On April 17, Red Rose Figure Skating Club began a spring session of classes in partnership with Learn To Skate USA. Classes will be held at Regency Ice Rink, 2155 Ambassador Drive, Lancaster, on Mondays until May 22, and summer sessions will be held in June and July. The club seeks to provide both adults and children age 3 and up with an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of ice skating.

Each session follows a curriculum provided by Learn to Skate USA, which offers a foundation for those looking to pursue figure skating and ice hockey. After working on basic techniques, coaches will help skaters to perfect more advanced skills such as one-foot glides, hops and turns. "At the end of the day, skating is skating. Even if you're a 6-year-old wanting to become a hockey player, you have to learn to skate first," said Cara Scudner of the Conestoga Valley area, a competitive skater at Red Rose.

Scudner and other seasoned skaters at Red Rose assist with the Learn to Skate program by serving as coaches during the classes. Although the program has been offered by the club in the past, this will be the first session that it has offered in over 10 years. Scudner said that she hopes the group classes offer a more accessible alternative to private lessons for aspiring skaters of any age. "It's never too late to start ice skating," Scudner said. "There's nothing like it. Skating combines artistry with athleticism. You feel like you're flying when you're gliding on the ice."

In March, Scudner and fellow Red Rose skaters Brian Padgett of Lancaster and Ken Nguyen of Hershey competed in the Eastern and Midwestern Sectional Championships. At the championship competition in Kissimmee, Fla., Nguyen won first place and Padgett won second place. Both Nguyen and Padgett qualified to compete at the silver level in the national championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nguyen started skating as an adult through Learn to Skate USA and has regularly helped with the program and competed for the last 12 years. "Being an adult skater, I had more of a fondness to help other adults starting out and to nurture that enjoyment of the sport," Nguyen said.

Nguyen said that he had been interested in skating for many years and loved to watch it on TV, but never took lessons when he was younger and instead focused on his studies. Once he graduated from college, he decided to fulfill his dream of becoming a figure skater. Nguyen noted that one of his favorite aspects of the adult figure skating community is how supportive it is. "We understand as adult skaters that we don't move like kids, but it's an enjoyable sport and you're never too old to learn," Nguyen said. "You also build relationships with coaches and other skaters. Even if you see them twice a year, you pick up right where you left off."

For more information, visit http://www.rrfsc.org/learn-to-skate.