Meet the Coaches

Jill Mintz-Hodyl is the owner and founder of Lace’Em Up Skating, a privately owned, ice skating school that offers a “FUN” ice skating experience for the greater Denver area. 

She has over 19 years of professional coaching experience and has taught at every level ranging from beginner to senior. Jill is PSA rated in group and freestyle and a level 1 and 2 Hockey certified instructor. She is passionate about developing confident skaters, celebrating health, and promotes skating as a lifetime sport to share with friends and family.

Jill has a reputation for outstanding customer service, teaching strong skating fundamentals, and is most popular for her contagious energy, confidence in her team, smiles for miles, and high five coaching delivering results. Jill is a well-respected United States Figure Skating coach, a proud member of the Professional Skaters Association (PSA), and an Extreme Leader for the Extreme Leadership Institute.

Jill’s motto is to “Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do,” a favorite quote from Steve Farber’s book, “The Radical Edge”. 

Jo Ann Schneider Farris has participated in figure skating for most of her life as a competitor, coach, and author. Jo Ann was the Figure Skating Expert for About.com for 10 years. Jo Ann began skating as a young child. She won a silver medal in the junior dance event at the United States National Figure Skating Championships and is a US Figure Skating Double Gold Medalist. She coached figure skating and has trained skaters of all ages and levels. In addition, Jo Ann taught hockey players to skate and gave instruction in power skating. She is the author of two skating books: How to Jump and Spin on In-Line Skates, the only book of its kind on inline figure skating, and a personal memoir, My Skating Life: Fifty Plus Years of Skating. Jo Ann also has contributed articles that have been included on the US Figure Skating website and the icenetwork.com website, in SKATING Magazine, Ice Skating Institute's magazine, the Professional Skaters Association magazine, and she also wrote about ice skating for Examiner.com. She is a member of the Professional Skaters Association, The Broadmoor Skating Club, and U.S. Figure Skating. Jo Ann is a graduate of the famous Hollywood Professional School, a school that once was in southern California where many serious figure skaters attended, including Peggy Fleming. She is also a graduate of Colorado College and holds a teaching credential from California State University Long Beach. As a figure skating competitor, she trained under World Ice Dance Champion and Olympic Coach Doreen Denny and also Darlene Gilbert, who has trained international and national teams.

Natalie Matthies grew up in an area just outside of Oxford, Ohio.  Her love for skating started at just 3 years of age.  Natalie was a competitive synchronized skater for the Oxford Ice Crystals and continued her competitive career with the Miami University Synchronized Skating Teams.  Her experience brings strong foundations in Moves in the Field, Ice Dance, and Synchronized Skating.  

Natalie has over 6 years of professional coaching experience; she has worked with students from entry to junior level, as well as basic and power hockey skills. Natalie has coached in a variety of different specialized workshops such as power skating, ice dance, and off ice training.  In her time coaching synchronized skating teams, she has demonstrated coaching flexibility needed to guide a variety of learning styles and skill sets to regional and sectional successes.  Natalie is passionate about igniting a love for skating in all of her students and allowing them the opportunity to express themselves through the beauty of the sport.  It is important to her that skaters learn how to set goals and how to work efficiently to achieve them.  

Skating has been a lifelong journey and love for Natalie and has given her the tools and confidence to chase her wildest dreams.  In the broad picture of her career, Natalie has gained a reputation for excellence in customer service, integrity, and professionalism.  She has traveled all around the world, been a first responder to emergency situations, started a company, and networked with great minds of all different fields.  She is known for her compassion, energy, leadership, and her infectious smile.  Natalie’s favorite quote of the moment is “Sometimes, you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others” -Ellen DeGeneres.