Jay Peak Figure Skating Club Recognized By United States Figure Skating<\/p>\n
September 26, 2011 (Jay, VT)- The International Ice Hockey Federation will be hosting a worldwide celebration of female hockey with the World Girls’ Hockey Day this Sunday, October 2, and Jay Peak and NAHA are bringing the party to Vermont. The athletes of the North American Hockey Academy will get the festivities started a day early with a Disco Skate night at Jay Peak Resort’s Ice Haus on Saturday, October 1. <\/p>\n
The first annual World Girls’ Hockey Day is designed to showcase one of the fastest growing sports around the globe and offer an opportunity for girls of all ages to try ice hockey. Saturday’s Disco Skate will have pizza, 70s-era tunes, and the NAHA skaters offering tips and carving the ice with the public. Admission is $10. Sunday will feature a scrimmage between the Academy’s Red and White teams with an open skate with the athletes afterward. The scrimmage will be from 2:30pm-4:00 and is free. The Public skate will be from 4:00pm-6:15.<\/p>\n
“This is an idea we hope really takes off,” remarked Academy director Bill Driscoll. “Women’s hockey is a huge sport globally and a day like this not only spotlights that fact, but brings it down to the local level by inviting girls from our surrounding communities to check-out the sport and meet some of its elite athletes.”<\/p>\n
Founded in 1998, the North American Hockey Academy has become the gold standard of hockey academies, attracting talent from as far away as Alaska. The school’s intense training and rigorous competition schedule has been responsible for graduating dozens of girls who have been selected for the United States’ Under 18, Under 22 and Senior National Team, as well as Division I universities. The academy had previously been located in Stowe, VT, but decided to move after a campaign to fund a new skating facility failed, and their home rink closed for the summer.<\/p>\n
NAHA’s decision to make Jay Peak’s Ice Haus its home arena was just the start of “big news” for the NHL-sized rink. Earlier this month United States Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States, recognized the Jay Peak Figure Skating Club as an officially sanctioned USFS organization. The designation allows the Jay Peak club to hold in-house and open competitions as well as opens the door to hosting regional and national competitions.<\/p>\n
“This is the first step to bringing major competitions to Jay Peak,” said Krista Boulanger, the resort’s Director of Figure Skating. “It will also provide the opportunity for local skaters to see high-quality competitive skating.” The club currently has 25 members.
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