Skate Academy earns grant to expand program

Glacier Skate Academy is a recipient of the 2017-18 U.S. Figure Skating Community Development Grants.

Six member clubs and programs around the country have been awarded $2,000 each for the purpose of developing community-based programs and events designed to attract, involve and inspire new generations of figure skaters, according to an announcement by U.S. Figure Skating.

A five-member selection committee reviewed 39 applications and awarded grants to those clubs and programs that were most effectively able to demonstrate how they would use the award to develop their initiatives, according to a release.

Glacier Skate Academy plans to use the grant to expand their winter seminar to include both boys and girls age 5 and older at the Basic 1 level or above skating. The two-day seminar provides on- and off-ice training with the goal of inspiring skaters to continue skating beyond Learn to Skate USA program.

Other recipients of the grant are Brooklyn Blades on Ice (Brooklyn, Ohio); Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena (Washington D.C.); Jefferson City Parks and Recreation (Jefferson City, Missouri); Mentor Figure Skating Club (Mentor, Ohio); and Scott Hamilton Skating Academy (Antioch, Tennessee).

The Community Development Grants, started by the Robert V. Hauff and John F. Dreeland Foundation, were established in 2010 with the purpose of providing funding to eligible member clubs and Learn to Skate USA programs throughout the United States. Formerly known as the Hauff and Dreedland Community Development Grant, the U.S. Figure Skating Community Development Grants were awarded to the applicants who successfully demonstrated program plans that embody the principles of U.S. Figure Skating’s mission and that will be strong role models in promoting the sport of figure skating throughout their communities.