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Teen mentors Matt Riccardi and Ben Ansaldi help new skaters Lianna Jimenez, 6, and Marta Yoyko, 6, get around the ice at the first session of Ice Skating for Everyone at the SoNo Ice House on Feb. 5, 2022.

Stephanie Argueta, 7, pushes her way across the ice with an assist from teen mentor Sam Bisesi at the first session of Ice Skating for Everyone at the SoNo Ice House on Feb. 5, 2022.

Hayden Roeder and Chase Pinkernell work with Jacob Debrah, 7, as he gets used to skating at the first session of Ice Skating for Everyone at the SoNo Ice House on Feb. 5, 2022.

Chase Pinkernell and his sister Ashton help young skater Samiah Barrett, 6, over to the wall at the first session of Ice Skating for Everyone at the SoNo Ice House on Feb. 5, 2022.

Patricia Wills, 7, took the ice quickly with her teen mentor Alex Young at the first session of Ice Skating for Everyone at the SoNo Ice House on Feb. 5, 2022.

NORWALK — At the SoNo Ice House this past weekend, some of the kids took to skating like they had grown up on the ice. Others needed assistance from a skating trainer and a teen mentor. One child crawled around on the ice until he was comfortable enough to stand.

Whatever their approach to ice skating for the first time, it was an opportunity not always afforded to children from underserved families. Emily Kelting is hoping to change that with her new program, Ice Skating for Everyone.

“My hope for the future of Ice Skating for Everyone is to introduce greater numbers of children who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to learn to skate to feel the joy of having wings beneath their feet,” said Kelting, a Norwalk resident who founded the program in 2019.

Kelting, who is a former professional figure skater, approached Horizons at New Canaan Country School to participate in the program first because of her past volunteer work with the organization. The group serves 400 under-resourced children and youth from Norwalk and Stamford.

Seven children from third and fourth grade participated in the pilot program in 2019 at the Darien Ice House. Kelting recruited local figure skating pros and friends from hockey leagues to volunteer their time to teach kids how to skate, as well as high school hockey players to serve as teen mentors.

The program ceased operations during the pandemic but was able to restart this past Saturday at the SoNo Ice House with 17 new skaters from Horizons, all between the ages of 5 and 7. Each skater was equipped with a pair of skates and helmet collected from an equipment drive spearheaded by Ice Skating for Everyone board members Tracey Riccardi and Kari Pinkernell.

“I’m surprised how well they did given everything we’ve been through the last two years. I’m really impressed with how they did to get acclimated,” said Pinkernell, a local skating instructor who first volunteered her time in 2019. “There was no fear going out there which was quite different from last round. ... Maybe it’s a function of kids wanting to do stuff again that makes them enthusiastic about getting on the ice.”

Pinkernell saw the “profound impact” the program had on her son Taylor, who served as a teen mentor during the pilot run and made her want to get more involved. She joined the board, and her younger son Chase became a teen mentor this year, recruiting some of his friends from the New Canaan High School hockey team, as well as other teens involved in local hockey and skating programs.

“I thought it was a pretty cool experience today, seeing these kids who don’t have access to play hockey. ... Some of these kids could skate faster than other kids on my team. It’s insane. They picked it up so fast,” said Chase Pinkernell, 16, who is one of 21 teen skating mentors. “Us all giving back to the community for these kids is great to see.”

Ben Ansaldi, 17, who plays hockey for St. Luke’s School, learned about the Ice Skating for Everyone through his teammates and first served as a mentor in 2019. He believes all kids are entitled to play sports, not only for the physical activity but the social skills they gain while being part of a team.

Fellow mentors Will Durfee, 17, and Hayden Roeder, 16, who play hockey for New Canaan High School, both have made lifelong friendships, learned how to communicate better, and built a good work ethic from playing hockey.

“It’s very fun, and it teaches you a lot of things like you always have to get back up, keep trying and eventually get better and better,” Roeder said.

Enlisting the young skaters in the program is Nehemie Moïse, the director of student and family support at Horizons, who also got involved in 2019. In addition to her work with the Horizons kids, Moïse will be working with the teen volunteers to teach them how to best communicate with their young mentees.

“The teens need to realize these are reciprocal relationships, with the teens learning as much from the young skaters as the skaters are learning from their older skating mentors. Because it’s true — many of the teen volunteers from the pilot program said that this experience had changed their lives and their attitudes,” Kelting said.

Ice Skating for Everyone will hold its first four sessions at the SoNo Ice House thanks to the arena’s donation of ice time. The last six weeks will be spent at the Darien Ice House in March and April. Kelting is also speaking with Stamford Twin Rinks about hosting a session in the fall.

The goal is to expand Ice Skating for Everyone to more rinks and more organizations that work with youth from underserved communities. Kelting also would like to see the template established for the skating program in Fairfield County to start new Ice Skating for Everyone chapters in major cities across the United States.

“Nothing like dreaming big,” Kelting said.

To fulfill that dream, Ice Skating for Everyone is accepting donations by check for Ice Skating for Everyone at P.O. Box 514, New Canaan, CT 06840. For more information, email Kelting at info@iceskating4everyone.com or visit the website iceskating4everyone.com.

I'm the education reporter for The Hour. I'm a native of Ohio and a graduate of Quinnipiac University. I wrote for my hometown newspaper in Wooster, Ohio for five years, winning several Ohio Associated Press Media Editors' awards, and previously worked as an entertainment reporter for multiple outlets in New York City. I enjoy spending time at the beach, watching crime dramas, and rooting for the New York Mets.