PS Foundation

Normally, the July article is a recap of the U.S. Open and we have the opportunity to celebrate our Grand Champion, our Skaters’ Skater, our Creative Visionary and our Ground Breaker, in addition to all our competitors. While we will not be celebrating our competitors this year, the PS Foundation would like to take an opportunity to celebrate all coaches for the honor, the passion, and the integrity they bring to our profession. We celebrate the diversity of our membership and all individuals who participate in our sport.

Through scholarships, the PS Foundation memorializes and celebrates the lives of coaches who have devoted their career to collaborating with their colleagues and mentoring the next generation of the coaching community. To mention but a few of the influential colleagues we’ve recently lost, we remember Maribel Fairchild, Walter and Irene Muehlbronner, Tommy McGinnis, Gus Lussi, Ron Ludington, Kathy Casey, Vicki Korn and most recently, Sandy Lamb. The scholarships provided are meant to honor the life and legacy of those who have come before us and are awarded to coaches who wish to further their education and seek to become leaders in our profession.

In our last article, we were proud to announce that the PS Foundation awarded twenty-seven scholarships to coaches at all levels of teaching, the most scholarships ever awarded in the history of the PS Foundation. Taking an active role in your profession, in your continuing education, and in yourself is important to the athletes you work with on a daily basis. These athletes see us as role models and the life lessons we teach them should include pursuing their passion, investing in educaKyle Shropshire & Ryan Santee tion, and staying current on rules and strategies.

One thing I say to athletes all over the world is this: love the process and do not worry about the product. Love the day-to-day training, put the time in, and results will follow. As coaches, we know that athletes get out of this sport what they put in. Our development as coaches is no different. Coaches who put the time into honing their teaching technique and methodology will find their athletes will soar. As coaches, we strive for perfection in ourselves and in our athletes, but perfection can never be the enemy of progress. The PS Foundation is here to support you in your professional journey.

The PS Foundation celebrates each of you reading this. You may have a coach or a colleague who has helped you along your professional journey. If so, please consider making a donation to the PS Foundation either in honor of or in memory of that someone in the sport who you would like to be celebrated. Coming together and supporting one another is what our coaching community is all about. Coaches are a hearty bunch and we are a community who cares deeply for one another. On behalf of the board of directors and trustees, the PS Foundation wishes each of you well on your journey and we celebrate each of you and what you bring to our profession.

Kyle Shropshire and Ryan Santee perform at the 2020 U.S. Open