Meet Brad Kleffman | Figure Skating Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brad Kleffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brad, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Before I started Dynamo, I was running a power figure skating class at the ice centre in Westminster. I had been coaching this class for about 5 years and it was having a lot of success. For that reason, I had a lot of parents at the ice rink asking me if I could offer more group classes.

It has always been one of my goals to help motivated athletes take their skating to the next level. Providing a wide array of classes would be a great way to further achieve this goal of mine. Reflecting on my experiences as a competitive figure skater, I remembered how a wide variety of classes helped me to become a well-rounded athlete.

My childhood coach, Debbie Storery, was a major advocate of providing a large amount of classes to help her athletes become successful. We would do tap dance classes to improve our balance, coordination, and core control. Debbie would also have us do a pool jump class, where we did rotations in waist high water. This is on top of ballet, jump roping, and figure skating specialized strength training.

Taking inspiration from Debbie, I wanted to start a business that offered this kind of training opportunity for figure skaters. Dynamo would strive to offer a multitude of weekly classes during the school year and a Summer Surge Program, which offers 25+ classes a week during the summer. Holding its roots in the Power class, Dynamo would also provide classes like skating skills, sports psychology, off-ice motorized spinner/harness, jump rope club, ballet, contemporary dance, strength and conditioning, and pilates.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I went to film school and I have worked to utilize these skills in my coaching. I have applied my knowledge in production design to allow me to make educated decisions on costumes for programs. The editing skills I learned in school has aided me in cutting music and making content for social media.

I’ve also found a strong connection between choreographing a program and directing a short film. I always develop a story, when doing choreography. Then, I create a look book by gathering images and videos that capture the types of movements that will help tell the story and portray the specific emotions. This is very similar to the pre-production of a film. When I’m choreographing the program, I’m working to create the visuals that will best portray the story being told. I’ve enjoyed finding the parallels between film and figure skating because it has allowed for me to provide a unique mindset towards my coaching.

My skating life came full circle when I began coaching at the same rink that I first learned how to skate. I utilized what I had learned from all of the great coaches I trained with and the transition into coaching was fairly smooth. A lot of coaches, including me, start by teaching learn to skate lessons through the rink. I think this is beneficial because you get to work with a wide age range, from 4 year olds to adults. This really helped me to determine what types of learning styles suit each age range best, in regards to ice skating.

I would like for everyone to see Dynamo as a business that strives to lend ample opportunity to athletes who crave to take their skating to the next level. There are so many ways to become a stronger skater, other than just skating freestyle sessions. Using a wide-array of different disciplines, skaters can truly tap into their full potential.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely go to an Avalanche game at the Pepsi Center. Other activities would be visiting Meow Wolf, going to the Wax Trax Record Store, touring the Denver Art Museum, catching a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, and skating at the outdoor downtown Denver ice rink. Some places we would go to eat would be Illegal Petes, Snarfs, Tamale Kitchen, and Pho.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to Debbie Stoery. She was my childhood coach who inspired me to create Dynamo. If it wasn’t for her, I would most likely only be teaching my one power class. Thank you Debbie, for inspiring me to provide a large variety of classes for figure skaters. It truly does make a difference in their success.

I would also like to thank my Mom for supporting me throughout my skating career. She was always trying to set me up for success by having me train with great coaches. If it weren’t for all the amazing coaches I worked with, I’m not sure if I would have been inspired to become a coach myself. My coaches were always people I looked up to and wanted to be like someday.

Website: dynamofigureskating.com

Instagram: dynamofigureskating