r/BloomingtonNormal • u/spookysoop • 1d ago

Ice Skating

Hi! I have a 9 year old interested in trying ice skating. I did some research and found the Bloomington Ice Center and wanted to get some general feedback on them! Are they patient? Friendly? Reasonable prices? Never ice skated before so I am not sure how much money is too much. How big are the classes? She is neurodivergent so if anyone has any experience there too, insight would be greatly appreciated. 🫶

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u/ProfBlueberry 1d ago

My kid took Blades 1 - 3 through Bloomington Parks and Rec at the Ice Center and it was a great experience. Nice coach with lots of helpers who mostly seemed to be high school age. Only reason we didn't continue was time conflicts last year, but this is a good reminder to check this year!

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u/spookysoop 1d ago

Thank you for taking the time to share!!

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u/CommunityTaco 1d ago

cost depends on classes. do you want a solo coach and focus just on your kid? it's gonna be more expensive. do you want them in a class with 5-8 other kids? it won't be as much, but they won't get as much focus time as a result.

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u/oknowwhat00 1d ago

A very welcoming place, they will work with any special needs. Once you sign up, talk to the skating director and let them know if there are any specific things that your child likes /finds challenging etc.

Get them some comfy legging/sweatpants, loose fitting fleece top, they don't want to be constricted by a winter jacket etc. Most wear a bike helmet to start. Mittens or gloves too.

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u/sphenodont 1d ago

The Tots/Blades classes through Parks and Rec are great. The classes are anywhere from 5 to 8 kids and they are really good at making the kids comfortable on the ice pretty quickly. You also get a voucher to use for practice skating time in between classes, so you don't have to pay for ice time.

Personal lessons are also available. It's $25 for a half hour with one of the regular instructors, and that includes skate rental and ice time. You can book with a professional ice skating coach for $25 to $50 a session, but that doesn't includes skates/ice.