Celebrate the Olympic Winter Games with These National Skating Month Activities

So far, this year’s National Skating Month has been the most successful campaign yet with more than 560 kits in the hands of skating programs across 48 states.

And the best part? We’re only half way through! Every four years, National Skating Month is extended through February to include the Olympic Winter Games. As Team USA gets set to compete February 9–25 in PyeongChang, South Korea, here’s a few ways you can capitalize on Olympic spirit as you continue celebrating all the ice has to offer.

Try These On-Ice Games:

• Show off your skills with your own team skating competition! Select a judging panel and divide your friends into teams. Take turns showing off your Learn to Skate skills and have the panel score each element. Want to keep the elements simple? See who can hold a one-foot glide the longest, see who can go the farthest using only one-foot skating, etc. The team with the highest total score (or the longest glides) gets the gold, second highest earns silver, third highest wins bronze. Take turns practicing different skills, and make sure everyone has a chance to be a competitor and a judge.
• Test your speed with a relay race! Choose a starting point and circle the ice as fast as you can. Tag your teammates at the starting line or pass an item like a racing baton to signal the next skater’s turn. Race your friends or race the clock and try to improve your time. You can even reverse your relay and skate your laps backward! Want a little slower pace? Make your own Olympic torch and pass it between friends as you make your way around the ice. No racing here, just make sure the torch gets to the Games safely!
• Looking to perfect your hockey skills? Try an obstacle course! Circle the cones, alternate forward and backward skating through figure eights around the hockey circles, or sprint between the blue lines, stopping and turning quickly after each sprint. Choose your patterns and skills, then see who can successfully complete the course. Bonus challenge: Practice your stick handling and maneuver a puck through the course with you.
• Practice your stops with a game of freeze skate! Just like the classic freeze dance game, you and your friends can skate around practicing your skills to music, then freeze when the music stops. The last player to freeze is out! No control over the music? Try a little Red Light-Green Light instead! The last skater standing lands at the top of the podium.

Try These Off-Ice Games:

• Gather your friends and keep up with the Olympic Games by having a skating-themed watch party! Complete television listings can be found here. And why just watch? Try your hand at judging during the figure skating events by guessing each skater’s score after their performance. Play “Hockey Trivia” during the games to test your knowledge, or create speed skating BINGO cards with words or phrases to listen for during each race.
• Break in the competition? Watch your favorite skating movie or footage of past Games instead!
• How about a sock skating hot chocolate social? Practice your skating skills on the floor in your socks and take some hot chocolate breaks with your friends. You can even try the on-ice games above as sock skating events!

Try one activity or try them all! Need more friends to participate? Print some Bring-A-Buddy coupons here and build your skating teams.

Whether you’re already in skating classes or want to take the ice for the first time, National Skating Month is the perfect time to hit the ice. What are you waiting for? The ice is calling…