They may not be chasing a puck, cutting a figure-eight or flying from one end of the rink to the other on two blades — yet. About two dozen Lifeskills students were on the ice Wednesday as part of a learn-to-ice skate program at Belmont Complex in East Franklin. “I don’t know if they’re going to be doing axels or not,” Taylor Toth said. Toth is a Kittanning High School junior — and a nationally recognized competitor in pairs figure-skating. He also is the program’s creator and instructor. Toth said he came up with the idea to help the Lifeskills students gain confidence and ice-skating skills. “We definitely want to get them up and moving around,” he said. “They’re getting there. I knew they would learn quickly. It’s only a matter of getting them familiar with being on the ice.” Toth said he wants to use his talents to give back to the community. “Obviously I know how to skate,” he said. “And my grandmother taught special-needs kids. I’ve always been around her helping and wanted to work with those kids, too.” Toth contacted Belmont Complex, where Director Gary Montebell, who had conducted a similar program when he was a student at Penn State University, agreed to put Toth’s program into practice. “This is something they can do for fun for a lifetime,” Toth said. “They can come out to the rink on a Friday night (for the public skate).” Students in the program are mostly members of Jeannie Bartolovic’s Lifeskills classes at Ford City High School. There also are several students from Kittanning High School participating. Students from both schools, including several members of the Kittanning girls’ hockey team, serve as one-on-one helpers-instructors. The kids skate for one hour, two days a week for three weeks. “Taylor had a fantastic idea. And the kids all like him because of his upbeat personality,” Bartolovic said. “Our Lifeskills kids seem to really enjoy it. It’s all new. It helps with their movement skills. It’s lots of exercise. They can’t wait to go.” And go they do — spinning in circles enough to make anyone dizzy. Some are on chairs, others on two feet, but all of them are managing not to fall down too many times. Dillon Bowser is ahead of the class, having taken some lessons before. He was 4-for-4 on his feet, slapping hockey shots into a net. “I like hockey pucks and stuff,” Dillon said. “I can stay up without falling.” Tim Hellein stayed close to the wall most of the time but eventually ventured onto center ice. “I like going around the rink,” Tim said. Mike Mantini demonstrated how he could stand up on his skates. “It’s fun,” Mike said. Chris Lazaroff, a physical therapist for the Armstrong School District, said he initially was worried that the students could be injured. After seeing the program, however, Lazaroff said he doesn’t worry anymore. “It’s great for their balance, coordination, motor skills and self-esteem” Lazaroff said. “They couldn’t stand up. Now they’re moving all over the ice.”

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