[An excellent way to promote safe skating fun in the Park and
throughout the NYC skating community. Please share with skating
friends. If interested, contact Paul Rankin directly at
prankin@..., or call him at 917-881-0266. -- Leo

WHO WE ARE:
THE CENTRAL PARK SKATE PATROL IS DEDICATED TO HELPING PEOPLE HAVE SAFE
SKATING FUN in Central Park. It helps skaters and general park users
enjoy the Park, teaches stopping skills and safe skating techniques, and
assists the injured. It is a wonderful group of dedicated skaters having
fun while doing good! You also get to meet new skaters as they are
starting to learn. The Patrol also assists skating events outside of the Park.

TIME COMMITMENT: Central Park Skate Patrol volunteers must commit to a
minimum of one four-hour shift per month, during the skating season,
mid-April to mid-October. Shifts run from 1 pm to 5 pm on Saturday
and Sunday. Occasionally there are special events outside of these
hours where you can earn "extra credit". We know that people have
lives and jobs and vacations, so it's a minimum average; if you are
traveling a lot on business one month, for example, do an extra shift
on another month. Of course you are welcomed and encouraged to do more shifts.

REQUIRED SKATING SKILLS: The emphasis is not on being an elite
skater, rather on wanting to perform a community service by helping
others, and being competent enough to teach the basics and set a good
example. You should be comfortable enough to skate a loop of the park
(6.1 miles or almost 10K) in about 45 minutes. We never race, except
maybe in an emergency. This is not a good time to practice speed
skating, but you should be able to get from point A to point B in a
hurry, if needed. You should be able to skate backwards in front of a
student at slow speeds on a shallow incline in order to offer
support, reassurance and guidance. You must have a heel brake and
know how to use it. You should also be able to demonstrate at least
one other type of stop, such as the t-stop or spin stop. Remember, we
are only insured to teach basic movement and basic stopping with the
heel brake, but as teachers, we need to be a few steps ahead of our students.

NEW PATROLLER CERTIFICATION WHEN: Sunday March 18th at 9:45am and
Saturday March 31st at 2:30pm. Choose one. WHERE: North Meadow
Recreation Center in Central Park at 97th St. - RAIN OR SHINE! BRING:
SKATES WITH A HEEL BRAKE - REQUIRED. HELMET AND WRIST GUARDS REQUIRED
ARE MINIMUM REQUIRED protective gear.
Bring a pencil or pen, too. The 3-hour certification is designed to
bring you up to speed on what we do on Skate Patrol, teach
procedures, etcetera, and do the necessary paperwork for insurance
purposes. It consists of introductions, watching a video produced by
the National Skate Patrol (NSP), and "class room" review. Then we go
outside with skates for the practical portion. This consists of
teaching you how to teach stopping using the NSP Instructor
Certification Program (ICP) teaching model. We'll take turns playing
teacher and student and learn how to teach beginners and correct
common mistakes.

QUESTIONS:
CONTACT prankin@..., or call Paul at 917-881-0266 to register
for the class. We hope you can make it on Sunday March 18th at 9:45am
or Saturday March 31st at 2:30pm. Please share with other interested
skaters. Thank you for your time and consideration, The Central Park
Skate Patrol is a fun, gratifying experience.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION visit the website:
www.skatepatrol.org and click on "Join" or "FAQ




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