Anyone can be a figure skater. I want students from all backgrounds to be able to benefit from all that figure skating has to offer. Figure skating helps students in learning to set realistic goals and taking steps to achieve those goals. It can also improve students’ coordination, creativity, and confidence. I follow the Learn to Skate curriculum, taking my students first through Basic Skills 1-6, then progressing on to the Freeskate curriculum. I also encourage my higher level students to take the USFS Skating Skills tests. Above all, I want to share my personal love of figure skating with my students. I want them to experience the joy of figure skating the way that I do.

I have more than 20 years of figure skating experience. I competed regionally in the Midwest growing up and I currently compete nationally in the Adult division of USFS. I hope to continue my own practice, testing, and competing as long as I am working as a figure skating coach.

I have been teaching private and group lessons at Chelsea Piers since 2021. I most often use the “I Do, We Do, You Do” instructional technique in my lessons. Figure skating is a very physically complex sport, I find my students have the most success when I can be with them on the ice to support their learning. As a skater with a professional background in musical theatre, I often rely on my dance and performance experience to explain figure skating techniques. This allows me to approach teaching from different perspectives depending on the prior knowledge of my students. I strive for versatility in my teaching, always looking for different ways of explaining the same idea so that it makes sense for everyone.

In 2024, Deanna Stellato-Dudek became the oldest female figure skater to win a World title in any discipline at 40 years old. If she can still perform at that level, we can realize our own dreams too!