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Help Us to Break All Barriers to Ensure EVERYONE Learns How to Skate!
ADAPTIVE SKATING
Physically & Intellectually Challenged Skaters can now benefit from our Adaptive Skating Program through artistic skill development and construct a foundation to build success and thrive in life on and off the ice! Our NEW Adaptive Skating program was designed by Learn to Skate USA and is endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating in conjunction with Special Olympics and Move United.
We are excited about this new opportunity and the chance to expand the population we serve. Scholarships will be available thanks to a recent grant from the Kugelman Family Foundation. We can’t wait to see this program grow and the impact it will have on the community. GPFSC has high hopes to one day soon provide a stable, consistent environment year-round for our challenged skaters to offer them routine, structure, and schedules are so important to these individuals sense of wellbeing. When given a stable, consistent environment, this improves skaters’ ability to regulate their own behavior and helps them build greater independence and confidence in life skills. Our Club will keep working diligently until all barriers to participation are removed so the physically & intellectually challenged can thrive within a smaller dedicated year-round facility, making ice sports accessible to EVERYONE in the Gulf Coast.
Empower & Embrace Potential!
AT RISK YOUTH PROGRAM–
“Figure Skating in Harlem” organization empowers young girls in underserved communities”
Annual Reports →
GPFSC has been following the incredibly successful Figure Skating in Harlem ICE (I Can Excel) program for several years and we would love to offer something similar to both males and females within our community. Figure Skating in Harlem combines the power of education with access to the artistic discipline of figure skating “to build champions in life.” The organization’s objective is helping at risk youth transform their lives by growing in confidence, leadership, and academic achievement. Figure Skating in Harlem celebrated its 25th anniversary in April 2022 and has become a HUGE success story built on academics, social growth and, well, yes, ice time. With an artistic skating component being just as important as the academic component, this inspiring program created a springboard for young people to discover themselves and go out in the world. The program boasts a 100% high school graduation rate, and all seniors go on to four-years colleges Their program is fully funded by donors and grants and is available at no cost to qualified applicants. A program like this will require a community effort, but the benefit would be significant. Our Club will keep working diligently until all barriers to participation are removed to transform lives within a smaller dedicated year-round facility, making ice sports accessible to EVERYONE in the Gulf Coast.
Be a Driving Force to Help Make the World a Better Place!
YEAR-ROUND ICE
Now more than ever, the greatest challenge among all Pensacola based amateur ice sports programs is the lack of year-round ice in the Gulf Coast. As the only sheet of public ice in Northwest Florida, members travel from as far as Mobile Alabama and Panama City Florida to skate in our programs. With GPFSC growing significantly in the past 2 years with more than 250 members and contracting nearly 100% of available ice time from the Pensacola Bay Center, our Club is nearing full capacity and thriving! Determined to expand ice sports accessibility in the Gulf Coast, GPFSC’s number one goal is to have a small year-round dedicated facility to allow ice sports to be much more accessible to our community & tourists. With ice rinks being so prevalent throughout the remainder of Florida, a dedicated facility would open the door for so many opportunities for both the public and organized recreational and amateur groups (GPFSC, Pensacola Junior Ice Flyers, Emerald Coast Ice Hockey League, and Pensacola Ice Warriors). All Pensacola based amateur ice sports programs have been very successful considering exceptionally limited, sporadic seasonal ice.
Such a facility is a necessity for after school programming for at-risk youth similar to Figure Skating in Harlem as well as the expansion of our new Adaptive Skating program, neither of which can occur with the current ice situation. After school sports, Summer and Holiday camps, Birthday parties, specialized clinics and seminars for figure skaters and hockey players, hosting regional Learn to Skate USA and U.S. Figure Skating competitions and test sessions, Amateur Hockey tournaments, all of which would benefit our community as well as bring tourism dollars to the area.
Our Learn to Skate USA program alone is a progressive system that leads to many different tracks and if we were able to expand our programming it would allow skaters to confidently advance to more specialized areas of skating, such as Synchronized Skating, Ice Dance, Pairs Skating, Theatre on Ice, Artistry in Motion, Speed Skating and so much more! Our Club will keep working diligently until all barriers to participation are removed to expand into each of these different tracks within a smaller dedicated year-round facility, making ice sports accessible to EVERYONE in the Gulf Coast.
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT WITH YEAR-ROUND ICE!
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU HELPING US FORGE AHEAD WITH THIS VERY IMPORTANT MISSION!
How can I get involved?
Whether you want to learn to skate or sharpen your skills, need information, or would like to support our program & help us soar!
Contact us at [email protected].
Greater Pensacola Figure Skating Club is very social!
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