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September / October 2014

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42 / SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER.2014 RINKMAGAZINE.COM , USA Hockey's adult department beefs up the Adult First Goal program with more gear. Added to the free adult hockey gear for the 2014-15 season will be elbow pads and shin guards. The Adult First Goal program is designed to provide free equipment packages to registered adult leagues looking to give new adult players a taste of the game through a Try Hockey for Free program. To sign up for free equipment through the Adult First Goal program, please visit adulthockey.usahockey.com. Pond Hockey Registration Records Smashed USA Hockey unveiled the 10th anniversary logo for the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships last month. The tournament's 10th iteration will take place on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis., February 6-8 and continues to be one of the most popular events on the USA Hockey calendar. Anticipation was high and registration records were smashed. Pond hockey enthusiasts delivered a record- setting day. • In just 10 minutes, more than 300 teams registered. • The first division sold out in less than three minutes. • More than 1,000 people were on the website vying for the roughly 350 open team slots. • The USA Hockey Adult Events App, which provides unique access to the pond hockey tournament as well as all USA Hockey adult events, has spiked with more than 250 downloads since registration day. , Under the new Basic Skills membership incentive program, the U.S. Figure Skating Membership Committee instituted the Kick Start award. This honor is given to the Basic Skills program whose membership increased by the largest percentage in one membership cycle. This year's recipient of the Kick Start award is The Essex County Basic Skills Program. Under new skating director Mikel Garcia, the program saw significant all- around growth. The Basic Skills program went from zero to 1,000 registered Basic Skills skaters with U.S. Figure Skating in one year (July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014). The Codey Arena is owned and operated by the Essex County Department of Park, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. Offering the Learn to Skate program five times per week (six during the winter months, twice on Saturdays and Sundays), makes it easy for the parents to fit a session into already busy schedules. The sessions run once per week for eight weeks (six weeks in the summer). The Learn to Skate classes are offered for 30 minutes followed by a 90-minute public session where skaters can continue to work on the skills they learned. The beginners program employs 15-20 coaches who participate in and teach the Learn to Skate program. Thanks to the coaches' experience, knowledge and customer-friendly attitudes, the program numbers have filled to capacity each session. Being a county facility, the marketing strategy for the beginning skating program, camps and skating clubs has been connecting with the local recreation departments and schools to promote their programs. Collaborating with other recreation departments has been key to their growth and success. An educated front-office staff assists skaters with any issues in a friendly approach, which has allowed the program to thrive on word of mouth. The Basic Skills program will be kicking off a new program in September. The Learn to Speedskate class will be offered on Thursdays. The Garden State Speedskating Club will run classes and club sessions. A new initiative to launch a countywide website and focus on social media in the fall will only increase enrollment and boost participation and revenue. Visit gardenstatespeedskating.com. We congratulate the Essex County Basic Skills program for winning the Kick Start Award and look forward to its future success. J NGB News USA Hockey & U.S. Figure Skating More Free Gear for Adult Hockey! Warp Speed: Zero to 1,000 Basic Skills Skaters in a Year , Download the USA Hockey Adult Events App today.

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