North Shore Ice Arena in Northbrook, Illinois expands its services with an Athletic Republic performance sports training center.

It’s hard for former New Trier hockey player Stephanie Dubin to forget her first experience on a skating treadmill.

“At first, it’s weird,” said the center, who is entering her sophomore year at the University of Colorado. “It’s scary to let go of the bar and then you realize that you can’t fall. You’ve got nowhere to go.”

While attending New Trier, Dubin took advantage of Athletic Republic’s running treadmills, plyometric press machine and conditioning cords. She currently is spending her first summer as an intern at its new Northbrook location at the North Shore Ice Arena.

Since Athletic Republic opened its eighth site in the Chicago area May 19, business has been booming. The Park City, Utah-based company’s other area locations are in Lincolnwood, Geneva, Orland Park, Naperville, Willowbrook, Winnetka and Libertyville. Locally, skating treadmills are at Northbrook, the Hartland Arena in Lincolnwood and Fox Valley Arena in Geneva.

The treadmill is about eight feet wide and is supported by plastic planks that rotate. At full speed, it’s very loud.

Hockey players use the machine most often, but speed skaters and figure skaters train on it as well. Northbrook instructors are looking for figure skates without toe picks so skaters do not chew up the treadmill’s surface.

Skaters are supported by a harness and cable to prevent falls. The treadmill can be adjusted to incline for even harder workouts and can reach a top speed of 16 mph.

“It’s hard. It’s a hard time because it’s so grueling,” Dubin said. “It takes a lot out of you.”

At Northbrook, the treadmill is located near a mini-rink so skaters can work on their mechanics moments after completing a workout. Athletic Republic staff videotape from two different angles to break down the skater’s stride during and after workouts

“It’s such a great tool for stride mechanics,” said Tyler Bosch, Athletic Republic’s director of operations. “You can also be next to the athlete while they are skating.”

Workouts on the treadmill take up 40 minutes of an hour-long workout, which includes warm-up exercises and drills to improve balance and flexibility. Typical programs last 20-26 sessions over six to eight weeks.

The U.S. Olympic training center in Colorado Springs uses similar equipment for its skaters.

Athletic training has come a long way since Debbie Stoery graduated from Glenbrook North in 1970. Stoery was a figure skater long before her current role as an elite coach at North Shore Ice Arena. She formerly coached Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek when he competed at the novice level.

“As a little girl, my father took me to the forest preserve to run up hills,” Stoery said. “I used to jump the fence to use Glenbrook North’s running track.”

Now, Stoery’s students as young as 8 years old belong to Athletic Republic and train under Bosch and Dubin.

“What the (training) does is maximize our efficiency,” Stoery said. “In our sport, we are part artistic (skater) and part power skater.”

Article by George M. Wilcox originally printed in Wilmette Life.

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