Cockburn Ice Arena in Bibra Lake offers a range of ice skating lessons no matter how experienced you are – or how old you are. Their 'Learn to Skate' program runs every day of the week during school terms, with ten 25-minute lessons.
Cockburn Ice Arena offers lessons for all skill levels and all ages
One of the best things about the Learn to Skate program is that even though you have to progress through the five stages from Basic through Intermediate to Stroking and Footwork, the
classes are streamed by age. This means even if you are a brand new skater at the ripe old age of sixteen (or sixty-one!), you will be placed with other older teens, and not expected to learn with the five-year-olds.
Over the program, you will start with basic moves such as how to fall safely, gliding and stops then progress to jumps and spins. The teachers are supportive and the different age beginner classes seem to meet the students where they are at, progressing through plenty of different steps each class so it's constantly changing and kids are kept on their toes.
There is plenty of seating right next to the rink
For the tiny kids, ages 3 to 4, there is a Parent and Child class that introduces both of you to the basics of ice skating and means you're on the ice together at all times.
Classes are $365 a term for one day a week and $475 a term if you want two classes a week.
It's expensive, yes, but includes skate hire and
free access to all the general ice skating sessions during the term – that's an extra 45 hours per week of skating (if you don't have to go to school or work, that is).
If you are at school, there are six general sessions on the weekend, three 4pm-6pm sessions on weekdays plus another three late weekday sessions starting between 7.30pm/8pm.
A normal general session costs at least $20 (plus skate hire) so even if you make it to one free session a week on top of your lesson, you're coming out ahead.
Spectators don't have to pay an entry fee, which is great, and there is plenty of stadium seating for parents to watch the lessons (don't forget your jacket and gloves), or if you're not like Elsa and the cold
does bother you, then you can go and sit in the
massive Frostbite Café. If you're lucky, you can nab a seat by the window and watch your kid from the relative warmth with a hot coffee in hand.
Keep an eye on lessons from the Frostbite Cafe
Another bonus of the lessons at Cockburn is that 1/3 of the rink is kept free (at least on a Saturday when we attend) so
you can practice before or after your lesson – which is great if you have two kids at different lesson times. It's easy enough to spend a half hour practising what you just learned and double your time on the ice – suddenly the term fee is looking like excellent value.
Cockburn Ice Arena is the only double ice rink in Perth – what this means is that there is one rink for ice hockey games and one just for skating. It's light, bright and well-maintained, the walls are decorated with a cheery alpine theme, and there is a
snow machine, a disco ball and a DIY DJ system so you can select which music will be played during a session.
Crash helmets are provided free of charge. There are both regular skates for hire ($5) and premium ($10). There's also a pro shop onsite and plenty of parking.
Perth's prettiest ice rink
