Our Special Olympics Family
Who We Are
Our figure skating team is under the umbrella of the Maryland chapter of Special Olympics, which is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community in which every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability. We bring together those with disabilities and those without through the shared love of ice skating. Our team was founded in 2000 as a SOMD figure skating team, but the State discontinued Special Olympics figure skating in 2009. However, the team continued at the local level and regained SOMD sponsorship in 2013. Although figure skating is still not a recognized Special Olympics sport by the State of Maryland, SOMD recognizes our team as a Special Olympics program.
What We Do
As a Special Olympics Figure Skating Team, we have coaches from all backgrounds of skating (synchronized skating, figure skating, ice dance, etc.) teach our Special Skater athletes the skills they need, perfect the skills they already have, and choreograph their programs to give them confidence to succeed in a Special Olympics Figure Skating competition. In addition to the roles of a normal coach, our coaches inspire the athletes and give them a supportive environment in which they can be empowered. We strive for a 1:1 coach to athlete ratio so that each skater is given the attention they need.
Where We Skate
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Our Special Olympics athletes and coaches have their practices at the wonderful Rockville Ice Arena. Through the generosity of Rockville Ice Arena, practice ice during the rink’s Group Lessons is donated to our program free of charge, and SOMD covers our coaches’ liability insurance. We hope in the future that SOMD will authorize additional Special Olympics Figure Skating programs like ours at other rinks throughout the State, and we are grateful for the support of Rockville Ice Arena!
Address: 50 Southlawn Ct, Rockville, MD 20850 Website: http://www.rockvilleicearena.com/ |
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