WESTMINSTER HOSTS CAMP FOR DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING YOUTH
by Penny Pereboom T
he Rinks-Westminster ICE is gearing up for its third annual Sertoma Fantasy Ice Skating Camp
for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) youth, planned for August. Last year’s camp — sponsored by Te Rinks, OC Deaf and Goodwill Industries — provided figure skating and hockey instruction for 16 girls and boys, ages 6 to 17. Run by 27 volunteer coaches, sign
language interpreters and other help- ers, the four-day camp was held from 9 a.m. to noon, and the $40 registration fee included skating lessons, rental skates, games, snacks and a recital on the last day, complete with an awards ceremony and pizza party. Te goals of this camp are to provide an
opportunity for the DHH to learn to skate and interact with others in the DHH com- munity, and to show that being able to hear is not a requirement to love ice skating.
Sertoma, a nonprofit organization
with 20,000 members throughout North America, draws its name from “SERvice TO MAnkind.” Founded in 1912, its mis- sion is to improve the quality of life for those impacted by hearing loss. Sertoma’s baseball/softball camp was
started 17 years ago, sponsored by the Los Angeles Angels, OC Deaf and Goodwill Industries. After volunteering at the baseball camp in 2012, I approached Maurie Tomas, president of the Downey Sertoma Club, about starting an ice skat- ing camp. With his help and the support of the club and its members, our camp began in 2013 with 13 campers. Last year we had four volunteers who
are either deaf or hard-of-hearing, includ- ing Krisztina Fulep and Sharon Ann Dror. Krisztina is from Hungary where she
worked for 10 years as a teacher’s assis- tant at the Budapest School for the Deaf. Sharon was a competitive figure skater
from 1971-84. In 1976, she competed in the Pacific Coast Sectional qualifying competi- tion against world-ranked skaters including Rosalyn Sumners, Tiffany Chin and Elaine Zayak. When Sharon heard about the camp, she was excited to be involved. It is a joy for the volunteers to share
Sertoma campers perform their recital routine on the last day of their four-day camp.
ISI EDGE SPRING 2015
in the skaters’ successes. During the recital, we saw a big smile on a camper’s face when he gained the confidence to skate away from the railing, then hold his
The Rinks-Westminster ICE hosted last year’s Sertoma Fantasy Ice Skating Camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth.
hockey stick over his head in victory after shooting the puck into the net. Tis made all of our hard work worthwhile. Westminster ICE now has “Sertoma
Skate” during Sunday afternoon public sessions where DHH skaters and their families get together to have fun and improve their skating skills. Several of our skaters are competing in ISI compe- titions. In December, they enjoyed skating together in the rink’s annual holiday show. We will have our second ice skating
camp fundraiser in March at Te Rinks- Westminster ICE. Last year more than 200 people came to support the event. All donations go toward camp expenses and scholarships. We anticipate having more campers and volunteers at our third annual ice skating camp in August. For more information about the
Sertoma Fantasy Ice Skating Camp, con- tact me at
penny.ocsertoma@aol.com or visit
ocdeaf.org/iceskatingcamp.
Penny Pereboom is an instructor at The Rinks-Westminster ICE in Westminster, Calif. and director of Sertoma Fantasy Ice Skating Camp.
31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40