Milton Hershey was the first member of the Hershey Figure Skating Club in 1934. Today, 88 years later, the club continues to thrive, offering ice skating classes for people of all abilities.

Those interested in learning about the club and what it has to offer are invited to a back-to-school open house on Thursday, Sept. 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hersheypark Arena, 100 W. Hersheypark Drive, where the club holds its classes and events.

Featured will be free ice skating and a free skating lesson. Admission is free, but attendees will have to pay a nominal skate rental fee. "It's a good time to try (skating) and see what we are about, and then classes start the following week," said coach Melissa Spittler, the club's Learn to Skate director. The six-week semester of classes will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning on Sept. 6 and 8, respectively.

"We do Learn to Skate for all ages - anyone from age 2 through adult," Spittler explained. "We skate at the Hersheypark Arena and the Giant Center, which is where Hershey Bears play."

Spittler noted that the Hershey Figure Skating Club is one of the oldest figure skating clubs in the United States. In addition to offering lessons and clinics, the club hosts the Hershey Open Figure Skating Competition each August. "The club began at a rink called the Ice Palace - what is now the Chocolatier restaurant," she said. "Milton Hershey was its first honorary member. He was a big hockey fan, which is how ice hockey came to be in this area."

Although all classes are programs open to the public, attendees are encouraged to become club members. "Members get a discount on all the programs that we offer," Spittler said, noting that the club currently has 190 members. "It also includes membership to U.S. Figure Skating."

The club remained active, even during the pandemic, by offering online classes. "There are things they make for off-ice training, like spin boards, where you can do spins on the floor," Spittler explained. "You can practice spinning, posture and rotation. We did some strength training and ballet classes and some Pilates and yoga classes. We did everything over Zoom. And the classes were free or low-cost."

She said that learning ice skating skills can actually begin off the ice. "You can do the floor (activities) first, which makes transitioning over to the ice easier," she noted. "(The online classes) actually helped increase our off-ice classes for both hockey skating and figure skating - ballet, strength training and choreography."

One of the club's most rewarding programs is its therapeutic and adaptive skating class. "(These classes) are for anyone who has special needs or is recovering from an injury and is going through therapy," Spittler said, noting that wheelchairs are permitted on the ice during the classes. "(This gives) the skater with special needs the experience of being on the ice and having the feeling that they are skating."

For more information about the Hershey Figure Skating Club and upcoming programs, visit http://www.hersheyfigureskating.org or search for "Hershey Figure Skating Club" on Facebook.