Birmngham, Alabama Figure Skating Coaches Eric and Heather Mumper:
In 2008, Eric and Heather Mumper left their established figure skating business in Ohio to help build a figure skating program in Birmingham, Alabama.About Eric Mumper:
Eric Mumper is an accomplished pair skater. He skated with Disney on Ice, and is a master rated figure skating coach with the Professional Skaters Association. He specializes in the technical aspects of figure skating.About Heather Mumper:
Heather Mumper has done choreography for numerous ice shows and theater productions. She has had years of experience choreographing figure skating programs for competitive ice skaters.A Team-Teaching Coaching Duo:
Heather and Eric have put together their talents and have taught figure skating together since about 1992. They have had skaters qualify for regional, sectional, junior national, and national figure skating competitions.About Heather's First Trips to Birmingham:
In 2007, Heather Mumper began making monthly trips to Alabama in order to do choreography at the Pelham Civic Complex. Most of the figure skaters at the rink had not worked with a choreographer before.Heather says they following about her experience:
- "On my first trip to Birmingham, I walked into the building with Danny Tate, the rink's director. The skaters and the skating staff met me at the door. I was overwhelmed. They truly appreciated me. They never had a skating choreographer at their rink before. I'm not sure which moved my heart more: the enthusiastic coaches or the appreciative kids!"
Enthusiastic Team Players:
Heather reflects that the figure skating coaches at the Pelham ice rink in Birmingham were very open-minded, knowledgeable, appreciative, and dedicated. They watched every lesson she gave, asked questions, and were very supportive.Frequent Trips to Birmingham:
Monthly, Heather Mumper traveled to Birmingham to work with the Birmingham figure skaters. Mumper says the trips were worth it, since each day, she came to a place filled with hugging skaters, staff, and very excited families. She became more and more attached to the skaters at the Pelham ice rink.Decision to Relocate:
After a 2007 holiday ice show in Birmingham, Heather Mumper realized that she and her husband could really make a difference there. Soon, the couple decided to move. In May of 2008, the Mumpers left their successful business in Ohio and moved to Alabama.Great Potential to Build a Great Figure Skating Program:
The Mumpers say the following about the Birmingham ice skating program:- "The potential is endless at at the Pelham Civic Complex ice rink. The entire staff cares and the skaters are so eager. Everyone is a team. The facility is beautiful. There is a choreographer, DARTfish technology, off-ice training, nationally ranked pair skaters, national level figure skating coaches, and about ten hours of ice time devoted to figure skating each day."
In 2009, two pair skating teams and two ice dance teams from Birmingham qualified for Junior Nationals and Nationals.
About the Mumper Family:
The Mumpers were sad to leave Ohio, but they feel that their move to Alabama was meant to be. Their son is a pair skater and also plays hockey, and their daughter is also a figure skater. Eric Mumper's father is a figure skating judge and travels to Birmingham to evaluate the skaters and the pair teams on a regular basis.Eric and Heather Mumper teach figure skating because they love it. They love working together and they are excited to be part of the Birmingham ice skating program.
