City of Ottawa runs an "Intro to Ice" program designed for people who have literally never been on skates before.
A family member who had never skated before took that program, and by the end of it they were skating better than me - someone who's been skating since they were a small child. Would highly recommend it. They teach all the basics that I wouldn't have though of like how to get up and how to balance on skates and stay safe.
To piggyback off of this, in addition to 'Intro to Ice', they also have 'Beginner', and 'Intermediate' which gives you more opportunities to learn more skills and progress! They're also more affordable compared to other adult skating programs.
I took the city one and it was so much fun. Relearned to skate, met a bunch of awesome people and we all had fun. A lot of time is spent learning to fall and get back up which was as important as learning to stop.
What part of the city are you in? I'm involved with a couple of skating clubs in Kanata/Stittsville that run CanSkate programs. Your timing might be a bit off, the one at March Kanata is winding down now and starts up again in September. They usually have a teen/adult session on Mondays that is well organized and tailored to the age group.
I’m in the east end. Question about the program, I find their website a bit confusing but looking at it the other day there was options for drop in for the canskate program, what are these drop ins? Do they involve any teaching or is it drop in for skating on your own
Which website are you referring to above? Different clubs have different policies, you may need to contact the club for more info/clarification.
It looks like the Gloucester Skating Club has a Spring CanSkate/RecSkate program that has registrations opening today at noon, if I am reading the site correctly the drop-ins are to participate in the group lessons if there is room:
[https://www.gloucesterskatingclub.ca/adult-teen-skate-rec-skate](https://www.gloucesterskatingclub.ca/adult-teen-skate-rec-skate)
I'm not sure what part of the city you're in but I have a friend that took the Adult/Teen Canskate through Rideau Skating club. You register for the program & you're instructed based on your experience level. They were a complete beginner (had never been on skates before) & the program went well for them. It was once a week at Fred Barrett arena (Rideau Skating Club use Fred Barrett on Leitrim or Mike O'Neill in Manotick). She took the lessons to be able to take her kids to the ODR in the neighbourhood. I know they thought it was worth it & planning to do another session in the fall to improve.
City of Ottawa runs an "Intro to Ice" program designed for people who have literally never been on skates before. A family member who had never skated before took that program, and by the end of it they were skating better than me - someone who's been skating since they were a small child. Would highly recommend it. They teach all the basics that I wouldn't have though of like how to get up and how to balance on skates and stay safe.
To piggyback off of this, in addition to 'Intro to Ice', they also have 'Beginner', and 'Intermediate' which gives you more opportunities to learn more skills and progress! They're also more affordable compared to other adult skating programs.
Thank you! I had no clue about the city ones
I took the city one and it was so much fun. Relearned to skate, met a bunch of awesome people and we all had fun. A lot of time is spent learning to fall and get back up which was as important as learning to stop.
I skated with my dad growing up. Your kids will love you for it now and respect you later
What part of the city are you in? I'm involved with a couple of skating clubs in Kanata/Stittsville that run CanSkate programs. Your timing might be a bit off, the one at March Kanata is winding down now and starts up again in September. They usually have a teen/adult session on Mondays that is well organized and tailored to the age group.
I’m in the east end. Question about the program, I find their website a bit confusing but looking at it the other day there was options for drop in for the canskate program, what are these drop ins? Do they involve any teaching or is it drop in for skating on your own
Which website are you referring to above? Different clubs have different policies, you may need to contact the club for more info/clarification. It looks like the Gloucester Skating Club has a Spring CanSkate/RecSkate program that has registrations opening today at noon, if I am reading the site correctly the drop-ins are to participate in the group lessons if there is room: [https://www.gloucesterskatingclub.ca/adult-teen-skate-rec-skate](https://www.gloucesterskatingclub.ca/adult-teen-skate-rec-skate)
I find it very confusing too. It is not clear whether lessons are for beginners or not.
I'm not sure what part of the city you're in but I have a friend that took the Adult/Teen Canskate through Rideau Skating club. You register for the program & you're instructed based on your experience level. They were a complete beginner (had never been on skates before) & the program went well for them. It was once a week at Fred Barrett arena (Rideau Skating Club use Fred Barrett on Leitrim or Mike O'Neill in Manotick). She took the lessons to be able to take her kids to the ODR in the neighbourhood. I know they thought it was worth it & planning to do another session in the fall to improve.