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Local coach says figure skating teaches skills you can use on and off ice

"Everyone becomes very interested in hockey and figure skating every four years. We're here not just every four years. We're here day in and day out."

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WVEC) -- It's the sport that never fails to capture hearts every four years at the Winter Olympics.

But at the Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex, directors and coaches strive to teach their students more than just how to skate.

"Everyone becomes very interested in hockey and figure skating every four years."

That's what Jill Stewart, the Skating Director at Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex, had to say about the interest in ice sports in reference to the Olympics.

Stewart has been teaching people how to ice skate since her college years. But she says that skating is great training for young men and women to learn how to conduct themselves in the real world.

"Figure skating teaches respect. It teaches time management skills," Stewart said. "So it kind of encompasses life skills, not just what you learn on the ice."

Stewart says it takes a lot of hard work and a good work ethic, but that's what she works to teach her students, so they can apply those traits on and off the ice.

"Skating becomes a lifestyle. Skaters that you're seeing at the Olympics are probably putting in three hours of ice-time a day and they're doing additional off-ice training, whether it's dance or strength training. So, it's probably five or six hours a day of training."

Chilled Ponds offers programs for people of all ages, including those who aspire to compete at the regional and national level.

Karina Bell, 17, has been skating for about six years now and says she got into skating through public sessions and a Learn-to-Skate program.

"It's nothing like I've ever done. I've done lots of sports, but this challenges me to be better and try different things," Bell said.

Anastasia Eggleston, 14, says when her mother asked her what she wanted for her third birthday, she said she wanted to ice skate, but she had no idea what it was!

"It just makes me more confident," Eggleston said.

Even adults can get in on the action and learn.

Adult figure skater Yana Ginburg Samberg says she's been skating since she was five-years-old and says perseverance is the name of the game when it comes to learning the sport.

"Just because you're in your 40's, and your 50's and your 60's and even as high as your 80's doesn't mean that you don't want to find new ways to progress," Samberg says.

Chilled Ponds offers a Learn-to-Skate program, basic level classes, and freestyle sessions. There's even a Learn-to-Play program for aspiring hockey players as well as a league!

Stewart says that she would like to see more people come out to the rink more often and see just what their programs are all about.

"We're here not just every four years. We're here day in and day out," Stewart said. "Everyone's putting in the effort. It's great that we get this kind of publicity during the Olympics, but come visit us on a non-Olympic year, we're here."

Learn more about Chilled Ponds by clicking here.

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