The Rinks and Great Park Ice were named the nation’s No. 1 learn-to-skate program by the U.S. Figure Skating Committee on Wednesday.
Great Park Ice in Irvine, where the Ducks typically practice, as well as the facilities in Anaheim, Lakewood, Yorba Linda, Corona and Poway received the honor mere days after three of the skaters who train at The Rinks got their gold medals from the 2022 Winter Olympics at the Summer Games in Paris.
Nathan Chen made history by winning gold medals in both the single and team figure skating programs at the 2022 games in Beijing, where Brandon Frazier and Alexa Knierim won gold in pairs competition.
But one need not be a pro to train at The Rinks, which offer skating and hockey programs for participants of all ages and experience levels. The program launched in 2009 and has expanded to eight facilities, which were recognized Wednesday as the best in the country.
“This incredible milestone is the culmination of the dedicated and tireless efforts of numerous individuals on our staff who have worked passionately towards our goal of becoming the premier figure skating facility in the country,” said Art Trottier, the vice president of The Rinks and Great Park Ice. “We are extremely grateful for the unwavering support and commitment of our owners, Henry and Susan Samueli, whose vision and determination have played a pivotal role in fostering the growth and development of the sport in Southern California.”
Learn to Skate USA offers lessons at over 1,000 locales around the country, including The Rinks and El Segundo’s LA Skating Academy housed within the Toyota Performance Center, the preferred practice site of the Kings. The U.S. has over 500,000 registered hockey players and the total number of participants has eclipsed that of even Canada, though proportionally Canada still has the most hockey players, figure skaters and ice rinks per person.
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As interest has grown in the United States, rinks have proliferated and become more competitive, with The Rinks and Great Park Ice ascending to the top of the medal stand.
“Learn to Skate USA is proud to recognize The Rinks and Great Park Ice as its top performing program in the country,” said Susi Wehrli McLaughlin, U.S. Figure Skating’s senior membership director. “With over 4,000 program participants, The Rinks and Great Park Ice have done a tremendous job in growing skating in the Southern California region, thanks to its dedicated directors and instructors, and we look forward to their continued success as they cultivate new generations of skaters.”
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