The Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena was alive with smiles and laughter as busloads of kindergarteners from Pelham City Schools took to the ice on a frigid Thursday morning. Usually, an outing like this would only happen as a part of a field trip, but these children are actually fulfilling part of their PE curriculum by learning how to ice skate!
Seth Greenberg, Executive Director of the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena, was brainstorming ideas on how to grow the programs offered at his facility. Learn to Skate at the Pelham Skate School is one of those programs. Six-week sessions provide beginner instruction to people of all ages who want to learn to skate, whether aspiring figure skaters, hockey players, or someone who wants to skate recreationally. He realized bringing the Skate School to Pelham City Schools was the natural move. But, as with any good idea, this program didn't happen overnight. With so much to consider, such as transportation, funding, and logistics, a lot of people had to get on board with the idea.
"In the summer of 2023, I met with Gretchen," said Greenberg, speaking of Pelham City Manager Gretchen DiFante. "She asked me how we can grow skating in Pelham. I told her about a PE program I set up at my previous arena with the local elementary schools back in Wooster, Ohio."
The unique mix of indoor and outdoor recreational amenities is the core of Pelham's brand, and city leaders believe access to these amenities improves the community's overall well-being. This idea to expand access to ice skating through a partnership with the school system aligns with that belief, and it's something only Pelham can do. DiFante immediately started putting the pieces together to give momentum to the proposal so it would become a reality.
She set up a meeting between Greenberg and Pelham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Chuck Ledbetter. “He loved it from the get-go,” said Greenberg. “An idea is just an idea until you find a way to implement it. There were still so many details to work out, and funding such a large program was one major factor.”
School leaders applied for and received a community action grant from state Senator April Weaver and Representatives Kenneth Paschal and Arnold Mooney, members of the Shelby County legislative delegation.
Rep. Mooney took time out of his schedule early one morning to witness the program in action. “It’s just wonderful to see joy and excitement on the kids' faces,” he said. “It's a life experience some of these kids would not have had if this rink had not been here in Pelham.” =
“It took a while to get off the ground, but here we are,” says Greenberg. To date, over 237 children from Pelham Ridge and Pelham Oaks Elementary Schools have laced up their skates and learned some of the basics of skating from the world-renowned coaches of the Pelham Skate School!
“We're so grateful to the City for the opportunity and for opening the doors of the civic complex,” said Pelham Ridge Principal Khadidr Jones. “This has been exposure some of our kids may not have had before. So, it's just opening new doors for them.”
That sentiment is exactly what Seth Greenberg had hoped for when he pitched the idea that started this program in motion. “We view this as an opportunity to introduce young children to skating. Hopefully, they take to it and become our future hockey players and figure skaters” he said. “Anytime we have a young child skating at the complex, we view it as an opportunity to keep them involved in skating for years to come.”
The Pelham Skate School is open to the public and offers classes for skaters at all levels from ages two and up. For more information on registering for skating lessons, visit our Learn to Skate webpage, where you’ll find class schedules and options for every future skater in your family.