September/October 2014 by Professional Skaters Association

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

2014

www.skatepsa.com

MARINA ZOUEVA 2014 PSA Coach of the Year

S K AT E S

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COLUMNS 4 6 8 14 18 34

FEATURES

Life After Competition

Over the Edge | Jimmie Santee

President’s Message | Angie Riviello

Ratings | Brandon Forsyth

| by Terri Milner Tarquini

2014 PSA Coach of the Year: Marina Zoueva | by Kent McDill

Sport Science | Heidi Thibert

Riedell Through the Years | by Terri Milner Tarquini

Education | Carol Rossignol

Legal Ease | David Shulman

In the Trenches

Ratings Exams Passed

Excellence On Ice

New Members

PSA Calendar of Events

Job Placements

Jimmie Santee | Editor Carol Rossignol | Contributing Editor Amanda Taylor | Art Director Elizabeth Thornton | Advertising/Editorial Assistant

History of Judging Part 1: 1898-1930 | by Bruce Poodles

What Would Marina Zoueva Do? | by Terri Milner Tarquini

Peter Dunﬁeld Celebration | by Meg Streeter Lauck

Take note...

K EEP U P W ITH T HE PSA...

COVER PHOTO BY Anita Crane

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

2014 ~ No 5 #ISSN-574770

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New PSA e-newsletter

Over the Edge

PSA OFFICERS President First Vice President Second Vice President Third Vice President Treasurer Past President

JIMMIE SANTEE

PSA BOARD OF GOVERNORS West

People Don't Fail, Leaders Do PART II

East

s reported in the USA Today last February 21, Ashley Wagner called the ISU judging rules, “too opaque.” “It’s not clear enough to the audience and it needs to be more fan friendly so that we can get a wider fan base,” she said, “I think we need to get rid of the anonymous judging.” Millions of fans reportedly signed a petition demanding a full investigation, and eventually, both the Korean Skating Union and Korean Olympic Committee filed a complaint with the ISU against Ms. Alla Shekhovtseva, the Russian judge and wife of Valentin Piseev, the General Director of the Russian Figure Skating Federation. Shekhovtseva was seen hugging Adelina Sotnikova, the newly crowned Olympic gold medalist in the media mix zone. Many who watched the Ladies event thought that Yuna would win her second Olympic gold. I was in that group, and in my opinion, the gold medal race was closer between Yuna and Carolina Kostner. But…I’m not going to discuss the results any further because of anonymous judging. While everyone could see the protocols, there was no direct proof that the judging was biased. I mean we could see it and smell it… but there was no smoking gun regarding the marks. No Assessments (the term used by the ISU to discipline judges for judging errors) were given. Point in case—while the Korean Skating Union and Korean Olympic Committee filed a complaint with the ISU, it was for an alleged conflict of interest. Their Complaint led off with this paragraph: We respectfully submit this formal complaint (this “Complaint”) to the Disciplinary Commission of the International Skating Union (the “DC”) and request for action to be carried out in connection with the wrongful constitution of the panel of judges and the unjust outcome of the competition caused thereby in the ladies’ single figure skating competition (the “Competition”) at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games which were held from 19th to 20th February 2014 at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, Russia. A second complaint by the Koreans objected to Shekhovtseva hugging Sotnikova in the mixed zone. With her marriage to Piseev, the Koreans viewed her inclusion in the judging pool as a conflict of interest and suggested her allegiance to her husband, the Russian Federation, and the Russian skaters impacted her independence. The Russians reply, “Congratulating a champion and winner of the gold medal in the opinion of the Alleged Offender is not a violation of rules but a normal gesture and an appreciation of the skater’s hard work.” A Readers Digest version of the ISU’s answer to the complaint: Statement from the ISU, “Article 24 Paragraph 1 of the ISU Constitution 2012 provides, in part, as follows: The DC serves as a first instance authority to hear and decide all charges referred to it by any ISU authority or party against any Skater, Official, Office Holder or other participant in ISU activities (Alleged Offender) accused of a disciplinary or ethical offence (Offence).”

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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The result: • Complaint #1 is inadmissible and must be dismissed. • Complaint #2 is dismissed. “… It gives the impression to the Panel, that the skater instigated the embrace and the Alleged Offender did not refuse but returned the hug and kissed the skater. The upsetting part of this whole debacle is that the core issue of anonymous judging was never addressed; basically because the ISU rules don’t allow for transparency or the right to challenge it. In my last editorial, which was written prior to the ISU Congress in Dublin, Ireland, I was highly critical of Cinquanta’s ISU presidency and listed his many faults and failures as a leader. The list continues to grow. At this recent congress, there was a proposal to eliminate anonymous judging. As a rule, the ISU Congress needs a two thirds vote for the proposal to pass. Beverly Smith, a long time reporter for Toronto’s Globe and Mail, reported that a source told her the vote was close; 30 voted yes, 24 no, and two abstained. Abstained? More surprisingly, Russia voted to change the rule and South Korea did not. I love a good Machiavellian plot… South Korea hosts the next Olympics and votes to keep judging anonymous… to their advantage?…revenge? The Russians got what they wanted; total domination (almost) of the Olympic Figure Skating event on home soil. Why change the rule? The list of who voted down the p ro p o s a l included former Soviet bloc countries: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Georgia, Poland, and Slovakia. If Russia was able to do the math, they could vote for the proposal and come out looking like the good guy… to be continued!

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“The Joy of Coaching is about you and who you are as a coach today. It is about your coaching heritage, your skating DNA and where you sit in the coaching family tree.” ~ BOB MOCK, PSA President 1994-1999

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PS MAGAZINE

President’s Message ANGIE RIVIELLO

Program Director W

e recently rolled out the new Program Director Rating at Conference in May. The exam was totally revamped to be more than an extension of the Group Rating. The changes that were made were extensive and encompass the business aspect of what directors do, including budgeting, training, and programming. It was great to hear candidates studying the “business” side and having more awareness of the benefits of a well-trained staff. There were new topics added to the exam such as Human Resources, Scheduling/Marketing, and Operations. Human Resources is the administrative side of how you handle your staff. It covers everything from hiring/firing, orientation, to policies and procedures. Scheduling/Marketing touches a lot on how you schedule ice (not just for figure skating) and how you get the word out about your facility and programs. There are also questions in regards to balancing a budget and how you create a budget. The Operations topic is huge because it covers the daily operation of an ice arena. There will be questions asked about ice maintenance as well as skate sharpening procedures. The first go around with the new exam was incredibly successful and it was wonderful to talk to the candidates in the wrap-up portion. There were many directors that talked about how studying for the exam changed the way

In the TRENCHES by

Short Program Bonus There is no longer a bonus in the Juvenile, Intermediate and Novice Short Programs. Here is the new information from the 2014-15 Rulebook:

SCOTT BROWN Master-rated coach & IJS Technical Specialist

they ran their program and how they operated. There were a few that did not have Emergency Action Plans (EAP) in place, and because of the exam, they researched and implemented new EAP’s which is essential for the safety of their staff and patrons. Why is all of this important? When a parent brings a child into our facilities, they trust us with their most precious possession: their child. We have to be organized, professional, and able to handle any situation to ensure the safety of all that are in our facility. That is the job of the directors: to make sure staff is ready and prepared for anything. Staff training is where it all starts. If your staff is well trained, your program will offer a better “product” and the patrons/skaters will continue to come back, which in turn makes the rink more money, thereby ensuring job security! A strong Program Director and Arena Manager are key for a program's survival and I feel PSA is helping make Directors better with the revised exams.

Special Factor: i. In the junior and senior ladies and men's short program and all levels of singles free skate, the base values (but not the grade of execution) of all jump elements started in the second half of

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the program will be multiplied by a special factor of 1.1 in order to give credit for even distribution of difficulties in the program. ii. Each factored base value will be rounded to two decimal places. iii. For the short program, the second half begins in the middle of the maximum time allowed. For the free skate, the second half begins in the middle of the required time without taking into account the plus or minus 10 seconds allowance.

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Ratings BRANDON FORSYTH

Face Your Fears. Squash Those Doubts. Get Rated! By Tim Covington, MFS, MM

wanted a PSA Rating. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. I wanted to move forward and continue my education as coach. I believe continuing education is important for all professions; it’s what keeps us up-to-date, fresh, and inspired, but honestly, I was scared. I was scared I would fail. I was scared I couldn’t remember anything under pressure. I was scared I might make an idiot of myself in front of a panel of my peers. What if this ended up on my “permanent record”? So I put it off and put if off but finally one day I calmed myself down and was reminded of a great quote from the late Ruby Dee: “God make me so uncomfortable that I do the very thing I fear.” I think a lot about that quote because growth for me has always meant taking a big plunge into the deep dark unknown water. My first dilemma was how? How do I even start? Where do I begin? I knew I could contact a master rated coach but I felt odd asking for help. This was very ignorant on my part. I knew attending a Ratings Prep event (formerly called PACE), would be the best beginning, but I had already jumped into the deep end and I wanted to start right away. So I signed up for registered free skating and registered MIF and started treading water. They say that ignorance is bliss, and I had plenty of it going into these first two exams. I studied what I thought would be on the test. I practiced drawing turns and jumps on paper, and I knew the study guide well enough to feel confident and terrified at the same time. As always, I put too much thought into the great unknown, but I had already signed up for the exam so I was going upstream. My rating exams were scheduled at the Liberty Competition and I actually felt like I was competing even though it was just a test. It all happened so quickly. The exam started and I was on a runaway roller coaster of questions and answers that seemed to rush by in seconds. Then it was over. As

"My first dilemma was how? How do I even start? Where do I begin? I knew I could contact a master rated coach but I felt odd asking for help." 8

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I waited for my results, (they make you wait outside the room and then give you the results) I realized I spent too much time blabbering about Gus Lussi, h-jumps, John Curry, and figures. I knew my stuff, but it was unorganized and I spent too much time trying to give the “right answer” rather than giving “my answer”. Luckily I passed but I think there was some grace involved with both tests. I did receive two great tidbits for the next exam: “Don’t put your skates on for two weeks and coach from the boards so that you must explain and not demo”, and “Get thee to a Ratings Prep!” I wasn’t drowning, yet… My first Ratings Prep was in Colorado Springs and I had the privilege of staying at the US Olympic Training Center and being at the World Arena. It was there that Debbie Lane challenged me to really examine my exercises to improve my athlete’s moves in the field and Janet Champion inspired me with confidence that my free skating methodology was sound and growing. But as important as the training, was the relationships I made while there. I made some great lifetime friends: Christopher Darling, Karen Tornquist, Michelle Lauerman, Grant Huang, Marianne Strobel, and many more, not to mention Janet and Debbie. Suddenly I had a pool of friends who were going through the ratings process with me. I was not swimming alone. I took my certified free skating on the heels of Ratings Prep and was smart enough to know that another Ratings Prep might serve me well. So in the next spring I signed up for the Burbank ratings. I also signed up to take my certified MIF ratings a day before the training. My theory was why get out of the water if you’re already in it. I was very prepared, but right before the test I came down with the worse head cold of my life. I had to make the decision between sneezing all over my examiners or using cold medicine, although I don’t do well on medications. I chose the latter and of course felt like I was under water, which was appropriate. I was a zombie in the test. The only thing I remember was that there was a garden outside the room and one of my examiners had blond hair. I passed, but because of my Sudafed coma, I missed most of the great advice at the end of the exam. When I recovered the

Recently Passed

RATING EXAMS Congratulations to the following coaches who passed the Basic Accreditation (BA) or Foundations of Coaching Course (FCC): BA | online Christine Costa Maria Davila Elizabeth Judd Amber Kole

Congratulations to the following candidates who passed a rating exam: Newark, DE | July 23, 2014

Tara Lorenz Victoria Nason Alyssa Norton Matthew Rosso

Haley Smith Cassandra Vogel Michelle Wilcome

Ashley Carlson RS, CS Diana Dandro RS

Congratualtions to the following coach on her Emeritus rating: Lorraine Borman (Mexico) Emeritus-14: MFF-81, CC-92

Ratings Know-How The PSA Official Rating System is for coaches who want to validate their skating skill and teaching experience. Ratings are an assurance to clubs, rinks, skaters, parents, and the general public that the coach they hire is technically qualified to instruct at the level in which they are rated regardless of background and skating achievement. More and more coaches are required to become rated and many are choosing to do so because it is so beneficial. Ratings are offered in Free Skating, Figures, Pairs, Dance, Group, Program Director, Synchronized Team, Free Dance, Choreography, and Moves in the Field. They are offered at the Registered, Certified, Senior and Master levels. Ratings consist of both written and oral examinations. Once a rating has been earned, a coach must maintain a minimum of 28 educational credits over a three-year period through attendance at educational events. A maximum of 16 credits can be from a non-PSA event, such as U.S. Figure Skating Continuing Education Requirements and Basic Skills Workshops, or ISI Seminars. A minimum of 12 of the credits must come from PSA events. The first step to earn a rating is to apply to take the Basic Accreditation (BA) rating exam. The requirements

that must be fulfilled before taking a Basic Accreditation exam are: • The candidate must be an intern, associate or full member of the PSA. • The candidate must have attended a PSA educational event or completed four online e-learning courses within one year previous to taking the exam. After passing the BA exam, the candidate can apply to begin taking the Sport Science & Medicine rating exams. The first exam is the Registered Sport Science & Medicine exam, followed by the Certified, Senior, and Master. The requirements that must be fulfilled before taking a Sport Science & Medicine exam are: • The candidate must be a full member of the PSA. • The candidate must have completed the Basic Accreditation exam. • The candidate must have attended a PSA educational event or completed four online e-learning courses within one year previous to taking the exam. The study guide for all of the Sport Science & Medicine exams is "The Coach's Guide to Sport Science & Medicine" and is available at the PSA online store.

next day I had to look at my test sheets to see who my examiners were. Before Burbank, I made the decision never to use Ratings Prep as just training for the exams… I made the decision to use Ratings Prep as a way to broaden my horizons as a coach, learning new ways to teach, new methods and exercises to achieve goals faster. And if this education helps me on future exams, then I really got my money’s worth. I spent the three days becoming a Diane Miller and Peggy Tamres sponge. By the end, I was drawing turns and jumps, I could articulate what I teach, and I could answer questions clearly and distinctively. My swim to a master rating was underway. So if you’re considering a rating, “jump in… the water is fine!”

After passing the Registered Sport Science & Medicine exams, a discipline can be chosen and an application completed to take the first of four oral exams (Registered, Certified, Senior and Master) of that discipline. Two oral exams may be taken at a site. A candidate may take Registered and Certified exams in the same discipline. The exception to this policy is Pair, Choreography, Synchronized Team and Program Director disciplines, where any two levels may be taken in sequential order. Master exams are offered only at Conference and at the November Oral Rating Zone site. Guide to Sample Questions can be purchased from the PSA office for each discipline. They are included in the oral rating application fee. Find more information on Ratings at www.skatepsa.com

Tim Covington has a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Purdue University and spent many years as an actor in New York City performing in theatre, television and independent films. Tim uses his acting training to prepare competitors to create competitive roles that they can tap into when competing. Tim grew up skating in Atlanta, skating singles and pairs, and has been coaching the past nine years. In addition, Tim holds master ratings in free skating and moves in the field and registered choreography ratings.

PS MAGAZINE

SAFESPORT

U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook By Heidi Thibert | PSA E-Curriculum Coordinator

t has been about one year since the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook was approved by Governing Council. There are several areas that the guidelines in the handbook have facilitated changes in the business practices of figure skating coaches. This article will discuss how coaches can navigate those changes to protect themselves and the athletes they work with. There are several components of the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook that all coaches should be aware of and understand. Coaches can download, print and read the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook, by visiting: http://www.usfsa.org/content/safesport%20 handbook.pdf. The handbook has information on the following: • Policies prohibiting abuse and misconduct • Education about abuse and awareness training • Mandatory background screening • The reporting process • The response system to reports of abuse • Monitoring and supervision of the SafeSport Program

U.S. Figure Skating’s Athlete Protection Policy Overview: An Athlete Protection policy clarifies to all stakeholders that the organization is committed to creating a safe and positive environment for athletes. It also emphasizes and sets forth standards of behavior that clearly outline unacceptable behaviors, minimize opportunities for misconduct, and help to prevent unfounded allegations. U.S. Figure Skating and PSA’s “Commitment to Safety” Overview: In the event that a coach, official, director, employee, parent or volunteer observes inappropriate behaviors (i.e., policy violations), suspected physical or sexual abuse or misconduct, it is the personal responsibility

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

of each member to immediately report his or her observations and take the appropriate action stated in applicable U.S. Figure Skating Rules. U.S. Figure Skating “Supervision of Athletes and Participants” Overview: This policy describes U.S. Figure Skating’s plan for advising the proper supervision of members and participants during all program activities and to minimize one-on-one interactions between a coach, official, director, employee, parent or volunteer. A plan for proper supervision raises awareness about those activities that pose a high risk for child physical or sexual abuse and other misconduct, as well as ways to minimize one-on-one interactions. Coaches of all levels need to become familiar with the different expectations for their behavior as coaches of young athletes. Coaches will want to give consideration to some areas that are listed here: 1. Boundary-Violating Behaviors Boundary-violating behaviors are actions that are not necessarily criminal, but can still be harmful to minors and may lead to abuse. Examples: Patting a child on the rear end; hugging and kissing; holding hands; helping the skater with placement of a “butt pad”; letting the minor sit on your lap Behaviors to avoid: • Spending time alone with a minor • Becoming the minor’s friend (as opposed to an authority figure) • Hanging out, IMing/ texting/sharing photos, etc. • Touching the minor in any way not directly related to achieving a skill 2. Travel Guidelines - Hotel Rooms The SafeSport handbook addresses the practice of coaches sharing hotel rooms with athletes or participants reducing opportunities for boundary violations.

“Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with an athlete (unless the coach is the parent, guardian, sibling of that particular athlete)”. U.S. Figure Skating Safesport Handbook Section 2: Athlete Protection Policies (Pages 16-27)

3. Travel Guidelines - Vehicles The SafeSport handbook addresses the practice of coaches transporting athletes or participants in their personal vehicles reducing opportunities for boundary violations. Athletes are most vulnerable to misconduct during travel. Travel guidelines direct how minors will be supervised during travel to and from practice and competitions and provide two-deep leadership and minimize one-toone interactions (page 16). No coach, staff member, or volunteer will engage in travel without the proper safety requirements in place, including valid drivers’ licenses, proper insurance, well-maintained vehicles and compliance with all state laws (page 17). Coaches should avoid transporting athletes in their personal vehicles, but if the coach cannot avoid transporting an athlete, the following should be observed: o Written and notarized permission from both parents or guardians o Increased insurance coverage o Athletes sitting in the back seat with seat belt on at all time o Companion coach or two athletes (both in the back seat) o Observe all traffic laws and regulations U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook Athlete Protection Policies (page 19)

4. Social Media, Mobile and Electronic Communications Guidelines The SafeSport handbook addresses appropriate social media, mobile and electronic communication interactions with athletes or participants reducing

opportunities for boundary violations. “All email and text message content between adults and minors must be non-personal in nature and be for the purpose of communicating information about club/ skating-related activities. Emails and text messages from an adult to any minor participant should copy or include a parent.” • Coaches should avoid the common practice of using social media to communicate with athletes. • Coaches should not have athletes as “friends” or “follow” athletes. • Coaches should avoid all sites and pages that may link to inappropriate photos, etc. U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook Athlete Protection Policies (page 18)

5. Private Meetings with Athletes The SafeSport handbook addresses appropriate one-onone interactions with athletes or participants, and the policy reduces opportunities for boundary violations by describing “Two-Deep Leadership”. In the past, coaches used locker rooms for one-on-one time with athletes during tests and competitions, but this is no longer allowed with following the policy. An individual meeting

PS MAGAZINE

may be necessary to address an athlete’s concerns, training program, or at an event or competition. Under these circumstances, coaches, staff members and volunteers should observe the following guidelines: 1) Any individual meeting should occur when others are present and where interactions can be easily observed. You and the athlete should always be in clear lines of sight. 2) Where possible, an individual meeting should take place in a publicly visible and open area, such as the corner of the arena. 3) If an individual meeting is to take place in an office or a locker room, the door should remain unlocked and open. 4) If a closed-door meeting is necessary at a test session or competition, the coach, staff member and/or volunteer should inform another coach, staff member and/or volunteer and ensure the door remains unlocked. 5) All locker rooms should be labeled by intended use, and a coach in the locker rooms is discouraged. U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook Athlete Protection Policies Page 17

6. Emotional Abuse: What It Is and What It Isn’t Definition: Emotional abuse involves a pattern of deliberate, non-contact behavior that has the potential to cause emotional or psychological harm to a participant. These behaviors may include verbal acts, physical acts or acts that deny attention or support. Clarification – a single incident, e.g., a verbal outburst – while it may be inappropriate – does not constitute emotional misconduct, which requires a pattern of harmful behaviors over time. Examples: Coach telling a skater he/she is not ever going to be good enough, is fat, is ugly, can’t skate as well as (competitor); weighing skaters in a public setting and making derogatory comments. • Emotional abuse does not include generally accepted and age-appropriate coaching methods of skill enhancement, physical conditioning, motivation, team building, appropriate discipline or improving athletic performance. It should be emphasized that emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior, not a single isolated incident. U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook Athlete Protection Policies Page 12-13

Additional Thoughts Physical Contact is inherent in skating instruction and training and is acceptable as long as: 1) The physical contact takes place in public with clear lines of sight.

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2) There are no potential for or actual, physical or sexual intimacies during the physical contact. 3) The physical contact is for the benefit of the athlete, not to meet an emotional or other need of an adult. (Example: Male pair/dance coach practicing with or teaching lifts to female athletes.) Coaches Code of Conduct: All coaches must agree to the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport “Coaches Code of Ethics, Standards and Conduct” as part of the Coach Compliance process. Coaches should be cognizant that we have a duty to report arrests, convictions, and any change in our status. Final Thoughts It is imperative that coaches recognize that there is a fine line between coaching with “tough love” and “bullying”. Coaches should always consider the perception of everything we are doing as coaches. Ask yourselves: (1) How does what I am doing or saying look or sound to others? (2) How could what I am doing or saying be misconstrued by others? Coaches should realize and respect that conversations between coaches and athletes must have boundaries. And most importantly, coaches must understand that coach/athlete sexual relations are wrong, and that is it.

SafeSport Resources Please send any questions to: safesport@usfigureskating. org, and please find information on the webpage: www. usfigureskating.org/safesport. There coaches will find: • Complete SafeSport Handbook • Policies and Guidelines for Athlete Protection • Codes of Conduct for skaters, parents, coaches, and board members • Link to register for the USOC SafeSport Video Training • Club SafeSport Compliance Chair job description • How to Make a Report – link to state laws • Monthly USOC SafeSport e-newsletters • FAQ’s section There are a multitude of people to provide support for coaches with regard to SafeSport, but here are a few who can answer questions: • Karen Terry-Perreault: SafeSport Sub-Committee Chair • Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin: U.S. Figure Skating Staff • Heidi DeLio Thibert: PSA Staff • Alex Chang: SafeSport Committee Member • Patrick O’Neil: SafeSport Committee Member • Paul Wylie: SafeSport Committee Member

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Sport Science HEIDI THIBERT

Let It Go By Charles A Garfield, Ph.D. | Excerpted from - Peak Performance: Mental Training Techniques of the World’s Greatest Athletes This book is accessible and pertinent to anyone who wants to perform more consistently and effectively. While it focuses on sports, it has a number of useful lessons that can be applied to any aspect of life. Whether you adapt these exercises to help your athlete perform better or use them yourself to prepare for a ratings exam, the technique might be useful for coaches and athletes alike. – Heidi DeLio Thibert, PSA Sport Science Committee Chair

here is a single four-step exercise that brings together all the elements of “Peak Performance.” The exercise completes the peak Performance Training Program and as you will see, it is the focal point for every skill you have developed thus far. You will notice that in the instructions, you are asked to create mental images based on your own experiences. This individualization of the exercise is essential. If the “letting go” process is to be entirely successful, it must, once learned, appear to happen almost spontaneously, and be carried forward through its own momentum. This kind of spontaneity is encouraged by building on images from your own experience. Take your time with each of the steps recognizing the importance of the personalized contribution you will be bringing in the form of your own imagery. “LETTING GO” EXERCISE • Time: One 20 minute session prior to an event • Benefits: You will learn to turn off the left brain, which through its logical process impedes physical performance, and to shift cerebral activity to the right brain dominance, which directs performance through imagery and other intuitive processes. This exercise consists of a four step process: visualizing the event, quieting your mind, ridding yourself of negative thoughts, and focusing on the present. Once these steps are learned, they flow together as one mental skill which you will ultimately exercise automatically. After practicing the steps and applying them over a period of weeks, individuals usually report that the process comes so naturally that they are barely aware of doing anything special.

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PREPARATION Prerequisite to learning the letting-go process are the abilities to relax voluntarily and to create mental imagery specifically designed to affect physical performance.

Instructions:

STEP ONE: VISUALIZE THE EVENT From an hour to as little as fifteen minutes before you are to begin a special event, sit down in a quiet place and create a mental image of the activity you will be performing. Since individual needs and the requirements of competition will vary greatly in this, you will have to experiment with the length of time prior to the activity that will work best for you. For example, if you are preparing for a run of three miles over a route you know well, try sitting down for fifteen minute prior to your run and imagining how it will feel to run it. Along with this visualization, mentally rehearse the positive feeling you wish to feel along the way. While creating these images, go over them repeatedly in your mind, tilling in more and more details as you go. Most people will notice that thoughts, feelings and ideas that have nothing to do with the planned event will intrude. When this happens, immediately put the images aside by creating a new detail for the mental rehearsal. For example, let’s say that as you visualize the three mile run, you begin worrying about a conflict you are having with a co-worker at work. When that worry arises, immediately concentrate on an image directly associated with your athletic event. For example, you might use the opportunity to visualize a particular hill on the run or you might imagine the positive feeling you wish to experience when you finish. As you do this, you literally displace negative images with positive ones, increasing your mental concentration and making the mental imagery that will guide your actions that much more. STEP TWO: QUIET YOUR MIND As you visualize your activity, your mind will become increasingly focused by turning your attention toward your performance and away from the events of the day. As

concentration on the particular activity increases, your mind will become calm, active only where your upcoming activity is concerned. As this focus improves marked by the disappearance of thoughts and feelings not directly associated with your plan, stop creating the mental imagery. Trust that your mind is prepared and that the images you have created are complete. If it is at all possible, given your surroundings, close your eyes. As thoughts or feelings of any kind, athletic or non-athletic, enter your mind, let them go. Do not entertain them. For example, let’s say that as you sit quietly, you remember an idea that you want to try. Ordinarily, you would get excited and either go over the details in your mind for making it work or immediately look around for someone to describe it to. Even though this all maybe be very useful under other circumstances, your first priority right now is to quiet your mind. Though it will take a deliberate effort on your part, let go of the idea; add nothing to it and don’t act upon it. Understand that if it is truly a good idea, it will not be lost even though not acted upon immediately. Quiet your mind by letting all thoughts and feelings or ideas that come to your attention be either committed to memory for later reference or fade into the distance like paper wrappers blowing across a playing field. People who mediate often imagine that thoughts, feelings and ideas are like birds flying into your field of vision, dipping their wings to fly close, then veering off and disappearing into the distance. STEP THREE: RID YOURSELF OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS Visualize the negative thoughts written on paper then visualize wadding the paper up and burning it. Learn to use this or other visualizations to rid yourself of negative feelings prior to or during any activity. Another popular image, thanks to video games, is the mental picture of PacMan gobbling up the negative thought. Choose imagery that works, that will be effortless to create and that can be created automatically when you need it. STEP FOUR: FOCUS ON THE PRESENT As your mind becomes more and more clear through application of the preceding processes, allow your attention to turn increasingly toward the reality of the present moment. Focus on your senses. If there is noise around you, focus on the quality of the sound rather than on its meaning. This takes some practice, but it will become easy over time. Focus your attention on the visual qualities of what you see rather than on meanings; focus on colors, textures, whether the light is bright or dim, and so on. Focus on your sense of smell and taste in similar ways. Finally, focus on your sense of tough. If you use a piece of equipment, focus on its texture, weight and hardness. Look at the object and study its color, its curves and straight lines, the way the light reflects or doesn’t reflect from its surfaces. If you are a runner, stand and feel

the ground under your feet. If you are a cyclist, feel the bike where it makes contact with your body. The key to successfully focusing on the present is learning to be attentive to your senses, to the quality of what you are sensing rather than your interpretation of the meaning. As an athlete, Dr. Charles Garfield developed himself to world class levels and went on to write. Dr. Charles Garfield is author of the widely acclaimed Peak Performance trilogy, Peak Performers, Team Management and Second to None. His books focus on high performing individuals, teams and organizations respectively and established him as America’s leading authority on business high achievement. As a computer analyst and leader of a team of engineers, scientists and support staff on the Apollo Eleven project, our first lunar landing, Dr. Garfield was part of a group of empowered people who went far beyond their previous results to legendary achievement. It was his work on the first moon landing project that led to his discovery of the dynamics of peak performance. He was selected by the United States Olympic Committee as a keynote speaker for the esteemed Elite Coaches Symposium, addressing the head coaches of our Olympic sports. For over 25 years, Dr. Garfield has conducted the nation’s most respected continuous study of business high achievers and their companies. Basic to his findings are: Regardless of age, educational background, or profession, America’s most productive people share the same set of basic skills, and these skills are learnable. Dr. Charles Garfield is a Clinical Professor at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco.

PS MAGAZINE

by Terri Milner Tarquini

COACHING/JUDGING

hen a competitive career ends, opportunities in other aspects of skating can begin. For Todd Eldredge and Mark Ladwig, both agree their post-competitive careers were natural progressions, although they have found totally different callings in the sport they were once competitors. Eldredge had a lengthy and hugely successful career as a three-time Olympic competitor, a world champion and a six-time national champion, whose U.S. titles spanned from 1990 to 2002. Retiring in 2002, he became a longtime performer in Stars on Ice before turning to full-time coaching. “At some point your body tells you when it’s time to not skate and perform as much,” said Eldredge, who started coaching during the last few years he was touring with Stars on Ice. “My time had come and coaching was the next step for me.” Starting his coaching career in Florida, he relocated with his family and coaching team, Champions of America, to Dallas in June. The team is made up of Eldredge’s longtime coach, Richard Callaghan; Callahan’s wife, Mandy; Eldredge and Eldredge’s wife, Sabrina, a two-time national medalist in pairs. “Basic skills, high level competitors, pairs, spins, jumps —we have all of the different bases covered,” Eldredge said. “Working as a team also gives us the luxury that, when one of us needs to be at a competition or seminar, someone who is on the same page is always there to cover lessons.” Callaghan coached Eldredge his entire career, as well Tara Lipinski, Nicole Bobek, Kimmie Meissner and other Olympic, world and national champions. “Richard and I have had 30-plus years together, so it just makes sense for the students because we teach the same style,” Eldredge said. “It was an easy transition to become a team. Something made sense and it’s worked.” The move to Dallas was brought on by the coaching team’s interest in sharing their expertise with a bigger

“My time had come and coaching was the next step for me.”TODD ELDREDGE 16

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clientele. Having reached out to several training facilities, the Champions of America coaching team was very excited when the Dr. Pepper Stars Center, one of six arenas run by the Dallas Stars, came calling. “It’s a first-class facility and there’s a much bigger skating community that we can help,” Eldredge said. “One thing we’re hoping to bring to the table is that the skaters can stay here. When they get to the higher levels, they don’t need to go to southern California or Colorado Springs. They can stay here and train here and succeed here.” Eldredge certainly has the competitive background covered and acknowledges that his coaching has only been helped by partnering with his former coach. “It is a different skill set between skating and coaching,” Eldredge said. “Each student isn’t going to do it the same way. There isn’t one technique that works for everyone; there’s a range. I knew one technique that worked for me. As a coach, I have to modify the technique to work for others. It’s been so educational working alongside Richard who has that knowledge in his teaching background.” For Ladwig, his competitive career stretched into his mid-30s when he retired in 2013. An Olympic competitor and two-time U.S. Figure Skating Championships silver medalist, his coaching began while he was still competing. “I decided I really wanted to focus on the beginning skater,” Ladwig said. “All of the building blocks that go into building a skater are what interested me.” Coaching since 2005, Ladwig recently made a switch and received his judging appointment, a role he sees as still providing essential aid to the up-and-coming skater. “You hear from coaches all of the time that they’re telling a skater something, and they might be hearing it, but they’re not absorbing it,” he said. “But sometimes when judges put something on a piece of paper it can help the absorption. A good test session with really good comments from the judges can go a long way in helping a skater.” Part of the decision for Ladwig to look in another direction was his work as a technical representative for Jackson Skates, which often took him out of town and away from his students. “I always liked to work with my hands and liked to sharpen skates and I always felt a part of the technical process,” Ladwig said. “Transitioning into even more of a

ABOVE: Todd Eldredge works with his skaters at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in McKinney, Texas.

“Skating gave me the avenue to really become a well-rounded individual. As a judge, I feel I can be an asset and I can help.” MARK LADWIG

Photo by Ashley Deavers 2009

technical role was a natural fit for me, but it just wasn’t fair to the skaters when I was traveling so often.” Putting coaching on the shelf for the time being at least, Ladwig looked for something that would continue to keep him involved in the support of skaters. “There is a need for judges, particularly at test sessions,” Ladwig said. “The flexibility works well with my schedule and I get to still stay involved. It’s a perfect fit.” But getting that judging appointment, even for a championship skater, was not easy. “It was intense,” Ladwig said. “You’re watching programs with no music and you’re expected to critique and absorb and you have to do the edge calls, count the number of revolutions, know all of the codes - and get 90 percent of it all correct… I was sweating bullets like a competitor.” For those who have been in the sport for decades and have seen great success, it seems there is often a real drive to give back to the sport. “I had such an awesome career and it was such a great road,” Ladwig said. “Skating gave me the avenue to really become a well-rounded individual. As a judge, I feel I can be an asset and I can help.” And, when it comes right down to it, figure skating is all about goals and dreams. For those who stay in the sport —whether as a coach or a judge—they want to prepare and support skaters to experience some of the same successes they did. “I want to help a child achieve whatever goals they might have,” Eldredge said. “There are all types of aspirations and dreams out there. I want to help them be the very best they can be.”

Mark Ladwig takes the ice at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

PS MAGAZINE

Education CAROL ROSSIGNOL

Skating As A Form of Dance By Lorna Brown

igure Skating, even with all its specific elements, is much more akin to dance than any other form of sport, which has to be the most refined form of physical movement ever developed. The meticulous physical details in dance movement far surpass most other forms of physical activity in any other sport or form of exercise. In 1966, the American Dance Therapy Association was formed. All of the dance therapists were also dancers, choreographers and dance teachers. They all believed deeply in the therapeutic value of "Body Language" as an art form. The way we move is our way of communicating. Our face, hands and toes are the very tips of a star shape image. Hands are at the ends of our arms, toes are at the ends of our feet and our face is right at the top and shows how we feel more than anything else. The language of dance was probably the first form of communication ever, before verbal communication developed. To achieve the art of Body Language, we have to concentrate on the basic refining of the purity of movement. Visual Imagery We must never underestimate the power of visual imagery. Einstein was able to use his mind creatively and instinctively, allowing his subconscious to produce the potential of his dreams. To be truly great at anything, we have to develop both sides of our brains. It is important to develop analytical and aesthetic thinking. Another example is Leonardo da Vinci, who was not only a painter, but a sculptor, an architect, and an engineer too. Being artistic does not restrict you to just being artistic, as they have proved quite the opposite. Many great artists have very technical minds too. If we want skating to be more popular, the performance side of ice skating has to improve so we have to encourage those aspects to evolve more, and perhaps not eliminate the SP but change it into a purely creative AP, (Artistic Program) which would consist of a wide variety of strong, skilled skating edges, turns and movements with inventive and unusual spins and creative jumps together with explicit musical interpretation, without the same kind of contents as in the LP, and this could be judged purely by the rules of the PCS section of the IJS. It would also be judged on Style,

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Originality, Projection, Visual Imagery, Costume, Use of Space and Staging, etc. This would be great for the viewers and would make it more enjoyable for the skaters, to have two different kinds of programs. What we have now are two programs of the same kind; one is just longer than the other with more of the same kind of content. Ice Class Many years ago, Olympic Gold medalist John Curry developed a series of formal and informal exercises designed to develop the skater’s overall artistic and potential in relation to technical expertise. During these kind of exercises done in a “class situation” there can be an emphasis on the more artistic, aesthetic and emotionally expressive aspects of skating. Skaters are encouraged to develop their own creative abilities through the invention of new movements, based on the taught exercises, which is the way it is done in the world of dance. John Curry was also a classically trained ballet dancer, actor and singer as well as a figure skater. When I teach skaters in a “class situation” I often begin with everyone joining together and holding hands to form a circle, so in a way we are tuning in to each other’s energy. I encourage them to feel connected during the whole class experience, to inspire and encourage each other. This helps to loosen the feeling of separation which we often feel in a competitive skating atmosphere. From “the circle” at the beginning of the class, each skater introduces themselves individually for about 20 seconds, through their own creative body language, expressing who they are and what they are feeling at that time with the music. I encourage them to become the music and to allow the music to become them. Sometimes the skaters feel very inhibited as they have never done this before in an improvised way. Some are frozen and embarrassed and can’t let go at first, even though they may be talented, successful skaters. But in time, with practice and the encouragement from the other skaters there, who know how it feels to “let go”, they too find they can come out of their shells and express themselves openly, finding a new way of moving and “being”. They are allowing themselves a new found freedom

of self-expression. They can make a statement about who they are without having to say a word. It is very important to allow and encourage skaters to develop their own creative movements through body language. After the skaters feel tuned into the atmosphere of the class, I begin to go through all the exercises based on the original John Curry Classes which I personally did with John, when I was a principal skater in his company, adding my own creative ideas which combine contemporary and classical dance style body movements entwined with the exercises. We end with improvisation, to a selection of different styles of music, which encourages the skaters to use the exercises they have learned together with their own ideas with expression to and with the music. Creative ideas usually happen incidentally rather than intentionally, so improvisation is extremely important to bring this out and also develops the feeling for music, self-expression and confidence. Music Learning to play a musical instrument is vital to learning how to interpret music. It develops a much deeper understanding and feeling to be with the music physically, in a state of active imagination. It amazes me to see a skater improvise and unleash themselves with the music. All kinds of wonderful creative things happen instantaneously. Choosing music for any sort of skating program, is very personal no matter whatever level or age they are, it should suit the personality of the individual skater. If the skater is inexperienced or doesn't have a great knowledge of music, then we need to help them find what suits them best. They will not tire of the music if they really love it and it will bring out their body language naturally, expanding their imagination and becoming what they feel with your music. We have to learn to listen, feel and respond. I believe that through sound, music penetrates us and connects with us, through all our senses. We can dance a poem, or a vision of something we have seen, dance a dream we have had, or simply just express emotions. There are many forms of dance, whether on the floor or on the ice, it is a mind, body and spirit experience, and is an "in the moment and now experience" with a connection with everything around and within us. Some say you are only as good as your last performance, because it is a “live art" which thankfully we can now embed on video so easily for the whole world to see for evermore. Your visions can come through your body and create wonderful shapes and continuity of movement. You have to “allow” this to happen. Concentrated alone time, with music and the mirror, can be a very opening, evolving and creative. I began dance classes and performing when I was 3 years old, but it was not until was about 14 or 15 that I really understood about my true identity through selfexpression. I would sing and dance in-front of the mirror. This really developed a self-image of me giving me confidence and sort of inner camcorder in my brain so I thought I could see myself moving even without a mirror.

Inspiration When I was in my early teens, I found and read a very special book, which I could totally relate to, “My life” by Isadora Duncan. It was all inspiring but one line she wrote struck me most deeply in my mind which said, “I would stand motionless for hours, feeling every atom of my being”. This really amazed me and from then on I learned what that meant, and was able to feel that too- total self-awareness of the whole body, mind and spirit. A lot of us are too shy and self-conscious to show our feelings through body language, but love to go to the theatre and watch others dance, act and sing through their performances freely expressing themselves physically. This is a great way to get inspiration. Another way is to go to art galleries and anything you find inspiring and food for thought. When we are taught movements, then we begin to know the technique of how to move and about meaning and feeling of it too, then start to make them our own and bring the movements we have learned to life, within us and projecting those outwards. You hear people say “that was very moving”, that made my hairs stand on end, or that brought tears to my eyes. That is when the skater projects and communicates through their Body Language to others. When we allow ourselves to

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Kn ow l e dg e in t he N o rth

Produces

Quality Athletes Join us next year in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS

Quality Coaching

2015 PSA Conference & Trade Show

EXCELLENCE ON ICE

Wouldn’t you like to count your club or rink among the most progressive in the nation? Carolina Ice Palace

Marquette FSC

Central Iowa FSC

Mediacom Ice Park

Crystal Ice House

Park City Ice Arena

Germain Arena

Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society Ardmore, PA

North Charleston, SC Ankeny, IA

Crystal Lake, IL Estero, FL

Kendall Ice Arena Miami, FL

Marquette, MI

Springﬁeld, MO Park City, UT

REQUIREMENTS

NEW Approach!

To participate in the EOI program all coaches of the club or rink must be PSA members and carry liability insurance. Member coaches receive a variety of beneﬁts which include: seminars, workshops and conferences, eligibility for ratings and accreditation, group health insurance, liability insurance, PS Magazine subscription, and job placement services.

May 20-23, 2015

Remember to renew your EOI listing for the 2014-2015 membership year!

to be held

Radisson Blu Hotel—at the Mall of America— and the Bloomington Ice Garden Wednesday to Saturday

PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION

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Finally Our aim is to create a more articulate and coordinated skater, with increased awareness and ability to control more aspects of their performance, with expression, creativity, body language and style. What we want is to combine all those skillful elements, jumps, spins and steps, with the pure art of body language and style. Skating has always been classified as a beautiful, expressive, athletic, and aesthetic sport, but is turning out to be probably the most physically demanding of all sports. It is physically very hard to achieve great technical expertise, but it is even greater and more memorable to do it in style, and to create an everlasting impression by being “unique”. It is those who dare to be different who are remembered, and who leave an everlasting impression. Lorna Brown has a PSA Level VII Ranking; National and Olympic Coach for Denmark; Master Coach Certificate from NISA and BITA in the UK; British and World Professional Champion and a World and Olympic coach; Former National Coach of Denmark; Coached and choreographed for at least 50 National Champions and International medalists including two World Professional Champions

“let go” and stop thinking or trying, just allowing ourselves to “be” who we are, that is when the beauty of movement evolves and seems to just happen.

When choreographing, it is necessary to experiment if possible in the beginning, seeing what happens when we improvise to the music, not holding back so we can allow our bodies to speak. We have to learn to encourage the skater to feel uninhibited, open and confident. Ask them what the music makes them feel in an unpremeditated way. Even when programs have been designed, set, and choreographed with all the elements, we have to keep them alive, never letting it become or look repetitious or robotic and always feeling the sensation of the movement with energy of impulsiveness, and imagination. Reaching a higher level of consciousness and sensitivity. This is extremely hard when skaters are not so consistent with the technical elements, but if artistry and style are taught together from the beginning, I believe it will in time be molded into their body language forever. Sadly, when tension sets in during performance, the feelings can change everything and cause the skater to clamp up and in some cases, skaters can even completely leave out small sections of the choreography, which is why simulated performance experience is very important so that the skater is always aware and comfortable in front of an audience. Simulations are a great idea, and using the club recitals as well as actual competitions hrlp the skater become comfortable performing programs in front of others.

Choreography

Are You Looking For A Great Skating Opportunity? Come Join the World’s Greatest Skaters! Feld Entertainment® is looking for Male and Female Skaters for its U.S. and International Tours of Disney On Ice. For more information, please send a skating resume, photos and current video (3 – 6 minutes), and all contact information to: Judy Thomas Talent Director and Production Coordinator Feld Entertainment. 1313 17th Street. East Palmetto, FL 34221 USA Phone (941) 721-1234 • Fax (941) 349-4280 • Email jthomas@feldinc.com

PS MAGAZINE

4 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COAC Marina pictured at home in her garden with Shin Shin the dog and Winston the cat. PHOTO BY JACQUE TIEGS

2014 PSA Coach of the Year

MARINA ZOUEVA by Kent McDill

Marina Zoueva is the last person to suggest that she suffered from overconfidence heading into the Ice Dancing competition at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. But she kind of knew she was going to come out of the competition as the coach of a medal-winning team. She kind of knew she was going to come

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out as the coach of two medal-winning teams. After all, that is what happened in the previous Olympics, with the same teams. In the end, Zoueva was in fact the coach and choreographer for the American gold medal-winning ice dance pair of Meryl Davis and Charlie White as well as coach and choreog-

rapher of the Canadian silver medalwinning ice dance team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. That rare, if difficult to manage, double victory not only produced a wondrous week of skating for Zoueva, it also put her in position to be selected as the Professional Skaters Association Coach and Choreographer of the year.

CH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE Y Coach Marina with her dancers and coaching team of Oleg Epstein and Johnny Johns at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena PHOTO BY JACQUE TIEGS

Everything with Zoueva is heartfelt, and such was her feelings about being selected for the PSA honors. “That is very emotional for me,’’ said Zoueva, a native of Russia. “It’s a big thing for me.” The difference from Vancouver to Sochi, besides the flip-flop of gold and silver medal winners, is that she no longer worked with long-time coaching partner Igor Shpilband. The two disbanded in 2012. Zoueva, a former Soviet competitive ice dancer, was a successful choreographer before coming to the United States in 2001. She choreographed the program for two-time Olympic pairs champions Katia Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov at the 1989 World Championships, where the Russian pair won the gold medal. Zoueva, who also has Canadian citizenship, left Russia in 1991, moving first to Canada before transplanting to the Detroit, Mich., area. Zoueva began her association with Davis and White in 2001, guiding them as choreographer through U.S. Championships and Grand Prix and in 2006 they won their first national junior championship. As seniors, they got bronze medals at their first U.S. Championship and earned their way onto the World team. They won their first national senior gold at the U.S. Championships in 2009, and won the 2009-2010 Grand Prix Final gold as well, becoming the first American ice dancing team to do so. From 2010 on, the Davis-White duo were unstoppable on the national stage and consistent winners internationally, although they lost to Virtue and Moir at the 2010 Olympics. Meanwhile, back at the ranch in Canton, Mich., where Zoueva now sets up shop at the Arctic Edge rink

as part of the International Skating Academy, she began working with Virtue and Moir in 2006. She helped them win the 2010 Olympic gold in Vancouver and the World Championships in 2010 and 2012. It was after the 2012 Worlds that there seemed to be a turn of the skate in regards to the two teams, and White and Davis came out on top at the 2013 World Championship again. At Sochi, they became the first American ice dancing duo to win the gold medal. The pairs work in the same location with the same coach, but never together. Zoueva, clearly in a position where observers watch for any hint of favoritism, regards the four students as “individuals.” “I think of them as individuals, and they are really different,’’ Zoueva told PS Magazine. “I gave them individual attention. I saw the individual dreams for each team and each skater.” “Marina does an incredible job,” Davis said at the short dance press conference at the Sochi Olympics. “If you want to delve into it, the two teams have very different styles and approaches and strengths. She's an incredible coach. She knows a lot about life in general and she brings that to the ice with her. When those complexities arise between the two teams she does a wonderful job implementing necessary solutions.” So the setup in Sochi, where Zoueva was in position to come away with two medals, was clearly not unexpected.

Marina converses with Davis and White during practice at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. | PHOTO BY VICKI LUY

Unfortunately, the concern over favoritism reared its ugly head just hours after the competition when Moir said he felt Zoueva gave more attention to the American ice dancers. "We sometimes felt like [Zoueva] wasn't in our corner," Moir said. "We had some odd things happen this year. We expected Marina to be on our team and work with us like in Vancouver.” Although she never addressed the accusation (which Moir later said was not so much a complaint as it was a statement of fact), Zoueva did

PS MAGAZINE

PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH OF THE YEAR • 2014 PSA COACH The avid animal-lover with her pet rabbit, Mr. Bun. PHOTO BY JACQUE TIEGS

“I have new skaters, new teams, and a new feel. I’m really excited to look forward. I want to use my talent to help those teams reach their goals.”

perform a dance of her own during the Olympics. She would bounce from one pair to the other, and would switch her Canadian jacket for an American one for her appearance in the kiss-and-cry boxes awaiting scores. The pairing of pairs reached slightly silly levels at the post-event press conference when the four skaters appeared together, joked with each other, and

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showed genuine affection while one pair celebrated and the other celebrated a little less. “We’re linked forever,’’ White said at the time. What the future holds for Zoueva is unknown, but she knows she wants to have a future in coaching and choreography. While the status of her two award-winning teams remains uncertain, Zoueva still has many students she is working with at her home rink, and she wants to add to her education (she earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Science from St. Petersburg University before leaving home). At first, she did not understand a suggestion that she might retire, having been a part of back-to-back (in two different ways) Olympic gold and silver medal performances. “You are joking with me,’’ she said with a bright laugh. “I have new skaters, new teams, and a new feel. I’m really excited to look forward. I want to use my talent to help those teams reach their goals.”

Riedell Through the Years by Terri Milner Tarquini

t seems impossible to believe that when Paul and Sophie Riedell began their fledgling skate manufacturing company in 1945 that they could have imagined that their product would one day put someone in the Guinness Book of World Records. But 43 years later and almost 5,000 miles away from the birth of Riedell Skate Company, Kurt Browning landed the first official quadruple jump in competition at the 1988 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The accomplishment earned him record book honors, as well as the first of his four World Championship titles. “Kurt Browning has been a Riedell skate wearer and product endorser throughout his career,” said Dan Riegelman, vice president of Riedell Skates and grandson of Paul Riedell. “He has given our skates a tremendous amount of credibility and exposure through his skating over the years.” Paul Riedell, a former Red Wing Shoes Employee, was passionate about wanting to design skates that were both accessible and affordable to skaters when he set up his small shop in Minnesota with just a couple of employees. “Our company was started by two extremely passionate people who had an absolute love of skating and transferred that love into a life mission of offering other people the chance to experience ice skating through their creative, distinctive

and affordable skate building process,” Riegelman said. Almost 80 years later, that life mission grew into what is unquestionably a family mission as well, with Riedell Skates beginning to groom the fourth generation to possibly one day helm the company. Riegelman’s mother and father were both involved in the company that his grandparents started, but when both of his parents retired, Riegelman and his three brothers— Bob, Scott and Paul—took over the reins. “We now have over 90 dedicated employees that make the Riedell brand a choice for many of the world’s best athletes,” he said. “The passion certainly remains today in the third generation of ownership and management.” Three generations means the family has seen some changes in the product that Riedell started producing. “In 1945, the skate was very tall, into the calf area,” Riegelman said. “They were made of very thin, glove-type leather with minimal reinforcement, but they had great flexibility.” Put in historic figure skating context, Riedell set up shop at the heart of the Dick Button era—three years before Button won is first Olympic gold medal and landed the first double Axel at the 1948 Winter Olympics. “As time went on, there have been different demands put on figure skaters and much more difficulty in the sport,”

Riegelman said. “So now they’re shorter, more reinforced, and stiffer.” Some of those universal changes in figure skates have stirred up some questions as to issues with boots that some feel might be resulting in injuries to the athletes. U.S. Figure Skating has developed a subcommittee to look into injuries related to ongoing training, such as low back problems, alignment and tracking issues, hip and groin pain, ankle sprains, tendonitis in the foot and ankle, and stress fractures. “There are issues that need to be addressed from an injury prevention standpoint with both equipment and training,” Riegelman said. “There are a lot of factors to consider that can run the gamut from overtraining, starting kids doing too difficult of things at too young of an age, not recognizing physical limitations, choosing the correct boot style, the interfacing of the boot and blade and even sharpening. It’s easy to point a finger in one direction, but the issues are probably multi-faceted.” In an effort to educate so as to minimize its role with these issues, Riedell offers clinics and seminars for parents, dealers and the skating community at large, as well as information on their website about Riedell boots and Eclipse blades. “There are a lot of younger skaters out there who are in boots way beyond their level,” he said. “We’ve tried to bring our more product information about what is

PS MAGAZINE

From the archives...

the proper boot and blade for the different levels of skating. The skater needs to have the appropriate type skate in the correct size—not hope the skater is going to grow into the level or size somewhere down the road. If the skates don’t fit properly, the skater can’t perform properly.” With this in mind, one of the high points for the manufacturing of figure skates as a whole was brought about by this increased reinforcement. “Certainly one of the more notable changes in the industry was the heat molding of skates,” Riegelman said. “With the increase in firmness, we certainly want to shape and contour as much as possible for each unique foot.” Implementing the use of different materials in addition to the traditional leather has gone a long way in the skate itself being able to fulfill its job. “The changes in materials have provided a lot of benefits and helped with a skate’s longevity, plus it has provided better balance, better comfort and a better fit,” Riegelman said. “The top three things a skate really must provide is balance, shock absorption and propulsion. The foot is very complex. It has 26 bones held together by ligaments and bones so there’s a lot that needs to be considered.” Some considerations that were tried and discarded by the industry include a ratchet buckle, a ski boot-type strap and Velcro straps. Different blade mounting designs have also been proposed through the years—everything from springs to hinges. “By and large, the products introduced have been fairly conservative,” he said. “As an industry we tend to be resistant to change, but I definitely think the industry

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is looking for some innovation where design and performance are concerned.” What the industry could also use is a little help from the economy. On the record books, the most recent recession officially ended in 2009, but many businesses have found that the slump continues. “I think the effect of our industry was a little delayed, but we have certainly been affected,” Riegelman said. “I think for a bit we were insulated because of what tends to be more affluent families on the high-end competitive side, but as the effects of the recession started taking hold on more and more families, it has certainly affected us as an industry, as a business, and as a sport.” Even the spike that usually occurs following the Winter Games was not what it usually is. “Typically the last three or four Winter Olympics, our industry and our business has seen an increase in skate sales,” Riegelman said. “Having said that, it was a little flatter this time around.” As far as interest in the sport, a strong time was during the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding period - and the business of skate manufacturing was no different. “It was thought of as a black eye for the sport, but for us it was a high time,” Riegelman said. “It wasn’t a great thing to happen, but it was a great thing for skating. It put skating in the visibility of the general public.” It’s less about scandal, however and more about a skater that captures figure skating fans and the viewing public at large. When that happens it is always good for business, no matter how many different ways the pie is split. “Strong times for us come when there

are really exciting events and exciting skaters that bring notoriety to our sport. Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi are strong skaters that young kids want to emulate,” he said. “There is certainly increased competition out there from other manufacturers and vendors but Riedell is still enjoying a fairly strong market share, both in North American and globally.” At the 2010 Winter Games, Riedell skates were worn by five of the competitors for the United States. This year, four competitors - all from outside the U.S. were outfitted in Riedell skates. However, while competition for a skater’s dollar and allegiance might be getting more competitive, the places to go to get the product are harder to find. “Retailers and dealers have been on the decline; there are not as many knowledgeable skate technicians and shop owners out there,” Riegelman said. “It used to be that retailers carried multiple styles and widths and that’s not the case as much anymore. It makes the consumers choice much more limited.” In response to less neighborhood skate shops, Riedell is doing more business in house than in their history. “With the limited availability, some people are going to the Internet,” Riegelman said. “But this is a precision piece of equipment we’re dealing with here. It needs to be properly fitted and measured. We service a lot more skaters here at our facility in the last five years or so than we ever have before.” With less retailers and dealers willing to gamble on large amounts of stock, there are also less rinks to nurture the dreams of up and coming skaters.

...to present day

The Riegelman brothers: Scott, Bob, Paul, and Dan

“There was a time when rinks were being built left and right and a lot of those are no longer,” Riegelman said. “The up and down swings of the economy affect the industry and it affects the amount of kids who skate.” With more manufacturing competition but less aspiring athletes, Riegelman said it is his company’s foremost mission to produce a superior product at a

manageable price. “We continue to improve the manufacturing efficiencies and increase product offerings,” he said. “We want to have a young person to, ideally, start in Riedell skates and grow from a beginning skater up through their whole career—wherever that may take them. And maybe they’ll be the next exciting star that ignites interest in the sport.”

In 2014, Riegelman accepted the Frank J. Zamboni Award for contribution to ice sports, but it is just one of many awards bestowed on the family business through the years, including Paul Riedell’s induction into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame. “It’s been a long history and legacy,” Riegelman said, “but it’s a fun industry to be a part of.”

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PART

1898-1930

Judging

by Bruce Poodles

The history of Judging: The Introduction of the Modern Era of the International Style

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Willy Boeckl executes his f igures at the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. PHOTO COURTESY World Figure Skating Museum & Hall Of Fame

“ The judging problem in f igure skating has reached a point where radical changes are imperative. Hardly a competition goes by without some bitter debate in which not only the competitors but even the judges enter. Human opinion is the big bugbear in judging f igure skating, and it must be eliminated through f ixing the standard of perfection and regulating the importance of different variations f rom that standard. The diff iculty lies mainly in the inability of anyone to eliminate the human element or psychological factor f rom judging. To obviate that diff iculty and be rid of other less important inconsistencies, regardless of differences of nationality, style, or whatnot is the problem.” 1 1

RICHARD L. HAPGOOD, The Judging P roblem. Skating Magazine May 1925

nterestingly, the above quote was written in SKATING, the official United States Figure Skating Association publication, in an article called, “The Judging Problem.” The year was 1925, nearly 90 years ago. It seems as much as things change, they remain the same. In over 115 years of skating competitions, there was rarely a time when there was not a judging controversy. The first great judging dispute occurred in 1893 at the European Championships, the result of different interpretations of scoring rules. The host club named one skater champion while the German and Austrian skating association named another. Ultimately the ISU annulled the competition. It created such uproar that eventually, Ary Prins, the ISU secretary at the time resigned and the President, Willem Mulier of the Netherlands, announced

that he would step down at the end of his term.2 As for the system itself, George H. Browne3 writes that by 1900, there was a great divide in the way skating was judged on the world stage; specifically in the United States and in England. England’s system created very proficient skaters but at the expense of individual freedom. The English standard was rigid and didn’t suit all skaters. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Americans were given great latitude to express themselves but at the same time, it was difficult to figure out what local judges were looking for. The National Amateur Skating Association of the United 2 the 3 the

JAMES R. HINES, Figure Skating, a History, University of Illinois P ress and World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame, 2006 GEORGE H. BROWNE, A Handbook of Figure Skating, Arranged for Use on Ice, Barney & Berry 1900

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Figure 1 States, the precursor of the USFSA, which was later formed in 1921, allowed for three judges and a scorer for each event and the scoring system used consisted of a range equal to the number of entries down to zero. For example, an event with 3 skaters had a scale of 0–3. An event with 9 skaters: 0–9. The best skater would be given a nine. If there was a tie at the top, those skaters would both receive 9’s and the next skater would be given a 7; subtracting the number of skaters above him from the number of skaters in the event. One caveat that is still the same today is that a fall does not necessarily constitute a failure. The judges would independently mark the figure and then compare the marks; the majority decides the outcome. Mr. Browne noted the injustice of counting all numbers alike. A good skater could lose more points on a figure that they could subsequently make up. The International Eislauf Verein (IEV – the ISU as it was then known) rules which were first used in 1898. Browne says each figure was graded on a range from 0–5 by five judges. Zero equals “not skated or failure.” Five is considered faultless. Similar to today, the range represents the quality of execution of the program component marks. The skaters performed 8 required figures and then the free skate. The free skate was judged on the same range, receiving a mark for difficulty and variety, and one for the manner of performance, which considered harmonious composition, surety, pose, etc. The scores of each judge were added together and then ranked. The ranks are then added together and the winner was the skater with the lowest total of ordinals. Controversy raged at the world championships in Davos as Gustav Hugel defeated Urich Salchow by the lowest total of ordinals, even though Salchow had earned 8 more points. The difference between the Continental and English Style continued to fuel the debate. While the U.S. began using the international style in competitions in 1911, it was not until later that the U.S. formally conformed to the IEV scoring system. One additional issue that plagued skating competitions was the length of the event. One championship that took place in 1893 with six contestants required six hours.4 The clearest of descriptions of the judging system after 1900 is from the book, Art of Skating, by Irving Brokaw in 1910, and reprinted in the United States by the American Sports Publishing Company in 1913.5 Both the European and World championships were required to have five judges. Minor competitions, as most local competitions were called, could use a minimum of three and the judges were selected, “…if possible,” says Brokaw, “from among expert skaters.” The judges were to be separated from each other while forming their opinions independently, the marks written on official judging cards (fig. 1). For the school figure portion of the competition, each figure skated was multiplied by a predetermined factor according to its difficulty. The sum of all the figures executed was the total score for the compulsories for that skater. It was noted in The Art of Skating that the scores were marked on a scale of 0-6. Referring to Skating Around the World: International Skating Union, the One Hundredth Anniversary History 1892 -1992, by Ben Wright, 4 5

J. F. BACON, The American Style, Skating Magazine January 1928 IRVING BROKAW, The Art of Skating, American Sports Publishing 1913

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the 1901 Congress voted to change the scale. Wright wrote, “The scale of marks to be used was changed to 0 to 6, still in use today, with the 6 being defined as ‘faultless’”.6 The computation of the scores in the early 1900’s was similar to the 6.0 system used recently. That is the winning The Art of Skating skater had the majority of 1st place ordinals. George H. Brown wrote in 1924, “Every judge must arrange the skaters in ordinal sequence according to the total points on his score-card, so that the skater with the highest total shall receive the ordinal number I, the next highest II, etc. If two or more skaters have the same total, the higher score for prescribed figures decides the ordinal rating between them. The calculations of the Judges’ score-cards may be made only after the completion of the free-skating.” 7 Mr. Browne goes on to explain, “The winner is the one who is given first place by an absolute majority of the judges. Second is the one who receives the absolute majority of the remaining I and II places, leaving out of account the ordinals falling to the winner. Third is the one who receives the absolute majority of the remaining I, II, and III places, leaving out of account the ordinals falling to the first and the second.” To break ties, the Total Ordinal Majority (TOM) was used. If both skaters had the same total number, then the skater with the higher points prevailed. If the skaters were still tied, the sum of the figures skated would be the final tie breaker. From the very beginning of organized competitions, there was controversy regarding judging. Skating correspondents of the era often criticized both the impartiality and the lack of knowledge of the skills required to rank the skaters. The 1925 ISU Congress was contentious with many issues strongly debated. George Browne wrote in SKATING Magazine that among the many issues argued, the scoring system and the selection of judges were among the most heated. He said, “Of course, the difficulties in the way of quick and summary agreement at these Congresses on what seem to us comparatively simple matters are intensified by the fact that there are now no fewer than seventeen sets of toes to be stept [sic] on, and seventeen different inherited racial traditions and tendencies to contend with.” Browne reported that the Austrians were pushing to increase 6 Benjamin T. Wright, Skating Around the World: International Skating Union, the One Hundredth Anniversary History 1892 -1992, Davos Platz, 1992 7 GEORGE H. BROWNE, The International Skating Union. Skating Magazine February 19 24

the importance of the free skating performance. He quoted the Austrians as saying, “Beauty, which should be an essential element of artistic skating, is not sufficiently taken into account in the present day evaluation of our skating.” The free skate was evaluated on the contents of the program and the performance. The Austrians pushed for a third focus; the Aesthetic Impression as a whole. As with many proposals, it did not pass and instead the IEV decided on adding “rhythm” to the performance clause.8 Another proposal shot down was an attempt to increase the total points allowed for the free skate from 12 to 48. A quote by Mr. W. Jakobsson, an ISU member from Finland asked, answered, and showed the current mood of the delegates. “What is modern Free Skating? A restless running around on the ice, interrupted by spins, jumps, spread eagles, and more spins!”9 Also at the time, the Austrians maintained that with twothirds of the final score assigned to “prescribed-skating” as the compulsory and special figures were then called, one-third to free skating was too large a gap. Austria proposed that a committee question the raising of free skating to three-quarters of the total. Previously, Norway had proposed a fifty-fifty split which was voted down. Interestingly, since the comparative importance of free skating to school figures was initially established, there have undoubtedly been countless discussions, and of course many a disgruntled loser, whose free skating did not warrant defeat, but only fueled the debate for change. On the final day of the 1925 Congress, the judge’s selection commission was on the hot seat. In 1911, a commission had been appointed at the Congress with the task of selecting judges in order to improve the quality of the results. From the beginning the commission was under fire for alleged abuses in the appointment of judges. Mr. Browne wrote that one member thought, “…that the Committee is a superfluous collection of dignitaries without corresponding utility.” While the arguments were strong for the dissolution of the commission, it was retained at a vote of 11-2. Browne finished his report with the following, “…the beautiful art of skating will progress, even if Congresses continue to give us too many bad rules… what our judges need, in my opinion, is not legislation, but education.” A few months later, an article appeared in SKATING Magazine called, “The Judging Problem.”10 Scribed by Richard Hapgood, he questioned the basis of “6” on which to “mark” performances. For years, judges and skaters “discussed the difficulty of grading skaters on so limited of a scale.” Why he asked, has no one suggested a scale of 10? In addition to exploring the virtues of the “10,” Hapgood strongly suggested that the factors applied be reviewed. Factors represented the difficulty of each prescribed figure; the higher the number, the more difficult the figure. Each judge’s score was multiplied by the factor. The factor for an outside eight was the same as a forward change double three. More notably, Hapgood suggested that decimals used in determining the factor as well as in marking, would significantly simplify the 8 GEORGE H. BROWNE, The International Skating Union (Again), Skating Magazine February 1925 9 W. JAKOBSSON, Finland, Criticism on the Modern Tendencies of Free Skating, Skating Magazine April1927. Reprinted from Der Eissport. 10 RICHARD L. HAPGOOD, The Judging Problem, Skating Magazine, May 1925

mathematical process of judging, leading to a more satisfactory conclusion for both competitions and testing. This same year, the United States Figure Skating Association was being proactive, forming a small committee to create a standardization of judging. Among their initial recommendations reported by Hapgood was, “the division of common faults in prescribed figures, under major, medium and minor headings with the deduction of so many points for each.” But what constituted a major or minor fault was still to be seriously questioned. This amounts to standardizing the process, and secondly finding judges who could be depended upon to mark according to those ideas. A larger issue brought up by Hapgood was that unlike the circumstances in Europe, the skating styles in America were by no means limited to regional areas, but different in almost every club in the country. The differences of opinion on the fundamental points of skating standards were numerable. Hapgood said, “In free skating, some advocated placing the program in the middle of the ice and others demand a free skater to cover the entire ice surface. Ideas vary on the composition, variety and difficulty of single’s programs.” Furthermore, the USFSA previously enacted a rule allowing a competitor to protest a judge twenty-four hours before a competition, “on grounds of inexperience, incompetence, or what not.” Unfortunately, the idea was eagerly seized upon by the skaters to secure judges inclined to prefer their style of skating.11 Up until 1928, international judging was in an unsatisfactory state. It was typical that a club entering a skater would demand a club judge. In 1927, the men’s event was swept by the Austrians, three of the judges represented the three men’s skating clubs, and of course Austria. At that same competition, Sonja Henie won her first world title, judged by three Norwegian judges. In the 11th issue of SKATING Magazine in February 1927, an article previously published in the German skating magazine, “Der Eissport”, written by ISU member, Dr. Alois Sliva of Czechoslovakia was translated.12 Among the statements made by Dr. Silva was, “the human element in every judge made it impossible for him not to be influenced by the style of skating to which he was accustomed. Faulty judging cannot be charged where judges give the best place to skaters of their specific school. A monopoly of opinion, he continued, can be obtained through a one-sided collection of judges, and the blame for this should be placed on the committee who made the selection.” At the Congress in Davos, a committee was formed, to which Dr. Sliva and Mr. Jakobsson were appointed, to look into the issue. The following year, the ISU passed a rule that only one judge per country could be on a judging panel. A second article in the February issue focused on the importance of school figures and the free skate. A. Winsor Weld13 wrote: Are not, or rather should not, our School Figures be used as a means of developing a skater’s form, control, accuracy, and power, to the end that he or she be able to give a beautiful and finished Free Skating Program? If they are to be used as at present why would it not continued on page 33 11 RICHARD L. HAPGOOD, The Renaissance of Figure Skating, Skating Magazine April 1927 12 DR. ALOIS SLIVA , Judging, Skating Magazine, February 1927 13 A.WINSOR WELD, Language or Grammar, Skating Magazine, February 1927

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What Would Marina Zoueva Do? When Meryl Davis and Charlie White skated to victory in Sochi last February, M a r i n a Zoueva finally accomplished something that no ice dance coach before her had ever been able to do: her skaters brought an Olympic gold medal home to the United States. A two-time national bronze medalist in her native Russia in the 1970s, Zoueva went on to pursue her choreography degree from the National Theatre Institute of Moscow and was given what would end up being a plum assignment: to create a routine for future pairs powerhouses Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov. She choreographed for the elite team throughout the 1980s and worked with them again on their 1994 gold medal Olympic routines. Having come to North America to coach in 1991, Zoueva coached the gold medalists in ice dance for the last two Winter Games—2014 Olympic champions Davis and White, 2010 Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Her teams have also won gold at the World Figure Skating Championships for four successive years beginning in 2010, which begs the question: “What Would Marina Zoueva Do?”

What is your main goal for your skaters? My main goal for each skater is to find his or her best talent. What do you think are some important things ice dance can teach skaters? Ice dance can give them ideas on total freedom of expression. Also, they have to be extremely tuned in to perfect their feet placement for turns and twizzles, along with the other elements. Most young skaters do not start out ice dancing solely, but many ultimately decide just to focus on that one discipline. What are some important qualities a coach should look for in a skater

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who can be a successful ice dancer? Coordination and ability for movement of the body. What has to be there to pair two skaters together? Balance of body proportion and that they complement each other. It has been said that with the loss of figures, it is more challenging to teach things like generation of power, knee bend, body lilt, etc. Do you agree and, if so, do you think ice dance has a more important role for singles skaters in the post-figures era? Yes, regarding the loss of figures. Ice dance now has more of a role—it brings figure skating to a new level as far as technique. In all of the aspects of skating —with testing, with moves in the field or with competitive skating, anything in which there is a footwork sequence—it requires a better understanding of the use of edges. This has been going on in ice dance for many years, when compulsory ice dances were a very integral part of the competition. You were coaching Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (with Igor Shpilband) when they won the silver medal in 2005 and followed it with a silver at the Olympics the following year, marking the first time American ice dancers had been on the podium in 30 years. What was it like being a part of that? It felt like a good start for the U.S. to build more world and Olympic champions. Do you feel the follow-up has been what you thought it could have been? Absolutely. Not only was this the first time the U.S. won a gold medal in ice dance at the Olympics, there was also two world championships, not to mention record wins in the Grand Prix finals for the past four or five years if I am not mistaken. In 2011, the U.S. had two medalists at the world championships (Meryl Davis/Charlie White and Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani, both teams worked with Zoueva.) So, yes, 2006 was a building block toward the future of ice dance in the U.S. Multiple times in your career you have coached teams who are competing against each other - most recently, Meryl Davis/Charlie White and

By Terri Milner Tarquini

Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir at the 2014 Winter Games. What is your advice for training direct competitors? Do the best for each team and treat them individually and then follow their individual character and talent. At the 2010 Olympics, Virtue and Moir won the gold medal and Davis and White took home the silver. In Sochi, they swapped spots. An Olympic medal is an amazing accomplishment, but Virtue and Moir expressed disappointment. How as a coach can you handle this with your skaters? Make them proud of the job they did. And we did everything possible together to get the best results. That is always the truth. What is the feeling of seeing your skaters winning Olympic medals? From when I started coaching them as children, I developed their character. Now I have three Olympic champion teams and I feel very proud of each of them for our accomplishments. When you talk about developing character, what do you focus on? To be mentally stronger to handle highlevel pressure in competition. To make the individual feel very secure in themselves as people and skaters—this will make them able to train daily with their competition in the same arena. Teach them life discipline, which makes them able to handle daily training properly. And teach them to love what they do, which in turn will enhance their skating and performances. Ice dance has been plagued by allegations and rumors of judging conspiracy. There were even murmurs of possible improprieties in Sochi. How do you respond? I know my job and I stay focused on my tasks. All of the other stuff is a distraction that I have no time for. Are you a fan of the IJS system? Yes, I like it, but there are too many rules for ice dance. You had a highly successful partnership with Igor Shpilband that ended after 11 years. Do you have advice for team coaching? Coaches have to complement each other, just like a skating team.

continued from page 33

Marina with Meryl and Charlie at the Arctic Ice Arena last September

What is your favorite dance to watch when it is performed really well? Tango Romantica—skated by Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexsandr Gorshkov (the 1976 Olympic ice dance champions from Russia.) If there was one thing you could change about the sport, what would it be? Make all officials and judges professional, similar to other major sports, like hockey and baseball. Give them a salary and make them more accountable. If you hadn’t been a skating coach, what would you have done? I would have an exotic animal farm and do ceramics. Do you have an overall skating philosophy or mission statement? Every individual has a special talent. My goal is to find that talent and nurture it in order for each person to reach their full potential. What are your plans for the future? Train a new generation of figure skaters that will bring a lot of new things (to skating) and can increase audience appeal so more kids will come into our wonderful sport.

be logical to include among them or at least in that section of a competition, jumps, spins, and spread-eagles, which are also equally important elements of most Free Skating Programs? By no means would I go so far as to advocate the complete elimination from competitions of School Figures; although good arguments might be advanced even for this. I do suggest, however, a distinct reversal of their present rating as compared with Free Skating. Another matter was the translation of the rules. According to noted historian, Ben Wright, “The official language of the ISU (IEV) was originally German.” At the ISU Congress in 1929 it was decided the official ISU publications would also be published in French and English. After World War II, English became the official language when the Headquarters was moved to Davos and George Hasler became the general secretary. Also in 1929, an ISU sub-committee brought forth before the congress the 1925 Austrian plan to divide the free skate into three portions. It was once again defeated as many of the delegates considered that it would place too severe a strain on the judges.14 Interesting by comparison, a separate Austrian proposal to use 1/10ths marks was passed as was a proposal to use a decimal point in the factor for Free Skating. While introducing the use of decimals would be a leap forward for the scoring of competitions, it does bring up a great question of why delegates approved the decimal but decided against adding aesthetic impression The author of Modern Figure Skating, T.D. Richardson wrote in 1930, “…the ideal competition judge is (1) entirely lacking in the bowls of compassion, (2) critical and intolerant, (3) to all intents and purposes completely sexless, (4) disloyal to his friends, and (5) unpatriotic.”15 He went on to write, “Unless you can skate them, or have been at one time an absolutely first-class exponent of them, it is practically impossible to understand and appreciate and thus judge, with any exactitude, advanced figure skating.” There is an absolute parallel to the impression currently held by most coaches and skaters today that judges should be former skaters at a level comparable to the level they are judging. Richardson also concluded that there was an effect of cultural differences on each judge’s interpretation of the ISU rules. On the Continent, as mainland Europe was known, free skating played a far more prominent role than it did in England. English judges were inclined to stress the importance of school figures and did not appreciate the beauty and difficulty of a free skating performance. Continental judges according to Richardson, tend to over mark the free skating. In international competitions, this resulted in figure skaters who were excellent free skaters placing above skaters who were better-rounded. Even in 1930, critics were already complaining of the rapid progress of young skaters at the expense of style. It was apparent that from the first organized skating event, the compulsory and special figures were doomed. Special figures did not last much past 1908, and compulsory figures were degraded piece by piece until they were eliminated in 1991. 14 J. L. PRESCOT T, Our Delegate’s Report of I.E.V. Congress, at Oslo, May 30, 1929 Skating Magazine November 1929 15 T.D. RICHARDSON, Modern Figure Skating, Methuen and Co. LTD., London 1930

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Legal Ease DAVID SHULMAN

Nothing Has Changed...Yeah, but Everything is Different! C

oaches who faithfully read the articles written for this column are often seeking a short answer to a long standing problem. It is a surprised reader who discovers that universal truths involving competitive skaters (and competitive parents! ) exist in all clubs, in all skating associations and in all locker rooms occupied by coaches. It gives all parties pause to know that they can take comfort in knowing time honored answers are available through time honored rules of ethics, established through years of experience in settling issues that arise. It is safe to say that with the adoption of "SafeSport", activities inconsistent with good practices will be quickly discovered. But hold on...things change. The training of skaters has changed. Does anyone not use off ice training for competing skaters? Another way to ask these questions... Did anyone, over age forty-five, now coaching, do off-ice training? Anything beyond ballet classes did not exist. The changes in the training of skaters changed with an everquickening tempo. In addition, coaches were finding all kinds of new legal issues. Claims against skating coaches for conduct not appropriate went public. Like members of the Clergy, coaches who traveled and lived with the skaters they taught made these coaches easy targets for opportunistic students and their parents. Soon it became clear some coaches were acting out as cold predictors. Some were falsely accused and spent years and much treasure on clearing away false claims. Soon the words "risk management" became daily concerns. Insurance had to be budgeted. Not because of the claims, but as much to cover ever more expensive lawyers fees for defending against claims. During a presentation at Conference, a coach asked how it is possible to manage a situation that turns ugly when you never thought there was a problem. It was at that moment the phrase "Risk Recognition" emerged. It seems clear now that coaches were always headed for trouble if they didn't know what they don't know. Solution? Easy! Required attendance with instruction on practical connection between the ethical rules and the day to day dealing with parent(s), skaters, employers, officials and other coaches. The way we teach coaches how to coach would forever change. PSA, through its long history of working with coaches

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

and now tightly tethered to U.S. Figure Skating, would move into the world of first recognizing the risk. Managing the risk comes later. As all of this was developing, the skating publicâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;consumer of coaches servicesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was experiencing a rising tide of complaints of unethical acts by coaches. Reports of criminal activity was the subject of nightly news "breaking news" stories. Activities about which there were whispers, now required criminal reports and social service investigation. Mandatory reporting became the subject of meetings, hearings, and court cases. Judgment based upon some solid historical past used to count for something. Letters agreeing to a deal did not have to have confirming letters and acknowledgement confirming that which was confirmed! You could take a few days off for a vacation with your family with no fear that upon return to the rink your skaters had all changed to another coach. So, in legal-ease terms, what next? 1. All dealings in the future with your skating families will need a general written outline of what you will be providing to the skater and how and when you will be compensated 2. Any trips taken with skaters, including competition, require separate housing, live-in, and sleeping arrangements 3. At least one same-sex parent to be along as chaperone for every three skaters 4. Permission given in writing by parent/guardian to travel and for you to make "best judgment" medical decisions in event of any injury to the skater. Secure a waiver of claim against you for any injury that might occur to the skaters during any part of trip in which you are involved. 5. Be absolutely sure you have PSA liability insurance in force NOW 6. Have contact numbers for all parents. If divorce is an issue obtain ALL contact numbers. This list is only an outline. It should start you thinking of your particular needs with your skaters. Reminder...Risk Recognition means you will know what risk needs to be managed.

to ISI�s National Events! Winter Classic

Feb. 13-15 St. Peters Rec-Plex St. Peters, MO Entry & Test Deadline: Dec. 1 skateisi.org/winterclassic

Holiday Challenge

Dec. 5-7 Pickwick Ice Gardens & Pasadena Ice Skating Center Burbank & Pasadena, CA Entry & Test Deadline: Oct. 10 skateisi.org/holidaychallenge

Synchronized Championships

April 10-12 Goggin Ice Center Miami University Oxford, OH Entry Deadline: Feb. 1 skateisi.org/synchro

Conference Championships

May 22-24 Nashoba Valley Olympia Boxborough, MA Entry & Test Deadline: March 1 skateisi.org/conferencechamps

World Recreational Team Championships

July 27-Aug. 1 Edge Ice Arena Bensenville, IL Entry & Test Deadline: May 1 skateisi.org/worlds

Tom Zakrajsek Is In The (G2C) House!

Sheila Thelen PRESIDENT – Champion Cords EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR –

Grassroots To Champions

Champion Cords was THRILLED to be at the 6th Annual Grassroots To Champions SUPER CAMP in Lansing, Michigan! This HUGE event had: Audrey Weisiger, Tom Zakrajsek, Kori Ade, Pasquale Camerlengo, Nick Perna, Chris Conte, Trevor Laak, Douglas Webster, Doug Mattis, Jeremy Barrett, Mirai Nagasu, Dr. Caroline Silby, Kate McSwain, Zach Donahue, Madison Hubbell, Ryan Bradley, Jordan Moeller & Sheila/me!! (Also attending: 40 FANTASTIC Guest Coaches!) Image how great it was—to look out onto the ice and see Tom Zakrajsek working with an advanced skater—USING CHAMPION CORDS! Thanks Tom! We truly appreciate you using Champion Cords to help skaters LEARN & FEEL & SUCCEED. I hope YOU can attend next year! It really is a life changing event for Skaters AND Coaches! The G2C Family is truly special.

»»CHAMPION CORDS ARE ENDORSED BY THE PSA Champion Cords can be purchased online at the PSA Store www.skatepsa.com

www.ChampionCords.com

PS MAGAZINE

Welcome coaches!

New

MEMBERS NEW MEMBER SPONSOR Paige AISTROP Aubrie ANDERSON Sara BARBER Stefania BERTON Brittany BESSE Manon BIBEAU Alexis BLODGETT Gabriella BLOUNT David BOTERO Laia BOVE IMHOFF Veronique BREEN Jordan BUCKHOLTZ Krista BUSSI Isabelle CARTER Courtney CASHMAN Hayley CHAMBERLIN Lee CHANDLER Li CHANG Taylor CHAPMAN Colleen CLANCY Brandon CONRAD Breanna COREY Kristin COWAN Kelly CRITCHFIELD Jennifer CROSBY Annika DAHLGREN Emily DAHURON Tracey DANIELS Christopher DEAN Cheyenne DEMAY Susan DEMPSEY Genevieve DEWYEA Jordan DINWIDDIE Charlene DURHAM Katelyn ECKERT Vanessa EMSWILER Samantha ESPOSITO Taylor FEDERIGHI Jillian FERGUSON Pam GARVERICK Amanda GARZA Nora GETTINS Lauren GIBBONS Chelsea GOESSL Ellie GOGGIN Helen GRADWELL Vladimir GRISHIN Jill GROW Aurora HALL Alexandra HAYDEN Elizabeth HECKMAN Katherine HEINE Kimberly HEITKAM Nina HERRON Brittany HOFFMANN

Steven Rice Rebecca Gallion Jamey Barber Rockne Brubaker Andrea Newsham MaryLyn Gelderman Michelle Hunt Dawn Victorson Bennett Christine Binder Brandon Forsyth Peter Breen Jane Boundy Don Mitchell Beverly Fernald Larry Schrier Val Matzke Ashleigh Renard Bing Yang Liu Ruthann Chapman Jennifer Heurlin-Brenne Carla Bressler John Mucko Randy Clark Heather Aseltine Amy Torcasso Michele Dahlgren Kim Jones Helene Wolf Patti Gottwein-Britton Jenny Gwyn John Mucko Jane Moody Jordan Dinwiddie Leslie Chabot Carl Kurtz Laurie Winkle Farah Gholamazad Dona Bengson Teresa Yuengert Karen Mowery Johnathan Barksdale Igor Lisovsky Brittney Podolsky Katie Kerley Cherise Hanvey Kris Shakarjian Amy Torcasso Marylu Campbell Alex Chang Heather Piepenburg Andrew Foland Angie Riviello Eric Mumper Tuttie DeAngelis Lisa Esterguard

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

NEW MEMBER SPONSOR

Kelsy HOLLINGSWORTH Taylor HOLZE Radek HORAK Paige JACKSON Annabelle JONES Shiloh JUDD Tarah KAYNE Diana KAZOLIAS Holly KIDROWSKI Caroline KNOOP Tammy KOCH Erynn KOMES Maria KOROLEVA Roberta KORYCINSKI Makayla KRAJEWSKI Margot KRISBERG Daniel KUYOTH Dominique LAFLASH Caroline LEADMON Karen LEHMANN DeeDee LENG Rachel LENZ Lauren LEONARD Samantha LEW Jingxin LI Aimee LIRETTE-BRAINARD Aidan LORCH-LIEBEL Jimmy MA Katherine MANGIARDI Petrea MANNELLO Robyn MARKHOUSE Taylor MAY Margaret MAYER Pam MCDONALD Anne MCKENNA Brittany MCLEOD Kelly MEAGHER Amar MEHTA Nichole MEYER Angela MICHALSKI Robin MORGAN Morgan MORROW Brandon Mroz Michelle MUELLER Michele MUMBOWER Amanda MURLEY Jennifer NGUYEN Kayla NODECKER Allison OCONNELL Joanne OH Bryna OI Holly OLSON Kathryn ORSCHER Emily OSTROW Nicole OTTO

Kiersten OVERTON Matthew PENASSE Lauren PETROFF Vladislav PETROV Brittney PFISTER Alyssa PHILLIPS Erica PIAZZA Toni PIZZIMENTI Natalia POPOVA Tianna RAUGHT Nicole REITZ Samantha REY Emily RIDGE Caitlin RIEGEL Samantha ROCHESTER Karen RODRIGUEZ Katarina RONQUILLO Ashley ROQUE Sydney ROSE Leah ROSENFIELD Stephanie ROY Emily SANDERS Kathryn SARTORI Leigh SEITZ Julia SENGBUSCH Dmitriy SEREBRENIK Arthur SEVIER Kimberly SMITH Jillian SMITH Michael SOLONOSKI Madeleine STALLWORTH Denae STEFFAN Matthew STUART Jacqueline SULLIVAN Angelina TELEGINA Joy THOMAS Nicole THOMAS Helena TIENHAARA Lauronce TRAYLOR Lauren TSENG Mackenzie VAILLANCOURT Angelina VANBUREN Rozaline VOGES Paige WALTRIP Leah WEINBERG Mallory WHITSON Deborah WILKER LeVana WU Lena WU Tiffany WU Kendall WYCOFF Liane ZEMEL Caroline ZHANG

Bridget Kaus Jacki Farrell Munzel Audrey Weisiger Brenda Bader Nicole Gaboury Tiffany Thornton Jim Peterson Sandra Duarte Lori Stuart Jacki Smith Donna McAllister Anderson Ann-Morton Tice Kandis Eckloff Felicia Beck Olga Wheeler Gilberto Viadana Nancy Rossi Carol Bilizerian Cotter Lynn Rimmer Debbie Minahan Bobby Martin Leslie Glenn Reilly Heather Aseltine Justin Dillon Nick Kraft Lisa Headen Lauren Benesch Neidig Elaine Zayak Jocelyn Cox Amy MacDonald Becky Gallion Jean Pastor Susan Mayer Linda Stroh Kim Gosselin Andrew Foland John Mucko Ami Parekh Lise-Lott Meyer Dawn Dahlman-Schwab Jerry Wheeler Taunya Peper- Blanco Tom Zakrajsek Brian Mueller Lila Joy Arnold Helene Wolf Cambria Jones Gary Jones Scott Cudmore Deborah Leitner Jones Yaroslava Nechaeva Rebecca Johnson Jessica Anastasio Sandy Whittmann Katie Kerley

Kelley Morris-Adair Kori Ade Wendy Deppe Igor Petrov Heather Dirksen Carrie Phillips Yulia Kouznetsova Scott Omlor Lisa Kriley Denae Raught Stacy Barber Susan Jackson Wagner Rebecca Hatch-Purnell Donald Mitchell Joy Thomas Martine De La Torre Rocky Marvel John Mucko Jennifer Cherry Sarah Colburn-Rosenfield Kelley Dugan Kristen Hipolito Jenny Wesley Gwyn Elizabeth Silver Melissa Parker-Vriner Laurie Krein Erin Leonard Suzie Ratliff Tim Covington Val Nauroth Shirley Hughes Arlene McSorley Kathleen McMillan Sandra Duarte Otar Japaridze Christy Wronkowicz Barb Foltz Jillian Cipresso Sarah Sherman Alyssa Sutter Lindsey Wolkin Deanna Willmarth Danette Trett Pam Forster Chuck Miller Jenny Gwyn Evelyn Kramer Glyn Watts Glyn Watts Ron Ludington Diane Agle Jenny Brenson Marina Guterres

Peter Dunfield's Memorial Service in Sun Valley | by Meg Streeter Lauck

The touching service was held on a sparkling day on two levels of the Sun Valley Lodge Terrace under the awnings with the rink in the background. There was a table of memorabilia with Peter's Calgary Olympic jacket, his skates, and a vintage record case holder with stickers from all over the world. A great portrait of him was placed by the podium, and it was as if he was looking on and taking it all in. His son Greg was the MC and did a great job, keeping the service moving along with grace and humor. Reverend Mullins opened and closed the service with the perfect words to set the tone in the beginning and to bring it full circle in the end. As Sonya hoped, it was more of a celebration than a memorial. Greg's eulogy was very touching and emotional. Roger talked about how he and Greg were raised by the “village” of skaters his father taught and how all of us influenced their lives. About 20 of Peter's skaters sent in a current photo of themselves with their own special message, thanking Peter for how he had touched their lives. Carol Rossignol from the PSA spoke about all the innovative ideas Peter implemented over the years and his role in the advancement of teaching techniques on many levels. Vivian Joseph, who won the 1964 Olympic Bronze medal with her brother Ronald, along with the 1965 U.S. National Title and the 1965 Silver medal at Worlds, spoke next. She had some great stories about the early days of taking from Peter. Liz Manley followed and talked about how down she was when Sonya and Peter flew to Ottawa and told her they

wanted to coach her. She spoke from the heart and had us crying and laughing over it all. When her mother, to whom she was devoted, was dying from cancer, Peter showed up at the hospital, unannounced, to help her through. I had the honor to read Vera Wang's remembrances. Vera's anecdotes—in which she honored his work ethic and vision of excellence that was ingrained with her—also defined him as “passionate, brilliant, devoted, artistic and daring”. Herman Maricich's daughter spoke next, since Herman— who passed away this winter—was so instrumental in bringing Sonya and Peter back to Sun Valley. The floor was then opened to others. I shared my reflections; Stephanie Grosscup thanked Sonya and Peter for the level of skating that they brought to Sun Valley with their summer skating school. The service closed with a photo montage created by Roger's wife, Yvonne. There were many early family photos— photos of Peter as a bus-boy in Sun Valley when he was 18, photos of the Rockefeller Center shows he created, photos with Sonya and the boys growing up in front of our eyes, and then with his grandchildren. It ended with a sweet video of him playing the piano with his granddaughter and looking up and saying, "Ain't life GRAND!" Flowers were everywhere and photos of Peter in his Sun Valley promo shots were on each table, amidst the flowers. His extraordinary life was fully honored with an outpouring of love and reflection from around the world.

PS MAGAZINE

CALENDAR

EVENTS

SEPTEMBER Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register:

Sunday, September 7 Area 9 Indian Hills Winter Club, 10005 Fletcher Road, Camp Dennison, OH 45111 Foundations of Coaching Course (FCC) – a professional development course for coaches [8:00 am to 5:00 pm] 12 PSA credits Dorothi Cassini dcice1@icloud.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register: Deadline:

Sunday, September 7 Area 2 Skating Club of Boston, 1240 Soldiers Field RD, Boston, MA 02135 Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Susan Davies suziwinette@aol.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com August 22

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register: Deadline:

Sunday, September 7 Area 10 Plymouth Ice Center, 3650 Plymouth Blvd, Plymouth, MN 55446 Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Char Martin sk8char@gmail.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com August 22

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register: Deadline:

Monday, September 8 Area 9 Kent State University Ice Arena, 650 Loop Road, Kent, OH 44242 Half-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00 am to 12:00 pm] 6 PSA credits Nicky Kappenhagen Nrsk8@netscape.net PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com August 25

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register: Deadline:

Sunday, September 28 Area 13 South Suburban Family Sport Center, 6901 S Peoria Street, Centennial, CO 80112 Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Tracey O’Brien tsobrien@me.com & Jamie Lane Youtsey j7lane@yahoo.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com September 12, 2014

Date: Location:

Saturday, September 27 Area 13 Sheraton Denver Tech Center Hotel, 7007 S Clinton St, Greenwood Village CO 80122 Phone: 303-799-6200 PSA Rate: $82.00 + tax Oral Rating Site [8:00 am to 8:00 pm] PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams July 28, 2014

Event: Contact: Register: Credits: Deadline:

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

Please vis www.ska it tep for the co sa.com mpl Calendar ete of Events

JOB OPENINGS S E P T E M B E R cont'd Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register: Deadline:

THE ICE GALLERIE LOCATED IN MERIDA, YUCATAN, MEXICO has openings for coaches rated from certified through senior level and a working knowledge of Spanish would be a plus. Responsibilities include Learn-to-skate, MIF classes, and private lessons. Please email questions and resume to 84skate@gmail.com THE DULUTH FIGURE SKATING CLUB is seeking a Skating Director to join their professional coaching staff and oversee a successful, well-established USFS Plus 10 Encore Award-winning club. Help us celebrate our 100-year history! To apply, or for more information, please contact Jeff Cushman at jcushman6@hotmail.com or visit our website at www.duluthfsc.org. Duluth, MN, www.visitduluth. com, voted Outside’s Best Town 2014!

Advertise With Us! Let the skating O C TO B E R Date: Location: Event: Contact: Register: Credits: Deadline:

October 17-18 Area 7 Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex, 3605 Phillips Highway, Jacksonville, FL 32207 Oral Rating Site PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com or Mark Scheff mscheff@jaxiceandsportsplex.com Online at www.skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams August 17, 2014

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Register: Deadline:

Sunday, October 19 Area 7 Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex, 3605 Phillips Highway, Jacksonville, FL 32207 Half-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00 am to 12:00 pm] 6 PSA credits Mark Scheff mscheff@jaxiceandsportsplex.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com October 3, 2014

community know about your upcoming event, product, service, or job opportunity by advertising with the PSA! We offer many different advertising options at affordable rates. For more information go to our website at www.skatepsa.com and click on “Advertise With Us”.

NOVEMBER Date: Location: Event: Contact: Register: Credits: Deadline:

November 1-3 Area 16 Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport, 427 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 86008 Master Oral Rating Site including master exams PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Online at www.skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams September 1, 2014

PS MAGAZINE

#NNGITQ 2CTM 59 4QEJGUVGT /0

PSA is proud to announce

The Professional Skaters Association and U.S. Figure Skating are two of three national governing bodies which have garnered recognition from the US Olympic Committee for coaches education, addressing 40 national standards within our curriculum. The USOC C.N.S. Curriculum is established to recognize and track NGB coaching education programs. The C.N.S. Curriculum is viewed as part of a dynamic education program to develop the knowledge, skills, and values that are associated with eďŹ&#x20AC;ective and appropriate coaching and the contents are used to ensure preparation of coaches who can, in turn, ensure the success, enjoyment, safety, and positive skill development of all athletes. It is intended to show how coaching education ďŹ ts into the USOC High Performance Process, outlining the importance of coaches and the investment the NGBs make in their coaching staďŹ&#x20AC; through creating ongoing professional development opportunities for coaches. It is also intended to better outline a performance pipeline for coaches, identifying baseline/foundational elements all coaches should know/have and courses they should take to achieve the next performance level.

The Professional Skaters Association

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Complies with National Standardsâ&#x20AC;?