts: Natalia loves going through the tunnel at Promenade Ice and finds that really fun. She enjoys skating with her older sister Isabella, and has made lots of friends at the skating rink. She is easily both distracted and motivated by chocolate raisins and likes to play games on the ice which are used as teaching tools by the coaches. Natalia enjoys skating twice a week and is always prepared to come to Promenade Ice.
For more information on visiting Promenade Ice or booking lessons call 2227 7130, or contact them directly for the latest updates on Instagram @promenade.ice. You can find all of the latest information by visiting promenadeicekw.com. Featured image by bazaar Studios.
