A Desire for Ratings By K e nt M c Dil l
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adeleine (Leine) NewbyEstrella has a bachelor’s degree in cell biology and kinesiology, pursued PhD studies in kinesiology with a focus on exercise science, has a master’s degree in quantitative biology, and minors in both chemistry and kinesiology.
Upon completing the master’s program at the University of TexasArlington, Newby-Estrella decided she would rather be a full-time figure skating coach. And, so, she is. Newby-Estrella is the skating coordinator for Children’s Health Star Center in Mansfield, TX., one of several ice skating sites under the Star Center umbrella (she also coaches at the Euless branch). She is a PSA-rated coach in freestyle, group, and choreography. She also coaches power skating for the hockey program. She also has a full calendar of future PSA ratings events she plans to attend with an eye toward adding more ratings to her resume. By her own admission, NewbyEstrella is fixated on the PSA coaches’ ratings system, and her appreciation for the ratings grew when she failed one of the many tests she has taken. “If you open yourself to the possibilities and open those doors, your coaching will benefit because of it,” she said.
From Texas to Canada to Texas
Newby-Estrella was born in Texas, but she has family in Ontario, Canada, and it was there where she was given her first pair of ice skates by her grandmother after she watched the Winter Olympics and fell in love with the sport. She competed in ice dance through the Junior level and represented Canada at Lake Placid in 2008 before hanging up her competitive skates and moving back to Texas. But it was while she was living in Canada that she found her calling. “When I was skating in Canada, one way I was able to get more ice time was to become a program assistant at the (Kitchener Waterloo) skating club,” Newby-Estrella said. “That started when I was 13. I absolutely fell in love with teaching other skaters how to do different elements and explain things to them. That is what I fell in love with right away. At 13, I realized I wanted to do something with teaching.” But that darn quantitative biology got in the way.
“I finished my masters in quantitative biology in 2018,” Newby-Estrella said. “My initial goal was to become a research professor, but after being a graduate teaching assistant at the university, I found out all I wanted to do was be at the rink. I had been coaching on weekends and after school, and I found so much more joy on the ice. So, I finished out my degree and pursued a career in coaching.” So, did coaching figure skating push all of that biology knowledge aside? “I use the kinesiology degree quite often, formulating off-ice plans and continued on page 13
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