Ice Arena Offers Mid-Level Figure Skating Program

World Ice Arena, which offers ice-skating lessons to children in Queens, is now offering Future Champions, a mid-level figure skating program for competition bound skaters.

After seven years of teaching students at both an introductory level and an advanced level, World Ice Arena in Flushing has expanded its programming to include a middle level class for figure skaters.

Beginning Sept. 10, the arena’s Future Champions program will be offered for figure skaters that are between beginner and competitive levels. This program bridges the gap between two kinds of skating, says Lauren Hunt, skating school director. “There has become this need for something that blends more seamlessly into competitive skating,” she says.

The Future Champions program will run for 2 hours and skaters can attend once or twice a week. During the sessions, skaters will have a 30-minute off-ice component that incorporates ballet and dance moves, followed by 50 minutes on the ice, and then a freestyle session, during which they can practice their skating without sharing the ice the public. Future Champions is offered Sundays from 8:15-10:20am and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30pm.

In order for skaters to enroll in the Future Champions program, they must reach the arena’s delta level. World Ice Arena’s learn-to-skate program for figure skaters begins Sept. 8. It is open to all ages and offered seven days a week.

World Ice Arena has a National Hockey League-sized rink, and offers classes designed for students as young as 3 in a parent-and-me class up to professional level classes in both figure skating and hockey skating. The rink is open for public skating sessions seven days a week—$6 on weekdays and $9 on weekends, plus a $5 skate rental.

Main photo: Daina Lexi Ballesteros skating at the Spring Showcase
Main photo by Dave Ballesteros