The Foundation of All Skating Programs
Learn to Skate USA provides pipeline for retention in facilities
All skaters have to start somewhere. Whether the skaters in your building are budding hockey players, aspiring figure skaters or future speed skaters, Learn to Skate USA provides the pipeline for their success. Using the program to your advantage will boost retention and keep your customers coming back for more.
Jerre Lieberman, the marketing director at Black Bear Sports Group, describes Learn to Skate USA as “the foundation to all the other programs we offer.”
Black Bear Sports Group owns and operates more than 30 ice rinks in seven states, and each one runs a Learn to Skate USA program. Lieberman said learn to skate is a key component to all their rinks do because of the standardized curriculum that gives every skater a place to start, no matter where they want to go on their ice skating journey.
“The only way our programs grow … is by continuing that retention and making sure we try to keep as many people in the sport as possible,” Lieberman said. “It really is important to have that base to build off of so you’re not out there on your own trying to promote a learn to skate program.
“Learn to Skate USA provides a lot of materials to help run successful skating programs. Without those materials, it would be a lot of extra hard work on our side.”
Some of those resources include achievement charts and attendance records skating directors can download from the Management System. Learn to Skate USA also provides an Instructor Manual with tips on teaching each element. For special events, skating directors can follow a guide for hosting an open house or free “Try Skating” event.
Many Black Bear Sports Group facilities also host SkateFests every year as a way to get new skaters in the door and introduce them to the joy of ice skating in a safe and fun way.
“We try to have at least one day where we offer a free skating lesson to everybody out there as part of a Skate Fest event,” Lieberman said. “We have all our instructors here to help out and make it a family-friendly open house event.
“For facilities, it starts with having those open house events and inspiring the awareness about free events. It really helps establish your facility as a community site because they truly are a part of the greater community that they’re in.”
Lieberman is looking forward to helping Black Bear Sports Group’s facilities build momentum and continue growing with Learn to Skate USA as the beginning step for every skater that walks into the building.
“We have more people participating than we ever had,” he said. “So we fully expect that we’re gonna build off that into growing our different programs and getting that opportunity to get skaters involved in the sport and hopefully them being a customer for a long time.”
Learn to Skate USA, powered by Toyota, offers turnkey programming to retain customers and attract new ones. Learn more at LearnToSkateUSA.com.
