Preds Extend Learn to Skate to Children with Disabilities

Scott Hamilton has seen this scenario play out before.
When everything falls into place to make the community just a little bit better, it's probably not by accident. And you can't question it, you have to seize it.
The Gold Medalist and Founder of the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy at Ford Ice Center in Antioch, Tennessee, has seen his Learn to Skate program double, triple and quadruple in its impact during its three-plus years of existence, and yet there was one more area it needed to expand to.

Back to that part about all the pieces falling into place.
The Prudential Skating Fund and U.S. Figure Skating extended the Enrichment Award of $10,000 to Hamilton and the Ford Ice Center at the start of 2018. The funds are intended to be used by those who are "addressing social needs or directly benefiting underserved groups and communities within the sport of figure skating."
That was just the area of the community, Hamilton, the Nashville Predators and Ford Ice Center wanted to aid next.
Which led to Preds Captain Roman Josi bringing the organization closest to his heart, Best Buddies, an organization which pairs an individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a friend - a best friend, to Ford Ice Center for their first-ever skating lesson.

The long-term goal is to expand the Learn to Skate program to absolutely everyone and establishing a class for people with mental health challenges is a big first step.
"To have this program, to have this grant from Prudential Skating Fund and U.S. Figure Skating, [we can now] extend out our programs to a specific type of coaching, a specific understanding that needs to be addressed," Hamilton said. "You can't just throw people with an intellectual ability on the ice and coach them the same way, because they have unique needs, right? To see these skaters, to see how in a little over four hours of being around the ice how they're taking to it and being able to skate on their own, it's just an amazing feeling knowing that we're able to touch people in this community in a new way. It's just beautiful."
Hamilton and Josi led an introductory session of the new program on Dec. 20 for a dozen Best Buddies at Ford Ice Center. In a group of smiling faces, Josi's may have been the biggest.

"I went to a couple [Best Buddies] galas, and it just took my heart," Josi said. "It's such a great program. And what they do for the kids is amazing. Every kid deserves a best friend, it's so important to have those friendships. You think the kids are having fun, but I'm having way more fun with them, hanging out with them and they're always so happy.
"This [new Learn to Skate program] will be amazing. Since the Preds are really involved and most of the kids love coming to games, love watching the Preds play and now they can skate on their own, it's pretty cool. I think you saw it today, they're having so much fun, and I can't wait to see the results of how they get better. It's a great thing Scott is doing, and he has done so much for the community. That's just another great thing, and it will mean a lot to the kids."
It's always great when a plan comes together, right?