Coachella Valley residents will get the chance to lace up their skates alongside Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan on September 6, when the former figure skating star hosts a half-day workshop at the Berger Foundation Iceplex inside Acrisure Arena. The event, called Finding Joy and Inspiration on Ice, opens the desert's ice to skaters of every age and skill level, from first-timers to competitive athletes.
According to The Desert Sun, Kerrigan will lead the clinic in Palm Springs-area Palm Desert, giving local skaters direct access to an athlete whose career has spanned Olympic podiums, national titles and decades in the public eye. The workshop itself is structured as a 5.5-hour program built around two 90-minute on-ice sessions, according to event listing details. Instruction covers edges, figures, power skating, jumps, spins, artistry and improvisation, giving beginners and competitive skaters alike something to work on.
A Milestone Year for the Local Club
The workshop's host partner, The Desert Figure Skating Club, is marking 40 years of supporting local figure skaters in 2026, per the same event listing. The club operates as a U.S. Figure Skating-sanctioned organization based at the Iceplex, according to Desert Health.
The venue hosting the clinic is itself a relatively new addition to the valley's sports landscape. The Berger Foundation Iceplex is a 36,000-square-foot facility with an NHL-sized rink and 250 spectator seats, serving as the official training center for the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds and home to the CV SK8 Academy, according to the Berger Foundation Iceplex. The rink sits on land owned by the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and was built as a year-round hub for ice sports.
Part of a Growing Sports Complex
The Iceplex resides within the broader Acrisure Arena complex in Thousand Palms, a $300 million, 11,000-seat venue that opened in December 2022 under Oak View Group management, per Wikipedia's entry on the arena. The complex hosts more than 120 live music and sporting events annually. Acrisure Arena is expanding its sports portfolio further in November 2026, when it becomes the official home venue for the Coachella Valley Lakers, the rebranded NBA G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, as reported by Patch. The franchise is relocating from El Segundo and will play 24 home games per season at the arena, a move Hoodline previously covered in its report on front office cuts tied to the relocation.
Kerrigan's clinic falls under the banner of Ice Dreams, a multi-city national tour and workshop platform, according to Figure Skaters Online. Earlier tour lineups have featured Olympic stars including Dorothy Hamill and Johnny Weir, giving the brand a track record of pairing household names with local rinks.
From Olympic Silver to a Story That Defined an Era
Kerrigan's own résumé includes an Olympic bronze medal from Albertville in 1992, an Olympic silver medal from Lillehammer in 1994, and the 1993 U.S. National Championship, according to Olympedia. Her résumé also includes achievements beyond the Olympics.
Kerrigan's Lillehammer silver became part of one of the most publicized episodes in modern sports history. Kerrigan earned silver at the Winter Olympics, a performance that drew widespread attention.
Kerrigan's Olympic run also drew attention to fashion. Her Olympic costumes drew attention to Olympic skating, according to a podcast retrospective.
A Cause Rooted in Family
Beyond the rink, Kerrigan's public story includes her mother, Brenda Kerrigan.
The Coachella Valley's sports landscape includes the Firebirds, the incoming G League Lakers, and a figure skating club now celebrating four decades of local programming. Kerrigan's September 6 visit adds an Olympic name to the growing list of programming built around the Iceplex and its surrounding arena.
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