Gliding Stars of Central Florida

Founder's Story

My name is Terri Miskiv, and I am the mom of a son with an autism diagnosis and the Director/President for Gliding Stars of Central Florida and Shooting Stars of Central Florida. I am passionate about supporting individuals with special needs in achieving their personal goals and building confidence through athletic opportunities. I have been actively involved with Gliding Stars for 8 years. Through this program, I have seen the transformative power of inclusive sports, not only in developing physical skills but also in fostering independence, social connections, and self-esteem. I am dedicated to creating opportunities where athletes with disabilities can thrive in a safe, supportive, and joyful environment. My commitment has covered, coaching, fundraising, volunteer and athlete management and engagement and ensuring each individual and family has the resources and encouragement they need to succeed beyond our program.

Business Description

The Gliding Stars of Central Florida organization provides adaptive ice-skating and adaptive hockey skills instruction to individuals with disabilities to improve physical development, emotional well-being and self-esteem in a developmental skills program within their own local community, culminating in the demonstration of those skills publicly in an end-of-season on-ice choreographed performance, which itself serves as a source of motivation, teamwork and the “magic” that allows one to break through barriers to accomplish their dreams.

You can find us on a random Sunday watching athletes gliding across the ice, volunteers and coaches cheering on new athletes and parents watching from the sidelines smiling, hoping and praying like this is going to be the moment where no one sees the disability but just the vision to succeed. When the average parent of an individual with a disability becomes an expert at persistence because of being told “no” so many times searching for answer, Gliding Stars provides that structured, supportive space where athletes feel empowered physically, socially and emotionally to succeed beyond the ice. We train volunteers and coaches who build trust. And we create that community where experienced families help new families discover that all the opportunities are still possible! At Gliding Stars – we don’t just teach ice skating and hockey – we create confidence and support to grow beyond the sport and celebrate all the reasons we already know we’re an underdog.