Rink

W ith fewer than 10 months remaining until the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, U.S. Figure Skating—like all winter sport national governing bodies—is operating in full throttle to ensure its athletes, coaches and officials are well prepared for the competition and experience. Ensuring success for those we support requires the generosity of our members, friends and fans. This is why U.S. Figure Skating is participating in the Team Wristbands promotion—a limited edi- tion, custom-made wristband bearing the colors of our country, U.S. Figure Skating logo and USA 5-Ring logo. Worn proudly to signal encourage- ment and commitment to the ideals of hard work and fair play, these one-of-a- kind Team Wristbands are but one way U.S. Figure Skating is encouraging its fans to support the dreams of our athletes. U.S. Figure Skating Team Wristbands are colorful, comfortable, cool and collectible. By selling them at your pro shops you're sure to distinguish your rink as a premier shopping destination. Rink owners who share these values and cater to the development of our athletes can now offer the Team Wristbands at their facilities by visiting www.usfswristbands.org and ordering a supply to sell to their guests. To learn more, contact Kevin Burns at U.S. Figure Skating at 719-228-3479 or by e- mail at kburns@usfigureskating.org. The road to Vancouver and beyond is paved with dedication and sacrifice. What better way to demonstrate your support of the Olympic dream than to offer a product that is easy to order, easy to sell, drives traffic to your retail store and helps fuel the dreams of America's current and future champions? ★ P rogram Services is a new division of USA Hockey's Membership Development department. The mission of Program Services is to help local ice rinks and associations deliver the best youth sports experience in their community. Program Services' staff will form a direct communication channel with ice rink program administrators and youth associations, to assist them with our shared, overall goal of growing participation in hockey. They will focus on many key initiatives to provide local hockey leaders with the tools to success- fully operate their programs. Using their direct communication channels, Program Services' staff mem- bers will be gathering and sharing unique growth programs. In addition, they will help develop a consistent marketing cam- paign and resources to focus on attract- ing new 4- to 8-year-olds to hockey. Some of the resources that will be developed will be Step-by-Step market- ing models to assist facilities with their growth initiatives and Best Practices materials to inform rinks and associa- tions on the most efficient ways to man- age and grow their programs. An online resource center will be created for local association leaders and rink operators to gain easier access to information from all of USA Hockey's programs. Program Services will also be assisting local associations with the implementa- tion of national programs such as Hockey Weekend Across America and the American Development Model. Finally, they will be developing an educational course to assist the growth and develop- ment of those involved with their local programs. There are three members of the Membership Development department that will work in Program Services. Each is assigned to a specific region of the country. To find your Program Services liaison, please contact Kevin Erlenbach at (719) 538-1119 or kevine@usahockey.org. And as mentioned, arenas can benefit from offering similar major services. Depending on your location, communi- cation is even more important if you are serving the same users. 56 R INK MAGAZ INE may/june 2009 STARrinks.com NGB News USA Hockey Announces Program Services Team Wristbands Support Olympic Dreams USA HOCKEY U.S. FIGURE SKATING

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