January/ February
2014
www.skatepsa.com
cheers to a
sparkly& bright new year!
S K AT E S
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COLUMNS 4 6 8 12 16 18 34
Over the Edge | Jimmie Santee
FEATURES 10
Sport Science | Heidi Thibert
Education | Carol Rossignol
IJS Insights | Libby Scanlon
20 22 26 28
Legal Ease | David Shulman
6
In the Trenches
9
Ratings Exams Passed
19
Excellence On Ice
36
New Members
38
PSA Calendar of Events
Jimmie Santee | Editor Carol Rossignol | Contributing Editor Laura Hanrahan | Advertising Amanda Taylor | Art Director Elizabeth Thornton | Editorial Assistant
JANUARY | FEBRUARY
2014 ~ No 1 #ISSN-574770
22
| by Heidi DeLio Thibert & Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin
President’s Message | Angie Riviello
Ratings | Brandon Forsyth
SafeSport Definitions
30 32
2013 Survey of Coaches 26
The Evolution of the Figure Skate | Part III | by Bruce Poodles
Growing Champions | by Kent McDill
2014 PSA International Conference & Trade Show Palm Springs, California
28
False Advertising | by Terri Milner Tarquini
30
What Would Wendy Enzmann Do? | by Terri Milner Tarquini
Take note...
K EEP U P W ITH T HE PSA...
ProfSk8rsAssoc
@ProfSk8rsAssoc
Professional Skaters Association(PSA)
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 Mid-West
A battle for the ages: the Letter of the Law vs. the Spirit of the Law.
T
he PSA’s Code of Ethics is the letter of the law. They are simple and broad and adopted by the members of the association to be the ethical principles by which we will conduct ourselves. The Code was adopted to gain public respect and to avoid actual or perceived impropriety.
The PSA’s Tenants of Professionalism on the other hand, are not the letter of the law. Same as our guidelines, which clearly state that they are a professional courtesy and not a legal position. As much as we would like them to be, the PSA does not have the authority to make them the letter of the law. In fact, the PSA is powerless to even enforce the tenants or guidelines. However, they are the way we would like our colleagues to act: morally correct with special care to the professional relationships they espouse. While PSA may be unable to act in regards to the Tenants of Professionalism, the court of public opinion at your rink can and will, often escalating an already bad situation. For example, a coach takes on a new student from another coach. They ask, “Does your coach know you’re leaving? Have you made a final payment?” The parent answers “yes” to the first question and answers the second by saying they are waiting for the final bill and then they will pay it right away. PSA’s Code of Ethics rule #2 says, “Prior to acting as a coach, the member shall determine the nature and extent of any earlier teaching relationship with that skater and other members.” That does fit the letter of the law. The new coach has determined the previous relationship is over. Nonetheless, the original coach is wounded. A best practice would have included contacting the original coach to make sure the situation is as claimed, and if there is a problem, to encourage the parents to find a resolution with the previous coach. If no resolution can be made, a professional courtesy would be to make sure the coach is paid in full. This is the true spirit of the law. By doing the minimum, the other side is left to come up with their own version on how the scene played out. The letter of the law can often be a copout, while someone observing the spirit will gain trust and stature in the rink. Honestly, there would not be a need for the grievance process if we would live by the spirit of the tenants of professionalism, and “… adhere to the proposition that our practices shall be governed by the principals of honesty and integrity.”
4
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
Doug Ladret Todd Sand Teri Klingworth Hooper Brandon Forsyth Denise Williamson Rebecca Stump Kirsten Miller-Zisholz Doug Mattis Tom Hickey Robbie Kaine Brandon Forsyth Doug Mattis Scott McCoy Karen Oppegard Alex Chang
PSA
The Spirit of the Law
East
Angela Riviello Christine Fowler-Binder Dorothi Cassini Rebecca Stump Carol Murphy Kelley Morris Adair
Members at Large
Committee on Professional Standards Ratings Chair Seminar Chair ISI Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Coaches Executive Director Legal Counsel
COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Awards Coaches Hall of Fame Education Seminars State Workshops Apprentice Area Representatives Hockey Skating PS Magazine Sport Science Endorsements Executive Executive Nominating Finance Fundraising ISU/ IJS Ethics and Legal Nominating Professional Standards PSA Rep to ISI Ranking Review Ratings Special Olympics
PSA AREA REPRESENTATIVES Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 Area 6 Area 7 Area 8 Area 9 Area 10 Area 11 Area 12 Area 13 Area 14 Area 15 Area 16 Area 17
Jimmie Santee David Shulman
Denise Williamson Kelley Morris Adair Heidi Thibert Doug Mattis Tom Hickey Rebecca Stump Gloria Leous Paul Paprocki Bob Mock Heidi Thibert Jamie Santee Angela Riviello Kelley Morris Adair Carol Murphy Patrick O’Neil David Santee David Shulman Kelley Morris Adair Robbie Kaine Gerry Lane Todd Sand Brandon Forsyth Eleanor Fraser-Taylor
Amy Hanson-Kuleszka Anne Marie Filosa Lee Cabell Tim Covington Gloria Masterson Leous Mary Lin Scott Cudmore Patrick O'Neil Lisa Bardonaro-Reibly Stacie Kuglin Brigitte Carlson-Roquet Sharon Brilliantine Tracey Seliga-O’Brien Lisa Mizonick Don Corbiel Josselyn Baumgartner John Kauffman
THE PROFESSIONAL SKATER Magazine Mission: To bring to our readers the best information from the most knowledgeable sources. To select and generate the information free from the influence of bias. And to provide needed information quickly, accurately and efficiently. The views expressed in THE PROFESSIONAL SKATER Magazine and products are not necessarily those of the Professional Skaters Association. The Professional Skater, a newsletter of the Professional Skaters Association, Inc., is published bimonthly, six times a year, as the official publication of the PSA, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902. 507.281.5122, Fax 507.281.5491, Email: office@skatepsa.com © 2004 by Professional Skaters Association, all rights reserved. Subscription price is $19.95 per year, Canadian $29.00 and foreign $45.00/year, U.S. Funds. ISSN-574770. Second-class Postage Paid at Rochester, MN 55901 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Professional Skater, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Printed in the USA.
The Joy Of Coaching
COACHES LOVE IT! Unveiled at the 2013 PSA International Conference, Trade Show & Reunion last May, The Joy of Coaching was met with great enthusiasm! Get your copy of The Joy of Coaching only $35 and enjoy the stories and memories of inspiring coaches who helped shape the PSA. Books are available at www.skatepsa.com.
PS Magazine
TREASURE HUNT! *Gold Winged Blade*
Be the first person to find the gold PSA logo in each issue of PS Magazine and we will send you some treasure! Once you have found the logo in this issue, post where you found it on the PSA Facebook page. Be the first person to find it and we will send you a prize! And no, the one on this page doesn’t count.
PS MAGAZINE
5
President’s Message ANGIE RIVIELLO
We Work Together for You! T
here are times that coaches will ask, “What does PSA do for me?” We recently had our Fall Board Meetings and Strategic Planning meetings and this was a hot topic of discussion. It’s interesting because there are many projects that PSA works on and helps financially support for both U.S. Figure Skating and for ISI. We believe it is critical that the PSA continue to support programs that help grow our sport and help equip our coaches with the most up-todate important information that we can. U.S. Figure Skating and the PSA are involved in many combined educational events. The PSA supports the S.T.A.R.S. program, Champs Camp, most of the developmental camps such as Pair Camp, Dance Camp, Synchro Camp, Program Components Camp, the Sports Science Symposium at the annual Conference, and the annual Team USA Camps. The PSA has also helped fund a 3D-motion analysis system and research grant for advancing boot technology that is being conducted by the University of Delaware, as well as the “Over-training and Under-recovery” focus group to focus on how to help athletes train more effectively and become aware of overtraining.
In the TRENCHES by SCOTT BROWN
ISI and the PSA are also combined in many different opportunities and looking for more in the near future. We are happy to announce that for the first time ever, the PSA will be offering Oral Ratings at the ISI Chicago Conference. All of the “free” annual ISI District Instructor Seminar speakers are financially compensated by the PSA for their presentations and to show our support for ISI. This year, PSA also provided the Professional Standards booklet that was distributed to all the attendees. The partnerships we have formed and continue to grow with U.S. Figure Skating and ISI only help us move forward in providing better coaching which will lead to better development of our young skaters—which we hope to keep in the sport longer—and they will grow into better athletes. We are looking forward to a wonderful 2014 with many opportunities to grow and become stronger.
Top Ten Rules of the Kiss & Cry
1. Do NOT wear jeans or a baseball hat. Dress for success! 2. Do NOT chew gum. Master-rated coach & IJS 3. Do NOT use your cell phone. Technical Specialist 4. Do NOT make it ALL about you. Let it be ALL about the athlete. 5. Do NOT give a lesson! It can all wait until Monday. 6. DO teach your athlete to sit with their legs crossed and knees together. 7. DO try to smile and be supportive of your athlete. 8. Remember there is a live microphone. Be careful what you say. 9. DO know your athlete's Personal Best so you can react appropriately. 10. Do NOT do the McKayla Maroney “not impressed face.”
6
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
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Ratings BRANDON FORSYTH
Keeping Your Ratings Active A
s you probably know, to keep any PSA rating active you are required to obtain 28 PSA approved educational credits every three years (based on the PSA membership year of July 1st through June 30th). With the constantly changing world of figure skating and sport science, continuing to educate yourself after a rating is acquired is important to be able to grow with the sport. Continuing education is required in nearly every profession to encourage professionals to expand their knowledge base and stay up-to-date with new developments. A person can never be finished learning! This article provides detailed information on obtaining PSA approved educational credits. How to Check Your Credit Status You are able to check the status of your credits by logging in to the PSA website and searching your name under Individual Directory. All of your accounted for credits and ratings will be listed here. You may also inquire about your credit status by calling/e-mailing the PSA office. When Your Rating Becomes Inactive Once you are awarded a PSA rating, you can never lose that rating. However, if you fall below the required 28 educational credits, or if you are no longer a PSA member, your rating will become inactive. An inactive rating means that you cannot advertise as a “PSA rated coach”. You are also unable to take any further rating exams or be an examiner for an oral rating exam. You can tell if your rating is inactive if you see the # sign listed before your rating in the PSA Directory or on your PSA Membership card. You may also call/e-mail the PSA office to check on your rating status. To reactivate a rating that has become inactive due to a lack of educational credits, you must submit affidavits from attending events that will bring you back up to 28 credits. Once that is complete, you must send a written request for reactivation to the PSA office. To reactivate a rating that has become inactive due to a lapse in membership, you must send a written request for reactivation to the PSA office once your membership has been renewed. Lastly, remember that continuing to advertise yourself as a PSA rated professional with an inactive rating is grounds for disciplinary action.
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JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
HOW TO GET CREDITS Below is a list of ways to obtain educational credits, and the amount of credits you are typically able to obtain from each one. Credits for PSA Events (12-28 cumulative credits possible every 3 years): Annual Conference
28-32 credits
Nationwide Seminar
10-12 credits
State Workshop Entry Level Coaching Course Apprentice Program Ratings Prep Training PSA Meetings
(at Qualifying Competitions)
PSA E-Learning Courses
*These are online courses provided by the PSA but are different from U.S. Figure Skating’s CERs
4-6 credits 12 credits 8 credits 26-28 credits 1-2 credits 1-2 credits per course
Taking an Oral Rating Exam
1 credit per exam
Examining an Oral Rating
1 credit per exam
Presenting at a PSA Event
1 credit per presentation
(pass or fail) (up to 12)
Credits for Approved Non-PSA Events (0-16 cumulative credits possible every 3 years): • Up to 16 credits from approved U.S. Figure Skating or ISI educational events *This includes U.S. Figure Skating’s CERs • Up to 8 credits from approved USOC, ISU, or Skate Canada educational events *Up to 8 of these credits can be combined with other non-PSA credits for a total of up to 16 credits as stated above In order for these credits to be counted, you must submit an affidavit for each event to the PSA office within two weeks after the event. Affidavits can be found on the PSA website and can be either e-mailed, mailed, or faxed to the office. Take pride in the ratings you worked so hard to accomplish, and continue to educate yourself!
Recently Passed
RATING EXAMS Congratulations to the following coaches who passed the Basic Accreditation (BA) or ELCC:
Congratulations to the following candidates who passed a rating exam
BA | online
Baltimore, MD | October 25-27, 2013
Michelle Green Alyssa Hatfield Chris Pottenger Tracy Sandler Michelle Shaw
Kristin Conroy RFS Tim Covington SM Kevin Curtis RC,CC Lia DiCicco CM Christy Donat-Germain RG,RFS Elizabeth Egetoe SPD, RM, RFS Connie Fogle SFS Amy Forbes RPD Jacques Gilson RG, RC
Rankings Awarded October 1, 2013 Wendy David – Level IV Melanie Faulkner Bolhuis – Level III Alyssa Hicks Blackwell – Level III Melanie Bolhuis – Level I Megan Gueli – Level I
Samantha Gormley RD,CD, RM Karen Perry RG,CG Christopher Pottenger RFS,CFS Gail Thomas RM, RFS Janet Tremer SM Lisa Valentine-Rockefeller RG, RM Jessica Walder-Heineman RG, RM Kimberlie Wheeland RG, CG Elizabeth Wright-Johnson RG, RM
MASTER EXAMS PASSED Kristin Conroy MPD Amy Forbes MG Gregory Maddalone MD Sarah Neal MG
Elizabeth Parker-Silver MM David Redlin MPD Sarah Smith MFS Carrie Wall MP
Open the door to success in 2014 by becoming a PSA rated professional! Register for an oral rating in the month of January and receive $25 off your choice of either: • One sport science and medicine exam at any level or • A registration to our Ratings Prep Training in Las Vegas this March (Details will be sent via email after registering for an oral rating exam)
Upcoming Oral Rating Sites: March 9-10 | Las Vegas, NV May 19-21 | Palm Springs, CA May 27 | Rosemont, IL
www.skatepsa.com
PS MAGAZINE
9
SAFESPORT
SafeSport Definitions By Heidi DeLio Thibert and Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin
I
n May of 2013 at Governing Council, the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook was unveiled to demonstrate a solid commitment to providing a safe and positive environment for its participants’ physical, emotional and social development and promotes an environment free from abuse and misconduct. As part of the SafeSport program, U.S. Figure Skating has implemented policies to address certain types of abuse and misconduct, and to reduce, monitor and govern areas where potential abuse and misconduct could occur. As the program is implemented, this article contains some important definitions that should help coaches become familiar with the terminology associated with SafeSport. Misconduct: Conduct which results in harm, the potential for harm, or the imminent threat of harm. Age is irrelevant to misconduct. Child, children, minor and youth: Anyone under the age of 18; here, “child,” “children,” “minor” and “youth” are used interchangeably. A child is someone under the age of 18 or who has not attained the age of legal majority in the state in which he or she resides. Child Abuse: A legal definition of child abuse exists in each state; to find guidelines concerning each state, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway and to find statute information for a particular State, go to http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/ state/index.cfm Physical Abuse: Physical abuse means physical contact with a participant that intentionally causes or has the potential to cause the participant to sustain bodily harm or personal injury. Physical abuse also includes physical contact with a participant that intentionally creates a threat of immediate bodily harm or personal injury. Examples include non-accidental trauma or physical injury caused by contact behaviors, such as hitting, shaking, kicking, shoving a skater into a barrier; forcing
10
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
an individual to skate knowing that he or she is injured; and mandating excessive exercise as a form of punishment. Child physical abuse also may include non-contact physical misconduct as described in the Athlete Protection Policy. Legal definitions vary by state. In addition to physical contact or the threat of physical contact with a participant, physical abuse also includes the providing of alcohol to a participant under the age of 21 and the providing of illegal drugs or non-prescribed medications to any participant. It also includes any act or conduct described as physical abuse or misconduct under federal or state law (e.g., child abuse, child neglect and assault). Physical misconduct does not include professionally accepted coaching methods of skill enhancement, physical conditioning, team building, appropriate discipline or improving athlete performance. Child sexual abuse: Child sexual abuse involves any sexual activity with a child where consent is not or cannot be given. This includes sexual contact with a minor that is accomplished by deception, manipulation, force or threat of force regardless of whether there is deception or the child understands the sexual nature of the activity. Sexual contact between minors can also be abusive if there is a significant imbalance of power or disparity in age, development or size, such that one child is the aggressor. The sexually abusive acts may include sexual penetration, sexual touching or non-contact sexual acts, such as verbal acts, sexually suggestive written or electronic communications, exposure or voyeurism. It can include touching for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification that involves a child, or forcing a child to pose for or watch pornographic materials. This includes rape, incest, fondling, exhibitionism, and sexual exploitation. Legal definitions vary by state. To find guidelines concerning each state, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov). Sexual misconduct involves any touching or non-touching sexual interaction that is nonconsensual or forced, coerced or manipulated, or perpetrated in an aggressive, harassing, exploitative or threatening manner. It also includes any sexual interaction between an athlete and an individual with evaluative, direct or indirect authority which is considered
an imbalance of power. Last, any act or conduct described as sexual abuse or misconduct under federal or state law (e.g., sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, rape) qualifies as sexual misconduct. Notes: • An imbalance of power is always assumed between an athlete, regardless of age, and an adult in a position of authority (such as a coach, official, director, employee, parent or volunteer.) • Minors cannot consent to sexual activity with an adult. All sexual interaction between an adult and a minor is strictly prohibited. Emotional Abuse: Emotional abuse involves a pattern of deliberate, non-contact behavior that has the potential to cause emotional or psychological harm to a participant. Clarification: a single incident, e.g., a verbal outburst—while it may inappropriate—does not constitute emotional misconduct, which requires a pattern of harmful behavior over time. These behaviors may include verbal acts, physical acts or acts that deny attention or support. 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. Examples of emotional misconduct prohibited by the SafeSport policy include, without limitation: Verbal Acts: • A pattern of verbal behaviors that attack a participant personally (e.g., calling them worthless, fat or disgusting) or repeatedly and excessively yelling at a particular participant or participants in a manner that serves no productive training or motivational purpose. Physical Acts: • A pattern of physically aggressive behaviors, such as throwing sport equipment, water bottles or chairs at, or in the presence of, participants; or punching walls, windows or other objects. Acts that Deny Attention and Support: • A pattern of ignoring a participant for extended periods of time or routinely or arbitrarily excluding participant from practice. Bullying: Bullying is the use of coercion to obtain control over another person or to be habitually cruel to another person. Bullying involves an intentional, persistent or repeated pattern of committing or willfully tolerating physical and non-physical behaviors that are intended to cause fear, humiliation, or physical harm in an attempt to socially exclude, diminish, or isolate another person. Bullying can occur through written, verbal or electronically transmitted expression or by means of a physical act or gesture.
Threats: A threat to harm others is defined as any written, verbal, physical or electronically transmitted expression of intent to physically injure or harm someone. A threat may be communicated directly to the intended victim or communicated to a third party. Harassment: Harassment is defined in various sources such as case law, state legislation, sports organization and professional association codes of conduct and training manuals, corporation and workplace documents, and Human Rights Commission materials. U.S. Figure Skating has not adopted any specific definition of harassment, choosing instead to defer to such general sources and definitions for reference and application, depending upon the circumstances. The following, however, presents a general overview. Harassment in sport includes any pattern of physical and/or non-physical behaviors that: (a) Are intended to cause fear, humiliation, or annoyance, (b) Offend or degrade, (c) Create a hostile environment, or (d) Reflect discriminatory bias in an attempt to establish dominance, superiority, or power over an individual participant or group based on gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, or mental or physical disability. Hazing: Hazing includes any conduct which is intimidating, humiliating, offensive, or physically harmful. The hazing conduct is typically an activity that serves as a condition for joining
continued on page 13 PS MAGAZINE
11
Sport Science HEIDI THIBERT
An Introduction to Recovery Nutrition and Competition Day Fueling By Peter Zapalo, U.S. Figure Skating Sport Science and Medicine Director
A
s the U.S. Figure Skating athlete high performance department has navigated through the past quad leading up to Sochi, we have made an effort to identify performance challenges that we can address them with practical interventions. One area of concern is how our athletes fuel. In addition to lacking some basic education in performance fueling, there is also the constant pursuit of a lean and compact body type (note that thin is often confused with lean by athletes, parents and coaches), particularly at the elite levels of the sport. This can lead our athletes to restrict food, even in the absence of disordered eating or an eating disorder. Last year as part of the S.T.A.R.S. off-ice testing program, we featured an educational seminar "Training, Overtraining and Recovery" and invited all parents and coaches of participating athletes to attend. Based on the number and nature of questions asked about fueling, caloric intake, and concern about weight, we decided that this year's S.T.A.R.S topic will be "Recovery, Nutrition and Competition Day Fueling." This will also be featured at the PSA 2014 conference, Team USA Camps, etc. in the upcoming season. It is our goal to promote performance enhancing nutrition at all levels, and to plant the seeds of education and a healthy relationship with food in our developing athletes to help our future top athletes perform at their best. This article hopes to outline the basic ideas of performance nutrition and was written with the direct input of USOC Sport Registered Dietician, Alicia Kendig, who works with many of our top athletes. WHAT IS RECOVERY NUTRITION? The idea behind recovery nutrition is to replenish the working muscles with the fuel they need to function optimally. The time to do this is immediately after a workout (not when an athlete goes home for dinner, and certainly not fasting for hours while skating, going to school and going to the gym). Immediately after, or at worst case within 30 minutes of finishing a workout. The reasoning is that the enzyme responsible for putting the carbohydrate
12
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
fuel back into the skeletal muscles is at its highest level right after the athlete finishes his/her workout. U.S. Figure Skating started a recovery nutrition program for the senior Grand Prix and ISU championship events in the 2012-13 competition season. It was met with enthusiasm by both our athletes and coaches. While ultimately we need the athletes to take responsibility for their own nutrition, to get the program off the ground, the medical staff has been working with the team leaders and coaches to get our athletes the fueling they need to perform at their very best. Recovery nutrition can be implemented even at lower developmental levels and can be kept simple: make sure the athletes pack or have available 150-300 calorie snacks (individual caloric intake varies with size, gender and activity level) that include easily digestible carbohydrates and proteins with a fat content under 30%. Examples: Fruit, yogurt, crackers, pretzels, peanut butter and jelly, nuts, veggies and hummus, half of a whole grain bagel with jam, etc. An important point for athletes to understand is that it is the job of the parent to buy healthy recovery foods they want, but it is the athlete’s responsibility to pack the food for the rink and remember to eat it! COMPETITION DAY FUELING Another area of weakness or poor planning with our athletes is getting them to eat for performance on competition day. Many skaters do not like to feel full, "heavy," or they claim their nerves will give them GI distress if they eat. Therefore, competition day fueling may require a lot of support and planning from the coach’s end as well as some practice at smaller events and in training. In general, the overall recommendation is to eat a meal four hours prior to the event (gives time for digestion, and blood flow to the stomach). Two hours before they should consume something small (refer to the recovery snack list for ideas). Then, the athlete needs to continue hydrating leading up to competition time.
SAFESPORT continued from page 11
a group or being socially accepted by a group’s members. Activities that fit the definition of hazing are considered to be hazing regardless of a person’s willingness to cooperate or participate. Examples of hazing prohibited by this policy include, without limitation, requiring or forcing (including through peer pressure) the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs; tying, taping, or physically restraining a participant; sexual simulations or sexual acts of any nature; sleep deprivation, or the withholding of water and/or food; social actions or public displays (e.g. public nudity) that are illegal or meant to draw ridicule; beating, paddling, or other forms of physical Hazing does not include group or team activities that are meant to establish normative team behaviors, or promote team cohesion, so long as such activities do not have reasonable potential to cause emotional or physical distress to any participant. It is also a violation of this policy if a coach or other responsible adult knows or should know of the hazing but takes no action to intervene on behalf of the targeted participant(s). COMPETITION FUELING TIPS: • Practice competition-day eating during a practice day (i.e. no surprises or trying anything new at a competition). The body can be trained to digest various amounts and kinds of foods in different scenarios, but with a nervous stomach, know the limits on competition day. • Avoid dietary fats around competition time. Fats will slow down absorption of the carbohydrates and proteins needed for fueling. The athlete still needs dietary fat, but advise the athlete to eat fats outside of performance time. • Again, attempt to eat the final pre-competition meal ~4 hours out ideally. Logistics of meal and travel can make this difficult, but get into a routine schedule. This may mean taking food on the road, packing a lunch or making good smart decisions to hold a large meal that is served immediately before a performance for later/after. • Two hours before should be the last time to fuel up with solid food. Eat something simple (tastewise) containing mostly carbohydrates and protein. For example: low fat yogurt and fruit, hummus and pita, a small smoothie.
Willfully Tolerating Misconduct: Willfully tolerance is demonstrated when a coach, official, director, employee, parent or volunteer knows of misconduct, but takes no action to intervene on behalf of the athlete(s), participant(s), staff member and/or volunteer. False Accusations: While nearly every State and U.S. territory imposes penalties, often in the form of a fine or imprisonment, on mandatory reporters who fail to report suspected child abuse or neglect as required by law. It should be noted that to prevent malicious or intentional reporting of cases that are not founded, many States and the U.S. Virgin Islands impose penalties against any person who files a report known to be false such as fines, charges, possible imprisonment and can be held liable for damages. (Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012). Penalties for failure to report and false reporting of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.) It is recommended that all coaches read the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook found at: http://www.usfsa.org/shell.asp?sid=49066
• It is wise to steer clear of strong flavors and seasonings: these are more difficult to digest and on a nervous stomach can cause indigestion. • Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: urine color should be clear. Don't worry, when it's time to shine, the urge to go to the bathroom will go away (fight or flight). Water and sports drink are both great to have on competition day.
PS MAGAZINE
13
In Memory
Robert S. Ogilvie Robert S. Ogilvie passed away on November 18, 2013, in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 97. He had been a member of the PSA since 1959 and was subsequently granted Emeritus Rating status with his wife and skating partner, Joan Ogilvie. In 2012, he was elected to the PSA Coaches Hall of Fame. Robert Ogilvie began skating in London, England in 1923 at the age of seven. He reported being able, in his teens, to observe leading European skaters practice and perform because London was an international skating center in the 1920s and 1930s. Robert later trained with the eminent Swiss coach Jack Gerschwiler, and became a judge for the National Skating Association of Great Britain.
1959
Hollywood, California
During World War II, he served as a radiographer in the Royal Army Medical Corps, which included three and one-half years as a prisoner of the Japanese following the fall of British-held Singapore in December 1941. After the war, he formed a pair with Joan Thompson (1920-2003), a Gold Test figure and free skater. In 1947 and 1948, they represented the British team as pair skaters at the Europeans, Worlds, and Olympics. They turned professional and performed in skating shows across Europe, before immigrating to the United States to join a skating show at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. In 1958 they began teaching at Frank Zamboni’s rink in Paramount, California, and taught subsequently at other figure skating clubs before being invited in 1960 to become the lead professionals at the Ice Club of Baltimore. For many years Robert made analytical studies of figures and free skating, resulting in the first USFSA Test Program Manual accompanied by the USFSA-sponsored book Basic Ice Skating Skills (1968) which was also published in French and Russian translations. Robert also authored Competitive Figure Skating, a Parent’s Guide (1985), New Era Figures (1993), two four-page entries on skating for the Encyclopedia Americana, and numerous articles in The Professional Skater PS Magazine, including six published during the past two years when he was 96 and 97 years of age. He also collaborated with Alan Gutzman to design and manufacture the Ogilvie-Gutzman Blade Gauges.
2012
Accepting his Edi award for induction into the PSA Hall of Fame
Robert’s PSA qualifications included Master of Figures, Free Skating, Pair, Group, and Program Director, and he served for many years as a PSA master-rated examiner on exam panels. Robert often remarked to family and colleagues how important the PSA was to his and Joan’s professional development as they made the transition from skating performers to skating coaches, and he treasured the rich friendships he made through the PSA in his newly adopted home country. A memorial service and reception will be held in Baltimore on Friday evening, January 24, 2014. Individuals wishing to attend may contact his son at nigel.ogilvie@frb.gov. Memorial contributions may be made to the Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship Program, via the PSA.
1953 | Robert and Joan skating Strauss's
Emperor Waltz, Germany
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Guaranteed Minimum base for the first year ★ Relocation allotment offer ★
Tommy Steenberg, international competitor with Olympic Coach Audrey Weisiger
Fairfax Ice Arena is searching for a Competitive Ice Skating Coach to join our coaching staff. The Fairfax Ice Arena is… • Located 12 miles from Washington, D.C. in Fairfax County, Virginia — one of the wealthiest counties in the country. • Competitive Figure Skating program offers a 10-week Summer Training School, ballet studio, off-ice training, and jump harness.
Over the past 40 years our competitive program has developed Olympic, National, Sectional, and Regional skaters. Off-ice Training & Ballet Studio
Do you know of a coach who would be an asset to our team?
Refer a Friend...
And receive $1,000 for any introduction that leads to successful employment by Fairfax Ice Arena.
On-ice Harness
Resumes to: Fairfax Ice Arena 3779 Pickett Road Fairfax, VA 22031 U.S.A. Call Jimmy Torres at 703-323-0674 ext 21 Fax: 703-978-6796 Email: jtorres@fairfaxicearena.com
Offer expires 5/1/14
2014 HIGHLIGHTS: •
MAY 27-30 | HYATT REGENCY O’HARE
CHICAGOL AND IS ISI LAND!
• • • • •
Chicagoland is ISI Land!
•
Everyone knows Chicago has a rich history, but did you know that it is also the birthplace of the Ice Skating Institute? This marks our first conference back in Chitown since 1996, and it will be another one for the record books. All four iAIM tracks will be offered during conference for the first time, providing a full range of certification opportunities — including the popular new Certified Skating Director course. Sports, shopping, parks, architecture, world-class museums, legendary cuisine — Chicago has it all, and in 2014 it also has the ISI Conference & Trade Show!
•
• • •
On- and Off-Ice Sessions with Paul Wylie PSA Ratings iAIM Skating Director Certification Competition Directors’ Workshop Judge & Referee Training Teaching, Training & Choreography Tips Edge Competition Software Training weSKATE Class Management Software Training Arena Programming Social & Networking Opportunities and much more!
Register today for the early bird discount: skateisi.org/conference
PHOTO CREDIT: Choose Chicago
PS MAGAZINE
15
Education CAROL ROSSIGNOL
Planning Your Coaching Education A
s coaches, we plan our skaters’ years and may even do a Quad plan for our high performance athletes. What do we do for ourselves? … usually nothing. It is just as important to plan our education, as it is to plan for our skaters’ training. We need to set goals for ourselves so we know where we are going and when we want to get there. Planning is an essential part of any successful activity. Travelers plan their trips, house builders follow blueprints and skaters have a yearly plan. Coaching is no exception – if you and your skaters that you teach are to achieve the goals you set together, you need to know where you are headed and what you have to do to get there. Planning is NOT complicated. Rather, it is a simple matter of determing priorities and deciding how and when to act on them. But how should you plan? The purpose of this article is to give you some basic information in a three-step process to assist you.
and using this information to plan what you need to do to achieve your goals. What educational events happen in a year and where can I take rating exams? You can check the latest issue of PS Magazine under the Calendar of Events or go to the PSA website www.skatepsa.com and click on the link for Calendar of Events. The following list of educational events will assist you in your planning:
Step 1: Setting Your Goals
Ratings Prep Training (formerly called PACE) – this is a study program specifically designed to assist coaches in their preparation for PSA Oral Rating exams. Each year there are several sites that conduct Rating Prep training courses. The following are the tentative dates and locations for 2014: March 10-12, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV August, 2014 in Wake Forest, NC Oral rating exams are offered prior to the Prep training.
Think about your personal coaching philosophy. What you do as a coach is simply your coaching philosophy in action. What growth and professional development do you want to achieve over the next year? Five years? Ten years? What are your priorities? Maybe there are requirements at the rink where you coach to ensure professional development. Some rinks require that you must be PSA rated and some require professional development every two or three years. Others even require that you be rated in the disciplines that you teach and have completed the SafeSport training. You may even have your own personal goals for ratings. In some states, there are state requirements such as concussion training. This does not include the U.S. Figure Skating CERs which are required annually in order to coach at U.S. Figure Skating events. Step 2: Content - Deciding How In this step you need to gather specific information about educational events, looking online to see what is available,
16
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
International Conference – this is an annual event that moves across the nation from the east coast, to the midwest and then to the west coast. This cycle keeps repeating. The 2014 conference is taking place in Palm Springs, CA May 22-24 and the 2015 conference will be held in the Minneapolis, MN area. Please note that there are only two rating sites per year that offer master oral rating exams—at the May conference and the November rating site.
Basic Accreditation (BA) and Sport Science and Medicine (SSM) Exams – these exams are offered online and can be taken at any time on the PSA website (www. skatepsa.com). Nationwide Seminars – this is a one-day event usually worth 12 credits held in the fall. This coming year oral rating exams will be offered in conjunction with the seminar at select seminars. They will be held the day prior to the seminar.
Workshops – these workshops are normally half-day events that are geared to more local issues and are worth four to six credits. Look for one in your area. They are held throughout the year. U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Workshops – these Basic Skills workshops are conducted by U.S. Figure Skating and are pre-approved by PSA. The number of credits offered varies from site to site. Check the PSA Calendar of Events for the number of credits offered. ISI Fall Seminars – these educational seminars are offered each year in ISI districts across the country for current ISI professional members and arena staff. PSA pre-approved credits are available.
By the time you have done steps one and two you are ready to decide what events and activities will help you to achieve your goals. Select those events that meet your needs and fit in with the other events that will happen in your calendar for the year. Take a calendar and mark your dates for the year or next two years including all events that are part of your life and coaching. If your goals were too ambitious for one year then you must take that information into account when you plan the next year. Planning is the foundation of coaching, whether it is for yourself or for your skaters. Keep the key events in mind when planning your education—and you will become a better coach as well. Good luck!
“Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.”
© Disney
Step 3: Working the Plan
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
17
IJS Insights LIBBY SCANLAN
Pay Attention to the Feature Criteria C
ritical points can be lost when skaters fail to execute basic spin positions, specific element rules and detailed feature criteria. The following information reflects feedback from the regional championships and targets some of the most frequent errors seen by technical panels throughout the country. While much of this information has been addressed in the past, there still seems to be some confusion. BASIC SPIN POSITIONS Basic spin positions have specific definitions. The minimum number of revolutions required in a position is two without interruption. If the following position definition is not satisfied the position does not count. Camel: Free leg backwards with the knee higher than the hip level (layback, Biellmann and similar variations are still considered as upright spins) Sit: The upper part of the skating leg at least parallel to the ice Upright: Any position with skating leg extended or slightly bent which is not a camel position There are two additional Upright basic positions: Layback spin is an upright spin in which head and shoulders are leaning backward with the back arched. The position of the free leg is optional. Sideways leaning spin is an upright spin in which head and shoulders are leaning sideways and the upper body is arched. The position of the free leg is optional. Any position which is not a basic position is considered a non-basic position. DIFFICULT VARIATIONS A difficult variation is a movement of a body part, leg, arm, hand or head which requires more physical strength or flexibility and has an effect on the balance of the main body core. There are eleven different difficult variation categories available in spins. All of these variations must be executed in basic position with the exception of the non-basic position (NBP) which can only be considered in a combination spin. Sit Positions: Determined by position of free leg • Sit Forward (SF): Sit with free leg forward • Sit Side (SS): Sit with free leg sideways • Sit Back (SB): Sit with free leg behind
18
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
Camel Positions: Determined by direction of the shoulder line • Camel Forward (CF): Camel with shoulder line parallel to the ice • Camel Side (CS): Camel with the shoulder line twisted to a vertical position • Camel Upward (CU): Camel with the shoulder line twisted more to a horizontal or almost horizontal position Upright Positions: Determined by position of torso • Upright Forward (UF): Upright with torso leaning forward • Upright Straight or Sideways (US): Upright with torso straight up or sideways • Upright Biellmann (UB): Upright Biellmann • Upright Layback (UL): Upright layback position Non-Basic Position (NBP): DV in any position that does not fulfill basic position definition Upright Biellmann (UB) The Biellmann position is a difficult variation of an upright position when the skater’s free leg is pulled from behind to a position higher than and towards the top of the head, close to the spinning axis of the skater. Upright Straight (US) and Upright Layback (UL) A position in an upright spin in which the skater places the free leg in back and crossed behind the spinning leg (not touching the ice) can be considered a difficult variation of an upright spin if the definition of difficult variation is satisfied. If in this position the skater executes a difficult variation with the torso straight or sideways, and the definition of difficult variation is satisfied, the call will be assigned to the Upright Straight or Sideways (US) category. If in this position the skater fulfills the definition of layback or sideways leaning position as described in ISU Technical Rule 510* (see below) the call will be assigned to the Upright Layback (UL) category. If in this position the skater bends the skating leg more than "slightly bent" in the upright straight position or the layback/sideways leaning position, and the definition of difficult variation is satisfied, the call will be assigned to the Non-Basic Position (NBP) category.
Reminders: • Each category counts one time per program, the first time it is attempted. • A skater may receive feature credit for up to four different difficult variations in a spin (not more than two on each foot). • A non-basic position difficult variation counts only in a combination spin • All difficult variations must be held for at least two continuous revolutions. • If in the same or in a different spin the variation in a non-basic position is quite similar to a variation in a basic position, the last performed of these two variations will not count as a level feature. Avoid ALL shades of gray. When attempting different types of difficult variations skaters must clearly execute the specific position criteria. An attempt to do a sit sideways (SS) when the free leg is extended somewhere between forward and sideways will result in that attempt assigned to the position it is closest to achieving. This error could impact a later spin. CHANGE OF FOOT EXECUTED BY A JUMP; JUMP WITHIN A SPIN Feature 2) Change of foot executed by jump and Feature 3) Jump within a spin without changing feet require that the basic position immediately before the jump include at least two (2) revolutions. It is important for the skater to achieve a JUMP
(not a hop). Once the landing foot hits the ice the skater is allowed a maximum of two revolutions to reach the intended basic position. Once reached that position must be HELD for at least two revolutions in the basic position. FLYING ENTRANCE Feature 4) Difficult variation of flying entrance/Landing on the same foot as take-off or changing foot on landing in a flying sit spin requires close attention to the four (4) revolutions directly following the fly. Once the landing foot hits the ice the skater is allowed a maximum of two revolutions to reach the intended basic position. That position must be HELD for at least two revolutions in the basic position. CHANGE OF DIRECTION Feature 8) Both directions immediately following each other in sit or camel spin CHANGE OF POSITION Feature 11) One clear change of position backwards-sideways or reverse require three (3) revolutions in each position. The sideways position must lean to the side, and not bend forward. When changing from position to position the layback position must be maintained throughout. Understanding this critical element information and focusing attention to these details during daily practice should translate into better and more consistent results for the skater.
PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION
EXCELLENCE ON ICE AMES FIGURE SKATING CLUB Ames, IA
CRYSTAL ICE HOUSE Crystal Lake, IL
BLADE & EDGE FSC Omaha, NE
EDGE ICE ARENA/ EDGE SKATING SCHOOL Littleton, CO
THE CAROLINA ICE PALACE North Charleston, SC
EXTREME ICE CENTER Indian Trail, NC
CENTRAL IOWA FSC Des Moines, IA
GERMAIN ARENA Estero, FL
JACKSONVILLE ICE AND SPORTSPLEX Jacksonville, FL KENDALL ICE ARENA Miami, FL LOUISVILLE SKATING ACADEMY Louisville, KY MARQUETTE FSC Marquette, MI
GREENSBORO ICE HOUSE MEDIACOM ICE RINK Greensboro, NC Springfield, MO HONNEN ICE ARENA MID-SOUTH ICE HOUSE Colorado Springs, CO COLONIAL SKATING CLUB Olive Branch, MS ICE AND GOLF CENTER AND FLYERS SKATE ZONE MOYLAN SKATING AT NORTHWOODS Philadelphia, PA SCHOOL San Antonio, TX COLORADO SPRINGS Omaha, NE ICE CENTRE AT THE WORLD ARENA ICE HALL PALM BEACH ICE WORKS PROMENADE Colorado Springs, CO West Palm Beach, FL Westminster, CO CINCINNATI SKATING SCHOOL Cincinnati, OH
PARK CITY ICE ARENA Park City, UT THE RINX TOTAL SKATING PROGRAM Hauppauge, NY ROCHESTER FSC Rochester, MN SAVEOLOGY.COM ICEPLEX Coral Springs, FL SHATTUCK-ST. MARY'S FSC Faribault, MN SPRINKER RECREATION CENTER Tacoma, WA WASHINGTON ICE SKATING ASSOCIATION Mountlake Terrace, WA
2013-2014 Membership Year PS MAGAZINE
19
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2013 2013
SURVEY OF COACHES The following are some of the results from our 2013 Coaches Survey. This survey is sent to our members every two years to establish industry averages and to make sure we are providing our members with the best possible service. Thank you to the 930 members who completed this year's survey! Which of the following describes you?
100
Check all that apply.
Contracted Employee
31.7%
Independent Contractor
88.0%
LTS/Basic Skills Director
22.1%
Synchro Director
6.4%
Ice Show Director
10.5%
Skating Director
12.6%
Rink Manager
2.0%
Other
2.9%
80 60 40 20 0
Contracted Independent LTS/Basic Synchro Employee Contractor Skills Director Director
Ice Show Director
Skating Director
Rink Manager
Other
What is your hourly rate for private lessons? Under $25
2.1%
$25-35
7.9%
70
$36-45
15.7%
$46-55
15.5%
60
$56-65
21.9%
$66-75
15.9%
$76-85
9.0%
50 40 30
$86-95
4.1%
$96-105
3.8%
20
2.1
10
Over $105 Do not teach private lessons
2.0%
0
Do not teach private lessons
$56-65
Over $105
$46-55
$96-105
$36-45
$86-95
$25-35
$76-85
Under $25
$66-75
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
nchro irector
Ice Show
Director 20
Meals
Flat fee
Missed lessons
Hourly fee
Travel
Skating Rink Other JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014 Director Manager
phone
Hotel
Do not attend competitions
Other
Contracted Independent LTS/Basic Synchro Employee Contractor Skills Director Director
$46-55
Skating 20
Ice Show Director
Rink Manager
Director
Other
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -$36-45
Contracted Independent LTS/Basic Synchro Employee Contractor Skills Director Director
Ice Show Director
Skating Director
Rink Manager
Other
$25-35 Under $25
70
Do not teach private lessons
60 50
Over $105
Ice Show 40 Director
Skating $96-105 Director
30
Rink Under $15 Manager
10 0
$66-75
Meals
$26-30
Flat fee
$46-55
60
$36-45
$31-35
50
40 Under $15 $31-35 Over $35 $25-35 30 $15-20 Over $35 20 Under $25 Do not teach 10 $21-25 group lessonsDo not teach
$21-25
$76-85
benefits Which of the following do you charge for at competitions? Check all that apply.
70
Other
$15-20
$86-95
20
$56-65
Missed lessons
commission commission
Travel Meals
$26-30
job
Flat fee
42.8%
Missed lessons
5.5%
Hourly fee
32.2%
Otherfee Hourly
Yes
No
No
Yes
60.5% 11.4%
Other
7.5%
Travel
Hotel
Do not attend competitions
No
Other
benefits
Under $15phone
$31-35
$15-20
Over $35
$21-25
Do not teach group lessons
No
$26-30
Yes
commission
benefi
60.6%
Do not attend competitions
No
Yes
No
Hotel
Hotel attend Flat fee Do notMissed competitions lessons
phone job
36.2%
Travel
group lessons
0
Hourly fee
Meals
Yes
job
r
e
Do you pay commission on your earnings?
Do you have a job in addition to coaching?
Do you use a smartphone or tablet while coaching?
Yes
37.5%
Yes
47.9%
Yes
74.6%
No
62.5%
No
52.1%
No
25.4%
Do Yes Noyou receive any type of beneďŹ ts as a coach (ex. health insurance)
a th n 15
urly fee
Travel
Do not attend competitions
Mo 1 1- 1 5 r
a th
5
n 15
0
6- 1 0-
5.1%
No
94.9%
Other
What is your hourly rate for group lessons?
e
phone
Hotel
Yes
Do not teach private lessons
$56-65
Over $105 $15-20
$46-55
Under $15 $21-25
$96-105
$36-45
$86-95
$25-35
$26-30 $31-35
$76-85 Over $35
Under $25
Do not teach group lessons
8.5% 26.5% 15.0% 16.0% 5.6% 17.2% 11.2%
$66-75
How many hours per week do you usually coach?
Under $15
$31-35
0-5
21.7%
$15-20
Over $35
6-10
25.7%
11-15
22.0%
$21-25
Do not teach group lessons
More than 15
30.6%
$26-30
commission
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --benefits -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --job-- -- -PS MAGAZINE
21
the Evolution of the
Figure Skate=m The History of Boots and Ice Skates | Part III by Bruce Poodles
Photos courtesy of the World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame
=m Part III
Modert Times – The Golden Era
In the heart of America, skating was one of the most popular forms of winter recreation. On Chicago's ponds, rivers, lagoons, it was no different. The city was home to three major skate manufacturers: F. W. Planert & Sons, Nestor Johnson Mfg. Co., and Alfred Johnson Skate Company. By 1923 the Chicagoland winter landscape was sprinkled with more than six hundred outdoor rinks (more than in any other city).
The Planert Skate Company was founded in the Chicago area in the late 1890s by Fred W. Planert, who made figure, hockey, leisure, and speed skates, providing competition for another Chicago-based company, the Johnson Skate Company run by Nestor and Alfred Johnson. Nestor Johnson, inventor of tubular ice skate was born in Christiana, Norway. He won several skating and rowing championships, which include being the Illinois Skating Champion from 1901 – 1908, and made bicycles and ice skates before he retired in 1917. Due to family difficulties, Alfred withdrew from the Nestor Johnson company and formed his own company, the Alfred Johnson Skate Company that manufactured the same type of ice skate. The Nestor Johnson Co. brought suit in an effort to keep Alfred’s company from using "Johnson Skates". In 1924, Nestor Johnson Manufacturing Co. v. Alfred Johnson Skate Co. made it all the way to the Illinois Supreme
Court. Nestor and Alfred had together formed the company which manufactured a specific style of ice skate. The Supreme Court found that "Johnson" had acquired a distinctive name as to ice skates. The court would not order Alfred from using his surname in promoting his own business. Yet, the court held that when the use of one's name on goods would lead the public to believe that it is the product of a well-known competitor, the law required that reasonable precautions be taken to prevent deception. The court allowed Alfred to use "Johnson" in promoting his ice skates if "not connected with the Nestor Johnson Manufacturing Co." was also used in distribution and advertising. After the Illinois Supreme Court decision both plants continued to operate until 1950, when Alfred Johnson went out of business. In the meantime, the Bauer family, owners of Western Shoe Company, established the Bauer Company (1927), as it is known today, in Kitchener, Ontario. Another iconic manufacturer, the Canada Cycle and Motor Company (CCM) in Toronto, started manufacturing skates in the 1930s. Nestor Johnson stopped production during the 1960s. When the Planert Company was put up for sale in 1960, Bauer purchased the racing department only, thereby shutting down the figure skating line and ending skate production in the city of Chicago.
A fourth Chicago skate manufacturer was sporting goods magnate A.G. Spalding. Albert Spalding was a famous baseball player in the 1870’s and opened his first sporting goods store in 1876 to capitalize on that fame. Early on, Spalding recognized the benefits of owning not only the factory that made the merchandise, but also the stores that sell the merchandise. Today that is in violation of anti-trust laws. Spalding made their skates in Hastings, Michigan and at its peak in 1916, world famous skater, “Charlotte,” was wearing and endorsing her own signature Spalding Skate. A.G. Spalding also owned the American Sports Publishing Company. American Sports published The Art of Skating by Irving Brokaw, also known as the skater’s bible, in 1910. Brokaw had returned from Europe in 1904 bringing two altering innovations with him. The first was Jackson Haines’ International Skating Style and the second was Haines’s skate design which included the Swedish toe rake. A. G. Spalding and Brokaw created a signature boot and skate that was promoted within his book that was a copy of the Haines design. Among the boots from the early 1900s that would survive to the 1980s were Hyde Athletic Shoe Co. of Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Stanzione Company (1908) of New York City. Cobbler Abraham Hyde immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1890 and by 1912 established A.R. Hyde and Sons. His first products were carpet slippers, so called because they were crafted from carpet remnants. The small company's product line grew to include women's and children's shoes. By the 1930s, however, ice skates, ladies' figure skates, and roller skate boots figured strongly in the company's sales. By the 1970s, the Hyde company's product line had expanded to include footwear for ice skating and roller skating, bowling, soccer, football, track, tennis, jogging, and other sports. Products were sold under the Hyde, Spot-Bilt, and Saucony trademarks. Over a period of PS MAGAZINE
23
Did you know
By the 1920s the M.N. Arnold Shoe Company had established a national reputation with exclusive Arnold "Glove Grip" stores in cities nationwide. The company closed in 1931, victim of the Depression. M. N. Arnold Shoe Co. Arnolds Authentics (1944), endorsed by Maribel Vinson
several years, Hyde purchased 70 percent of Mitchel & King Skates Ltd. of England. MK Skates was founded in 1946 in England. By 1976, Hyde's revenues grew to $15 million. In 1977, Maxwell Hyde retired, turning over the company to son-in-law Leonard R. Fisher. The company sold its interest in MK in 1979 to its managing partners.
The S tanzione Company was founded in 1905 by a 22 year old immigrant shoemaker from Naples, Italy, named Gustavo Stanzione. He made his first skating boots in 1908, quite by accident when Belle Butler, a famous skater of those days, gave him an order. She was so pleased with his work that she told her friends and business began to pick up. He began by laboring on his own, but by 1940 Gustavo was joined by four of his eight sons. Their very successful family enterprise was located upstairs at 50 W. 56th Street in Manhattan. During their reign as supreme craftsmen, they made boots for the elite in both roller and ice skating, which included Charlotte, Maribel Vinson, Karl Schaefer, Irving Brokaw, Norval Baptie, and Swedish figure staking champion, Vivi-Ann Hulten. As a matter of fact, Sonja Henie had Stanzione make her a pair of red boots. It was Miss Henie and her family that had realized early on how important her costuming was to her performances. According to Maribel Vinson’s book Advanced Figure Skating, Sonia first changed her skates from black to beige, “…to allow for a greater variety of light color, more spectacular costumes. After many skaters copied her in Europe by wearing beige, Sonia changed to white skating boots. Like Chicago in the late 19th century, Minnesota had a large population of Scandinavians who loved to skate. In 1914, John Strauss, a custom blade maker from St. Paul, Minnesota, developed the “first closed-toe blade of one piece steel.” Strauss, who emigrated from Germany in 1881, opened his first skate shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1887. Strauss made his first pair of figure skates in 1888 for local athlete Harley Davidson. His first pair of racing skates followed in 1889, ordered by Axel Paulsen, inventor of the Axel skating jump, who was living and racing in Minneapolis at the time. Strauss’s innovation did more to advance free skating than any other design. Dorothy Curtis, Strauss’s granddaughter, wrote in her book Changing Edges that the blade was not only more stable with the teeth under
24
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
the boot as opposed to in front, but it also permitted more lift that allowed skaters to complete more rotations. Strauss skates were also unique because of how they were made. Each blade was hand-cut from a sheet of custom highcarbon steel, first imported from England and later brought in from Reading, Pennsylvania. Then the blades were put through a secret hardening process involving heat that Strauss had learned while working in an arsenal in Naples, Italy. He shared the process with no one but his family. This process made Strauss skates unusually flexible for their hardness, something that was very desirable to serious skaters. Hardened blades were tempered and polished, then nickel- and chrome-plated. Finally, they were attached to skate boots. John Strauss retired in 1941 and his son John E. Strauss continued the family tradition until he made the last pair of Straus Blades by hand, using the technique his father developed in 1880. With the exception of an improvement in the quality of the steel and modifications in design that have produced specialized blades for the various disciplines of figure skating, figure skate blades have remained relatively unchanged during this century.
Another St. Paul company was the Oberhamer Shoe Company, established in 1927 by Ferdinand Oberhamer, an immigrant from Austria. His son Roy eventually took over the business. Roy too was a master boot maker, expanding the business to include roller boots. As Roy prepared to retire, his plan was to give the company to his son-in-law. But before that could take place, his son-in-law was killed in an automobile accident. Roy sold the company instead and the new owners changed the name to Oberhamer Sports. The new owners of Oberhamer Sports were in trouble almost from the start. The owners decided to push production of recreational skates at the expense of the custom business. The quality of the boots fell drastically. In order to get the company back on track, Roy came back as a consultant. It was too late; Oberhamer Sports filed for bankruptcy and was taken over by the bank in 1981, which soon began liquidating Oberhamer’s assets. One investor, according to Moira Harris, author of Wonders on Ice: Figure Skating in Minnesota, purchased Oberhamer from the bank but was convicted on embezzlement charges and jailed in 1988. The bank still had possession of much of the assets when PS Magazine announced the formation of a new company. Olympian Mark Cockerell and ice show comedian Kent “Kento” Orwoll purchased the remaining assets from the bank and incorporated as Oberhamer Skates, once again with 69 year old Roy Oberhamer consulting. The new Oberhamer Skates Company made a complete line of figure, roller (artistic and speed), ice speed skates, some accessories, and their own line of designer skate wear. At first, the new Oberhamer skates were looking for a shoe company who could manufacture the boots. After a lengthy process, Mark and Kento settled on the Leverenz Shoe Company of Wisconsin. Leverenz had been in business for 69 years, making shoes under the Armadillo and Morgan Quinn brands, as well as private-label brands for J.C. Penny. Ironically, what Oberhamer Skates didn’t know was Leverenz Shoes owed creditors more than one million dollars and was placed in general receivership the evening before they were to start production on the Oberhamer skate. Oberhamer
tried another Wisconsin shoe company but had quality issues.
Finally, Kento and Mark found a person whom they thought would be the answer: Noel Ash, owner operator of B & A Boot Shop in Paris, Arkansas. Ash was excited about the project and in order to ramp up production, hired additional help. He looked early in the process for early payment to cover expenses. Unfortunately, cash was once again an issue for Oberhamer Skates and production stopped. According to Kento, Roy had a favorite saying, “Money is not the problem… it’s the solution.” Mark Cockerell decided to move on and Orwoll and Roy moved production back to Minnesota, giving one last effort. Renting a small space, Kento and Roy added the quad roller speed skate to the line; they even tried an inline boot for Rollerblade in 1995. While making custom boots in Minnesota, a recreation and rental line was being made in Mexico. At the end, SP-Teri was making custom Oberhamer boots using the Oberhamer last. The lasts and equipment was slowly sold off or given away. Randy Nelson, who worked for SP-Teri, moved to Chicago along with two former SP-Teri boot makers to start a new boot company called Legacy using the Oberhamer patterns and lasts. Oberhamer finally closed its doors for good in October of 1997, an end to one of the most popular and well-made boots of the 20th century.
The Olympiad Skate Company was established in St. Paul during the 1930s by William Blochinger and Almond L. Colbiornsen, who operated out of a small shop at one period located across the street from the old St. Paul Auditorium. Most notably, Mr. Blochinger patented the first “zigzag” toe rake which he claimed were “self-cleaning” in 1936, describing the issue with previous designs in his patent description as, “… construction of skates and particularly figure skates, the practice has been to provide prongs at the toe end of the skate arranged alternately along the corners of the toe end. Such construction is disadvantageous in that the spaces between prongs readily fill up with ice, thus lessening the usefulness of the structure for the desired purpose.” The Olympiad and Zephyr designs were very popular in the day, with five-time U.S. Men’s champion, Robin Lee of St. Paul endorsing the product. An interesting side note involving the Olympiad Skate Company and former International Olympic Committee President, Avery Brundage, was an incident that happened in 1950. Brundage was a fierce opponent of the commercialism of the Olympics and the financial corruption of amateur athletes. After learning of the existence of the company, Brundage fired off a letter demanding that Olympiad change
their name.
EXTENSIVE COLLECTION:
WORLD FIGURE SKATING MUSEUM By the mid-fifties a new style of boot making was introduced & HALL OF FAME by manufacturers Harlick & The World Figure Skating Museum Co.(1937), Arnolds Authentics & Hall of Fame’s collection includes (1944), Riedell (1945), and nearly 1,500 pairs of skates that Klingbeil (1950). The height of document the development of the the boot had been reduced and blade and boot dating back to the the heel increased. The blade 8th Century. stanchions height increased to PSA extends special thanks to the Museum for allow for deeper edges. In the graciously sharing photographs from the collecsixties, boots began to adapt to tion. the needs of the skaters. Skaters began to jump more and one of the first changes made, according to the history of Harlick, was their new design of a much lower boot. A consistent complaint by skaters was that the laces would work loose. The cause for this was immediately recognized. The old styling was designed for the boots to go all the way up past the calf of the leg where the leg muscles were the strongest, and as soon as one began to skate, the calf muscles would expand, making the lacing work loose. As soon as the new design was made and the height of the boot cut down three to four inches the problem was eliminated. This low cut design became so popular, all of the boot manufactured were copying the low cut design. Modern skating boots, on the other hand, are extremely rigid to support the foot and ankle in jumps, and are cut much lower—just over ankle height—to allow the foot to flex. Because the stiffness of the boots makes good fit essential, many skaters either order custom boots or have their boots "bumped out" over pressure points by a skate technician. The Golden Era of skating saw a great boom in manufacturers post World War II. Overall the boots changed little until the need for more support dictated the transformation. In the next issue of PS magazine, the story continues with the Great White North; boots from above the border. In the next issue of PS Magazine Part IV - The Great White North SOURCES The Art of Skating. Irving Brokaw A System of Figure Skating. H. E. Vandervell & T. Maxwell Witham Wonderful World of Skates. Arthur Goodfellow Ice Skating. Nigel Brown Artistic Skating in the International Style, George H. Browne, The New York Times, November 28 1909 100 Years on Ice. Time magazine. February 10, 1941. Retrieved 2013/08/26
PS MAGAZINE
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Growing CHAMPIONS
by Kent McDill
It's a scene all too familiar to many parents: call it the 'Drive Home of Shame'. You have left a sporting competition. A parent or parents are in the front seat, the child (also known as the competitor) is in the backseat. There is nothing but silence, although there is an unpleasant air about the atmosphere in the car. It’s the sense of disappointment stemming from a poor performance by the competitor. But it’s not the competitor who is disappointed; it’s the parent(s), whose silence is a clear indication that the competition did not go the way he or she wanted it to. Then, perhaps, the disappointment doubles, as the competitor (who is really just a child) realizes just how unhappy his or her parent is, and then becomes dismayed over the parent’s reaction. The child is fully aware that he or she is responsible for the bad feeling that exists all the way home. Recognize that scene? David Benzel does. And he is doing something about it so that fewer people have to go through that experience. Benzel is the founder of Growing Champions for Life (www.growingchampionsforlife.com), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a positive experience for the young athlete in America and the adults, specifically the parents and the coaches, who participate in the growth of the young athlete. Using on-line information, webinars, instructional and inspirational videos, combined with live speaking appearances and seminars, Benzel tries to impact the adults that influence the youth athlete with the relatively simple lesson that true winning does not require a scoreboard or scorecard. Unfortunately, Benzel’s services are much needed. Stories abound about parents and coaches whose attitude toward the athlete, while perhaps well-intentioned, gets in the way of the athlete’s progress, not only on the field of competition, but in the rest of his or her life. Benzel himself is a world-class athlete as an eight-time national water skiing champion. Upon the creation of Growing Champions for Life, Benzel has been called upon to assist coaches and parents, giving his knowledge and advice to organizations like the Professional Skaters Association and companies like Sprint and Allstate. He too has been an athlete’s parent, as his daughter Tarah was a World Water Skiing Champion and is now a professional
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waveboarder. His son, Tyler, played baseball on scholarship at Florida State University and played minor league professional baseball after that. Benzel knows the traps that exist for both coaches and parents to lose their way in the spiritual and psychological guidance of a young athlete, especially when that athlete has high level aspirations. “I have been an elite coach and I have been the parent of two kids in youth sports,’’ Benzel said. “Too often, I got caught up where I was only concerned about the skill part. I had to let go, I had to realize that is not what I wanted to do. I had to grow as a whole person. “There are a lot of athletes who win at sports and lose at life,” he said. “That’s where I come in.” Growing Champions for Life provides all the materials a coach or parent would need in order to promote a healthy growth for his child athlete. There are on-line classes and educational material, regular on-line workshops, testimonials, and positive parent videos to instruct and inspire. Benzel speaks at numerous coaching and parenting conferences to encourage youth sports leaders and parents to be encouraging, with a focus on personal development more than athletic development. “Parents get so wrapped up in performance misses,” Benzel said. “I realize they want to make sure their kids reach their full potential athletically. But what a blessing it is if you find your child being coached by a coach who is also concerned about his character development along with skill development. “I think parents are usually impressed when they run into a coach that is taking a longer view, thinking ‘I didn’t expect that.’ It resonates well with them, and that’s a bonus.” Benzel, who resides in Florida, wants the website to be a tool parents and coaches can use to help them help their athletes. “We believe in the slow-drip method,” he said. “I hope they find resources they can use. We recommend some reading, we have a newsletter every month. But we want you to come back to the site often. You have to stay
tuned in to keep this on the top of your mind, otherwise you could fall into the traps that are out there for parents.”
y
Benzel points to the oft-cited statistic of youth athletes who give up their preferred sport (73 percent of 13-yearolds quit because “it’s not fun anymore”, according to Benzel), or the sport at which they excel, simply because they get burned out. Often it is the pressure placed on them by coaches and parents who start the process of extinguishing the flame of passion for the sport. “It’s about the child who is growing up through youth sports and defining themselves by how they do in competition,’’ Benzel said. “That is the short term view of growth. It creates short term success and long term headache. Young athletes suffer an identity crisis when they are defined solely by how they perform in an athletic competition,” he said. “For the child who feels good about himself when he performs well and lousy about himself when he doesn’t perform well, eventually that child will ask ‘Who am I?’ when they stop participating in that sport,” he said. “That’s the great tragedy of youth sport today.”
y
Benzel speaks to both parents and coaches, and admits that his message is received in different ways by different people in both groups. “There are plenty of people who, when they hear this message, it does resonate with them,” Benzel said. “Every audience I speak to, there are parents nodding their heads (as if to say) ‘You are right, I want to raise a human being, not a human doer. I’m here to raise a person, not here to raise a figure skater.’ “But there are some parents I can tell are struggling with this idea of how much emphasis should we put on the child’s performance,” he said. “These are Type A personalities, driven and competitive themselves. I can see in their eyes they are struggling with the concept I am teaching. I try to tell them we need to let the children be
in charge of their performance, we are not in charge. After a loss, the child can sleep but the parents can’t, because the parents need their child to win. “We need to teach our kids how effort translates into results, and let them decide how well they perform.” Benzel tells his own moment of discovery as a parent, which, as often does, comes from a low point in his parenting strategy. “I was never a crazy pushy parent, but what I recognized was there were times when I got caught up in the whole performance thing,” he said. “I inadvertently took the fun out of sports for my two kids on some occasions. I inadvertently put too much performance pressure on my kids at some times. I recognized I didn’t like the way I felt and I had to transform myself. It is a trap for all of us as parents because of our own egos.” Then there is that car ride home after a poor performance. “The child knows that it is going to be the worst,” he said. “He or she knows that mom and dad are going to be mad. They can sense ‘I have disappointed my parents, I have let them down’ or they fear that they have. Then they get home and it’s like walking on eggshells. “But it is possible for parents to be playing the hero role, to show that you are more concerned about your child for the long term, more concerned about the person who is then motivated from within to succeed.” The website has a link to the True Hero Inner Circle, where Benzel offers parents monthly classes on how to be the hero to your child rather than the villain. “We have a lot of testimony from parents who have benefitted from our website,” he said. “We get emails from people saying ‘We tried what you recommended and what a change it made. I am happier, my kids are happier; my kids are playing better and enjoying it more. We are getting along better and he is playing better.’ That tells me this is the right message.” When Benzel isn’t talking to parents, he is talking to coaches, and while the message is the same, the path to Growing Champions, continued on page 35 PS MAGAZINE
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2014 PSA Conference & Trade Show
VACATION AMONG THE STARS! Introducing keynote speaker:
Top 10 Reasons To Attend Conference 2014 So. Many. Topics. With presentations from jumping theory to using social media to enhance your business, we have something for everyone!
10.
9.
Lori Nichol
Hello, Palm Springs! It’s always sunny in California. Have you seen the pictures of the pool and lazy river at the resort?
Lori Nichol was a national level competitor in the US, a principle performer for John Curry Skating Company, and the 1982 World Professional Silver Medalist. From 1983-1996 she coached every level of skater from beginner levels to Junior National Champions. She is NCCP Level 3 certified, and teaches edge and movement classes worldwide. Nichol has choreographed skaters to 38 World and Olympic medals. She has choreographed for skaters including Michelle Kwan, Sale and Pelletier, Evan Lysacek, Shen and Zhao, Patrick Chan, and many others. Nichol is a four time recipient of the PSA/U.S. Figure Skating Choreographer of the Year award, the 2010 recipient of the Sonja Henie award, a twotime nominee for the ISU Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the PSA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2011. She was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame last November.
Conference offers comprehensive training and education from coaching experts - including World and Olympic coaches.
8. 7.
You have the opportunity to take rating exams, and become a rated professional! Be inspired by immersing yourself in a community of people that are all passionate about the same thing you are – figure skating.
6.
5. Play Golf – to support the PS Foundation…or for cheap domestic beer…not to mention fabulous prizes!
Make new friends who can teach you a few new tips and tricks to make your life a little easier.
4.
Meet the PSA staff that you talk to and e-mail on a daily
3. basis!
Emerge from the cold ice rink to shamelessly wear flip flops and your Hawaiian shirt three days in a row and soak up the sun!
2.
1.
Nichol will be a keynote speaker at the 2014 Conference.
It would be no fun without YOU! Our members are the reason and motivation for coordinating this fabulous event!
T R I VI A WI NNE R
Congratulations!
LISA ROCKEFELLER VALENTINE Home Club/Rink: Hayden FSC and Skating Club of Boston Disciplines: Freestyle, Moves, Choreography, Group What are you looking forward to at this year's Conference? I'm looking forward to... savoring the contrast of sipping a date palm
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follow the PSA!
shake by the pool while discussing double loop jump technique! ...Indulging in my three favorite subjects at the meetings on sports medicine, choreography, and jumping theory. ...and treating colleagues and friends to a free Zumba class taught by me!
Registration Deadlines EARLY BIRD
January 21, 2014 ADVANCE
April 22, 2014
Desert Ice Castle
Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa
Presentation Topics Keynote Address Frank Carroll
Salchow On-Ice
The Hottest & Latest Synchro Topics Leslie Graham, Holly Malewski, & Becky Stump
Frank Being Frank Q&A
Using Social Media to Enhance Your Business
Choreography
Off-Ice Jump Class
Coaching the Grassroots
Intro to the iAIM Program
Step Sequences
Investing in Your Future: Financial Investing
Frank Carroll Frank Carroll Lori Nichol
Jackie Brenner Scott Brown
Solo & Pattern Dance
Kelley and Donald Adair
USOC App: Lutz Jump
Doug Mattis & Jamie Santee Diane Miller
Scott McCoy
Paul Paprocki
Overseeing the Skating School Program
Kathy Casey, Chris Snyder, Heidi Thibert
Wendy Smith
Jumping Theory
Ice Show Production - TBD USOC Coaching Presentation
Alex Chang & Jere Michael
John Curry’s Edge Class
Don Corbiell & Louis Vachon
IJS: Olympic Updates
Charlie Cyr & Libby Scanlan
Skaters’ Medical Injuries Eisenhower Medical Group
Legal Issues & Agreements Jonathon Geen
The Print is Worth the Mint: Draw Class Doug Haw
How to Coach Mental Skills for Skaters Nicolette House
Chris Snyder
Trends Observed from the Survey of Regional Competitors Kelly Vogtner
Skating Director: Group Class Organization & Administration Barb Yackel
Applying Periodization to Grassroots Skaters Tom Zakrajsek
Sport Science: Rest & Recovery Peter Zapalo
The Role of the Program Director Thomas Hickey & Jimmie Santee
The Spin Doctor Evelyn Kramer
Basic Pair Skating Doug Ladret
*All topics are tentative and subject to change
Tips & Tricks for Moves in the Field Debbie Lane
Meet Your Area Rep Gloria Leous
www.skatepsa.com for more information
PS MAGAZINE
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False
Advertising By Terri Milner Tarquini
When does polishing a resume become complete fabrication? When does stretching a coaching relationship to a skater become problematic? When does the self-promotion that all coaches engage in to put themselves in the best light become outright false advertising?
what you’ve accomplished. Nothing good comes out of fabricating, and if you do good work, people will come to you,” Mock said. “A long time ago there used to be a saying in skating that if someone sneezes at 8 a.m. in Seattle, you know about it by 4 p.m. in Philadelphia. That hasn’t changed and now, because of technology, you know almost immediately if someone blinks in China. Everyone knows everyone somehow in skating.”
“There is no right way to do the wrong thing,” said Bob Mock, coach and former PSA president. “You should leave anything off of your resume that you cannot absolutely establish or defend.”
It’s these intertwined relationships that still provide a close-knit network within a sport of often regular relocating - and why coaches should be on the up-and-up when advertising their background and accomplishments.
There are many reasons why it is important to be truthful when presenting one’s background - to uphold coaching ethics, to protect often young and impressionable students, and to safeguard the profession as a whole, to name a few. “It’s important to be true to yourself and who you are and
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“In every business, people polish their resume. There’s a fine line between polishing and going too far, but sometimes the going too far can be a genuine mistake,” Mock said. “My advice is to write everything down you think you are and you think you’ve accomplished and then go back and do a hard edit. Ask yourself, ‘Is this true? Do I need to do more to be able to say this?’ Maybe you need to go get that experience so you can accurately make that claim. Be an apprentice, get advice from a higher level coach… there are a lot of vehicles to get more experience.” There are two distinct ways coaches can firmly establish their resumes through the PSA: ratings and rankings.
“Self-policing is often how we find out about false advertising,” said Jimmie Santee, PSA executive director. “If we’re not already aware of something, we get calls about it. Skating is a small world.”
“Ratings are what you know and rankings are what you did as a coach,” Santee said. “They are both excellent ways to definitively say who you are and what you’ve done.”
But what about a culture where embellishing one’s resume is commonplace?
Once a coach achieves one of the four levels of ratings in a variety of disciplines, they maintain that
As PSA members, all coaches are held to the Code of Ethics and the Tenets of Professionalism, both of which stress honesty and integrity within figure skating.
"And, while mistakes can and do happen, it is ultimately up to coaches to be vigilant when it comes to what they are advertising." level; however, to continue the ability to claim that rating, the coach must accumulate a minimum of 28 educational credits every three years. This is where some of the resume falsehoods are legitimate oversights. “If you Google ‘master-rated coach’ it doesn’t take long to come across a name where that claim is not accurate,” Santee said. “Usually it is a case of them being short with their credits - and it’s a legitimate oversight - and we contact them about taking it off of their website until it is rectified. That’s why, as a professional, it’s so important to stay current with your paperwork.” With regards to rankings, a coach’s rank is directly related to the performance of his or her skaters while under that coach’s primary direction for a minimum of a year. There are 10 levels which run the gamut of a coach who has had skaters at nonqualifying competitions all the way to a coach who has been the head coach of multiple World or Olympic champions.
“If you are the coach of record for a student who has qualified for Nationals, you have the coaching credential for that student through U.S. Figure Skating and you have taught that student for at least a year, then you are a National coach,” Mock said. “If a student switches to you as the coach right before Nationals, you have a right to be there because you were asked, but you are not a National coach. You fell into it and you didn’t do the work.” As PSA members, all coaches are held to the Code of Ethics and the Tenets of Professionalism, both of which stress honesty and integrity within figure skating. “Especially when you have a parent of a young child, they usually know nothing about the sport and they are looking to the professional for guidance,” Santee said. “All coaches are trying to make themselves look good, but who ultimately pays can be the young skater, as well as the profession as a whole. There is a lot of trust building that happens at the beginning of a coach-skater
relationship. When you stretch the truth, you not only ruin the trust with that person, you tarnish the profession with the idea that all coaches are untruthful.” Gray areas can happen in a lot of cases, but in an association with almost 6,000 current members 425 of those who are ranked and 2,637 who are rated —it would be misguided to attempt too much beefing up of the resume. “The truth is there are many, many coaches who are rated,” Santee said, “and it’s not fair to those who follow the rules.” And, while mistakes can and do happen, it is ultimately up to coaches to be vigilant when it comes to what they are advertising. “In life, the right way and the wrong way usually come down the street at the same time holding hands,” Mock said. “Just choose to go the right way. It’s so much better.”
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What Would Wendy Enzmann Do? When Wendy Enzmann decided to be a judge for U.S. Figure Skating, she brought an extensive resume to the official’s table. A national competitor in singles, pairs, and synchronized skating, and an international competitor in singles and synchro, Enzmann now holds official appointments as a national judge, referee, technical controller, technical specialist, and national data and video for singles, pairs, and synchronized skating. On the international front, she judges singles, pairs, and synchro. She is the 2013 winner of the Professional Skaters Association’s Jimmy Disbrow Distinguished Official Award, given to a judge or official who has shown dedication, reliability,and integrity to figure skating through the years. A kindergarten teacher at a private school in her hometown of Stow, Massachusetts, Enzmann is looking forward to judging at Four Continents, being team leader at Junior Worlds, and judging at World Synchronized Skating Championships in the coming months. She took time out to share some judging perspective and answer the question, “What Would Wendy Enzmann Do?”
You had quite an accomplished competitive career in three different disciplines. What drew you to coaching? I coached in college and at the time there was something called the Collegiate Skating Institute that allowed you to coach while you also were judging. As a judge, you can’t do both because you technically can’t get paid, but that program was a great way for college students to explore judging. I had also started trial judging at 16 and, basically, I tried it and I liked it. I like the puzzle part of it, the idea of trying to get it right. Speaking of trying to get it right, let’s answer the question once and for all: What do judges want to see? Obviously that is not a one-answer question, but here goes… Judges want
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By Terri Milner Tarquini
to see someone who can go out and skate their best and not give up even if it’s not their best skate. I skated so I’m familiar with what can happen, but it’s not over ‘til it’s over. Also, coaches shouldn’t put a ton of stuff in that the skaters can’t do. A couple of things that are in the process are ok, but it’s obvious and distracting and doesn’t allow them to do what they can do.
athlete they can be. We are there to help them grow into better skaters. There has been an effort to be more approachable so we can share our knowledge. You know your skater inside and out, but we are a new set of fresh eyes when we see them perform and we want to help in the process of developing the skaters from the beginning levels to the elite level.
What is something that you personally most like to see during a skater’s performance? The first is that they have to stick with it, but the second is for them to be happy and truly enjoying the program. You can tell when a skater has a true passion and love for the sport. Even having the privilege of judging some of the best skaters in the world, it is still so great to see the little ones at a basic skills competition skating their hearts out. It makes me smile to see that.
Skating has had some notable judging controversies—probably the most well-known was the 2002 Winter Olympics regarding the pairs event. However, there was a flap about Italian judge Walter Toigo possibly copying the marks from your sheet without your knowledge during a men’s free skating event in France in August 2010. (Toigo was subsequently banned from judging any ISU sanctioned competitions for two years and has since been reinstated.) How do you respond when asked about cheating in judging? I have judged singles and pairs and synchro at the world level and, for all of my experiences, I have never witnessed anything with regards to cheating. The judges I’m familiar with are very passionate about what they do and about getting it right.
What should coaches have at the forefront of their minds when it comes to preparing their skaters to perform in front of judges? Coaches should be well informed of the rules. They should be aware of the constant changes in the IJS system and make sure their athletes are informed not just about the levels, but that GOEs (Grade of Execution) and components make a huge difference. Is there anything that you really do not like to see in a performance? I don’t like to see people give up. When a skater is having a bad day it is very hard to properly evaluate their skating. I understand the feeling of ‘I want a do-over.’ Sometimes it’s just not your day, but when a skater decides they want to quit it’s just so frustrating to watch and I don’t even like giving marks that reflect what was obviously an off performance. Try the whole program. It’s a performance, after all. Would you agree that judges are more accessible to coaches today than they used to be and, if so, is that a shift that you see as being positive? Yes, judges are more accessible to coaches today. The hope is that, although we are judges and we are evaluating, we want to part of the team that creates the best
A few questions about the IJS system… First, has it accomplished its goal of taking some of the subjectivity out of judging? Yes, definitely for executed elements. The IJS system has completely changed the way we evaluate a skater. It puts the onus completely on the athlete and doesn’t rely on a comparative system and I like that. It is one hundred percent less subjective when it comes to elements. Is the jump completely rotated? It’s either there or it’s not there. There are very few gray areas. GOEs are also very clearly written, but there’s a little bit of leeway depending on where the judges start with a GOE based on the written criteria. For the five components, there is specific criteria judges take into account to come up with a mark, but I still see far less subjectivity. Second, will this be a constantly evolving system or do you foresee a time when it might be set for the most part? It will continue to evolve as skating itself evolves. It’s a whole new way of looking
LEFT | Wendy with fellow team leader John Cole at the 2013 Junior World Championships in which the U.S. men swept the podium. ABOVE | 2013 Cranberry Open Technical Panel PHOTOS COURTESY WENDY ENZMANN
at things for judges who judged under the 6.0 system and it’s hard for them to park the comparative system we were all so used to. But I like the fact that a skater can say, ‘Maybe jumps aren’t my strength, but I can maximize with spins and steps and performance.’ There are a lot of smart athletes and coaches out there who know what can be maximized and are doing it. It’s a point competition these days.
Third, has the IJS system been good for the sport, considering it is largely not understood by the public? It is a system that is not easy to understand. Even for those in the know, it can be difficult. It can be hard for the fan base to watch and think, ‘How can that skater have fallen and still won?’ We do need to make some adjustments to make it more user-friendly to keep the fans we have and still open the sport up to a new fan base, but I don’t know how or what will be done.
nity to experience the feelings of the performance. It’s very difficult for a skater to break through and touch you, but he completely broke through that barrier. For synchro, Miami University and Hayden this past year at Nationals had extremely strong programs that gave me goosebumps. Also, Todd and Jenni’s program at the 1995 Nationals. I was trial judging and I actually just stopped writing which is not what you’re supposed to do because, as trial judges, they collect our papers to evaluate them. I remember thinking, ‘I want to give this a 6.0, but if I do and no one else does then I won’t get a national appointment. But if I don’t and everyone else does, that’s also not good.’ I ended up giving them the 6.0 and a lot of other judges did too… It was an amazing program.
What is your favorite move to watch when it is performed really well? For pairs, it has to be throws. When there’s a throw that soars and a landing with no bobbles, it gives me goosebumps. For singles, it’s the spins. A layback, a combination, any spin that keeps going and maintains speed and hits different positions, it’s just ‘wow!’ And with synchro, I like a really good intersection.
If there was one thing about the sport that you could change, what would it be? The perception that it’s a girl’s sport. At least in this country, I think a lot of the general audience shies away from skating because of that perception, but three of the disciplines involve men. It’s a unique sport because it combines the artistry with the athletic thrill. There are not a lot of performance-based sports and, in our sport, not only do you need a large number of skills, but you have to do it all as a performance. That makes us very unique.
Do you have a favorite performance? Alex Johnson’s long program at Nationals in 2013. For me, it was just incredible and it just didn’t stop. I was technical controller and usually in that role you are so focused on the elements that you don’t have an opportu-
What inspires you as a judge? Seeing skaters grow, for one. Like Ross Miner (the 2012 Four Continents bronze medalist and the 2011 and 2012 U.S. National bronze medalist). I remember him being really little at pre-preliminary boys
and seeing where he is today as a world team member is amazing. To see him grow as an athlete and as a performer inspires me. Another part is the relationships you make with people all over the world. The figure skating family is a very tight-knit group and I love that I can drop in, have dinner and catch up. People ask me all the time, ‘Why do you do this? You don’t get paid,’ but for me it’s so much more than being about the money; it’s the relationships.
How would you describe your journey in the skating world so far? When I was a competitive skater, I never imagined me being here today. I had the good fortune of things happening to me —for instance, I married my pairs partner (Alexander Enzmann). I do know that I’ve learned that you don’t always know why things change, but you walk through another door and there’s some good and there are probably a few roadblocks and then there’s another door. It has certainly been a lifelong journey from the time I stepped on the ice, but there just seem to be more and more opportunities that keep presenting themselves. Do you have an overall judging philosophy or mission statement? My philosophy is to try and do what I can do to help the athlete be what they can be. I want to give an unbiased opinion of their performance and hopefully they can take my evaluation and use it to improve. If I can do that, then I feel that I have succeeded.
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Legal Ease DAVID SHULMAN
Do We File Individual or Joint? T
he question posed in the title of this article, is going to be asked and answered in ways not thought of last year. The United States Supreme Court in the case of Windsor v. United States, 111 AFTR 2d 2013-2385 (U.S. 2013) changed the way the IRS was to do business. From the date of the Windsor case, the government would now take the position that a same sex couple that was legally married in a domestic or foreign jurisdiction that recognized their marriage will be treated as married for federal tax purposes, regardless of where they currently reside. The gender–neutral terms that appear in the tax code as “spouse” and “marriage” will now include an individual as an individual lawfully married to a person of the same sex in a lawful same-sex marriage. In addition the IRS determined that the term “husband” and “wife", whether used separately or together, should be interpreted to include same sex spouses.
the law as a result of the Supreme Court ruling in the Windsor case should check their state of residence. You should determine if your state will follow the federal rule. Will your state permit you to one party as individual but married or must it be a joint return? You are considered married if on the last day of your tax year you and your spouse are legally married. Check to determine if you have to file new W-4 forms to adjust status and withholding. I have not discussed rules on the treatment of estate taxes, IRA contribution and other family things impacted by the new laws and the Court rulings. Do check with a tax professional before filing any changes or forms. Each case is different, at least for the start of the imposition of the new regulations.
“There are some interesting rules to consider. The IRS does not consider the term “marriage” to include registered domestic partnerships.” Additionally, individuals who are in same sex marriages are permitted to file original or amended returns for prior years (generally up to three years) to be treated as married for those years. Be sure to discuss this type of filing with a tax specialist prior to filing anything with the IRS. There are some interesting rules to consider. The IRS does not consider the term “marriage” to include registered domestic partnerships. And neither is civil union or other formal relationships recognized under state law but not determined as marriage under that state’s law. You can check Frequently Asked Questions at the IRS web site and search for Revenue Ruling 2013-17. Any person that might be impacted by the change in
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JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
Growing Champions, continued from page 27
enlightenment is a bit more complicated. “Coaches at every level should be continuously learning,” Benzel said. “There is no point where you should stop learning. Many coaches, in every sport I am involved in, spend about 85 to 90 percent of their time learning how to coach the technical aspects of their sport. But there is a whole other side of coaching that has to do with the interpersonal skills, the soft skills, connecting with an athlete. “Every coach knows these are important and they will say they are important, but they typically don’t get access to or spend the time learning those type of skills that are the art of coaching rather than the science of it.” Benzel is too polite to say that he has experienced a great deal of resistance from coaches, but he admits some coaches do not want to hear what he is pitching. “If I meet resistance it is from coaches that are not professional,” he said. “I had a soccer coach say to me at a workshop, when we were talking about how important it is to coach character along with soccer skills, ‘I thought I was here to learn how to coach
soccer, not to coach character.’ I guess you would call that resistance, but I don’t get that a lot.”
y
It is the unfortunate truth that youth athletes often look to professional athletes for a signal as to how they should behave before, during and after competitions. Without a solid coach or parent to provide a positive role model, they look to the athletes who are doing what they hope to do someday. And that is not always a good thing. “With today’s athletes, there are far many more examples of them compromising values to get more attention or to make more money,” Benzel said. “They want to stand out in the crowd, do outrageous behavior, and when that happens at the professional level, that ends up being the peak of the pyramid, and why wouldn’t I want to be cool like that and have lots of attention? “What they don’t see is what kind of lives those people live off the field, and after their career,” he said.
Benzel spends a great deal of time thinking about the athlete’s life after the competitions are over. Everybody knows they are going to end someday, and they do, even for professionals. But Benzel can’t help but think about what all of the practices and competitions produced in the person who is now beyond the competitive athlete portion of their lives. “We get swept up in the results rather than looking at the journey,” he said. “But I want parents to think ‘Is my child enjoying this journey, and what are they becoming as a result of the journey?’”
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CALENDAR
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JANUARY Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline:
January 8 & 9 Area 2 Renaissance Hotel, 606 Congress St. Boston, MA 02210 [888-796-4664] Oral Rating Site at the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Register online at www.skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken November 25, 2013
Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host:
Sunday, January 19 Area 7 Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar ISI District 18 Free Instructor Seminar 8:30 am to 4:00 pm 7 PSA pre-approved credits Glyn Jones glynjones20@gmail.com 813-854-4010
MARCH Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline: Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline:
March 9-10 Area 16 Fiesta Rancho Hotel/Casino, 2400 North Rancho Drive, North Las Vegas, NV 89130 Oral Rating Site at Ratings Prep Training PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Register online at www.skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams January 13, 2014 March 10--12 Area 16 Fiesta Rancho Ice Arena & Hotel, 2400 North Rancho Drive, North Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, NV 89130 Ratings Prep Training (formerly known as PACE) PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Register online at www.skatepsa.com 28 PSA credits February 10, 2014
M AY
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Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadlines:
May 19-21 Area 16 Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa, 41-000 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270-4497 Oral Rating Site at 2014 PSA Conference PSA Office at ratings@skatepsa.com or 507-281-5122 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams: March 15, 2014
Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadlines:
May 23-25 Area 16 Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa, 41-000 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270-4497 and Desert Ice Castle, 68600 Perez Road, Cathedral City, CA 92234 2014 PSA Conference & Trade Show PSA Office at office@skatepsa.com or 507-281-5122 28 - 30 PSA credits Early Bird Deadline: January 21, 2014 Advanced: April 22, 2014
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JOB OPENINGS M A Y cont'd Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadlines:
May 27 Area 11 Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 West Bryn Mawr Ave, Rosemont, IL 60018 Oral Rating Site at 2014 ISI Conference [8:00 am to 12:15 pm] PSA Office at ratings@skatepsa.com or 507-281-5122 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams: March 21, 2014
Please vis www.ska it tep for the co sa.com mpl Calendar ete of Events
SKATING COACH WANTED - Space City Ice Station, located in the southeast suburbs of Houston, Texas, close to NASA and Kemah Boardwalk. Beaches of Galveston Island are close by! Amenities include a 200'x85' ice surface, pro shop, restaurant, fitness center, dance studio, and figure skating club. Send resume to: andrew@spacecityice.com SKATING COACH WANTED – The Wisconsin Rapids Figure Skating Club is looking for coaches with excellent communication skills experienced with coaching beginner to high level U.S. Figure Skating Programs. Coaching responsibilities include Learn-to-Skate class instruction to Senior MIF and Senior Free Skating instruction. Please email your resume and references to Kevin Whipple, WRFSC President, at rtribe@wctc. net or mail to WRFSC P.O. BOX 32, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-0032
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