BILLINGS — Young skaters in Billings brought the spirit of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina to their home rink.
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Members of the Rimrock Figure Skating Club and skaters from Rimrock Skating Academy’s Learn to Skate program hosted their own version of an Olympic opening ceremony at Centennial ice arena on Sunday, complete with a parade of flags and the Olympic theme song.
Skaters from kindergarten through high school marched onto the ice in four separate sessions throughout the afternoon. The celebration also coincided with National Skating Month, an annual initiative organized by U.S. Figure Skating during January and February.
"There are member clubs throughout the whole United States. This is the only one that's in Billings, and we have about 15 figure skaters that are with our group,” said Cathy Goettel, the club's president. "Area clubs and rinks have various celebrations depending on what they want to do, and so we're having a little Olympics party with our learn-to-skaters.”
Goettel said the Winter Games bring renewed excitement to a sport that captures national attention every four years.
“It's a great boost and a great inspiration for everybody, even if you're just beginning or if you're a seasoned skater," said Goettel. "It's just really inspirational to watch the ice skating on TV and all the amazing things that athletes can do."
For young skaters, seeing elite competitors perform on the world’s biggest stage makes their own goals feel more tangible.
“It's really cool watching those people who have gotten up to that level of skating and just like that potential of what a person could be, and also just more people watching our sport, more people watching what we do, so that's really cool,” said Abbie Kosche, a freshman who has been skating for seven years. "It's really cool to be able to just see those people, some of them not even that much older than us.”
Reagan, a third grader who has skated for two years, said the Olympics make her dream bigger.
“‘It shows me what I can do when I'm able to go to the Olympics,” she said. “A dream come true.”
Beyond medals and competition, Goettel said figure skating teaches lessons that last long after athletes leave the ice.
“There are a lot of great life skills that you learn from figure skating, how to set goals, how to come back from disappointment, how to work with the team, so there's a lot of different skills that they can, even if they don't pursue figure skating or hockey for very long, those life goals that they learn, they can take those with them through their whole lives," said Goettel.
Members also look ahead to the opening of the Signal Peak Energy Arena this spring, which will allow for year-round skating opportunities in Billings.
