Learn to Skate / Learn to Play

With the generous support of the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, the AYHA is pleased to offer a Fall 2024 LTPH program at Bird Ice Arena for children ages five through ten. Created jointly by the NHL Players’ Association and the National Hockey League, LTPH is a program that provides a unique opportunity for families to join the hockey community and for participants to develop fundamental skills to help them succeed both on and off the ice. This program is a fun, affordable environment for children to experience hockey for the first time with Columbus Blue Jacket staff, AYHA coaches, and volunteers from the Ohio University hockey teams.

Advanced registration is required, and space is limited. Please visit the LTPH registration page for more information.

Learn to Skate is offered by Ohio University, which maintains a corps of excellent college student figure skaters to teach classes for children as young as three years old all the way up to adults. The program is based on the Learn to Skate USA curriculum, which includes Snowplow Sam Levels 1 through 4, Basic Levels 1 through 6, and JR Blades / Free Skate.  New skaters will learn the fundamentals, such as forward and backward skating, turns, crossovers, and how to stop.  

Snowplow Sam and Basic classes meet once a week for six weeks and are 30-minutes each, while the JR Blades / Free Skate sessions are 1 hour each. Registration for a session is $90, skate rentals can be added to the registration fee if needed, and parents can select either rental figure skates or hockey skates when they arrive at Bird Ice Area. To register, use the link to the right.

For Fall 2024, parents can choose sessions on either Wednesdays at 5pm or Saturdays at either 10:15am or 11:00am.