May 2008 District Update
NEISMA – I had the opportunity to present at the NEISMA Spring Conference and Trade Show in early May
on behalf of ISI and the Ice Arena Institute of Management (iAIM) on “Ice Arena Financial Management” as
well as work the trade show booth for ISI. The event was very well attended with a packed agenda that had
everything from a golf tournament to on-ice painting demonstrations with much in between including
educational seminars addressing current industry issues, a keynote address by Ross Brooks, a busy trade
show, the final round of Rink Jeopardy and the NEISMA Cup hockey game. I really enjoy working with the
directors of NEISMA and look forward to collaborating in the future.
iAIM Schools – District 1 will be home to (2) iAIM certification schools from 9/21 – 9/24/08 at the Radisson
Hotel in Rockland, MA. The schools will be $495.00 with hotel accommodations at $89.00 per night. The
Certificate of Arena Management (CAM) and the Certificate of Arena Programming (CAP) will be offered.
District members are eligible to receive a $100.00 stipend upon successful completion of the school.
WeSkate Seminar Review – The District hosted a WeSkate seminar on March 28th at Veteran’s Arena in
Franklin, MA for the high level (FS 6-10). We had 26 attendees for the day long seminar that included
classroom as well as on-ice demonstrations. Carrie Clarke from the ISI office instructed and visits from ISI
Executive Director Peter Martell and ISI President Jim Hartnett were much appreciated. Attendees that
completed the test received certificates. Many thanks to Robyn Arnold for coordinating the meeting and to
Lauren Kennedy, our guest demonstrator that completed all four levels of elements without collapsing.
Kudos to Melissa Gaudette and Lynda Hathaway and her skaters who sat for hours in a traffic snarl but still
made it.
WeSkate Seminar Preview – I have finalized dates with ISI to offer another WeSkate seminar for the district
on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at the Cronin Rink in Revere, MA. The seminar will be from 8:30am – 4pm
for the low level (Pre-Alpha – Delta). The cost is $55.00 per person and includes a continental breakfast
and boxed lunch. The Cronin Rink is open after an impressive and complete rebuild over the past few years
by the Commonwealth and combines state of the art technology along with impressive design to offer the
area a wonderful recreational opportunity. Cronin is the rink that both Patti Feeney and Gerry Lane got their
start! Information will be available on www.isidstrict1.com or contact our meeting & seminar chair, Robyn
Arnold at rbrlj@comcast.net to register.
District Champs ’08 – It is last call for the 2008 District Champs. We absolutely need to have your
applications in no later than Wednesday, May 28th. To date, we have good participation with several new
teams entering skaters. Packets are downloadable on www.isidistrict1.com. Among this year’s highlights
is the Skater’s Party on Saturday evening featuring the “Parade of Champions”,
refreshments and DJ. Please note that there was a typo on the Skater’s Party
page in the packet. The day and time were correct but the date was listed as the 29th. It is the 28th. If your
team has not already done so, please forward the total number of attendees no later than June 1st so we
can plan accordingly with the hotel. We don’t want to run out of pizza and cake!
District Champs Nominations / Graduating Seniors – In conjunction with the “Parade of Champions” at
District Champs, we will be presenting the following awards: Skating Director of the Year, Coach of the
Year, Competition Director of the Year and The Good Sport Award. I would like to request nominations for
these awards no later than June 6, 2008. As always, we will be recognizing those skaters that have passed
Freestyle 8 and 9 since last Districts (including those that passed at 2007 Districts) as well as graduating
seniors from District clubs. I will need help on the graduating seniors. We will also be awarding skating
scholarships to (2) Girls under 11 years, (2) Girls over 11 years, (1) Adult and (1) Boy that are participating
in the 2008 District Champs.
Fall Seminar – Save the Date! The free Fall Seminar for coaches and directors has been set for Sunday,
October 5th, 2008. I am in the process of finalizing the agenda /guest speakers and will be sending flyers
out the first week of August. I would like some feedback on the location. Does the Radisson in Rockland,
MA work well for everyone? Should we consider moving it around the district?
Spring Meeting – We will be hosting the annual Spring meeting on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 @ 4:45pm at
the ISI Conference. For those of you that cannot make the meeting, please forward me your concerns or
questions prior to the meeting so I can include them in the agenda. I will be sending minutes out in June to
re-cap the meeting.
High Level Test Session – In addition to the test session at District Champs, we will be holding a test
session on Thursday, August 21, 2008 from 2:30pm – 4:30pm @ Nashoba Valley Olympia. Test forms can
be downloaded from the District website.
Website Photos – We would like to request that District members and clubs submit photos for posting on
the website of your group at ISI events as well as candid photos or photos of you at the rink. The photos we
have received are typically of everyone sitting at roundtables and we want to capture the real you. Photos
can be sent directly to Tiesha Potvin-Coale @ tieshask8@comcast.net.