New to East Coast Winters
My family and I decided to move from Richmond, BC to Ottawa, ON this past summer. We moved 13,000 pounds of stuff across the country. So far Ottawa has been very pleasant. Summer and fall were beautiful and now we are emersed in winter.
My kids are excited about the snow. I bought a parka at Costco, snow tires are on, and my skates are sharpened. Winter is lovely if you dress for it- ( I say this now without having experienced minus 20 or freezing rain) – but winter is a season that should be embraced and enjoyed.
The Rideau Canal
My family and I will be enjoying the Rideau Canal with our skates and skate helpers. I’m just getting back into skating so I will use two skate helpers stacked together to get my balance and gain my confidence on the ice. We are all very excited about outdoor skating.
The Rideau Canal is Canada’s largest outdoor skating rink and is nearly 7.5 kilometres or 5 miles long. The naturally frozen canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is usually open January to March. It’s free, just need to bring your own skates or rent them from a hut along the banks.
Another skating spot we will try within a 45-minute drive from Ottawa is a 3-kilometre ice trail through the forest in Gatineau. There’s a heated building on site where you can lace up your skates, and rest areas along the trail where you can sit back and enjoy the scenery, birds and squirrels. https://www.patinageenforet.com/
The Bentway
The Bentway is another great location for skating, it transforms into a uniquely urban winter wonderland with the opening of the 220 metre skate trail open seven days a week from 12 – 9 p.m.
An on-site winter village will offer hot chocolate and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for skaters and spectators, while warming stations will help visitors get toasty before getting back on the ice.
Can’t skate? No problem! The Bentway will offer recurring free skate lessons for kids and adults. On-site skate rentals are available daily along with skate helpers.
The Bentway Skate Trail continues from January 6 to February 17, 2020 with amended weekday hours.
I look forward to discovering outdoor skating in Ottawa and Toronto this winter season.
Enjoy your winter – get out and move!
Happy Trails from Heather at Skate Helper.
Who is Making Ice Skating more Accessible?
/in Community, Ice Rinks/by Heather LoganConway Arena
There are many barriers to ice skating whether it’s cost, mobility issues or just being afraid to try it. For many people ice skating is just something they read about or see when they watch television. Today, more and more arenas are offering adaptive skating programs. Once such arena is Conway Arena in New Hampshire where the Adaptive Adults Skating Program uses the skate helpers regularly.
First Stride Program
The Chicago Blackhawks introduced their First Stride program two years ago and the results have been amazing. Their goal is to offer every school within a two-mile radius of the Fifth Third Arena the chance to come and learn how to skate and also learn in the classroom about S.T.E.M ( Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Over 113,000 kids go through the program every year. For many families skating and hockey is just not available or affordable. The Blackhawks offer skate helpers to those kids who may feel scared their first time on the ice.
The Adaptive Sports Program at Franciscan Children’s
This program provides children with special needs the opportunity to participate in sports and active recreation in a fun and safe environment. The Program promotes the learning of new skills, social opportunities and moderate to vigorous physical activity to maintain and improve health and fitness. The program takes place at the Boston Bruins Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, MA.
Lern more about this adaptive sports program by watching here:
My first winter in Ottawa
/in Community, Ice Rinks/by Heather LoganNew to East Coast Winters
My family and I decided to move from Richmond, BC to Ottawa, ON this past summer. We moved 13,000 pounds of stuff across the country. So far Ottawa has been very pleasant. Summer and fall were beautiful and now we are emersed in winter.
My kids are excited about the snow. I bought a parka at Costco, snow tires are on, and my skates are sharpened. Winter is lovely if you dress for it- ( I say this now without having experienced minus 20 or freezing rain) – but winter is a season that should be embraced and enjoyed.
The Rideau Canal
My family and I will be enjoying the Rideau Canal with our skates and skate helpers. I’m just getting back into skating so I will use two skate helpers stacked together to get my balance and gain my confidence on the ice. We are all very excited about outdoor skating.
The Rideau Canal is Canada’s largest outdoor skating rink and is nearly 7.5 kilometres or 5 miles long. The naturally frozen canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is usually open January to March. It’s free, just need to bring your own skates or rent them from a hut along the banks.
Another skating spot we will try within a 45-minute drive from Ottawa is a 3-kilometre ice trail through the forest in Gatineau. There’s a heated building on site where you can lace up your skates, and rest areas along the trail where you can sit back and enjoy the scenery, birds and squirrels. https://www.patinageenforet.com/
The Bentway
The Bentway is another great location for skating, it transforms into a uniquely urban winter wonderland with the opening of the 220 metre skate trail open seven days a week from 12 – 9 p.m.
An on-site winter village will offer hot chocolate and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for skaters and spectators, while warming stations will help visitors get toasty before getting back on the ice.
Can’t skate? No problem! The Bentway will offer recurring free skate lessons for kids and adults. On-site skate rentals are available daily along with skate helpers.
The Bentway Skate Trail continues from January 6 to February 17, 2020 with amended weekday hours.
I look forward to discovering outdoor skating in Ottawa and Toronto this winter season.
Enjoy your winter – get out and move!
Happy Trails from Heather at Skate Helper.
Marketing Ideas for Ice Skating Rinks
/in Ice Rinks/by ericbernalIce skating rinks are competing with other entertainment venues when not being used for figure skating, hockey games or practices. Below are some ideas on how ice rinks can market themselves and generate additional revenue.
The ice rink industry is an 871 million dollar business in the US. It has experienced strong growth over the past few years. Demand has increased because of growing disposable income and rising health awareness.
The Chicago Blackhawks Fifth Third Arena Fest features new Skate Helpers
/in Community/by Heather LoganThe Chicago Blackhawks know how to treat their fans. They spend a lot of time in the community connecting with them. The Chicago Blackhawks also purchased a number for Skate Helpers for fans to use who don’t know how to skate.
Upcoming events include The Chicago Blackhawks and Fifth Third Bank inviting fans and community members to “Fifth Third Arena Fest,” which is a celebration of the new partnership with the team’s official practice facility and community rink. The event will be
held on Monday, May 6 from 3-6pm. This family fun event will include skating, games and giveaways.
In June, the Blackhawks will host HockeyFest – Game On! , the world’s largest street hockey tournament, on the United Center campus parking lots from June 22-23, 2019. With more than 30 divisions ranging across age, gender and skill level, hockey players
of all ages, including adults, are invited to participate.
The 12th annual Blackhawks Convention, presented by Magellan Corporation, will be held from July 26-28, 2019, at the Hilton Chicago (720 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago). The event, which has sold out every year, will feature both current Blackhawks players
and alumni throughout the weekend and include numerous autograph and photo sessions, Q&A panels, exhibits, interactive games and much more. Blackhawks players, coaches, executives and alumni are expected to attend.
Learn how to generate revenue with the Skate Helper
/in News/by Heather LoganAs the 2017/2018 skating season is coming to a close we wanted to reach out to all of our customers to thank you for another successful year. We were busy at Motion Sports as we redesigned the skate aid and renamed it the Skate Helper. We launched a new website and had two molds designed. Along with doubling our production capacity adults can now use two skate helpers as they will lock into place when stacked.
We had many customers use the Skate Helper as a revenue stream. By putting a sticker/logo on the recessed panel on the front many rinks rented the Skate Helper out.
Folsom Rink in California put a “RENT ME” sign on the front of every skate helper. This seasonal rink operates from November to the end of January. During this time, they rented out over 1000 Skate Helpers at the price of $10 per maximum 90 minute session. Folsom Rink takes skating to another level by using lights and music to create a full experience – it’s much more than just skating at a rink it’s a destination for the area. As owner Brian Jackson said, “we sold out of the skate helpers during many sessions. The staff loves them and so do our customers.”
In November, a customer in Washington State emailed me to say,
“They arrived and we put them out for rent at $5/per this weekend. We rented 46 over
the weekend for $230 in revenue… not a bad start!”
The Skate Helpers are used all over North America. From the Chicago Blackhawks ordering them for their new community arena to the New England Patriots using them at their outdoor seasonal rink. Over 300 arenas are using the Skate Helper. The university of Notre Dame has them and a small community rink in Moses Lake, WA has them. These rinks were able to enhance their customer’s experience by introducing the Skate Helper to their facility.
Arenas around the world are using the Skate Helper. From cities like Vancouver and Toronto, to faraway places like Alaska, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Dubai and London England. Without a doubt the Skate Helper is a game changer in terms of elevating the skating experience for families with kids who don’t know how to skate. We would love to see pictures of the Skate Helpers in action at your arena and add them to our website. Please send them to me at sales@skatehelper.com
We have doubled our production capacity and are ready to work with you in 2018.
Sincerely,
Heather Logan
Owner/Founder Motion Sports and Safety Products Inc
National Skating Day is December 10, 2017 throughout Canada
/in News/by Heather LoganCanadians are invited to lace up their skates and take to The Hill this December to celebrate National Skating Day.
The government said Thursday it will build a family skating rink on Parliament Hill as the country closes out its 2017 150th birthday celebration.
The rink will be open for skating from Dec. 7 until Dec. 31 and will culminate with a New Year’s Eve celebration on Parliament Hill.
The Dec. 7 opening also coincides with the Christmas lights illumination which will feature musical performances and fireworks. In addition, Sunday, Dec. 10 will be celebrated as National Skating Day with the Hill rink as the focus of events to take place in 200 communities across Canada.
The Parliamentary rink announcement comes after the government nixed the hopes of the NHL and the Ottawa Senators to stage an outdoor game on Parliament Hill to celebrate the NHL’s 100th anniversary this year. That game, between the Senators and the Montreal Canadiens, will instead be played outdoors at Lansdowne Park on Dec. 16.
Blackhawks giving back to community with new practice facility
/in News/by Heather LoganMotion Sports and Safety Products is honored that the Chicago Blackhawks have decided to use the Skate Helper Skate Aid in their new community ice arena. The Chicago Blackhawks announced that the team’s new, privately funded, $65 million facility will be known as the MB Ice Arena – Chicago Blackhawks Community Rink. In addition to serving as the practice home for the Blackhawks and visiting National Hockey League teams, approximately 94 percent of the facility’s use will be for the community, youth and adult hockey leagues.
“For the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, there is an unconditional commitment to give back to the community,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “If we were going to build a rink for the team, why not build two and include the community. The Wirtz family and the Chicago Blackhawks organization are proud of what this facility will mean to Chicago’s youth, and we are honored to have our longstanding partner, MB Financial Bank, join us as the first of what we anticipate will be many other Chicago businesses to participate in this exciting endeavor and support the outstanding programs at this new facility.”
The new arena, set to open in late November, will house two regulation sized NHL rinks and will feature 22 team and public locker rooms, medical and rehab facilities, a public fitness training center and a media center. The facility’s amenities include a restaurant and coffee shop, a rooftop deck and additional space for public functions. The building also includes several classrooms that will host programs for Chicago Public School students on the importance of health, wellness, nutrition, physical fitness and STEM education.
“For the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, there is an unconditional commitment to give back to the community,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “If we were going to build a rink for the team, why not build two and include the community. The Wirtz family and the Chicago Blackhawks organization are proud of what this facility will mean to Chicago’s youth, and we are honored to have our longstanding partner, MB Financial Bank, join us as the first of what we anticipate will be many other Chicago businesses to participate in this exciting endeavor and support the outstanding programs at this new facility.”
Public skate at Chicago Blackhawks Community Rink
The new arena, set to open in late November, will house two regulation sized NHL rinks and will feature 22 team and public locker rooms, medical and rehab facilities, a public fitness training center and a media center. The facility’s amenities include a restaurant and coffee shop, a rooftop deck and additional space for public functions. The building also includes several classrooms that will host programs for Chicago Public School students on the importance of health, wellness, nutrition, physical fitness and STEM education.
“There are countless ways in which our vision and values are aligned, including the need to build strong and vibrant communities where we live and work,” said Mitch Feiger, CEO and President of MB Financial, Inc. “The Blackhawks commitment to going beyond just serving as a practice rink to become a multi-service facility for Chicago’s youth, was the biggest draw for our involvement. We are incredibly proud to partner with the Blackhawks on this gift to the City of Chicago.”
The state-of-the-art MB Ice Arena will also serve as a hub for youth hockey development programs, recreational leagues and high school teams. The Chicago Mission AAA Hockey Club, a local elite youth hockey program, will call the USA Hockey-sanctioned facility its home, as will the Chicago Jets, Chicago Stallions, St. Ignatius College Prep and the Little Blackhawks Learn to Play program, an initiative from the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association.
For more information about the new facility, please visit http://www.mbicearena.com.