This will vary some between skaters but all skaters are strongly encouraged to wear gloves and long pants or tights. Helmets are also strongly recommended for beginners or skaters with a history of multiple head injuries. Any additional padding such as knee and elbow pads can be used if desired. Hockey students can wear full hockey gear including gloves, padding, and helmet but are NOT allowed to bring sticks or pucks on the ice during public or training sessions.

If you have your own skates bring them as well as a towel to dry them off with after skating. Hard guards to protect the blades are recommended. Skaters are also encouraged to bring a water bottle and a notebook if they wish to take notes.

Please note: I do NOT allow gum chewing while in a lesson and it is not advised while on the ice outside of lessons due to choking risks.

Most skaters will do a 30 minute on-ice lesson one to three times per week but some prefer a full hour at once. This will depend on student preference and ice availability. On some sessions I offer 45 minute lessons if I’m able. Off-ice lessons are typically 30 minutes and don’t depend on ice availability so the schedule for those is more flexible.

Please note: I often am booked up back-to-back so I move directly from one student to another. If a skater is late, I am often unable to extend the lesson to make up that time but I still charge the full amount regardless so please be on time and ready to go!

Please have your skates on and be ready to go at the start of your lesson so that we can get the most out of our time together. If you struggle with tying skates or need them retied, I can do this but it is included in the lesson time and I still charge the full amount.

Before your lesson please make sure you’ve eaten enough and are hydrated so you can be at your best. It is highly recommended that you arrive early and stretch/warm-up and skate prior to your lesson if you are able.

FOR OFF-ICE LESSONS PLEASE WEAR APPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR. This means properly fitted, supportive gym shoes. Flip flops or sandals of any kind are not allowed to be worn during the lesson and are never advised while warming up or practicing off-ice. I also do not allow skaters to go barefoot or wear socks/tights alone. If you have any specific questions about this, please let me know.

Please give me as much notice as possible! If I don’t have 24 hours notice for a non-emergency related cancellation or if you no-show to your scheduled lesson I will still charge the full lesson fee unless I’m able to fill that spot with another skater. If your situation is an emergency or if you are sick, please let me know as soon as possible and I’ll work with you.

I do understand that things happen so I offer one freebie per student where I will waive the full lesson fee regardless of the reason for cancellation.

I coach year round and have times typically from 6am to 4 or 5pm during the week and several hours on Saturdays and Sundays. I occasionally have times later in the evenings but many rinks rent the ice out to hockey teams during prime times so I’m not always able to accommodate everyone. My schedule is completely dependent on ice availability so there may be months where your preferred time or location is not an option but I will always try my best to find an alternative.

My preferred rinks are Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Brentwood, and Creve Coeur but I often utilize SharkTank, Centene, and seasonal rinks, like Kennedy and Queeny Park, as needed to get as many lesson times in as possible.

I am not always able to accommodate rink preferences. I do my best but I can only do so much if the ice time is limited at a particular rink. Please note that my main locations (Kirkwood, Webster, Brentwood, and Creve Coeur) are all about 10-20 minutes from each other so your commute times shouldn’t change drastically.

Off-ice lessons are always done at one of the ice rinks. The location will depend on my schedule but I’m often able to be more flexible with these types of lessons because I don’t have to rely on ice availability.

If you’re new to me please start by filling out the form on the Inquiries page and I will get back to you as soon as possible so we can get started!

My schedule is dependent on the schedules of each ice rink I utilize so I often won’t know my definite availability months in advance. Once the rinks publish their monthly schedules I send out my available times via text or email to all of my skaters. These times are first come first served so please let me know as soon as possible if you want a specific time.

I do understand that keeping track of your family’s schedule can be crazy so I try to be as consistent as possible. For example: if you have lessons every Wednesday at 3p in October and the schedule remains the same for November, I will usually give you first priority on that same 3pm time in November.