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2015
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COLUMNS 4
Over the Edge | Jimmie Santee
6
President’s Message | Angie Riviello
8
Ratings | Brandon Forsyth
10
IJS | Libby Scanlan
12
SafeSport | U.S. Figure Skating
14
Sport Science | Heidi Thibert
18
FEATURES 20 21
Coaching Philosophies
24 26
Education | Carol Rossignol
38
Legal Ease | David Shulman
9 In the Trenches
9 Ratings Exams Passed
32
Jimmie Santee | Editor Carol Rossignol | Contributing Editor Amanda Taylor | Art Director Elizabeth Thornton | Advertising/Editorial Assistant
JANUARY | FEBRUARY
2015 ~ No 1 #ISSN-574770
The Language of IJS
21
| by Denise Williamson
History of Judging Part III: 1950-1969
26
The Skating Club of New York
34
35 Obituary 42 PSA Calendar of Events
20
| by Terri Milner Tarquini
| by Bruce Poodles
19 Excellence On Ice 40 New Members
2014 Nationwide Seminar Recap
36
| by Kent McDill
Conference of 10,000 Tips 2015 PSA International Conference & Trade Show
32 34
What Would Evelyn Kramer Do? | by Terri Milner Tarquini
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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
Change
Members at Large
PART IV
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." — GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
“P
eople don’t fail, leaders do” has been the rallying cry of my last three editorials. I have been very critical of Mr. Cinquanta’s leadership of the ISU. He continually makes poor decisions without repercussions. While I was writing those editorials, I too was going through a challenging period of leadership. “People don’t fail, leaders do” was never far from my mind. Failure was not an option.
In June of 2013, I received a letter bearing the seal of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which gave notice that the FTC was initiating a non-public investigation in regards to our Code of Ethics rule #3 which stated: “No member shall in any case solicit pupils of another member, directly or indirectly, or through third parties.” You can imagine what was going through my mind. Initially, I was in denial—followed quickly by anger. We'd had this rule for as long as anyone could remember. Interestingly, I experienced the stages of loss and grief throughout this process. After the initial wave of anger passed (it did reappear often!), I went through a period of bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. The fear of totally letting down the membership weighed greatly on my shoulders and kept me focused on not letting that happen. I would expect that many of you experienced the same feelings as you heard the news. At the conclusion of the first phase of the non-public investigation, the PSA staff had produced over 63,000 pages of requested documentation. The FTC’s response to the 63,000 pages of documents came shortly thereafter and did nothing to sway their view. The PSA’s legal representation reviewed our options, and determined the law in this area is unsettled. PSA’s cost of defending itself against the FTC’s allegations would likely exceed PSA’s financial resources, with no certainty of ultimate success. Once the PSA understood that we would not win against the government, I started looking for the lessons to be learned. As George Bernard Shaw said, if we can’t change our minds, how can we change anything?
The FTC alleged that the old Code of Ethics rule #3 violated the Federal Trade Commission Act because it inhibits economic competition among coaches. From their perspective, it was an unethical practice. As an association, how do we overcome that stigma? How could we encourage our members not to be unethical when we were being accused of being unethical? We simply needed to find the high road and take it. The PSA must do our best to create the most
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Doug Ladret Todd Sand Teri Klingworth Hooper Brandon Forsyth Denise Williamson Robyn Petroskey-Poe Kirsten Miller-Zisholz Alex Chang Tom Hickey Robbie Kaine Brandon Forsyth Doug Mattis Scott McCoy Karen Oppegard Alex Chang
PSA
People Don't Fail, Leaders Do
East
Angela Riviello Christine Fowler-Binder Dorothi Cassini Rebecca Stump Carol Murphy Kelley Morris Adair
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
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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 Brandon Forsyth Eleanor Fraser-Taylor
Amy Hanson-Kuleszka Anne Marie Filosa Lee Cabell Tim Covington Gloria Masterson Leous Kevin Curtis Scott Cudmore Melanie Bolhuis 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.
fair and level playing field. As written in the PSA paper on ethical solicitation, “The goal of the new rules is to increase competition between coaches, reduce fees for skaters, improve the quality of services, and to encourage innovation.”
PS Magazine
TREASURE HUNT!
To accomplish those goals, the PSA must work hard to provide education in the area of marketing. PSA must lead in the exploration of new sport science and innovative technique. More importantly, we need to help those who want to be helped. Individually, each coach should fight to be more informed than the next.
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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 and in ads do not count.
Throughout this whole process, the FTC never understood that figure skaters are a different breed. We fail everyday…we fall down every day… and we keep getting up. The PSA and our members will do what we always do; take a bad performance, evaluate, and learn from it. We will be stronger and better for it.
“Our history deserves to be treasured by the coaches of today, acknowledged by the coaches of the future and remembered by the skating community at large.” ~ Carol Shulman, PSA Executive director 1984-2006
Order your copy at www.skatepsa.com
PS MAGAZINE
5
President’s Message ANGIE RIVIELLO
We Are Professionals A
s we begin 2015, we should all make the resolution to be as professional as we can. The sport is changing, times are changing, and the environment has been changing. Society, culture, and what is acceptable now is so different from when most of us were young skaters.
Competency is a must. In order to continue to grow as a professional coach you need to always be pushing yourself to continue to educate yourself. This will always ensure the best for your skaters and you will be able to build on the lessons you already have.
The name of our organization is Professional Skaters Association…while it seems easy to grasp what we are about, there are some important key behaviors we all need to review and constantly remind ourselves of.
Conduct. This is such a key word right now with some of the difficult situations that have faced so many different athletes in so many different sports. Your conduct on and off the ice should never be questioned. Each coach needs to be very careful as they move forward in this age of technology and censor their behavior online as well as in text messages. What might appear very innocent could be perceived as something not so good.
What is professionalism? Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person.” The definition is vague and does very little in helping us understand which qualities and characteristics are most important, or how you can become a recognized professional. There is much more to being a professional than simply acquiring the best training, ratings, or rankings. Becoming a skating professional is only one part of earning the respect of students, parents, and colleagues. A large part of achieving recognition as a professional has to do with the way that you present yourself to others. It is a mindset that becomes easier to apply as you progress further and becomes an inspiration for others to follow. There are seven important keys to being a True Professional: • Character • Attitude • Competency • Conduct • Appropriate dress • Punctuality • Organization A good strong character is key. Be honest, respectful, and always ethical. Always make the smart choice; your character is something you never want called into question because it’s hard to undo the perception if it’s poor. Having a positive attitude when you approach your work everyday is so important. Remember you are working with young athletes. It’s our jobs to be a role model and help with the essential life skills for our skaters. If you have a poor attitude it will show to your skaters and they will not be as productive as if they were able to thrive in a positive atmosphere.
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Your coaching attire says a lot about you when you’re working. If you were taking your child to a golf professional and paying $50+ an hour for a lesson and the professional showed up in pajama bottoms, baseball hat, and continued to talk on their cell phone during the lesson, you wouldn’t be very happy. So why has it become acceptable in our profession for coaches not to dress appropriately, not put their skates on to teach a lesson (when they are able to do so) and be on their cell phone on the side of the boards through a lesson?? I’m not sure when this started to spiral out of control, but in the ice arena that I manage there is a dress code that is enforced and we strive to make a great first and lasting impression to our clients……so we keep them coming back. Be punctual! The old line is true……..time is money. Part of being a true professional is showing up on time. Create a great impression and always be on time; your clients will appreciate it. Organize yourself! Being organized will make everything in life much easier. You will be a more productive, efficient, and respected coach that others will strive to be. 2015 is a new beginning, and demonstrating professionalism shows you are ethical, honest, and you will gain respect from your students and colleagues. This in turn will create an environment that you will continue to grow as a professional and continue to enjoy this wonderful sport.
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Ratings BRANDON FORSYTH
An Examiner's Perspective by Debbie Lane, MDFD, MFF, MM, Level V Ranking
T
wo of my favorite ways to serve the PSA are speaking at Ratings Prep and being an examiner on rating panels. That is why it is great to see the amount of interest by coaches across the country in furthering their education through the ratings process. Ratings are such an essential part of a coach’s learning experience. Investing their time to prepare for the exams makes them organize their teaching skills. This includes the method in which they impart their knowledge. As an examiner, I find that there are so many different ways to express a teaching concept. It is fun to hear the candidates’ creativity in their teaching. When they treat the exam panel as if we are students, then we find that the information flows. Because students have different ways of taking in information, it is important for the candidate to have more than one approach to imparting their knowledge. That is why I like to hear three exercises to help fix each problem that a coach [skater] encounters.
"When they treat the exam panel as if we are students, then we find that the information flows. Because students have different ways of taking in information, it is important for the candidate to have more than one approach to imparting their knowledge." 8
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Sometimes within the panel, we will ask follow up questions. In this way, the candidate can expand on their answer. It may also be a way for them to make a clarification. A follow up question is not meant to make the candidate feel uneasy. If we are looking for something that they may have overlooked in the answer, they should view it as an opportunity. It would be similar to a student getting a re-skate at a test session. Some of the questions are designed to have the candidate diagnose problems and solve
them. This is what we all do daily in our teaching. There are common problems and then there are more unique problems. Problem solving is easier if the coach has taught quite a few skaters at the specific level of the exam. It is apparent during an exam if the candidate has enough experience at that level. The more problems they have encountered, the quicker the problem solving. Here are some suggestions to help candidates prepare for their upcoming ratings: • Come prepared by studying with a master rated coach or go to a Ratings Prep training session • On your own, walk out answers on the floor. It does feel different than being on ice. • Practice verbalizing without demonstrating in lessons to work on your verbal skills • Practice drawings and making them large • Dress for success by wearing nice business attire with shoes that are easy to perform in • Come early to the exam to feel more in control of the situation Now sit back, try to relax, and give the examiners a lesson! We are there with the intention to pass you. Lastly, enjoy the experience by being performance driven, not outcome driven. Debbie Lane is a former Ratings Committee Chair and PSA Board of Governors member, a current examiner for Figures and Free Skating, Moves in the Field, and Dance, and has over 30 years of examining experience.
Recently Passed
RATING EXAMS Congratulations to the following coaches who passed the Basic Accreditation (BA):
ions tulat a r g Con aches! co
MASTER RATING Ken Congemi MFS
Congratulations to the following candidates who passed a rating exam:
BA online
Baltimore, MD | August 14, 2014
Jacksonville, FL | October 18, 2014
Jillian Baumeister Michele Becker Deirdre Driscoll Vladimir Grishin Jolyn Hecht Kaitlyn Hooper Ashton Marsh Kayla Migliore Rozaline Voges
Rebecca Arnowitz CM Denise Beaumont RM Dana Chinn Martin SFS Jacques Gilson CM Susan Hamel Bottari RM Andriy Kyforenko SFS Renee Lepley CM Wendy Mangum CFS Lisa Nowak Spearing RG Angela Rosech Davis CM
Alexander Aiken RFS Jillian Baumeister RFS, RG Katelyn Eckert RFS, RG Danielle Fanelle RFS, RG Alyssa Hatfield CM Stacy McAllister RG, RFS Chris Pottenger SM Kelly Thompson RG, RFS Amber Yandura RG, RM
Jamie Kalnicky MG Jill Kinsley MM Andriy Kyforenko MFS Lynn Petta MFS Nancy Pluta MC Danette Trett MG Janet Tremer MM
Phoenix, AZ | November 1-2, 2014
RANKINGS Jeffrey Privett- Level I Linda Huber- Level I Karen Colaizzi-Skifstrom- Level I Kelsey Himmel- Level I Alison DeLorenzo-Juricek- Level I Katrina Stewart- Level II Leanne Walsh- Level III Victoria Fauver Robb- Level III Amy Killinger Henderson- Level III Terri Sweeney-Krystof- Level IV
In the TRENCHES
Tami Mickle- Level IV Ginger Tate Gober- Level IV Darlene Cain- Level IV Calla Urbanski-Petka- Level IV Ritsa Gariti- Level V John Kauffman- Level V Peter Kongkasem- Level V Leslie Deason- Level V Peter Cain- Level V Donna Mitchell- Level VII
Jonathan Barksdale RG Darlene Sparks RM Rebecca Boyden RG Brenda Thomas SG Kevin Curtis RM, CM Danette Trett SM Tammy Jimenez CG, SG Julianna Kenny RPD Michelle Lauerman SM Dawn Piepenbrink-McCosh RPD Denae Raught RC, RFS, CM Victoria Robb RM, CM Christina Sheehan RFS, RG
Face the Music
commented, “a professional music editor in the highly specialized field of figure skating has a deep enough understanding of music structure and composition to allow For a choreographer and a skater, the music is everything. her/him to create a program that is not only musically It is an extension of the skater’s personality and an expres- acceptable, but one that fulfills all the technical requireSCOTT BROWN sion of his or her soul. Each time I am at a competition, ments imposed upon the choreographer through rigid I am often surprised by how many programs have poor rules, time constraints and the skater’s limitations. It’s imporMaster-rated tant to note the editor’s understanding and knowledge also coach & IJS Technical quality music editing. In 2014, there are endless options of professional editing services available to us. If there provides freedom to create unique arrangements that are Specialist is going to be a connection between the elements and still musically skilled while allowing the choreographer to the music, then it is important for the music to be edited create the perfect program for the skater.” correctly. Poor music editing has significant impact on Hugo Chouinard edited music for 58 skaters from 17 both the overall composition of the program and the countries at the 2014 Olympics, and he stated, “We must program components. It should be our goal to create stop selecting each skater’s music only to try to and please unity between the ice, skater, music and movement. The the judges. Instead, we must make choices on what the movement must always be because of the music and athlete feels inside, so we can push the performance to therefore the music must be edited with integrity. the next level by having skaters who live and connect In preparation of this article, I reached out for comments emotionally to their music. The real question when you from the two of the best music editors in the world, C. make the music selection is: Does the skater get chills Lenore Kay and Hugo Chouinard. C. Lenore Kay, the when she/he listens to the song? If you believe in your editor of 50 World and Olympic medal-winning programs, concept and vision, then it will be awesome.”
by
PS MAGAZINE
9
IJS Insights LIBBY SCANLAN
2014-15 IJS Singles:
Updated Spin and Jump Requirements I
n the aftermath of the 2014 Olympics changes have been implemented for the 2014-15 season with the publication of ISU Communications 1861, 1874 and 1884. Spin features have been added to the Levels of Difficulty encouraging variety and creativity in programs. An updated Scale of Values table has been published listing the base values of spin and jump elements, and base value reductions if spin and jump requirements are not performed. As the sport continues to evolve, it is critical that skaters and coaches understand all the new rules and how they impact technical element scores. SPINS Spin Requirements Spin rules remain the same as in past seasons however mandatory fundamental requirements have been reorganized. The flying spin specifically defined as a spin with a flying entry and no change of foot or position, and any spin with a change of foot are subject to these requirements. ISU Communication 1884 includes the updated Scale of Values table and has been restructured to include columns V1 and V2 listing the base value penalty of such error(s) in these spins. When it is determined that a specific error(s) has occurred it is now identified in the spin code with a V1 or V2 (V=VALUE). As stated in ISU Communication 1884 the spin requirements are as follows: 1) For flying spins (with no change of foot and only one position) of both Short Program and Free Skate: a) a clear visible jump (Junior SP only: skater is required to reach the prescribed air position) (For the 2014-15 season, the flying camel spin is the required flying spin in the junior short program. The required air position is considered reached when the body of the skater does not stay completely upright but moves more into the direction of a horizontal position.) b) basic landing position must be reached within the first two revolutions after the landing, and from the moment this position is initially reached it must be held for two revolutions after the landing. The flying spin with the sign “V1” or “V2”
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indicates that one or both of these requirements was not fulfilled. 2) For any spin with a change of foot: At least one basic position on each foot. (The basic position must be held for two revolutions to be counted.) Sign “V1“ indicates that this requirement was not fulfilled. The value of a spin with the sign “V1“ is listed in the V1 column of the Scale Of Value table in ISU Communication 1884, and results in a loss of 30% of the original base value. The value of a flying spin with the sign “V2“ is listed in the V2 column of the Scale Of Value table, and results in a loss of 50% of the original base value. Spin Positions In a combination spin with or without a change of foot the base values of the spin with two or three basic positions (at least two revolutions in each of these positions) are listed in the Scale of Value table. If only two different basic positions are achieved the combination spin will receive 70% of the base value of a combination spin that includes all three basic positions. The number of basic positions performed is now indicated within the code of the spin. Protocol sheets reflect a more transparent evaluation of the actual executed spin element. For example, a spin combination with a change of foot that includes two different basic positions, and three achieved features is coded: CCoSp2p3. If in that same spin the skater does not achieve a basic position on one of the feet the code is: CCoSp2p3 V1. The verbal call for this element is “combination spin with change of foot, two positions, level 3, V1”. Spin Features ISU COMMUNICATION 1861 & 1884: Levels of Difficulty: Spins Feature 2) Change of foot executed by a jump Feature 3) Jump within a spin without changing foot While Features 2 and 3 are not new this year, skaters may
now use a non-basic OR basic position before the jump. A basic position must be reached within the first two revolutions after the landing and then held for at least two revolutions. The jump must be a clear jump and is considered as a feature only when it requires significant strength.
both feet for a feature to be awarded. This year Feature 7 is awarded if all three basic positions are executed after the first change of foot (on the second foot). One other feature may be awarded on the second foot as well.
Features 4 and 5 Feature 4) Difficult change of position on the same foot, and Feature 5) Difficult entrance into a spin have been added this year to the Levels of Difficulty. In the interest of fostering variety and creativity in spins, they are intentionally based on fulfilling required criteria without a specific list of ‘acceptable’ examples. While the skater’s plan of entrance or position change might be considered difficult, execution of that plan is paramount. The technical panel assesses and awards Feature 4 and 5 based on fulfilling the following criteria.
JUMPS
Feature 4) Difficult change of position on the same foot The skater must change from a basic position to a different basic position. Continuous movement must be displayed throughout without pausing during the change. The technical panel determines if the change of position required the skater to exhibit significant strength, skill, and control having an impact on the ability to execute the change. The basic positions before and after the change must be held for two revolutions. A jump may not be used to execute the change. If a change of position is not considered as “difficult” by the technical panel, it may be awarded in a later spin. Feature 5) Difficult entrance into a spin The ‘entrance into a spin’ is defined as the preparation immediately preceding a spin and may include the beginning phase of a spin. The difficult entrance must have an impact on the skaters ability to balance, control and execute the intended spin position. This intended position must be reached without hesitation or delay and must be held for two revolutions in the position. The position can be a basic or (for spin combinations only) a non-basic position. If the entrance is “difficult and “flying” at the same time, only the “flying” feature will be awarded. In this case, the “difficult entrance” (Feature 5) is not considered as attempted. Additionally, the “difficult entrance” into a regular flying camel is not counted as a Level feature and is not considered as attempted. If the entrance into a spin is not determined by the technical panel to be “difficult”, it is considered as a transition and can still be awarded in a later spin. A regular backward entry is no longer considered as a difficult entry. Feature 7) All three basic positions on the second foot Last season all three basic positions were required on
Flip and Lutz Take-Off Edge In the 2014-2015 season the technical panel continues to identify the flip or Lutz jump according to the intent of the skater as indicated by the preparation into the jump. The correct flip take-off is from a backward inside edge, the correct Lutz take-off is from a backward outside edge. If the take-off edge is executed on the wrong edge the intended jump will include the sign “e” on the protocol sheet. The value of a jump with the sign “e”, listed in column V1 of the Scale of Values in ISU Communication 1884, results in a loss of 30% of its’ original base value. If the take-off edge is executed with an unclear edge the intended jump will receive the attention sign “!” on the protocol sheet however the base value of the jump is not reduced. Both mistakes ”!” and “e” are reflected in the GOE of the Judges. If both signs “e” and “<” are applied for the same jump this indicates the jump take-off is on the wrong edge and the landing is under-rotated (missing rotation of more than 1⁄4 revolution, but less than 1⁄2 revolution). The value of this jump results in a loss of approximately 40% of its’ original base value and is listed in column V2 of the Scale Of Values. It is important to note that discussion continues on a decision to call the flip/Lutz according to the actual take-off edge starting with the 2016-2017 season. Short Program Rotation Requirements In the Short Program jumps that do not satisfy the requirements (wrong number of revolutions) will have no value. Specific rotation requirements for each level are listed in the 2014-15 Program Requirement charts. If according to the chart a combination of two double jumps is not allowed, the jump with a lesser value will not receive no value, and the protocol sheet indicates the error with an asterisk on that jump. In the Free Skate if any part of a jump combination violates the well-balanced program requirements the entire combination will be asterisked and receives no value. Repeated Jumps Many jumps must be done in combination or sequence when repeated. Jumps for each specific level that are restricted by this rule are listed in the 2014-15 Free Skate Program Requirements chart. If the same restricted solo continued on page 13
PS MAGAZINE
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SAFESPORT
Helping Coaches Help Skaters Understand Social Media Etiquette By Sally-Anne Kaminski
F
acebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Ello, Vine, Tumblr. Keeping up with the latest and greatest social media sites can be challenging and confusing for many. It is especially important for coaches to understand our role in the fastest growing peer-to-peer communication methods. Here’s the problem. Because it wasn’t around when they were younger, many parents are clueless about social media. Combine that with the fact that kids are not taught about social media in school, they end up looking to each other to figure out what is right and what is wrong to say online. Quite frankly, it is a recipe for disaster. Let’s get this out of the way first. As coaches, we are not supposed to be “friends” with or connected to our skaters on any social network. The line between coach and skater is very clear, but social media puts us in a murky gray area. The SafeSport program is a great way to learn more about what forms of communication are acceptable with our skaters. (If you are not yet SafeSport certified, please consider spending just 90 minutes of your day to go through the training at http://safesport.org/) So where do coaches come into this scenario? Education is Key With my skaters, we spend time focusing on behavior not just on the ice, but off the ice as well. One of the biggest things we work on is what their “personal brand” is, or what image they want to portray. Chances are, you have Googled someone at some point in time to find out more information about them. The impression people get when they search for you on the internet is one part of your personal brand. The same is true for us as coaches. Hopefully coaches already know and can help our skaters understand that anything they put on the internet is essentially permanent, and that their actions in social media may have an impact on not just their skating careers, but college
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admissions and even finding a job. Here are some social media guidelines for coaches to review, understand and discuss with skaters. Be Safe It is critical that kids are aware of who they add as a friend on their social media accounts. They should only add people that they know in real life. Encourage them to set their security settings so that only people they have approved can see their profile and photos. Be Smart A good general rule of thumb is that kids should not post anything they would not want their parents, teachers, coaches and future colleges or employers to see. Tone is very hard to decipher in online communication. What one person might think is funny could be interpreted as offensive by someone else. Be Respectful Simply put, follow the Golden Rule. Never post anything negative about training mates/teammates, coaches, fellow competitors or judges. If while using social media, a skater should encounter a situation that threatens to become antagonistic, encourage them to disengage from the dialogue in a polite manner and seek the advice of a trusted adult, like a parent or coach. Be in the Right State of Mind If you have to think twice about whether or not you should post something, then you should not post it. None of us should ever post anything to social media when we are upset or angry. While posts can be deleted, they are never truly gone. It only takes a matter of seconds for someone else to see a post and take a screenshot of it, and even less time to e-mail that screenshot to another person.
2014-15 IJS Singles:
Updated Spin and Jump Requirements continued from page 13
double or triple jump is repeated as a solo jump, the second execution will be marked with the sign “+ REP” resulting in a loss of 30% of the original base value of the jump. In the past when this error occurred the second solo jump was marked with “+SEQ”, and occupied one of the jump combination/sequence opportunities resulting in a loss of 20% of the original base value of the repeated jump.
Be Kind Skaters and coaches should treat social media conversations like they would treat an in-person conversation. They should always incorporate a positive and considerate approach in each interaction they have. Be Cautious Never post email addresses, home addresses, telephone numbers, driver’s license numbers, social security numbers or any other personal information, as it could lead to unwanted attention, stalking, or even identify theft. Never share bank account information or information about any medical conditions. Again, information posted online is essentially permanent! With a little bit of discussion and some guidelines in place, coaches can help ensure that they and their skaters stay safe in social media.
Junior and Senior Ladies and Men Free Skate In the Junior and Senior Free Skate full base value will be awarded on the first repetition of a double jump as a solo jump or in combination or sequence. Individual jumps can contain any number of revolutions. Any double jump cannot be included more than twice in a Junior and Senior Free Skate. Of all the triple and quadruple jumps only two can be executed twice. One of these executions must be in combination or sequence. If both executions are as solo jumps, the second of these solo jumps will be marked with the sign “+REP” resulting in a loss of 30% of the original base value of the jump. No jump can be done more than twice. Juvenile, Intermediate and Novice Ladies and Men Free Skate If according to the jump repeat rules for specific levels, when two executions of a jump are allowed, one of those must be in combination or sequence. If both are executed as solo jumps, the second one performed will be marked with the sign “+ REP” resulting in a loss of 30% of the original base value of the jump. See 2014-15 Singles Free Skating Requirements for Juvenile through Novice for a specific level’s jump repeat rules. It is very important for coaches and skaters to refer to 2014-15 source documents for critical information. These important documents are found on the USFS website under Technical Info and include: ISU Communications 1861, 1874 and 1884, 2014-15 ISU Technical Panel Handbook: Singles
Sally-Anne Kaminski is Digital Marketing Manager at 7Summits, a social business agency based in Milwaukee, Skating Director and Coach for the Wisconsin Edge synchronized skating teams, and SafeSport certified. Kaminski is a 2006 graduate of Miami University (Ohio), where she was captain of the collegiate varsity synchro team.
ISU Q&A(s) (occasionally issued by the ISU) 2014-15 Singles Short Program and Free Skating Requirements for Juvenile through Novice Technical Notifications/Alerts (occasionally issued by the Technical Panel Committee) PS MAGAZINE
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Sport Science HEIDI THIBERT
The Biomechanics of Cranial Forces During Figure Skating Spinning Elements by David H. Wang, MD, MS and Regina Kostyun, MSEd, ATC Abstract Several facets of figure skating, such as the forces associated with jumping and landing, have been qualitatively evaluated, but a comprehensive biomechanical understanding of the forces related with spinning has yet to be explored. Figure skaters are a unique group of athletes who generate substantial rotational forces during many of their skating elements. These rotational forces may lead to significant issues including vascular injuries and vestibular dysfunctions. We have begun to investigate these rotational forces using an accelerometer to determine the forces generated in these individuals. We present the results of an observational, biomechanical analysis on thirty healthy figure skaters evaluating four basic spinning elements. Introduction There are nearly 180,000 members of United States Figure Skating the majority of which are adolescents1. Youth athletes have often been studied to identify techniques in decreasing sport-specific injuries, such as basketball and soccer with knee injuries.2,3 As in any sport, there are certain injuries specific to figure skating 4 and an improved understanding of these injuries has provided the ability for enhanced athletic performances. On-ice biomechanical analyses of complex jumps have lead to customized dry land training programs to enhance the athlete’s ability to create appropriate vertical and rotational velocities needed to execute these jumps.5-7 A proper understanding of jump landing forces to the lower extremity has encouraged boot modifications and increased off-ice training of jumps.8 Spinning, an essential element in nearly all levels of figure skating competition, has not been examined to a similar degree as jumping. Senior level athletes are required to complete three separate spin sequences during a competition. These spin sequences are a combination of several different spinning elements, and can vary between 10 - 30 seconds in duration. Within the skating community there are reports of dizziness, headaches, vision disturbances and the potential for sudden loss of consciousness while practicing spinning elements.
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The vestibular system, specifically the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), is challenged during these spinning elements, since the head is moving in a direction opposite of the eyes’ gaze .9 Repetitive rotations can cause insult to the vestibular system and may result in symptoms similar to motion sickness.9 Given the duration of the spin and the magnitude of the resultant linear forces caused by the skater’s acceleration into these elements, it may be possible to elicit a vascular response within the body known as a “red out” or a “black out.” A “red-out” takes place when negative G-forces are imposed on the body. Blood is forced towards the head causing capillaries to rupture and the person may have the visual experience of seeing red. The body’s tolerance is not as developed for handling negative G-forces and will experience a red-out more rapidly starting at negative 2G.10 Conversely, a “black out” occurs with a positive G-force, and results in blood being drained from the head and extremities towards the body’s core. In this situation a person’s peripheral vision will begin to fail starting at 2-3G with the decreased arterial pressure in the eyes.11 If arterial pressure is not restored a visual experience of seeing black will take place before loss of consciousness, which occurs at approximately positive 4G.10 Understanding the cranial forces figure skaters are subjected to during different spinning elements and the sequel of symptoms that follow these movements may aid athletes, coaches and medical providers in establishing injury prevention measures designed to prevent against possible injury. To date, no investigations have been conducted to study the forces that are generated around the head of figure skaters during the spinning elements. The purpose of this case report was to describe the resultant linear forces that impacted a single figure skater’s head during selected spinning elements. This single case is part of an on-going study to quantify the accelerative forces generated around the head during on-ice figure skating spinning elements and document the physical reactions that ensue after completion of such elements.
Methods Study design and participant information We performed an observational, biomechanical analysis on healthy figure skaters. The study was approved by the institutional review board and all participants were consented prior to data collection. Demographic data were collected on all participants and included gender, age, weight, height, current U.S. Figure Skating testing level, years of experience in competitive skating, hours per week spent training and injury history. A brief four question survey was administered to all participates after data collection to assess the presence or absence of current symptoms. Data collection Participants were asked to perform four different spinning elements: a Back Scratch Spin, a Front Scratch Spin, a Sit Spin and a Layback Spin. After completing each spin, participants were asked if the spin they completed was representative of their mastery of the spin. If the participant felt as though the spin represented their true fully ability, then they would move on to the next spin, otherwise the participant performed the spin for a second time. Acceleration data were collected for each spin using a single tri-axial 1000G accelerometer (Biometrics LTD, Gwent, United Kingdom). The accelerometer was attached to the center of the participant’s forehead using a custom made headband. The head band was lined with a silicone strip to prevent movement of the accelerometer during the test. The accelerometer was connected via a small cable running down the participant’s back, to a wireless transmitter that was secured to the participant’s waist using a belt. (Figure 1) This configuration allowed the participant to spin freely without significant interference from the instrumentation. The accelerometer was programmed for a 10G range (+5G to -5G) with an excitation voltage of 5mv and a channel sensitivity of 10mV. Acceleration data was collected at 100Hz using DataLog software (Biometrics, LTD, Gwent, United Kingdom). Video data was also collected for each spin using a Cannon 7D camera (1920x1080 at 30 fps). Once collected the acceleration data about each of the axes were imported into Matlab (Mathworks, Natick, MA) for post processing. In Matlab, custom code was used to smooth the raw data using a 4th order, zero-lag, low pass Butterworth filter with a cutoff frequency of 10Hz. Once smoothed the data was corrected as needed to account for DC drift during data collection. Although the force data was collected as component forces about the X, Y and Z axes, it was felt that the most accurate means of presenting the force data was as the resultant force acting on the participants head. The resultant force was calculated using equation 1: where Fr is the resultant force, Fx, Fy, and Fz are the compo2 2 2 Fr = Fx + Fy + Fz nent forces about the X, Y, and Z axes respectively. The total force was then plotted over time for each of the spins to determine if the G-force thresholds for a red out (-2G) and black out (4G) were exceeded. If it was deter-
mined that the thresholds were exceeded the total time the participant spent above the threshold was calculated for each spin. The total numbers of revolutions completed per second were calculated by counting the number of revolutions the skater performed using the video data. Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics were computed for all variables of interest and the means and standard deviations are presented in this work for ease of understanding. A single factor ANOVA with an alpha of 0.05 was used to determine if there were statistically significant differences in the maximum and minimum G-forces associated with each type of spin. Those parameters that were found to show statistically significant differences were further investigated using a Tukey HSD post-hoc test to determine which spin types drove the statistical findings. A secondary analysis was conducted using a single factor ANOVA with an alpha of 0.05 to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in G-forces between skater skill level. In this analysis the each spin type was looked at independently so that the skater skill level was the only factor being analyzed. Again those parameters that were found to show statistically significant differences were further analyzed using a Tukey HSD post-hoc test. A Shapiro-Wilk Normality test was performed to ensure that all parameters tested met the assumption of normality required for the ANOVA to be valid. All statistical testing was performed using SAS software version 9.3 (Copyright© 2002-2010 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
Figure 1. Accelerometer placement.
Results Our study included 30 healthy figure skating athletes. Participant demographics can be found in Table 1. All participants were able to complete a Front Scratch Spine, a Back Scratch Spin and a Sit Spin. The Layback Spin was completed by all Senior level athletes, 80% of Junior level athletes, 80% of Novice level athletes, 80% of Intermediate level athletes, 66% of Juvenile level athletes and 75% of Pre-Juvenile level athletes. There were no significant difference found between the skill level of the skater and the forces generated by the spin. (Table 2) A statistical difference was found between forces generated by spin, in the positive G force direction (p = 0.0133) as well as the negative G force direction (p = 0.0043). (Table 3) The Layback Spine, in general, had higher positive as well as negative forces when compared to all other spins.
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The results of the post-data collection survey revealed 80% of senior level skaters, 40% of junior level skaters, 40% of novice, 40% of intermediate level skaters, 17% of juvenile and 25% of pre-juvenile skaters were symptomatic from the testing session. (Table 4) Discussion In this study we set out to quantify cranial forces generated during figure staking spinning elements. We tested multiple spinning elements in thirty healthy figure skaters of varying levels of proficiency. Our results did not demonstrate a statistical difference between skill level of the skater and the forces generated during the five tested spins. This investigation did identify a statistically significant difference between forces generated by each spin element, specifically the layback spin and the front scratch spin where greater cranial forces were generated. The genesis of this biomechanical evaluation came from personal clinical observations of vascular and vestibular findings that have been observed in some advanced level figure skaters. Following extended bouts of spinning, some figure skaters have complained of headaches, visual disturbances, dizziness, and broken capillaries in multiple areas of the body. One of the subjects in our study did exhibit capillary ruptures on the forehead and periorbital region with subconjunctival hemorrhage. This skater also complained of a headache lasting several days after being tested. Several other participants in this study had expressed a similar history of capillary rupture, headaches, and visual disturbances throughout their careers after performing the layback spin. The profound effects of spinning are recognized enough that competition programs often have recovery time built into the routine after a complex spinning component to protect the athlete from jumping elements while still symptomatic from the spin. Several spinning elements were completed by the participants. It was observed that when the participant’s head was closer to the axis of rotation the recorded forces were lower, which would be expected. The layback spin did generate forces greater than the other spins, and the head was noted to be further away from the axis of rotation. We also noted that there are variations in position even when performing the same spin. We noted that some skaters performing the layback spin did extend the head even further and actually brought the head closer to axis of rotation creating a ‘C” shape versus a more typical “L” shaped position. When we measured the cranial forces we found that the forces were decreased in the “C” position compared to the “L” position. The etiology of the capillary rupture appears to be purely mechanical as the blood is being centrifuged away from the axis of rotation. The sit spin can result in arm and hand capillary injuries as they are extended away from the axis towards the foot. The layback results in facial capillary injuries, as the head is furthest away from the axis of rotation. The etiology of the headache and dizziness is not as clear. The headaches can result from a multitude of causes including the vascular effects noted above but can also result from transient vestibular dysfunction from spinning. This
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vestibular dysfunction may be secondary to central and/or peripheral causes. In some cases the headache and dizziness were reported as prolonged for days, weeks, or even months. If the vestibular symptoms are prolonged a vascular etiology seems less likely and a vestibular injury should be suspected. Central injuries and peripheral injuries of the vestibular system are both possible etiologies for these symptoms. Although not proven to be for the same reasons some of the excessive spinners with prolonged symptoms have presented in a similar fashion to concussion patients seen in our clinic. Due to many of the symptoms reported from spinning one has to consider vestibular dysfunction as an etiology. In certain cases excessively spinning certainly can be a cause of the prolonged symptoms noted after spinning. The time allocated to spinning needs to be followed, especially in the younger more neurologically immature skater, using symptoms as a guide. This study presents with limitations. First, eight of our participants had a past medical history that included diagnosed concussion. Second, although a tri-axial accelerometer has been well described for accurately measuring gravitational forces it cannot fully is discounted that additional movement may have occurred from the headband. Conclusion This study presents data from thirty healthy figure skaters that highlighted the differences in cranial forces generated by different spinning elements. There is a significant increase in the amount of cranial force measured during the layback spin in comparison to the back scratch, front scratch and sit spins. Except for one subject the forces generated did not exceed previously defined thresholds for symptoms in pilots. After completion of these spins in our study 40% of the subjects reported symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and nausea. The vast majority of these skaters had rapid improvement of these transient symptoms. The symptoms reported were consistent with vestibular dysfunction. Further research is needed to differentiate between vascular, central vestibular, or peripheral vestibular etiologies. Further research is also needed to examine the threshold of spinning that leads to symptoms and, the cumulative effects of spinning on the skater, especially in the younger neurologically immature skater. Acknowledgements This study was supported in part by a grant from U.S. Figure Skating Sports Science & Medicine Research Grants as well as Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Division of Orthopedics Research and Technology Fund. David Wang is the Medical Director of Elite Sports Medicine and Head Team Physician at Quinnipiac University. He has 20 plus years of medical care of athletes ranging from pediatric to masters level. His experiences range from recreational athletics to Olympic. David is involved in current research in pediatric sports related concussions. Regina Kostyun ATC, is the Concussion Clinic Program Director of Elite Sports Medicine at Quinnipiac University.
Table 1: Participant Demographics Level
Gender
Age
Height (cm)
Weight (kg)
Years Competing
Training Schedule Days per week Hrs per week
Hrs per week for spinning
Senior
5 Females
19.8
163.4
51.2
14
5.2
14.2
3.6
Junior
3 Females
16.4
165.2
58.9
8.4
6.2
17.4
3.8
2 Males Novice
5 Females
15.4
156.4
49.1
7.8
5.6
13.1
2.5
Intermediate
5 Females
13.8
157.0
47.0
5.8
6
14
2.5
Juvenile
6 Females
12.8
154.0
48.9
6.3
4.8
11.4
2.9
Pre-Juvenile
4 Females
12.3
145.5
43.3
4.5
5.0
10
2.6
Table 2: Spin Forces Generated By Skating Level Layback Spin
Senior
Junior
Novice
Intermediate
Juvenile
Pre-Juvenile
P-Value
Mean
-0.06 + 0.18
-0.03 + 0.04
0.04 + 0.05
*
-0.02 + 0.02
-0.03 + 0.03
0.5869
Max (G)
1.21 + 0.99
1.29 + 0.40
0.98 + 0.38
*
1.03 + 0.63
1.27 + 0.65
0.9510
Min (G)
-1.32 + 0.78
-1.91 + 0.51
-1.0 + 0.75
*
-1.19 + 0.83
-1.17 + 0.37
0.4369
Back Scratch Mean
0.07 + 0.10
0.12 + 0.33
0.02 + 0.11
0.05 + 0.25
0.01 + 0.03
0.02 + 0.11
0.9413
Max (G)
0.98 + 0.26
1.15 + 0.63
0.76 + 0.29
0.60 + 0.23
0.68 + 0.22
0.70 + 0.10
0.1462
Min (G)
-0.95 + 0.69
-1.01 + 0.64
-0.73 + 0.59
-0.57 + 0.57
-0.66 + 0.17
-0.87 + 0.21
0.7597
-0.02 + 0.18
-0.07 + 0.05
0.06 + 0.06
*
-0.02 + 0.05
-0.07 + 0.07
0.8458
Front Scratch Mean Max (G)
1.25 + 0.26
1.33 + 0.84
0.79 + 0.13
*
0.73 + 0.17
0.72 + 0.30
0.4406
Min (G)
-1.10 + 0.55
-1.14 + 0.72
-0.77 + 0.46
*
-0.76 + 0.34
-0.54 + 0.33
0.1013
Mean
0.14 + 0.02
0.01 + 0.06
0.01 + 0.02
0.01 + 0.08
-0.01 + 0.06
-0.02 + 0.04
0.9593
Max (G)
1.09 + 0.68
1.09 + 0.33
0.59 + 0.56
0.49 + 0.35
0.71 + 0.29
0.73 + 0.28
0.2038
Min (G)
-1.16 + 0.68
-1.59 + 0.48
-0.98 + 0.86
-0.74 + 0.37
-0.54 + 0.82
-0.94 + 0.22
0.2462
Sit Spin
Table 3: Spin Forces Generated By Spin Spin
Back Scratch
Front Scratch
Layback Spin
Sit Spine
P-Value
Mean
0.05 + 0.17
-0.01 + 0.05
-0.02 + 0.09
0.00 + 0.05
0.8536
Max (G)
0.81 + 0.36
0.92 + 0.41c
1.20 + 0.64a,b,d
0.78 + 0.46
0.0133
Min (G)
-0.80 + 0.51
-0.82 + 0.47
-0.99 + 0.69
0.0043
c
-1.43 + 0.74
a,b,d
Statically significant differences found in the positive and negative G force direction for each spin. a Statistical difference between Back Scratch and Layback Spin. b Statistical difference between Front Scratch and Layback Spin. c Statistical difference between Front Scratch and Sit Spin. d Statistical difference between Layback Spin and Sit Spin.
Table 4: Post-Data Collection Symptoms Reported by Participates Symptoms After Testing
Dizziness
Nausea
60%
Senior
80%
40%
20%
0%
Junior
40%
40%
0%
Novice
40%
40%
0%
20%
Intermediate
40%
40%
0%
40%
Juvenile
16%
16%
0%
0%
Pre-Juvenile
20%
50%
0%
0%
References
1. Site UFSAW. http://www.usfsa.org/content/FactSheet.pdf. 2. Hewett TE, Lindenfeld TN, Riccobene JV, Noyes FR. The effect of neuromuscular training on the incidence of knee injury in female athletes. A prospective study. Am J Sports Med. Nov-Dec 1999;27(6):699-706. 3. Padua DA, DiStefano LJ, Marshall SW, Beutler AI, de la Motte SJ, DiStefano MJ. Retention of movement pattern changes after a lower extremity injury prevention program is affected by program duration. Am J Sports Med. Feb 2012;40(2):300-306. 4. Porter EB, Young CC, Niedfeldt MW, Gottschlich LM. Sport-specific injuries and medical problems of figure skaters. WMJ. Sep 2007;106(6):330-334. 5. King DL, Smith SL, Brown MR, McCrory JL, Munkasy BA, Scheirman GI. Comparison of split double and triple twists in pair figure skating. Sports Biomech. May 2008;7(2):222237. 6. King DL. Performing triple and quadruple figure skating jumps: implications for training. Can J Appl Physiol. Dec 2005;30(6):743-753. 7. Lockwood KL, Gervais PJ, McCreary DR. Landing for success: a biomechanical and perceptual analysis of on-ice jumps in figure skating. Sports Biomech. Jul 2006;5(2):231241. 8. Bruening DA, Richards JG. The effects of articulated figure skates on jump landing forces. J Appl Biomech. Nov 2006;22(4):285-295. 9. Tanguy S, Quarck G, Etard O, Gauthier A, Denise P. Vestibulo-ocular reflex and motion sickness in figure skaters. Eur J Appl Physiol. Dec 2008;104(6):1031-1037. 10. Bjurstedt H, Rosenhamer G, Tyden G. Gravitational stress and exercise. Life Sci Space Res. 1974;12:141-145. 11. Whinnery JE, Shender BS. The opticogravic nerve: eye-level anatomic relationships within the central nervous system. Aviat Space Environ Med. Oct 1993;64(10):952-954.
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Education CAROL ROSSIGNOL
Vocals:
To Be or Not to Be, That is the Question By Tim Covington, MFS, MM, RC
I
have to admit it; guilty as charged. I was dead set against using vocals in competitive singles figure skating. Vocals were to be reserved for holiday shows, spring recitals, and perhaps the lower competitive levels, but never the competitive singles athlete. Skaters needed to listen to the music, understand the rhythm, the phrasing, the highs and lows without the complication of words. Society is bombarded with messages via television, movies, radio, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Why did we need more words, more complications? I held non-vocal music as the last great standard for the competitive singles skater. And I was not alone. At competitions I found, while freezing to death rink side, other coaches who would join me and solemnly make the sacred vow never to use vocals. And then, one cold night last February, I awakened to the realization that I was a skating snob; actually it was worse than that, I was an “old skating coach music snob.” I was seeing everything from one narrow point of view rather than looking at the bigger picture. I personally love classical music, but I was allowing this preference to overshadow what was right for the sport and for my athletes. The world is continually evolving and skating needs to evolve as well. Figure skating should be relevant and, as a coach, I needed to make sure my coaching was relevant. Just like Tevye singing, “Tradition!” in the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, we coaches are often “singing” the same theme. We want to hold onto what we know and respect. We like tradition. Traditions are good. But life changes and so must the performing arts and sports. What if the artist Georges Seurat listened to his contemporaries and used brush strokes instead chromoluminarism and pointillism? We would never have had the beauty of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. What if Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg had not broken away from vaudeville and started The Group Theater, thus changing American Theatre and Cinema forever, and creating some of the greatest actors, directors, and writers of our time? If art stays stagnant, it dies. Skating also must move forward or will it die. I finally realized, on that cold February night, that my choices were either to bury my head in
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the sand or get on the vocal bandwagon and help steer it down the right path. By the next day I was trying to change programs and suggest new vocal ideas to all of my skaters. I literally jumped out of the musical cage I had created for myself and suddenly felt liberated. Anyone who knows me understands that I am obsessed with Fox Television’s So You Think You Can Dance. It inspires me. It activates my creativity. It gives me new transitions to use on the ice and, in many instances, uses vocals while telling stories that have a concept, an interpretation, a beginning, an arc, and a dénouement. It is rare that the vocals detract from the movement on So You Think You Can Dance; it is often the vocals that enhance it. If you’re still struggling with vocals, or find that using them seems wrong or even daunting, look to our friends in the dance world. They’ve been using lyrics forever. I’m sure the first time Georges Balanchine crossed the line from formal Russian ballet to choreograph for Broadway and Hollywood it was considered scandalous. Choreographer Martha Graham absolutely shattered the rules of classical ballet when she helped create modern dance and revolutionized 20th century choreography. My advice? Go to see dance at every opportunity. Attend a Broadway show, watch a movie musical like West Side Story or Damn Yankees. Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse were brilliant incorporating music, lyrics, and dance all while telling a story. And listen to vocals. Turn off your Sirius XM Classical station and turn on the Frank Sinatra or 80’s on eight channels. When choreographer Lori Nichol was asked at last year’s PSA Conference in what she thought of using vocals for singles, her reply was, “Thank God!” Lori understands that a whole new world of choreography opens up with vocals. Maybe you’ve also opened that door and picked music with lyrics this season. Maybe you love the artist; maybe your athlete loves the artist and the music. But remember, just because you adore Led Zeppelin, and think everyone loves Stairway to Heaven, loving the music is not enough. To quote World and Olympic judge and referee Gale Tanger, “It is not up to me to determine what your musical selection should be. We (the judges) don’t have to like it. You do!!! If you believe in it, and connect with it,
PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION
and it’s Lady Gaga... then show us Lady Gaga!!” Making sure your skater channels their inner Lady Gaga, especially when using vocals, is key. You need to ask, “What is the story?” The choreography needs to answer that question and the skater needs to tell that story. Not necessarily the artist’s story or even the story told in the lyrics, but a story that unfolds and is revealed during the skating program. You can use the lyrics literally; you can use the lyrics metaphorically, but don’t think that just because there are lyrics, your work as a coach or choreographer is any easier. In fact, if you’re not careful, you run the risk that the judges and audience will fill in the blanks with their own experiences. For example, if your athlete is skating to Cabaret and you don’t acknowledge the lyrics or tell a story, I may immediately start thinking of Liza Minnelli, Natasha Richardson, Joel Grey, Jennifer Grey’s nose job, Dirty Dancing, Patrick Swayze, and “nobody puts baby in a corner.“ And suddenly, while I’m daydreaming away, your skater has done some nice transitions, two jumps, and a level four spin – all of which I’ve missed! This brings me to another point. Sadly, I think we know that many athletes will skate “through the music” rather than skating to the music. We see this at every competition. Not only do they lose the audience, but also, unfortunately, their Program Component Scores suffer. This problem can be amplified when vocals are involved. It’s like double jeopardy. Vocals are obviously a form of communication, but if nothing the skater does is relating to the vocals, music, or a story, the communication is dead. I know there have been some great exceptions, but unfortunately, some of the most dismal performances this season have used vocals. This is not a reason to stop, but when learning anything new, there’s always a little trial and error before success. Try your best to pick appropriate music. Try your best to tell a story with your choreography. Try to make sure your skater not only hears the vocals and music, but also relates to the vocals and the music. It might be a rough go at first. It might be rough this season. But please do not give up. Using vocals will attract new audiences and, most importantly, new skaters. Lastly, we all joke that if we hear the soundtrack from the Disney movie Frozen one more time, we will scream. It’s like the Ice Castles theme of my generation. But if it fills a young athlete with joy and inspires them to tell a story and want to compete, then I say, “let it go, let it go!” Tim Covington has a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Purdue University and spent many years as an actor in New York City performing in theatre, television and independent films. Tim uses his acting training to prepare competitors to create competitive roles that they can tap into when competing. Tim grew up skating in Atlanta, skating singles and pairs, and has been coaching the past nine years. In addition, Tim holds master ratings in free skating and moves in the field and a registered choreography rating.
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THE RINX TOTAL SKATING PROGRAM Hauppauge, NY WINTER CLUB OF INDIANAPOLIS Indianapolis, IN
KENDALL ICE ARENA Miami, FL
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Host a PSA Seminar! If you’re interested in hosting a 2015 PSA Nationwide Seminar in your area, please contact Barb Yackel at byackel@skatepsa.com for a seminar proposal application. Proposals are due to the PSA office by February 1, 2015.
2014 PSA Nationwide Seminar Recap
Boston, Minneapolis, Denver and Atlanta hit home runs in attendance for full day seminars.
PSA Nationwide Seminars took on a new look this year with the debut and addition of the half-day seminar. Time commitment and cost were reduced for attendees, and the half-day agenda offered a hyper-focused topic suitable for the location and area. Evaluations from attendees in the seven cities hosting half-day seminars brought in rave reviews! This year’s full day seminar agenda had a dynamic approach valuable to all levels of coaches, implementing both PSA information and technique. The heightened focus on grassroots issues was hugely popular and the Master Rated presenters were top notch in sharing their knowledge and expertise. As always, the PSA objective is to provide educational opportunities to as many coaches as possible in the most economical way.
2014 Nationwide Seminar Locations HALF DAY Wake Forest, NC Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Wilmette, IL Cleveland, OH Jacksonville, FL
SPEAKER
FULL DAY
Chip Rossbach
Atlanta, GA
Alex Chang
Boston, MA
Suna Murray Kori Ade
Evelyn Kramer Tom Hickey
Minneapolis, MN Denver, CO
SPEAKER
Doug Mattis Doug Ladret
Diane Miller
Jackie Brenner
Quotes from Attendees FULL DAY Seminar comments DENVER, CO Seminars are always great opportunities to gain more knowledge for your athletes. I like that it was geared to the lower levels too as we don’t all teach high level skaters! Enjoyed Peter Zapalo’s presentation and perspective!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN Love Karen Olson’s no-nonsense and common sense approach. Doug Ladret – GREAT information & ideas delivery in a FUN, entertaining, down-to-earth way!
BOSTON, MA I found all presenters engaging and informative with variation in approach. Diane Miller – EXCELLENT!
ATLANTA, GA I had a wonderful time – not only was there informative information – I HAD A BLAST! Doug Mattis and Cheryl Faust are amazingly knowledgeable and entertaining presenters.
half DAY Seminar comments CLEVELAND, OH Attended to hear Evelyn Kramer—she didn’t disappoint. CHANDLER, AZ The seminar with Alex Chang was amazing— filled with high energy, great personality and wonderful info. WILMETTE, IL Best seminar I’ve attended. Great Information given in a personal way! Kori Ade very inspirational with a positive attitude towards skaters’ training! ARDMORE, PA Suna Murray—very approachable and knowledgeable!
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Coaching Philosophies B Y T E R R I M I L N E R TA RQU I N I
T
here are big theories tackled by figure skating coaches and woven into their day-to-day careers, such as philosophy, methodology and inspiration. These are obviously huge concepts, but when working with skaters, they are not just vague notions - these wellthought-out ideologies are put into action with each new 20 minute lesson. So, yeah, they’re kind of a big deal. “My general coaching philosophy is I teach to empower the skaters to be amazing athletes and great people,” said Alex Chang, coach and choreographer for all levels of skaters through the national, international and world levels. “I want them to have a healthy relationship with success and failure and discover that breakdowns can become breakthroughs. Ultimately, it is about empowering each young athlete to learn skill sets, to gain athletic ability, to find the creative confidence to be performers and to be the best skaters they can be.” While that might sound like a tall order, Chang has some methods that he puts into action. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, but I was told by a coach that there’s nothing you can’t accomplish but you have to have a plan and put it into action,” he said. “I’m a big planner, so goals are based on a timeline. But you do have the kids that are so much in their heads that you don’t do the monthly accountability. You have to have intuition and know how to work with each athlete.” Specializing in the often rough terrain of preparing skaters for competitions, Chang ingrains his mental toughness ideologies in his skaters. “A lot of it has to do with unblocking so a skater doesn’t sabotage themselves,”
said Chang, himself a U.S. Figure Skating Championships bronze medalist. “I use the parking ticket analogy often. Say you get a parking ticket—you can either go on and on about it, ‘Oh no! I broke the law! I am a horrible person! I will never forgive myself!’ or you can acknowledge the fact that you made a mistake, pay the ticket and move on. Empowering them to own up to their own mistakes and teaching them that mistakes are not the end of the world can be very freeing.” Characterizing himself as a methodical coach with a very skater-centric philosophy based on building confidence and life skills, Chang hopes his message is an inspirational one as well.
"...Empowering them to own up to their own mistakes and teaching them that mistakes are not the end of the world can be very freeing.” ~ ALEX CHANG
“I get so much out of working with these kids and that’s really why I teach,” he said. “If my skaters were to say, ‘I’m so glad he made a difference in my life,’ that would be the biggest compliment.” When nurturing a budding skater, few coaches would argue that the proof is often in the beginning education. “I am a very firm believer in a solid foundation in the basics,” said Yuka Sato, who coaches elite skaters from around the world. “I tend to believe you push your skaters, but I’m also all about health first. As coaches, we’re always battling a fine line of how far and how fast to push and I don’t have the answers. Every skater is so different." It’s a philosophy that Sato comes by honestly, coached as she was by her parents, Nobuo and Kimiko Sato, each of them two-time Olympic competitors. “There are definite similarities with my approach and theirs,” Sato said. “My parents take things slow and don’t push too hard when the skaters are young. They take the time to teach the basics; my father is excellent at that. It can be as simple as the entrance to a spin or a landing position—it goes beyond it just looking good. Correct positions are directly related to body control.” Sato, even while retaining her central outlook, sees the need for different methodologies from how she was trained due to changes in skating overall. “I was skating under the 6.0 system and the IJS system has a very different outlook and approach and how you as a coach get things done,” said Sato, who was a two-time Japanese national champion, 1994 world champion and two-time Olympic competitor. “You have
Yuka Sato picture with coaching partner Jason Dungjen and skaters Adam Rippon and Jeremy Abbott at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. PHOTO BY VICKI LUY PS MAGAZINE
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Coach Alex Ouriashev with his skaters
t o accept that a layback position is not the same as it used to be so I try to be flexible in my thinking. But my core beliefs—taking time for the basics, emphasizing a relatively square position with a skater’s weight over their feet, which of course is based on the figures that we all used to learn - are still the same.” While 6,000 miles might separate where Sato did the majority of her training under her parents and where she now coaches, the differences in coaching styles might not be as monumental as one might think. “If I am in the head coach role, then I like to establish firm leadership,” Sato said. “My father had a firm leading style also and he knew how to draw a firm line. I think in the end I do it like my dad does. The thing is, it’s not always, ‘This is how you have to do it.’ You have to respect what the skater’s goals are and what they want out of their careers. On the other hand, it’s been almost 20 years since I relocated to the United States. My thinking process is so different so my approach has to be different too.” Emphasizing that her parents focus was always on her mental and physical health, Sato works toward the same balance with her skaters and also hopes she leaves them with a little extra. “I always hope and wish that after they are finished with skating that there’s something I taught them that they can take into the rest of their lives,” she said. “A little something where they can look back and say, ‘I’m so glad I
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got to work with Yuka.’” While Sato brings some of her background to her way of doing things on the ice, coach Alex Ouriashev certainly has shades of his Eastern European training in his coaching philosophy. “In general my philosophy is this: if you go to a competition, your students should feel confident,” Ouriashev said. “For example, everyone knows you need a double Axel and one triple at the intermediate level. My philosophy is that you need two triples. That way, you can make mistakes and you don’t need to be perfect, but you can still be successful.” A two-time Ukrainian senior men’s champion and international competitor, Ouriashev thinks a skater having something special in their program can go a long way in competition and future skating careers. “I also think the skaters should have some kind of ‘wow’ jump or something someone remembers,” he said. “Kurt Browning was the best skater ever in my opinion and he never won an Olympic Games, but everyone remembers him and his skating and he has been very successful.” But the way Ouriashev helps his skaters get that “wow” element doesn’t always follow a straight path. “I don’t really have one method,” he said. “Every skater is a little different— you have explosive jumpers and what I call lazy jumpers. You have tall skaters and short skaters and there are so many differences in each body type that it affects how they jump. I don’t always do it the same way every time. You do what you have to do to find the best way for each skater.” Characterizing his own coaching style as tough, much like how his own coach trained him, Ouriashev has goals for himself and his skaters.
“I want to see the results of my job; to raise a student and make him (or her) a skater,” he said. “It’s like you get a rough diamond and you finally make it shine to the point that it makes you blind. That makes me proud.” Working with beginning level skaters through national, international and Junior World championship-level skaters, Tom Hickey has a plan—one he works on with his athletes. “I believe consistency is the key to our sport,” Hickey said. “That’s not to say that I’m not willing to learn new things, but I have always found that it’s good to have a system to come back to. More than anything, no matter what level, they need to have goals in front of them, which all depend on who they want to be and where they want to go.” His formatted system doesn’t just end
"...More than anything, no matter what level, they need to have goals in front of them, which all depend on who they want to be and where they want to go.”
~ TOM HICKEY
with off-ice discussions—it goes inside the walls of the rink as well. “With the beginning skater, my goal is to teach every element in reverse,” Hickey said. “For instance, if I’m teaching a three-turn, I need to first teach gliding backward on one foot. If they can’t do that then there’s nothing but frustration when they can’t finish the three-turn. “I’m also very formatted on landing positions, which I work to death,” he said. “By the time they jump, they have that landing position automatically.” For all levels, Hickey, the Director of Figure Skating at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, is a believer in an equal amount of off-ice to on-ice training. “It gives them a better understanding continued on page 25
MAY 26-28 • DOUBLETREE BY HILTON BOSTON NORTH SHORE
BEANTOWN BECKONS! It’s back to Boston for the 2015 ISI Ice
The popular iAIM Certified Skating Director
Arena Conference & Trade Show! We last
course will again be offered in its entirety,
made Boston our conference destination
and the Programming (Part 2), Management
in 2006, and it has since been the location
(Part 1) and Operations (Part 2) certification
of three highly successful ISI World
tracks will be available as well.
Recreational Team Championships. The
Whether you’re an ISI conference regular,
2015 ISI Conference Championships will
an occasional attendee or a first-timer, the
precede the conference over Memorial Day
2015 event is going to provide outstanding
weekend, May 22-24, at Nashoba Valley
opportunities for your professional
Olympia in Boxborough, Mass.
development.
2015 HIGHLIGHTS: •
•
REGISTER NOW FOR THE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!
• • •
On-ice Sessions at FMC Cronin Ice Rink in Revere, Mass. PSA Rating Exams iAIM Skating Director Certification Judge & Referee Sessions Teaching & Training Tips
• • • • • •
Choreography Synchronized Skating Teams Arena Programming Hosting Competitions Social & Networking Opportunities and much more!
skateisi.org/conference Photo credits: Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau
Ice Show Celebration! June 22nd – 24th, 2015
Las Vegas, Nevada
Ice Capades is having their 75th Reunion and would like to invite any and all ice show alumni to join in the celebration! Ice Follies, Holiday On Ice, Disney On Ice, any ice show is welcomed.
‘Escape to Las Vegas’ and have fun! Visit this link for all celebration details
www.icecapadesreunion2015.com EMAIL:
icecapadesreunion2015@gmail.com
FACEBOOK GROUP:
ICE CAPADES Reunion 2015 PS MAGAZINE
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The Language of IJS A
s I sit here at my computer to write this IJS article, I am trying to decide how I approach this task: as a Technical Specialist or as a coach? I am the VC of Singles Education for U.S. Figure Skating for the Technical Panel Committee. This position requires me to help educate, train, and test our present and future singles Technical Controllers and Specialists. However, I do believe my first role in my professional life is as a COACH! As I mentioned, I am sitting at my computer…..in Ecuador. Being here the past several days has taught me my days would be easier if I spoke Spanish, the same language as the Ecuadorians. Alas, my Spanish is extremely limited and dependent on the circumstances surrounding me. Sometimes I don’t need my husband to translate the conversation, but most of the time I do. Life would be easier for all us if we spoke the same language. This idea leads to the topic of my article….the language, or nomenclature, of IJS. Nomenclature by definition is the “devising or choosing of names for things, especially in a science or other discipline”. The International Judging System has lost the nickname “The New Judging System” because it is NOT new any longer. U.S. Figure Skating began using IJS for their qualifying competitions for the season of 2006. Many coaches feel a strong dislike towards the IJS system and want it to go away. I believe it is here to stay and though it may evolve, which can be difficult at times, I believe it is essential that it does so. Figure skaters have an interesting inner language: check, wrap, scrape, skid, Lutz, clean edge, rocker, s-change, bracket, three-turn, free leg, death drop, one foot Axel, etc. Everyday skating fans that have nothing to do with the sport love to throw out “triple Salchow or flying camel” and it allows us to know that people do pay attention to our beloved sport. However, there is a more complicated language that is still not being spoken WITHIN our sport: the language of IJS. I believe that all coaches call jumps by their correct names. There may be some slang, a “double toe” instead of a “double toe loop”, “triple sal” instead of “triple Salchow” and I don’t believe there is much harm here. However, when someone is testing to become a technical panel member, this kind of slang is NOT accepted. The place where coaches are making a mistake is using slang and nicknames for difficult variation spin positions and not educating their pupils with the proper language. The Technical Panel Education group has put together a chart (8/01/14) with the correct names of the spin feature positions. (next page, top) The ISU has specifically defined each basic position (upright, camel, and sit) and any position that is not in one of those defined positions is considered a non-basic position. Difficult variation positions have a definition and only one name. We need to eliminate the “A-Frame/Butt Spin/ Horizontal” and call it an Upright Forward due to the torso leaning forward.
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There is the “Y-Spin/Sasha/Heel extension/ Needle/ twist” and many more for the upright straight where the torso is straight, rather than causing confusion when using the nickname. The sit spin has many fun names such as the “button/mushroom/ Fratianne/cannon ball/broken front/broken leg/ ball/pea, etc”. Can you tell which category those sit spins would fall into? It is difficult to determine where the free leg is positioned by those names. I have also found that what is called a “mushroom” in one part of the country is not the same “mushroom” that I have seen in another part of the country. There are many more examples but I believe I have made my point. With the spin rules such as they are, a difficult variation position category cannot be repeated to elevate the level of the spin, unless they are executing a different feature simultaneously with the repeated DV category such as an edge change, eight revolutions, increase in speed, and only the additional feature attempted would be considered to elevate the level of the spin. Coaches need to be using the proper name (category) in planning their athletes’ spins during program preparation. I have coaches contact me often about spins their student is doing and they start off with all these nicknames and I don’t know what they are talking about, or I pretend I don’t. I will always make them start over because I want to hear proper spin name categories instead. This keeps my mind organized and it helps me vet the two or three spins they have in their program to avoid unnecessary repeats that affect the level of the later spins. Another uncomfortable situation is when I have been part of a critique and the coach, alongside the athlete, doesn’t understand what the TC or ATS (only ones with written notes from the Technical Panel) are talking about in regards to spins. A more uncomfortable situation is when the athlete attends the critique alone and has no idea what the officials are talking about. It makes the critique less productive and embarrassing because two different languages are being spoken. It is not just spin positions that get lost in translation as other spin features are also given nicknames. As coaches we have the responsibility to educate our students in how to execute a movement or element, and among many other things, to teach them the proper nomenclature of our sport. You may, as a coach, be educating a future coach, judge, Technical Specialist, or Technical Controller, and you want them to arrive prepared for that journey as well. By the time you read this article, many of you will be in the planning stages of your athlete’s upcoming 2016 season. Make it a New Year’s resolution to start speaking a new language… the language of IJS. Good luck! Denise Williamson serves on the PSA Board of Governors, is a U.S. Figure Skating SV Chair of Education, and is Master Rated in FS and MIF.
11 Different Categories of Difficult Variations (DVs) CAMEL POSITION 3 categories based on direction of the shoulder line:
SIT POSITION 3 categories based on position of free leg:
UPRIGHT POSITION 3 categories based on position of torso:
LAYBACK POSITION 1 category
(CF) Camel Forward: shoulder line twisted to parallel to the ice
(SF) Sit Forward: free leg forward
(UF) Upright Forward: torso leaning forward
(UL) Upright Layback difficult variation in layback position
(CS) Camel Sideways: shoulder line twisted to a vertical position
(SS) Sit Sideways: free leg sideways
(US) Upright Straight or Sideways: torso straight up or sideways
NON-BASIC POSITIONS 1 category
(UB) Upright Biellmann: Biellmann position is achieved 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.
(NBP) difficult variation in non-basic position
(CU) Camel Upward: shoulder line twisted to more than a vertical position
(SB) Sit Behind: free leg behind
Definition of a Difficult Variation (DV): A DV is a movement of a body part/leg/arm/hand/head, which requires more physical strength or flexibility and has an effect on the balance of the main body core. Only these variations can increase the Level. • 11 different categories in which a DV can be executed. • Each category can only be used once per program for a Level Feature. First attempt is the only one counted whether or not the DV is achieved. • A DV is considered as attempted when this variation is clearly visible, independent of the fact this variation was counted or not. • A DV in a non-basic position is considered for level feature in spin combination only.
• If a DV in a non-basic position of a spin combination is quite similar to one of the executed DVs in a basic position, the last performed of these two variations will not be counted as a Level Feature. • Once a DV has been attempted and another DV of the same category is executed, the second of the two DVs cannot be counted, but any additional feature (e.g. eight revs, edge change, increase in speed) executed in this DV can still be counted.
Coaching Philosophies continued from page 22 of how to do things without the frustration of falling,” he said. “Plus, there’s obviously a cost savings, which is important for a lot of families.” For his elite skaters he emphasizes benchmarking progress and he also has expectations for them to have a comprehensive understanding of their training and the ins and outs of the IJS system. “They have a notebook that makes them responsible for their skating,” Hickey said. “They know when their periodization begins and ends with their training. It keeps them on track. They have all of the IJS rules and regulations and know the point systems. We calculate their scores and follow everyone else’s scores online. We know what the scores of the top skaters are so we set that as our new goal and we formulate a plan of how to get there.” Categorizing himself a better coach
than he was a skater, Hickey credits his successful ability to approach skating as a business to the knowledgeable coaches he learned from both when he was training and when he began coaching. “I’ve gone through some different coaching styles, but I learned that who I am as a person is how I have to coach,” Hickey said. “I can’t be one person on the ice and a different person off the ice. It’s confusing for the skaters and they don’t know who to trust. My coaching style is organized. I am a proponent of having vision and direction. I’m patient, I’m a good listener and I’m a good goal setter.” And this is where the philosophies behind a coach’s master plan meet the inspiration they can spark to help keep the skaters motivated. “If you take a blind man and help him across the street, he doesn’t know where
the end is and he is putting his faith in you,” Hickey said. “We are the guide to our parents and skaters. They don’t know how to get where they want to go. We need to be worthy of their trust and give them as much direction as possible. The biggest thing is that I want them to trust me. I want them to know that I will do whatever it takes to benefit them.” Hickey’s “Fundamentals for Success” presentation has been heard at the PSA’s national conference and begins with a quote by inspirational author and poet William Arthur Ward: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
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PART
3
1950-1969
g n i g d u J The history of Judging: The golden age of american skating by Bruce Poodles Photos courtesy of the World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame
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Yvonne Sherman McGow an, former U.S. Champion and judge; Mrs. John Horsman, high test judge; Col. Harold Storke, world judge; Howard Herbert, referee and President US FSA watch skater Elizab eth Herman.
U
p to the 1950’s, it appears that the ISU predominantly dealt with inept judging and controversies by adjusting or even changing the scoring systems. The ISU had moved to the “open judging system” keeping the 6.0 scale, while the US adapted the open system to a “modified open system” and a scale of 0 to 10. At the international level, the changes, while necessary, did little to reduce the influence of certain associations regarding their international judges and the placement of their competitors. Beginning in the late forties and early fifties, the ISU council made a concerted effort to clean up the image of biased judging. It was required that a referee immediately request an explanation of a particular judge’s mark if it appeared to be out of line. Furthermore, the ISU required a written report by the referee denoting any judging issues at the conclusion of the competition.
The protocol for establishing formal procedures regarding “incompetency or dishonesty” was given to the elected technical committees. 1 Reported to the congress in 1949, the chair of the figure skating committee, Gustavus Witt, stated that five judges were suspended for a year in 1948 and between 1948 and 1949, 11 more received written warnings. The ISU suspended another in 1952, and by 1960 had suspended twenty-one officials.2 While the ISU was looking to hold the judges to a higher standard of ethics, World judge Lyman Wakefield, Jr. of St. Paul wrote of a specific method he believed would be of use to 1 JAMES R. HINES, Figure Skating, a History ,University of Illinois P ress and the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame, 2006 Page 177 2 BENJAMIN T. WRIGHT, Skating Around the World: International Skating Union, the One Hundredth Anniversary History 1892 -1992, Davos Platz, 1992 Page 107
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Montreal Worlds 1932
improve the accuracy of judging free skating events. 3 Published in SKATING magazine in April of 1950, Wakefield suggested that each judge create a check list for each competitor divided into columns representing jumps, spins, dance-steps, etc. As the job of the judge is to compare each skater to each other, it was important that the first skater be marked accurately as to not spoil his range of marks. The subsequent skaters can be compared to the notes of earlier skaters, allowing for a greater degree of accuracy. However, the following November, SKATING published a rebuttal to Wakefield’s article by Gustavus Witt, the current ISU Vice President for Figure Skating and the chair of the technical committee. In an open letter written to the magazine, Witt wrote: I am sorry to say that I do not agree with Mr. Wakefield. To my mind judges should not be allowed at all to keep private protocols for compulsory figures or for free skating. Open marking should be strictly adhered to. Secret marking, making adjustments possible, is just the bad practice the ISU does not want…Mr. Wakefield wrote that a judge should, by “slipping back through the pages (his notes) during a competition,” compare his marks already given to other skaters! This is entirely wrong. A judge should give marks for what he sees. Therefore, such a proposed mathematical system is in practice undesirable and impossible…The Figure Skating Committee of the ISU in conjuncture with the referees of the different international events carefully scrutinize the judges’ marks at the end of each season. If it is found that a judge for whatever reasons was not up to the high standard demanded, then such a judge will be scratched from the list of international judges. Since the Olympics, ten international judges from different countries have been disqualified for two years and to some of the judges letters of warning had to be sent. I think that on the whole the judging of all international events has improved greatly. 4 Witt’s objective was to clean up the sport, and under his direction the ISU aggressively demonstrated that they were willing to, “take all steps necessary to assure fairness and promote good sportsmanship.”5 A consequence, nonetheless, was the eventual demise of the North American Championships. The Championships between Canada and the United States had been started in 1923, and since 1945, the judging panels had an even number of judges from each country. In 1954, the ISU required the North American Championships to follow the judging rules used at all of the other ISU championships which included the World and European championships. It required an odd number of judges on each panel and the return to the 6.0 scale. While skating under the 6.0 scale was acceptable, the odd number of judges 3 LYMAN E. WAKEFIELD, JR. A Method of Judging Free Skating, Skating Magazine April 1950 4 GUSTAVUS F. C. WIT T. Another Viewpoint on Judging. Skating Magazine November 1950 5 JAMES R. HINES, Figure Skating, a History ,University of Illinois Press and the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame, 2006 Page 177
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created a biased panel. From then on until the competition ceased in 1971, the host country was allowed the panel majority and unfortunately the results were predicable. By 1959, the 10 scale experiment was over in North America. Canada had returned to the 6.0 a year earlier, citing a wish to simplify and improve judging. The USFSA competitions committee proposed a rule to return to the 6.0 scale, which passed and was implemented for the 1960 season. The USFSA denied that the change had anything to do with getting back into line. In January of 1955, a Junior International competition was held in Davos, Switzerland. What set this apart from other competitions of the time was that the technical committee was given permission to trial the Finnish judging system.6 Also known as the Jakobsson judging system, it was designed by Mr. Walter Jakobsson, a former Olympic and World Pair champion. The system threw out the high and low marks (trimmed mean), very similar to the diving and gymnastic systems. The main difference between the systems was that no ordinals were awarded and the results were determined by total points. At the following ISU Congress in 1956, it was decided that a trial of the Finnish System would take place at the European Championships. However, when the announcement was published, there was no mention of the trial of the Finnish System. When the Council decided to delay the trial to the following year, the Chair of the Figure Skating Committee, Jakob Biedermann of Switzerland, abruptly resigned. Used for the singles and pairs event only at the following Europeans, it was resolved that the Finnish system did not improve upon the results of the former system. Other proposed systems to change or amend the present rules to determine final placement were also rejected. In the United States, the PSGA proposed, “The Numerical System of Judging Free Skating” to the USFSA. Following a 1956 guild meeting in Philadelphia, Freddy Mesot and Hans Gerschwiler spent two years preparing a new system called “The Numerical System of Judging Free Skating”. The system itself had a total of five judges with each judge being assigned one of five components: choreography, jumps, spins, connecting foot-work, and “attitude movements” which includes spirals, spread eagles, pivots, etc. One of the advantages of this system was each judge would have only one aspect of free skating to concentrate on. Over a period of time the new system was tested at various non-qualifying competitions, using PSGA members as judges. The proposal, along with the data from the competition results, was formally submitted to the USFSA. In a letter PSGA President Wally Sahlin wrote to USFSA official Ken Kelly, Sahlin writes, “This is not a completely new system as similar systems have been tried in England, New York, at the Pacific North West, and in Canada.” Unfortunately, USFSA officials did not favorably receive the suggestion. A reply to the Guild by Henry Beatty, Chair of the Special Projects committee of the USFSA, noted that if the previous systems tried in England, New York, and Canada had “…real merit, these trials would have led to its adoption.” As the judging system continued to take hits, major steps were finally taken to improve the image and quality of judging at 6 JOHN NOEL, Report f rom Europe, Skating Magazine, April 1955
SUN VALLEY, IDAHO: Skater David Edward with Howell Janes, Deane McMinn (kneeling),
Mrs. Roger Willis, Mrs. John Shoemaker, Harold Hartshorne and Mrs. William Hickox IV.
the International level. At the meeting of the congress in 1957, a constitutional amendment was passed requiring education for all judges. To achieve that goal, the Congress authorized the first Judges Handbook to be penned by Josef Dedic and Vladislav Cap of Czechlaslovakia. The handbook would be comparable to an earlier publication by the USFSA. At that same congress, the ISU took drastic action by barring two individuals who were alleged to have attempted to influence the results of competitions in Europe.7 While SKATING magazine did not name names, the judges were identified in the 1992 ISU book, Skating Around the World: International Skating Union, the One Hundredth Anniversary History 1892 -1992. Hans Grunauer and Adolf Rosdol of the Austrian association were permanently suspended because of “improper conduct at international skating events.” It was reported that since the introduction of “open” judging until he was banned in 1957, Grunauer ran the 7 HENRY M. BEAT T Y, Meeting of the ISU Congress Skating Magazine November 1957
“Calculation Office,” in which he would signal the Austrian judge on the panel the marks to be given. He was also accused of proposing deals between other members as well to benefit both organizations. In 1960, the ISU made public that Grunauer, although suspended from ISU events, was still in fact “calculating” and influencing scores in violation of his suspension by attending events as a “representative” of the Vienna Ice Revue, a professional skating show. 8 Mr. Rosdol was banned for “comparable activities.” This was his second suspension, with the first happening in 1949. To make matters worse, Rosdol was, at the time of the second and permanent suspension, chair of the ISU Figure Skating Committee, a position he was appointed to at the conclusion of his previous suspension. Furthermore, Rosdol’s permanent suspension lasted only twenty years. He was reinstated and was once again appointed as an ISU judge. 8 BENJAMIN T. WRIGHT, Skating Around the World: International Skating Union, the One Hundredth Anniversar y Histor y 1892-1992, Davos Platz, 1992
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Fours Teammates Robert Uppgren, Mary Louise Wright, Janette Ahrens and Lymna Wakefield Jr.
At the 1959 Congress, the Austrian Association made a proposal to form an “arbitration committee” to allow for appeals between Congresses. While that proposal was voted down, another proposal in direct relationship to the Grunauer-Rosdol fiasco proposed that any person “who received remuneration as a proprietor, director, manager, or employee of an ice show or ice rink was not eligible to serve as an official or officeholder in the ISU or as a delegate to a Congress.” Several significant changes were made to the scoring in 1959. One change was to institute the “subsequent majority” rule. In the case in which no skater received a majority of a particular position, the “best majority” of the subsequent place would decide the result. Another change was the return to the seeded draw in which the leaders, after the figure portion, would have the advantage of skating last. And finally, a major change was made to the characteristics of the two marks given for the free skate portion from “Contents of Program,” and “Manner of Performance,” to “General Impression,” and “Sporting Merit.” The terms were further refined in 1961 to Artistic Impression and Technical Merit. Few changes were made between 1960 and 1961. The latter year’s Congress took place just four months after the tragedy involving the plane crash that killed the entire U.S. World Team. One noteworthy change was a rule that determined the judges at a World Championships by the placement of their country’s skaters at the previous World Championships. This allowed judges from the more competitive countries to be assured a spot on the panel. The rule remained in effect until changed in 1988. In 1963, one of the oldest competitions of the time, the Mid Atlantic Figure Skating Championships, experimented with a new judging arrangement—new at least to the United States. The concept had been presented to USFSA several years before
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and was tabled. Canada, however, put it to use at about the same time.9 The simple judging arrangement was called the panel system. A different set of judges is assigned to each figure. In other words, if there were three figures to compete, there were three different panels. This method reduced the time required for an event by over fifty percent. While saving on ice costs and improving the public appeal, the down side was more judges would be needed, raising the cost for local organizers. Despite the fact that this system in theory would lessen the impact of any one judge’s marks for a particular skater, the diluted pool could create a diverse skill level of judging. No other clubs followed Mid Atlantics experiment, but at the 1966 US Championships, it was used for the Novice and Junior events.10 Midway through the decade, the ISU rejected a proposal to adjust the ratio between figures and free skating from 60/40 to 50/50. Rejected by an extremely close vote that was just under the required two-thirds majority, it would remain on the agenda of future congresses.11 The previous year, Dick Button was interviewed for SKATING magazine and in the article Dick was asked about a statement he made in his book, “Dick Button on Skates,” in which he stated he was for the 50/50 split. In response to whether he still felt that way, Button responded with, “Basically, it is because no one has convinced me that school figures are more important than free skating. Figures are interesting in themselves, particularly the old-fashioned ones which are no longer done in competition. The argument that school figures prepare one for free skating is overemphasized. In fact, the lack of emphasis on style in figures all too often carries over into free skating.”12 A rebuttal to Dick’s comments was written by Mr. Per CockClausen, World Referee, ISU Substitute Council Member, and 13 time Danish Men’s Champion, and published the following season in SKATING. 13 Cock-Clausen was in full agreement 9 ANNE GRAM, Experiment in Judging a Competition, Skating Magazine June 1963 10 1966 RESULTS, Skating Magazine 1966 April 11 HENRY M. BEAT T Y, ISU MEETS IN VIENNA. Skating Magazine November 1965 12 DICK BUT TON as told to PARKE CUMMINGS. Button: “As I See It…” Skating Magazine November 1964 13 PER COCK-CLAUSEN, In my opinion 60/40 Skating Magazine December 1965
with Dick Button regarding compulsory figures performed with a “lack of style and a rhythmic movement [are] more harmful than beneficial.” He went on to say, “I am inclined to believe that many competitors and professionals take a wrong view of figures as well as of free skating by considering them as two separate entities while they are actually both parts of the same pattern.” Cock-Clausen had several ideas he shared with the readers, one of them being that marks for figures should include style, lean, and speed. He also wrote that a maximum number of jumps and spins should be required. And even more prophetically he stated, “…the present ratio of figures to free skating (60/40) should be kept as it is because under this system free skating has advanced while figures have declined. If the system were changed in favor of free skating, this trend might accelerate.” Until 1947, competitors skated a total of six different figures skated on each foot for a total of 12 figures. The following year, the number was reduced to six with each skater alternating left and right foot starts. The movement to reduce the importance of figures was thought to be influenced by the emerging television industry.14 While the 50/50 ratio failed to gain a majority in 1965, several other important rule changes were accepted. The compulsory program for pairs that was trialed the year before was made permanent. The program would feature seven required elements: a lift, solo jump, solo spin, pair spin, death spiral, and two step sequences. Interestingly, the ISU announced that at all ISU events moving forward, “…the audience shall be informed by a written description and, if possible, over the public address system, of the basic principles of judging and the determination of winners.” Additionally, a provision was also made by which the referee would inform both the judges and public address announcer of any extra elements added or omitted. By educating the public, the ISU hoped a better understanding would reduce the “vocal criticism” of judges. While educating the public on the intricacies of judging and the scoring system was important, the USFSA worked even harder to maintain the basic standards of judging. USFSA was an innovator in the education of the judges, creating the first judges’ school in Lake Placid in 1936. Subsequent clinics emphasized an effort to standardize judging and included narrated films specially prepared by the Judging Committee. The movies trained judges in the evaluation and identification of the elements of free skating. In 1945, a pioneer “Judges Practicability Test” was tried by having judges being tested while actually “judging” skaters.15 In 1950, the Judging Standards Committee of the USFSA developed a system to audit judging accuracy. “Essentially,” wrote Spencer Cram, a Judging Standards Committee Advisor, in the June 1966 edition of SKATING, “a judge’s accuracy determines the difference between his placements and the competitors’ actual placements. Through this, one judge is determined the most accurate within a panel of judges...” 16 14 SANDRA LOOSEMORE, Figures’ don’t add up in competition anymore, CBS SportsLine Dec. 16, 1998 15 HEATON R. ROBERTSON, Judges P racticability Test, Skating Magazine, December 1945 16 SPENCER E. CRAM, Judging Judges, Skating Magazine June 1966
In 1967 and after more than fifty years as a rule, the 60/40 ratio between figures and free skating was gone. The 50/50 ratio finally achieved a two-thirds majority and would go into effect on September 1, 1968. Since World War II, the proposal had been put forth at every ISU Congress.17 In the 1960’s, USFSA did not have a level below preliminary and non-qualifying events were non-existent. 18The ISIA, which was founded in Illinois in 1961, moved to fill that void by introducing recreational competitions in 1969. The first competition was “in-house” and took place at the Robert Unger School of Ice Skating. “The first competition had practically no rules, except good sportsmanship, ethics and the attitude ‘This is not the last day of your life.’” recalled Mr. Unger.19 The ISIA philosophy of having coaches serve as volunteer judges was brought forward by Michael Kirby, Einar Jonlan, Barbara Taplin, Freddy Mesot, and Robert Unger. “According to ISI Founder and Past President Michael Kirby, the idea of independent judges for testing and competitions is not necessary. In every education entity (including ice skating), teachers “judge” their own pupils with periodic tests and exams, so why not in skating?”20 Margy Bennett, the current Secretary of ISI stated, “They just wanted the skaters from their facilities to have a place to compete in a fair competition, with skaters separated by age and ability level. ISIA competitions separated freestyle from figures right from the beginning and the judging criteria has always been very detailed and split between the members of the panel.” The idea of coaches judging and the system of each judge marking individual elements was controversial. At the end of the decade, an understated but significant advancement happened that would greatly influence the sport for the foreseeable future. Computerized scoring came to the USFSA Championships. The 1968 Championships in Philadelphia debuted IBM System/360 that provided almost instantaneous results. “The impact for the audience and skaters alike was tremendous,” said Mylas Martin in SKATING magazine. The IBM System had a personal and psychological impact on many of the competitors’ performances, which helped some competitors and hindered others.21 The '50s and '60s continued a trend of rule changes motivated by scandal and nationalism. The continued pressure to minimize figures would eventually lead to its elimination in the late 1990’s. While the focus of the ISU to improve the ethics of judging during the period was admirable, it was and remains a constant issue.
In the next PS Magazine The History of Judging: Part IV, 1970 – 1989 17 John Noel, 50/50, Skating Magazine December 1967 18 Jo Ann Schneider Farris, Early History of the Ice Skating Institute. http:// f igureskating.about.com/od/historyoff igureskating/p/History-Of-The-IceSkating-Institute.htm Downloaded October 8, 2014 19 ISI National Competitions – History http://www.skateisi.com/site/sub. cfm?content=events_histor y_national_compititions#sthash.szvcZc9x.dpuf Downloaded October 8, 2014 20 ISI Handbook 2014 edition. Ice Skating Institute 21 MYL AS MARTIN, IBM SYSTEM/360 - Instant Marks in Philadelphia Skating Magazine March 1968
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The Skating Club of New York BY
KENT MCDILL
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SKATING CLUB OF NEW YORK
C
entral Park in New York is a vibrant oasis in the city’s summer, and often a frozen palace in the winter. With ponds and lakes throughout the 843 acres of midtown Manhattan, Central Park is one of the world’s greatest green spaces, no matter what time of year you visit. In 1863, the property around the official park was obviously not as developed as it is today, and the area surrounding the official park was both green and wet, with ponds all over. It is there (perhaps) that The Skating Club of New York (SCNY) got its start. In the mid-1800s, the sport of figure skating was expanding throughout the country. In 1863, a group of skating enthusiasts from New York who regularly gathered at ponds in and around Central Park decided to start a skating club. The New York Skating Club thus became the second skating club formed in the United States, and began its long run as one of the most influential skating clubs in the country. In 2013, the club celebrated its 150th anniversary. Club members today are uncertain whether the club actually started on the pond which is now the Plaza Hotel, or whether it got its start at Conservatory Pond, which was near where the area known as Conservatory
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Water is today. Regardless, the club considers Central Park its original home. Back in 1863, all skating took place outdoors. Indoor facilities had not yet determined how best to keep ice frozen out of the elements. So the New York Skating Club held its events at a variety of ponds in the area, moving from one private pond to another along Fifth Avenue. But at each site, the club built a clubhouse for the exclusive use of club members, and meetings were often held in those clubhouses, which served as protection from some of New York’s harsher conditions. Eventually, figure skating was able to move indoors thanks to developments in refrigeration methods. By the early 20th Century, the New York Skating Club was operating out of two Iceland locations, one at Broadway and 53rd Street and the other on West 52nd Street. In 1927, there was a merger of sorts, as the New York Skating Club ceased to exist and its members joined the relatively new The Skating Club of New York, which incorporated in 1926. The first three established skating clubs in the country were the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society, The Skating Club of New York and The Skating Club of Boston. They became founding members of the United States Figure Skating Association,
and The Skating Club of New York often hosted USFSA meetings in the early years in the homes of club members. In 1927, a new ice rink was built in Manhattan. Located on West 50th Street on top of Madison Square Garden, the new Ice Club (later named Iceland) became the home of The Skating Club of New York until 1968. Club members were making a name for themselves and the club on the inter-
Carol Heiss
1.) national skating scene. Beatrix Loughran won the first of her three Olympic medals when she won the Ladies Silver at the Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France in 1924. She also won a Ladies Bronze in 1928 and a Pairs silver in 1932. In the 1930s, the SCNY began to host skating carnivals at Madison Square Garden. These carnivals were elaborate shows of skill, fashion and production, and eventually grew into the ice shows that travelled the country in the 1940s and beyond. In 1936, figure skating in New York found an additional home with the establishment of the rink at Rockefeller Center, which is still in use today and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. However, Rockefeller Center has never been a SCNY rink. In 1968, with the demolishing of old Madison Square Garden, the club moved to Sky Rink, which operated on the 16th floor of a beautiful new building on 33rd Street. That rink originally had no boards surrounding it, and also had large windows, allowing skaters to look out on the city skyline from the ice. In 1995, the club moved to Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers, at Pier 61 as part of the city’s spectacular Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex. This is where the club currently makes its home. The influence of The Skating Club of New York is evident in every major national and international event, as top-level competitors proudly state their allegiance to SCNY. The SCNY currently is the only American skating club to have three Olympic Ladies gold medal winners call it their home club: Carol Heiss (1960, Squaw Valley), Dorothy Hamill (1976, Innsbruck) and Sarah Hughes (2002, Salt Lake City). In 1964, club member Scott Allen won Olympic bronze, and popular US champion Johnny Weir also represents The Skating Club of New York. Currently, SCNY has become home to some of the nation’s best synchronized skating
2.)
teams. They host twelve lines as part of four teams, and also hosted the country’s first and only all-male synchro team, Men N Sync. Terri Levine, President of the club, states, “Our rinks have the largest Basic Skills classes in the country. We have associate rinks not just in New York City, but all over metropolitan New York. And our club members train all across the country.” The SCNY also has associations with other clubs in the state of New York, as well as the Wollman Rink in Central Park. There they conduct a competition for the Basic Skills participants in an outdoor event which brings back the heyday of outdoor skating in New York from a century and a half ago. “And that takes place very close to where we started,’’ Levine said. “We still have Central Park as part of our family.” Among the other rinks affiliated with The Skating Club of New York is the Sport-O-Rama in Munsey, N.Y., The Rinx in Hauppauge, N.Y., Twin Rinks in East Meadow, N.Y., Dix Hills Park Rink, Dix Hills, N.Y., Chelsea Piers, Stamford, CT, and the Freeport Skating Academy in Freeport, N.Y. On January 23, 2014, SCNY held its 150th anniversary celebration dinner at the New York Athletic Club. With such an illustrous history, there was much to celebrate!
1) Skyliners Junior Team 2) 150th Anniversary Gala attendees BACK: Elaine Zayak, Sarah Hughes, Carol Heiss, Tim Goebel. MIDDLE: Anne Gerli, Lucy Brennan. FRONT: Terri Levine 3) Olympic medalists Sarah Hughes 4) 1937 Carnival and program.
3.)
4.) PS MAGAZINE
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20 1 5 P SA CONF E RE NCE & TRADE SHOW
FROM ENTRY-LEVEL TO ELITE, THIS CONFERENCE IS FOR YOU! In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, PSA will present 10,000 tips Registration is now open for the 2015 PSA International Conference and Trade Show to be held May 20 to 23 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Radisson Blu Hotel and the Bloomington Ice Gardens. Our focus this year is on providing updated content to help increase your coaching business success, as well as providing tools to increase your students’ accomplishments. As always, we will offer great on-ice and off-ice sessions targeted at improving technical skills.
Featured Speakers • You won’t want to miss keynote speaker World and Olympic coach Brian Orser, developer of the Peak Performance App • Hear the legendary Dick Button tell his story in “Push Dick’s Button” and how he came to be the 1948 and 1952 Olympic champion as well as a five-time World Champion (1948-52) • To create a positive coaching experience, we have turned to nationally recognized expert, David Benzel, founder and Executive Director of Growing Champions for Life, Inc. David provides parents and coaches with practical tools and positive strategies for helping athletes reach their full potential while enjoying the youth sport experience. • We are privileged to have Chris Snyder, director of coaching education at the United States Olympic Committee, at our conference once again as a featured speaker
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REGISTER NOW! EARLY BIRD DEADLINE
January 20, 2015
Synchro
Pairs
Business Practices
• Our synchro coaches won’t want to miss an “Ask the Experts” panel. Panelists include: Dann Krueger, a World Synchronized judge and national technical controller; Holly Malewski, world coach of the Crystallettes; and Vicki Korn, a national and world coach of Team Braemar Junior.
• Want to learn how to bring out the best in your pair team? Serguei Zaitsev, former Soviet pair skater and coach at the Indiana/World Skating Academy, is a technical specialist for pairs and will show you how.
• Past U.S. Figure Skating President Pat St. Peter will present SafeSport and how it affects our coaching business
Singles
Group
Dance
• Come hear Alex Ouriashev, Ukrainian champion and international competitor, present his many tips and exercises to teach triples and quads
• Are you an entry-level coach looking for teaching tips? Ever wonder how you should structure your on-ice group classes for maximum participation? Come and learn from Tom Hickey with his many tips and tools.
• Olympic silver medalist Ben Agosto will share his expertise for special sessions on ice dance and edge classes
• Denise Williamson and Alex Chang will help you navigate IJS rules • Looking for guidance to produce a competitive skater in a non-competitive environment? Kirsten Miller-Zisholz will impart her knowledge on the topic.
Hockey • Hockey Skating II & III sessions and certification offered
• Scott McCoy from FMC Ice Sports will educate program and skating directors on budgeting and accounting • Jimmie Santee, PSA Executive Director, will educate us on ethical solicitation, marketing, and promotion, a particularly important topic in today’s business
• Hear best practices wtih Carey Tinkelenberg for successful skating programs
Professional Benefits • Business know-how • Technical knowledge • Motivation and inspiration • Network
REGISTER! EARLY BIRD
January 20, 2015 – $405 ADVANCE DEADLINE
April 21, 2015 – $505 STANDARD RATE
After April 21, 2015 – $605 * Member rate listed — add $100 for non-member
OBITUARY
Radisson Blu Hotel
Bloomington Ice Garden
to be held at
Radisson Blu Hotel at the Mall of America 2100 Killebrew Dr. | Bloomington, MN 952-881-5258 | www.radissonblu.com Room rate: $139 | Cut-off date: April 20 Ask for “PSA 2015 Intl. Skating Conference” to get PSA rate
Wednesday to Saturday May 20-23, 2015 Visit www.skatepsa.com for more information & to register
Don Laws On December 2, 2014 Don Laws, born Donald Eugene Laws, quietly passed away at the age of 85, in Silver Spring, MD. A life dedicated to the world of figure skating, his first encounter with ice was skating at the age of five, on the Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC. As an adolescent he became a member of the Washington Figure Skating Club and for years skated at the Chevy Chase Ice Palace. Coached by Osborne (Ozzie) Colson, Eugene Turner and, as he would proudly mention his one lesson with Gus Lussi, whom he greatly admired. By the time he was twenty one Don had won many titles including the US Junior Men Figure Skating Champion, and had earned himself a birth to the 1951 World Figure Skating Championships in Milano, Italy. He had a good showing there coming in seventh but all was interrupted by the Korean War. After he served in the military he returned and began his career as a figure skating coach. Teaching would become the passion of his life. At the age of twenty four his first coaching experience took him to Toronto, Canada where he remained for five years. From there he was invited to join the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society, where earlier Gus Lussi had formed Dick Button. Don left Philadelphia twenty one years later, proudly leaving them with his own legacy of non-other than Scott Hamilton. From there on to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for twelve years and then on to Atlanta, Georgia. Full circle back to Maryland, down to Florida a couple of times with the last coaching position at the Kendal Ice Arena in Miami, Florida at the age of eighty three. Don Laws never quit, he never retired. His entire life was devoted to teaching, and he surrendered himself completely to that task. It was not only about skating techniques but the person as a whole. He inspired all of those he met to be their best in every way. As his health waned he put himself to the task of leaving his memoirs, (Don Laws, the Life of an Olympic Figure Skating Coach.) In many ways because of Don a list of mere humans became luminaries; Reginald Stanley, Scott Hamilton, Lori Nichols, Michael Weiss, Patrick Chan are a few of the names instantly associated with figure skating. However, there were thousands that benefitted from the teachings and the discipline instilled in them by Don Laws. Don’s motto in life (repeated by Scott Hamilton at his memorial) came from Shakespeare: “This above all: to thine own self be true.” Rest in peace old friend. ~BEVERLY MENKE | Co-author of Don Laws, the Life of an Olympic Figure Skating Coach
2013 PSA Conference
Celebrating Don's 85th birthday with Scott and the Menke family
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What Would Evelyn Kramer Do? World and Olympic coach Evelyn Kramer took the techniques of her coach, the legendary Gustave Lussi, and spun it to the trademark of “Spin Doctor.” Author and sports journalist Christine Brennan was the first to call her that moniker, but it took on a life of its own when Dick Button gave the “Spin Doctor” credit for the marked improvement in Michelle Kwan’s spins during the World Championships in Nice, France. Kramer is a national and international coach who has worked with Olympians Robin Cousins, Peggy Flemming, Caryn Kadavy, Liz Manley, JoJo Starbuck, Ken Shelley, Silvia Fontana, Anthony Liu, Stephanie Zhang, as well as Kwan. The passionate Kramer has a way of turning talk of skating into an inspirational message, in a way that one might realize her coaching is all about her helping her skaters find their center - both on and off the ice. In a system where spins are more important than ever before, the “Spin Doctor” answered the question: What Would Evelyn Kramer Do?
How did it feel to be called the “spin doctor” by Dick Button during the World Championships broadcast for your work with Michelle Kwan? Fantastic. She never liked to work on spins so I would just grab her whenever I could. I was just with Michelle and her sister recently at a party and we were all laughing about how she tortured me by not wanting to work on spins as much as I tortured her by making her work on them. The truth is most kids don’t like working on spins as much as jumps, but here’s the thing: I feel that it takes much more physical strength. You’re fighting centrifugal force for a longer period of time.
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As a coach, you can get a skater a jump with technique and courage, but with spins it is necessary to teach the feeling of centrifugal force. I do that by having a skater do a two-foot spin and have their arms out and bring them to their sides quickly. In a sit spin I tell them they need to feel their shin pushing against the tongue of their skate with their knee over their toe. It works better than saying, “Get down lower” over and over again. When you say that, their head goes down and their bottom goes up.
Let’s talk spin technique. Your entry technique is the same as Gus Lussi’s technique. Have you always taught it that way? Yes. The step is exactly the same. A while ago I toyed with some upper body movement and, if a skater came to me with a windup, I let them keep it. But now I’m entirely back to no movement of the upper body. I’m very much a coach who believes that if something doesn’t work, you should try another way, but that technique works and that’s a proven fact. How was it being coached by a true legend? I didn’t see him as a legend; I saw him as a god. I think my style of teaching is very different from his, but the amount of life lessons I learned from him goes far beyond skating or technique. Mr. Lussi died almost 10 years before Dick Button called you the spin doctor. If he was still alive, what do you think he would have called up and said to you? You just made me smile. I have never thought about what Mr. Lussi would say. I think he would think it was fun and he would be proud of me. He was just so special in so many people’s lives. He never yelled, he made you feel proud of
By Terri Milner Tarquini
yourself and he just gave us so much confidence.
Any words of wisdom for coaches as far as the basic spin positions go? They have to have the basics. They have to. I’ve seen kids who can’t do a spin and they’re grabbing their leg into a Beillmann. I am very respectful of their bodies and they need to tell their coaches if something hurts. These spins take so much flexibility and strength; they can’t just be jumped into. Do you like the new positions or do you long for the good old days of a fast scratch spin to wrap up a program? (Laughs) What can I say? Some of it is very inventive, but I was watching old videos of Cecilia Colledge on YouTube and she was doing a grab back camel but she also did it on the front camel. And that was what I call, “B.Z., Before Zamboni.” That’s back when I skated too. (Note: Colledge was the World’s youngest Olympian at 11 years old when she took the silver medal in 1932 behind Sonja Henie. She was also the first woman to do a camel spin, a layback spin, a one-foot axel and a double salchow.) What is your favorite spin to watch when it is performed really well? The first thing that came to mind was a sit spin. And I’m talking a traditional Lussi sit spin. The spin I love the feeling of the most though is the camel-sit. The speed you can create on a front camel to sit can make it faster than any back spin. I love that feeling of the snap and the speed. If there was one thing you could change about the sport what would it be? IJS. I’d like to see a skater skate to the music and I would just like to see
Evelyn's on-ice session at the 2014 PSA International Conference & Trade Show in Palm Springs, CA.
skating. Skating like Michelle Kwan and Janet Lynn. Now spirals are held for two seconds. Do you go back to the old system? I don’t know. For me and my business, IJS has been great because spins are so important, but you have to play the game and I miss the skating.
If you hadn’t been a skating coach what
would you have done? A school teacher. I used to pretend to teach my dolls. I was raised bi-lingual and I was a poor student. My mom was from Vienna and my dad was Hungarian-Czech. They fled Hitler and came to the U.S. in 1938 and I was born in 1941. I was very insecure in academia and, maybe because I had difficulty,
I liked the idea of teaching. Skating I could do well, but I wasn’t great, but I loved figuring out how things worked. It might have been that Gus instilled that way of looking at things. I’m really passionate about what I do. When I leave a lesson, I want the skater to feel good about themselves.
Do you have an overall coaching philosophy or mission statement? Make every skater the best they can be. Make every lesson a positive experience. I end every lesson with something they can do. It doesn’t matter what it is. Say they’re working on triple toe and it’s just not happening, I’ll say, “Let’s see a great double toe.” Look, there are very few champions out there, but I want to be a light in their life.
How would you describe your journey in the skating world so far? Crazy. It’s just (long pause) it’s been a crazy journey. (Laughs)
What do you think is important for coaches to impart to their skaters? To encourage and not criticize; not to be sarcastic and to be positive. I can’t stand seeing nastiness. The feedback I have gotten from the kids over all these years has almost nothing to do with skating. Technique can be taught, but kindness and caring and how you treat a student lasts longer than technique. I love the quote from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
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Legal Ease DAVID SHULMAN
Skating Coach:
Will Teach for Food I
t has been said things that happen come in stages of three. Win a championship, two more on the way. Pass a test, consider the next two tests will be ready quickly. That is the belief, and sometimes the history of such events proves the theory. The law does not always follow that path. Several coaches have been in contact with the office and with me regarding claims that are being made for public assistance in cases involving worker benefits paid through claims for unemployment compensation. This is new ground for plowing in many rinks. Historically, coaches were labeled as independent contractors....meaning they were governed not by general employment law, rather by general rules of contract law covering limited conduct of self while on the premises working, but not directly controlled by the rink where they were teaching. If injured on the job, they were not covered by any medical benefits, vacation time, or â&#x20AC;&#x153;perksâ&#x20AC;? as may be offered to other workers at the rink. If the rink closed or could not produce ice for use by this coach, another venue, hopefully close by, would be quickly inspected for use by the coach and her/his students. All this is slowly starting to change. Rinks close temporarily for weeks or maybe months at a time. Coaches are now starting to apply for unemployment compensation. Like famous actors of an earlier age, the coach would arrive in her/his BMW, park, go inside the state office where benefits are paid, collect a check, and off until next week when this activity is repeated. Is all this legal? Well, yes and maybe yes. To collect unemployment, a person first has to have a
job which is determined to make her/him an employee. Remember, most coaches sign agreements that say they agree they are not employees but they are independent contractors. Think on this. Does your rink facility control your times to be on the ice? How much you may charge? When and what part of the ice you may use? How many classes you can teach? How many students in each class? What you must teach and how things are to be taught... tested? And even the short list goes on and on. What is happening is you are being turned into an employee. That may give you those extra benefits available to employees. Only by having a local attorney, who has knowledge of employment law and rulings, look at your situation, will you know if you qualify to collect benefits when the rink closes for whatever reason, and you are temporarily out of work. Every state has rules and procedures to follow when making application for benefits. Such procedures and rules are exact, and not complying can cost you money. Expect your rink facility to become hostile over you making such a claim. Expect to receive a letter or call from the attorney representing the facility. Listen politely. Take notes. Thank the caller and then retain your own attorney to represent your interests. Unemployment benefits can be very helpful. If you need these funds during a time of hardship, and you can establish you qualify, enjoy the benefit which is your right to have and use when needed.
"Unemployment benefits can be very helpful. If you need these funds during a time of hardship, and you can establish you qualify, enjoy the benefit which is your right to have and use when needed."
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JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
© Disney
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
MK’s Young Artists Showcase – Robert Mauti (Was that a back flip with Champion Cords?)
We were digging through YouTube (while we were sluffin off – in the office) and found THIS GEM from the MKYAS Season 2, Challenge 3 – by Robert Mauti (Nashville, USA). The evil scientist and his muse – Shawn Sawyer! Sheila Thelen PRESIDENT – Champion Cords EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR –
Grassroots To Champions
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28KILz138n8 Yes, we know this is a couple of years old – but it IS SO AMAZING! I (Sheila) have been so honored to be a part of all 5 seasons of MKYAS. Make sure you’re following (even past season) at: www.YoungArtistsShowcase.net. Congratulations to season 5 finalists: Anna Cobb & Katie Stewart. Audrey Weisiger is a genius leader – for making this project happen. Use Champion Cords – with your skaters for EVERYTHING! (Including evil scientist’s – back flipping their muse… Actually, we don’t suggest that.) We do suggest: Singles/Doubles/Triples, Spins, Split Jumps, Power Class, MIF, Layback, etc.
Champion Cords can be purchased online at the PSA Store www.skatepsa.com
www.ChampionCords.com
PS MAGAZINE
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New
MEMBERS NEW MEMBER SPONSOR Alissa BROWN Shayna COUGHLIN Perri FAULK
Gigi Zubel-Barry B-J Shue Chapman
Dyani GIBSON
Jackie Brenner
Paul GOLDNER
Judy Blumberg
Teri HERRMANN Jessye Alen HEYRANA Kaitlin HIPP Madeline HORINEK
Emanuela Porter Rachael Lane-McCarthy David Redlin Jenny Wesley Gwyn
Holly JOHANNES
Scott Cudmore
Ziad KHEDR
Lauren Hunt
Lili LAMAR
Michelle Hocknell Kristin Lazzara
William MCDONALD
Paul Paprocki
DeDe MESSNER
William Wong
Jordan MOELLER
Emily Oltmanns
Thom MULLINS
Andrei Lavrentiev
Simone NORDEN Megan NORDLE
Rebecca Nagle Teri Nordle
Lorna PECK-LAVINE
Leslie Deason
Kitley RAINWALTER
Tim Bookwalter
Whitney RIDLON Abigail RINK Gabrielle SCHORG Leanne SCHROEDER Elizabeth SCOTT Anastasiya SHARENKOVA Sara SHAWVER Kira STENEHJEM Jena SWISHER Lauren SZANDZIK Christalyn TRIMILOVE Cecelia WISNER
Welcome coaches!
Jenny Wesley Gwyn
Megan HUTHERT
Gregory LAZZARA
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Rob Peal
Stephany Weinand Ryan Berning Kathryn McSwain Jessica Roswell-Lauria Elizabeth Scott Angela Nikodinov Rebecca Hatch-Purnell Zane Frick Jonathan Hayward Emily Clingan Emanuela Porter David Redlin
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Do you know coaches who are new to the profession, or are there skaters (age 16 or older) in your rink who have the potential to be a great coach? Help them get a head start on their coaching career, and encourage them to join PSA! As their sponsor, you can guide and encourage them to get educated and maintain professional membership with PSA. Visit www.skatepsa.com or contact Elizabeth at ethornton@skatepsa.com to learn more about PSA membership opportunities.
PS MAGAZINE
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CALENDAR
OF
EVENTS
JANUARY Date: Location: Event: Host: Contact: Credits: Deadline:
January 4 Area 12 Arctic Edge Ice Arena, 14613 N Kelley road, Oklahoma City, OK 73013 (405) 823-0435 Oklahoma State Workshop [7:00 am to 1:00 pm] Melia Callahan 405-887-9651 PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Register online at www.skatepsa.com 6 PSA credits December 8, 2014
Date: Location: Event: Time: Contact: Credits: Deadline:
January 20 & 21 Area 7 Sheraton Greensboro, 3121 High Point Road, Greensboro, NC 27407 Oral Rating Site at the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Times to be determined PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Register online at www.skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken December 1, 2014
FEBRUARY Date: Location: Event: Host: Credits: Deadline:
Please vis www.ska it tep for the co sa.com mpl Calendar ete of Events
Sunday, February 8 Area 7 Ice Sports Forum Brandon, 10222 Elizabeth Pl, Tampa FL 33619 ISI District 18 Coaches Seminar [8:30am to 4:45pm] Glyn Jones glynjones20@gmail.com or 813-854-4010 ext 114 7 PSA pre-approved credits January 5th, 2015
MARCH
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Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline:
March 8-9 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 7, 2015
Date: Location: Event: Contact: Host: Credits: Deadline:
March 9-11 Area 16 Fiesta Rancho Ice Arena & Hotel, 2400 North Rancho Drive, North Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, NV 89130 [Room rate $25 plus tax] Ratings Prep Training [Mon 1-6pm, Tue 8am-6pm, Wed 8am-12:30pm] PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Register online at www.skatepsa.com Paula Trujillo Fargo360@cox.net 28 PSA credits February 9, 2015
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
JOB OPENINGS The Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club located in Ann Arbor, Michigan is looking for elite freestyle figure skating coaches. Successful applicants should have a history of building on past successes of taking skaters to “the next level.” Please respond with a resume. Bonnie Shay bshay@umich.edu
Coach Gear PSA
Show off your membership and education with PSA apparel!
Advertise With Us! Let the skating community know about your upcoming event, product, service, or job opportunity by advertising with the PSA! We offer many different advertising options at affordable rates. For more information go to our website at www.skatepsa.com and click on “Advertise With Us”.
NEW! Ladies & Men's Softshell Jacket 3-layer softshell jacket in ladies teal or men's navy blue with metallic silver embroidered PSA logo
P R O F E S S I O N A L S K AT E R S A S S O C I AT I O N
Ladies Vest Stay warm and stylish in our popular vest. Available in black too!
Ladies Rhinestone Tee
The ultimate coffee table book
Dazzle them at the rink with this fun tee
The Joy of Coaching is a delightful, hardcover, 9x12" keepsake of stories and memories of inspiring coaches who helped shape the PSA and this sport we love.
www.skatepsa.com
See more at
www.skatepsa.com PS MAGAZINE
43
#NNGITQ 2CTM 59 4QEJGUVGT /0
PSA is proud to announce
U.S. Figure Skating, and the Professional Skaters Association as its coaching arm, is one of three national governing bodies which has garnered recognition from the U.S. Olympic Committee for coaches' education by addressing the 40 national standards within our curriculum. The USOC CNS curriculum is established to recognize and track NGB coaching education programs. The CNS curriculum is viewed as part of a dynamic education program to develop the knowledge, skills, and values that are associated with effective and appropriate coaching and the contents are used to ensure preparation of coaches who can, in turn, ensure the success, enjoyment, safety, and positive skill development of all athletes. It is intended to show how coaching education fits into the USOC High Performance Process, outlining the importance of coaches and the investment the NGBs make in their coaching staff through creating ongoing professional development opportunities for coaches. It is also intended to better outline a performance pipeline for coaches, identifying baseline/foundational elements all coaches should know/have and courses they should take to achieve the next performance level.
The Professional Skaters Association
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Complies with National Standardsâ&#x20AC;?