Master the ice with skating and hockey classes

Everett may be a hockey town in more ways than one.

We are home to the Silvertips minor league hockey team and there’s a community ice rink at Comcast Arena that is drawing throngs of hockey-playing wannabes.

This past fall, the Adult Beginner Learn-to-Play-Hockey session was filled beyond capacity with 28 people.

A new session begins Jan. 6, and ice rink manager Katrina McArthur expects just as many people to sign up.

McArthur said adults are going wild to learn to play hockey for health reasons and much more.

“It’s crazy,” McArthur said of the popularity of the program. “They are learning so they can get on the ice and skate with their kids.”

As for health benefits, McArthur said one woman who weighed 185 pounds at the beginning of hockey lessons dropped about 40 pounds by the end of the eight-week session.

The Adult Beginner Learn-to-Play-Hockey classes are from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. Sundays for eight weeks starting Jan. 6. The cost is $205.

The class is open to men and women and the goal is to teach students the skills to play a game of hockey, including shooting, skating, puck handling, player positions and certain game strategies.

The classes combine instruction with supervised scrimmage sessions.

Comcast’s regular Learn to Skate program for beginner adults also starts a new series of sessions in January.

These classes are designed for beginners with the goal being to improve the health of the skater while also improving their balance and coordination.

The beginner Adult 1-Adult 4 program runs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays for eight weeks. The Monday session starts Jan. 7 and the Thursday session starts Jan 10.

Cost is $120 and pre-registration is required.

There are also Saturday classes for beginner adults that start Jan. 14 and run through March 3.

For more information, email McArthur at the Comcast Community Ice Rink at kmcarthur@comcastarenaeverett.com, call 425-322-2653, or go to www.comcastarenaeverett.com.

Comcast Community Ice Rink: 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett; 425-322-2653; http://tinyurl.com/comcastrink

Lunchbreak skate: Skate between noon and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday for $5, which includes skate rental. The average skater can burn up to 200 calories for 30 minutes of skating.