British Ice Skating Qualified Level 2 coach. Ice Dance TS Choreographer
Experience teaching all
Instagram: @hannahhetebrij_iceskatingcoach
A Little About My Skating and Coaching History, and My Core Teaching Values...
I’m a fully qualified coach with British Ice Skating and I’ve been teaching since 2010, which has past in a flash as I love what I do! I have previously worked at both Peterborough (where I also trained competitively) and at my childhood home rink and most recent training g
round of Bracknell until it closed its doors permanently during the first lockdown of the pandemic. In the time I have been coaching I have worked with skaters of all ages and abilities, from tiny tots where I’ve got down on my hands and knees to help them learn the fundamentals of skating through imaginative role play, to those pursuing a new hobby in the golden years of their retirement, many of whom enjoy the physical and mental challenges of learning not only to skate but to dance either solo or waltz in dance hold with me. Likewise I have worked with every age in between: primary school children, teenagers, university students, yummy mummies, sporty daddies, couples learning together, professional business people and more, including skaters with additional physical, emotional and/or educational needs. Many of my past skaters have been competitive, others have been doing it “just for fun” or even as part of their academic examinations and other extra curricular awards such the Duke of Edinburgh; whatever their motivation I value all my students equally and strive to help each of them find what it is that they are looking for from skating (more on this later). I took my first skating lesson back in 2001 and instantly fell in love with the ice, there is no place I am happier, and competitions were my favourite part of all (although the Christmas show and any exhibition where I had the opportunity to perform are fondly memorable highlights too)!... I’d skate before school, come back again after school and be there both days of the weekend (I’m very grateful for my parents support and encouragement to enable this to happen)! Now as a coach I love to see the same joy for skating felt by the skaters I teach: I know how wonderful and unique that gliding feeling is, I’ve always said my blades are my wings that let me fly and be free, and it is my aim to help others access this same amazing sensation! My specialist area is ice dance: as a skater I competed up to senior level both with a partner and solo; I retired from competitions on a high in 2019 after placing on the rostrum at the British Championships (the video is of me performing my free dance at the event last July). However I had also previously competed successfully in national competitions in free skating and had the opportunity to train with a junior level synchro team in order to further my coaching versatility. I have been lucky enough to coach skaters across all three disciplines and take competitors to national championships in each of them; similarly many of my previous skaters have achieved national test passes in multiple disciplines and performed solo routines in gala events and shows. Off the ice I have trained in numerous dance styles including ballet, jazz, ballroom and Latin American and also have school drama qualifications, all of which I feel have enhanced not only my own skating but also my coaching. As well as teaching the technical side, choreography is one of my favourite parts of what I do: I take great pride in helping skaters find a way to express themselves and their music on the ice if this is something they are interested in. I also really enjoy the challenge of creating group and show pieces. I have many values and philosophies that I incorporate into my teaching, however I have three key ones are that I would consider the core of my coaching:
Firstly I work with the individual skater in front of me and adapt my style to suit them. Not everyone who takes skating lessons have Olympic dreams, of course some will be aiming to become champions, but others will be learning to skate for other reasons, be it to learn the basics so they can enjoy the public session safely, for health and exercise, to challenge themselves by conquering a new skill and gain self confidence or as a way to socialise and expand their circle of friends (the skating community is very welcoming!). When I work with a skater I take time to find out and understand their aims and ambitions with skating, I then formulate a plan to help them achieve these. As a coach I believe I have a duty to think, see and map progression goals in the short, middle and long term in order to enable skaters to reach their full potential, and I have a responsibility to communicate my tuition in a way that it is both clear and effective whilst also managing expectations at different stages of development (learning to skate well is a process that takes time). However I also considered it important to have good rapport with my students and to make my teaching style enjoyable in a way that relates appropriately to the age and development of the skater I am working with, after all to fall in love with skating you need to have fun and enjoy being on the ice, and the more you enjoy it the more time you’ll want to spend practicing, and in turn the more opportunity you will then have to achieve your goals! In order to appeal to auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learners my teaching style involves a combination of explanation, demonstration and physical doing in the form of positioning and exercises for the skater to perform that will develop and progress their skills being taught; I continually assess the student in front of me to decide how best to proportion each element of this. My second grounding philosophy is that the basics need to be taught really well, therefore this is not a stage I will ever rush through. Fundamentally when a student goes to a coach for a lesson they should expect high quality tuition whereby skills are taught correctly, I firmly feel getting the basics right is essential to achieve this in the most beneficial way possible. What I have found in my years of teaching so far is: whilst fast tracking talent is important, the best way to do so is through creating a strong understanding and grasp of the foundation, as only from this knowledge can the more complex skills be achieved successfully when the skater is ready to do so. Likewise even those that find skating a bit more challenging can go further than they might have believed if they build from that same solid foundation. I have even worked closely with hockey skaters who wished to develop their skating skill and blade control in order to enhance their game. My final core coaching philosophy is that I will always try to further expand my own knowledge and keep learning from the skating, sport’s science and dance/performance world around me so I can continue to give my students the most relevant, up-to-date and beneficial information. One of the most significant ways I am doing this is through my current training to become qualified as a national ice dance technical specialist, with the rules and schools of thought changing continuously being on top of the most recent information is essential to this. However when all of this is said and done, at the heart of my coaching is my love for this beautiful and rewarding sport! I’m so excited to help the skaters of Cambridge find their glide and fall in love with the ice too!
31/07/2026
So… What is a good age to start skating?
This is a question I often get asked by parents looking for a new physical activity to introduce their child to which I hope I can try to give some clarity on here.
First let’s meet Amberly, my youngest student! She’s getting ready to start school in September but she’s already been skating for over a year (she was only 2 when she first took to the ice!). Look at this little superstar now learning crossovers and determinedly trying some “fun tricks like the big girls”! ⛸️🌟
The honest answer to when is appropriate to introduce a child to skating is simply that it really depends on the individual child! There are multiple factors that will affect this (core strength, kinaesthetic intelligence/body awareness, independence, confidence to name but a few), but equally if you give it a go you’ll soon know if your little one is ready.
Under 5 years old a lot of the learning will develop from games and imaginative play on the ice… In Amberly’s lessons we’ve made snow cones (practicing stopping), balanced on tightrope bridges, pretended we were “going on a “bear hunt” and more in order to introduce fundamental on ice movement and positions in an engaging and toddler friendly way. This has formed a solid skating foundation, but equally importantly a love for being at the rink and experimenting with new skills; with that foundation in place her lessons have transformed to become more structured with an increasing focus on developing understanding and technique before most have even set foot in an ice rink (but still mixed in with a good measure of fun! 🙃) … The result: a keen little learner and a brilliant head start in the sport!
That’s it not to say every child will be ready to start skating so young, and to avoid negative experience the child won’t want to repeat you have to be led by the individual and not force it; however if they are interested it’s worth the introduction. 1:1 lessons ensure full attention and an adaptive lesson plan to the individual (speak to coaches for the age they will accept students), however for those preferring to start in a group environment “Tots” classes pre- Skate UK sessions are also offered for children aged 3 and 4 at Cambridge Ice Arena on Saturday mornings.
So perhaps it is time to lead your little one to the ice just like Amberly! The future looks bright, but for now this ice princess is learning and having a very “n-ice time”!
Shining in the Spotlight at the Summer Exhibition! ☀️⛸️
On Saturday the 11th of July Cambridge Ice Skating Club hosted their Summer
Exhibition , the first in the year of their two annual exhibition events. These evening give skaters the opportunity to perform their competitive programme or routines especially choreographed for the event to family, friends and a wider public audience under spotlight for a real show feel (rather than the tension of a competition situation). Amongst the line up were programmes representing feee skating and ice dance and social skating at the rink, with a good mix of artistry, power and some more lighthearted numbers.
The photos in the post are of some of my students who participated, unfortunately I wasn’t able to source photos of them all but am equally proud of each of them. Well done everyone! ⛸️🌟
Thank you to Cambridge Ice Skating Club for providing our skaters another wonderful opportunity.
29/07/2026
Shining in the Spotlight at the Summer Exhibition! ☀️⛸️
On Saturday the 11th of July Cambridge Ice Skating Club hosted their Summer
Exhibition , the first in the year of their two annual exhibition events. These evening give skaters the opportunity to perform their competitive programme or routines especially choreographed for the event to family, friends and a wider public audience under spotlight for a real show feel (rather than the tension of a competition situation). Amongst the line up were programmes representing feee skating and ice dance and social skating at the rink, with a good mix of artistry, power and some more lighthearted numbers.
The photos in the post are of some of my students who participated, unfortunately I wasn’t able to source photos of them all but am equally proud of each of them. Well done everyone! ⛸️🌟
Thank you to .club for providing our skaters another wonderful opportunity.
21/06/2026
To all the skating dad’s:
Happy Father Day 2026!
Thank you for all you do to support your skater’s, for the early mornings, the cheering on, the level head, and so much more. I hope they are making a fuss of you today (and you got a break from the 5am alarm!) 🎉🍻
12/06/2026
Congratulations to my students, and also the other Cambridge skaters, who recieved GLL Sports Foundation Awards on Thursday the 11th of June 2026. GLL, who operate Cambridge Ice Arena and hundreds of other community sports and leisure facility around the U.K.,host regional award ceremonies in which they recognise promising and committed athletes around the nation who train at their centres, Aarya, Alice, Fred and Kristi were amongst the fortunate recipients within the Cambridge area and were presented their award by the Mayor of Cambridge. Each of the girls invest many hours of hard work each week training on and off the ice to be able to compete in national competitions across the country, including championships; the awards include a monetary prize to help support their future training and a range of other benefits including access to GLL facilities and even offerings such as sports psychology sessions to support their athletic ambitions.
Well done again to the girls! What a wonderful honour.
Congratulations also to their parents and other coaches whose support and expertise have enabled the skaters to achieve so much already, and thank you GLL for recognising and supporting these athletes. 🌟⛸️👏🏻
06/06/2026
Congratulations to Emilie and Birgitta of Cambridge’s adult free skaters who represented our rink at the London Adult Figure Skating Club’s “Skills Competition” on Saturday the 6th of June, collectively they had a highly successful afternoon, bringing home medals in every category they competed.
The ladies, who both usually compete at Silver level in adult competition, went head to head in the Free Skate Silver/Gold class and secured the top 2 places, with Emilie awarded the gold medal 🥇 and Birgitta the silver 🥈!
Birgitta also entered the Artistic Exhibition event and earned her second silver medal of the day in this category with her swish interpretation of Frank Sinatra’s famous “That’s Life”.
Well done again to both ladies! ⛸️⭐️
Birgitta is taught by myself and Emilie is team taught by and myself.
09/05/2026
Test Scores Galore!🌟⛸️
The start of 2026 has been a prosperous time for my students moving through the British Ice Skating test levels
…
Firstly congratulations to two of my competitive solo ice dancers who achieved test scores equal to and above their competition level at the first two events of the year. 🌟
Next congratulations my skaters who achieved competitive test score at the Slough Solo Ice Dance Qualifier, with an excellent haul of no less than 12 competitive test passes from 4 skaters (several skaters achieved multiple levels). 🌟
Likewise congratulations to Sophia who competed in Sheffield at the BIS National 5 Open (free skating), in only her second competition at National 5 she successfully achieved her remaining competitive test score of the level. 🌟
Competitive Test Pass
Sophia - National 5 Technical Elements
…
An equally big congratulations to my students who have successfully earned their skills test levels through virtual submission.🌟
Likewise congratulations to my skaters who passed their tests the in person test session at Cambridge Ice Arena on April the 8th: 🌟
Skills
Monika - Level 2
Emilie - Level 5
…
Next congratulations to Aarya who achieved her Basic Novice Pattern Dance competitive test pass at the British Ice Skating Solo Ice Dance Celebration in Sheffield. 🌟
Competitive Test Pass
Aarya - Basic Novice Pattern Dance
…
Finally congratulations to Melinda who achieved her Chinese dance levels whilst home over the Easter holidays.
Melinda - Chinese Ice Dance Level 3
…
Congratulations and thank you also to my colleagues with whom I team tea
09/05/2026
Test Scores Galore!🌟⛸️
The start of 2026 has been a prosperous time for my students moving through the British Ice Skating test levels
…
Firstly congratulations to two of my competitive solo ice dancers who achieved test scores equal to and above their competition level at the first two events of the year. 🌟
Next congratulations my skaters who achieved competitive test score at the Slough Solo Ice Dance Qualifier, with an excellent haul of no less than 12 competitive test passes from 4 skaters (several skaters achieved multiple levels). 🌟
Likewise congratulations to Sophia who competed in Sheffield at the BIS National 5 Open (free skating), in only her second competition at National 5 she successfully achieved her remaining competitive test score of the level. 🌟
Competitive Test Pass
Sophia - National 5 Technical Elements
…
An equally big congratulations to my students who have successfully earned their skills test levels through virtual submission.🌟
Likewise congratulations to my skaters who passed their tests the in person test session at Cambridge Ice Arena on April the 8th: 🌟
Skills
Monika - Level 2
Emilie - Level 5
…
Next congratulations to Aarya who achieved her Basic Novice Pattern Dance competitive test pass at the British Ice Skating Solo Ice Dance Celebration in Sheffield. 🌟
Competitive Test Pass
Aarya - Basic Novice Pattern Dance
…
Finally congratulations to Melinda who achieved her Chinese dance levels whilst home over the Easter holidays.
Melinda - Chinese Ice Dance Level 3
…
Congratulations and thank you also to my colleagues with whom I team teach many of these skaters.
03/05/2026
Wishing all our skaters who will be sitting academic exam in the coming weeks the greatest success and achievement! 🍀 Remember whilst it may feel daunting at this moment you have experience of working under pressure, you know the value of preparation and practice and you’ve focussed to overcome challenges many times before.
03/05/2026
A fun filled afternoon with some of our solo ice dance squad members celebrating a busy and successful 25/26 season! Thank you all for joining us today! 🙂
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