MYEDGES.COM

BIO

Raymond Hemms was born in Florida, and began skating at the age of five out of his mother's need to find an activity to help control his unending energy!  He began lessons in figure skating with a coach who was on the 1969 Mens Olympic Team. He quickly learned what it took to excel at the sport. It wasnt long before he started doing Edge Control (Patch) in the mornings, and Freestyles in the afternoons 5 days a week. These sessions were not always easy, nor did he always want to go, but his mother took them anyway, and his skills expanded rapidly. Never underestimate the power of a dedicated Mom!​

By age seven, Ray began competing in the USFSA  across the Southeast, and continued this for the next several years.  When the family relocated to North Carolina, he lost his relationship with his coach and with it lost his desire to strive to an Olympic level.  He decided to pursue other sports (wrestling, motocross, and kayaking), and noticed that all of these other sports came easily due to the core strength and balance that skating had developed.​

While in Minnesota Ray was spotted doing Counters, Rockers, and Brackets at extreme speeds during the public skates at Burnsville arena, when the hockey director for the USA Hockey School asked him to coach. Ray gave it a try, and that was when the passion for coaching was born. ​

While in Minnesota, Ray also played hockey at Normandale Community College, as well as the parks and rec leagues in Eagan.  Would you believe that they had 15 outdoor rinks within a 6 mile radius?  Ray had never seen so much ice, and used it to its fullest.  In 1995, Ray moved to Atlanta, and went to skate at a rink called "The Cooler". He was spotted again doing high speed moves that most hockey skaters don't/can't do, and was asked to join the coaching staff. Over the 15 years of being a coach, he has taught hundreds of skaters, ages 4-54, how to gain control of their skating edges.  This unique method of mastering control of the skater's edges, results in improved speed, agility, skating confidence, and ultimately game play.

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"Improve Your Edge: Improve Your Game!"​