We are pleased to introduce this month’s Skate Ontario Member Spotlight: Sapling Skating School.

A newer club, Sapling was founded in 2020 shortly after skating programs were discontinued at a nearby club. Reluctant to part ways with the wonderful community they had built there, Sapling’s founders Emily Zheng, Katherine Mazzotta and Rachelle O’Donnell began making plans to establish a new skating school, hoping to continue offering high-quality skating programs to the community.

According to Emily, Katherine and Michelle, “the one thing that kept us going was hope; hope that we could one day reunite our lost community and continue offering Skating Canada programs to the public.” It is safe to say that this mission has been accomplished, as Sapling has now been offering programs out of Scotiabank Pond in North York for four and a half years!

Sapling prides itself on welcoming coaches and skaters from a wide range of different skating, ethnic and religious backgrounds. They prioritize ensuring that skaters of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and religions feel that they are welcome – and that their identities are represented in the club’s coaching staff.

As a way to foster a sense of community within their school, Sapling hosts an annual Festive Family Skate. This event encourages participants of all backgrounds to come together during the holiday season to experience the joy of skating.

According to Sapling Coach, Administrator and Co-Director Katherine Mazzotta, “We are a small school in a big city. Our coaches know every skater on the ice by name and their parents/guardians. We are committed to keeping a personal touch as we mail out hand-written holiday cards and hand out themed pencils and erasers on different holidays/occasions…We are located in Toronto which has many skating options which has at times made it difficult to stand out. Regardless, we have found a strong core base of skaters and parents who have been with us for 3 plus years.”

As of Fall 2024, Sapling has implemented a team coaching model in their STAR Skate program. In the first few weeks of this initiative coaches have seen that skaters are benefitting from each coach’s personal strengths, and that coaches are still able to spend adequate time with their private skaters while also allowing those skaters to try new styles and techniques with different coaches.

When asked to explain how Sapling Skating School demonstrates one or more of Skate Ontario’s values of leadership, accountability, collaboration and excellence, Katherine said, “Collaboration – our school welcomes feedback from all coaches and gives coaches the opportunity to take on various roles. Coaches all work together to deliver high quality programs that allow all skaters to succeed.”

Sapling offers programs for participants of all ages, from toddlers to adults. They have a thriving STAR Skate program. In fact, most of their STAR Skaters compete in both dance and freeskate, and three Sapling coaches plan on competing at Adult Star Skate competitions this year!

Sapling has achieved their CanSkate Excellence Engaged status, and is continuing to strive towards achieving their Achieved and Exceeded Status, as well as their STAR 1-5 Excellence Engaged Status.

Sapling as an organization values teamwork, integrity and inclusivity. Everyone on their coaching team is valued and all opinions are welcomed. Leadership at this club expects all coaches be leaders that can be trusted by the skaters and their parents/guardians.

Skate Ontario is delighted to recognize and celebrate Sapling Skating School for being this month’s Member Spotlight. Please join us in congratulating them on their accomplishments!

#SkateOntarioProud