Help a Rising Star

from Elegant Island Living September 2017

by Elegant Island Living Media Group

What’s Happening

Ice dancer Raegan Toomey found herself in the Golden Isles under less than perfect circumstances. A dancer since the age of 3 and skater since the age of 7, Raegan first started competing in ice dance competitions when she was 8 years old. Due to the success she was having locally, her coach entered her at National level, and she first qualified for the National Ice Dance Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At age 12, Raegan was competing in ice dance and winning all over the United States and her coach recommended that she train and compete at an even higher level.

Raegan then enrolled in the prestigious Emma Willard boarding school in Upstate New York so that she could train during the day. Two years later, Raegan left Emma Willard to follow her partner to Delaware where he was training and attending college. She attended a boarding/ sports academy there that could accommodate her rigorous training schedule. Then Raegan got devastating news: her partner decided to leave competitive skating. She had left home, her friends, and the school she loved to pursue a dream that now looked shattered. Raegan made the difficult decision to homeschool for her senior year, forgo competition in the 20152016 season, and move to Montreal, Canada to be coached by world-renowned coach, Igor Tchiniaev. She would continue to follow her dream. Raegan began skating with an Australian partner and was on track to make the Australian National Team, when she was involved in a life-altering car accident in February of this year. When she was on her way to her coaching job, her car hit black ice and flipped three times. She credits an equal number of blessings that night for her rescue and survival, but the reality was that she was injured, and also lost her car, her jobs, and her partner who did not want to wait for her to heal. And so, Raegan ended up recouperating here on St. Simons Island, with her family. She calls this a blessing in disguise.

“The St. Simons Island community has rallied around me and my family and has been an integral part of my recovery. They have not only helped me heal physically but they have given me the love and encouragement to keep on this path!” Raegan, continues, “This encouragement has only fueled my desire to get back to Canada. I now have the opportunity to start training with a Canadian National champion with hopes of making the 2018 Olympic Ice Dance Team.” Raegan is now actively seeking sponsors and donations to meet training costs and help her fulfill her lifelong dream. To learn more, you can visit Raegan’s website at toomeyrae98.wixsite.com/ raegantoomey or donate via her Youcaring page at youcaring.com/raegantoomey-811208.

Raegan Toomey with coach, Igor Tchiniaev