July/August PS Magazine

JULY/AUGUST 2022

2022

PHOTO OF THE

YEAR by

Melanie Heaney

For the coaches.

The Professional Skaters Foundation was founded to expand the educational opportunities of PSA members through a non-profit, charitable foundation.

Visit skatepsa.com for more information.

All contributions are tax-deductible.

JULY/AUGUST 2022

COLUMNS 2

Team PSA

4

President’s Message

6

Ratings

FEATURES

| Rebecca Stump

| Cheryl Faust

10

Sport Science

16

Education

18

Coaching Development |

32

Best Business Practices

| Garrett Lucash

| Denise Williamson Heidi Thibert

DEPARTMENTS 6 34 36 40

8

New Rule Changes Coaches Should Know

9

PSA Membership Anniversaries

12

Alex Chang: The Pandemic President

15

2022 EDI Award Recipients

20

2022 Coaches Hall of Fame Inductees

24

Summit Recap |

28

New Year, New Rules!

29

The Legacy of David Shulman

38

Nutrition Myths

| By U.S. Figure Skating

| By Kent McDill

By Teri Hooper

| By Courtney Fecske

| By Kent McDill

| By Julianne Pondelli

Professional Development Recognition Professional Skaters Foundation New Members PSA Calendar of Events

Elizabeth Thornton | Editor/Advertising Amanda Taylor | Art Director

Issue No 4 |

WWW.SKATEPSA.COM

Find, Friend, Follow

COVER: Photo by Melanie Heaney —Nathan Chen finishes his gold-medal-winning free skate at the

2022 Olympic Winter Games

PS MAGAZINE

1

Heritage, progression, and innovation.

New doors and new opportunities.

P

SA is adopting a philosophy of “Window to the Past. Door to the Future” to guide us as we move into the next era.

We will connect the past with the present to show the progression of coaching and explore new innovations that are needed to keep us moving forward.

PSA will revisit the knowledge of our coaching ancestors as well as understand technique of the present. Come along and be part of coaching evolution for the future!

Window to the past.

Door to the future.

PSA OFFICERS President First Vice President Second Vice President Third Vice President Treasurer Past President PSA BOARD OF GOVERNORS West Mid-West East Members at Large

Committee on Professional Standards Ratings Chair Events Chair ISI Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Rep to PSA PSA Rep to U.S. Figure Skating Summit Chair Diversity, Equity, &Inclusion Executive Director COMMITTEE CHAIRS Awards Coaches Hall of Fame Education Accelerated Coaching Partnerships Area Representatives Hockey Skating Sport Science Endorsements Executive Executive Nominating Finance Nominating Professional Standards PSA Rep to ISI Ratings Adaptive Skating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Rebecca Stump Tim Covington Patrick O'Neil Kirsten Miller-Zisholz Lisa Hernand Alex Chang Brock Huddleston Michelle Lauerman Andrea Kunz-Williamson Ashley Wyatt Cheryl Faust Doug Haw Denise Viera Denise Williamson Peter Cain Kelley Morris Adair Cheryl Faust Danny Tate Jane Schaber Heather Paige Kelley Morris Adair Teri Klindworth Hooper Nathan Truesdell Jimmie Santee

Andrea Kunz-Williamson Alex Chang Denise Williamson Phillip Mills Debbie Jones Gloria Leous Jordan Mann Garrett Lucash Jimmie Santee Alex Chang Alex Chang Lisa Hernand Alex Chang Kelley Morris Adair Gerry Lane Cheryl Faust Mary Johanson Nathan Truesdell

PSA AREA REPRESENTATIVES Area Area Area Area Area Area Area Area Area

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Tracey Seliga-O'Brien Kimberlie Wheeland Andrea Kunz-Williamson Jill Stewart Angela Roesch-Davis Maude White Nicole Gaboury Jackie Timm Mary Anne Williamson

Area Area Area Area Area Area Area Area

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Francesca Supple Charmin Savoy Roxanne Tyler Liz Egetoe Marylill Elbe Tiffany McNeil Russ Scott Martha Harding

DISCLAIMER: Written by Guest Contributor | PSA regularly receives articles from guest contributors. The opinions and views expressed by these contributors are not necessarily those of PSA. By publishing these articles, PSA does not make any endorsements or statements of support of the author or their contribution, either explicit or implicit.

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 (USPS 574770) Issue 4, 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. Tel 507.281.5122, Email: office@skatepsa.com © 2020 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.

2

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Increased comfort while reducing skin irritation and lace bite

Protects against tendon damage

Neoprene outer with a soft absorbing layer for compression support

Protects against blisters on ankle Can be trimmed for perfect fit

2mm thick, allowing for a more snug fitting boot and virtually eliminating heel slipping

Easier break-in on new boots and increased longevity, decreasing premature breakdown

Antimicrobial & washable

SEE MORE

Increased performance vs socks, dramatically reducing and in most cases, eliminating blisters jacksonultima.com

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Rebecca Stump, MS, MG, MM, MTOI, CPD, CFF

What’s in it for you?

A

s I am writing this, I want to say I am so honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as your next PSA President.

As I was approaching the transition of becoming President, I reflected on the value PSA can be to any coach and why a coach would want to become an active member of PSA. The obvious answer could be that PSA offers coaching education in a variety of topics that will aid in the development, growth, or motivational longevity for coaches at any level and discipline. We offer educational opportunities through seminars, webinars, online courses, and our annual Summit. The PSA Ratings System is a valuable tool for any coach who wants to validate their skating skill and teaching experience.

In fact, the Professional Skaters Association is interactive in building the coaching educational presentations at all U.S. Figure Skating events where coaching education components are offered. PSA works collaboratively with the USOPC and U.S. Figure Skating to bring timely and quality presentations to PSA coaches. In addition, PSA has been working with the ISU in building the ISU Coach Education Qualification Framework.

But there is more value to being a Professional Skaters Association member. PSA is the organization where coaches can have a voice. Coaches have a working knowledge and experience with the athletes. We have opinions on the direction our sport is going and we want to share these thoughts to make a difference. As PSA leadership, we will continue to take your thoughts and ideas forward to the appropriate place. Through PSA, your coaching voice can make a difference. The PSA Board of Governors consistently takes what they hear from membership in consideration when making decision on behalf of the membership.

Your voice can make a difference in the education the PSA offers. What do you want to learn more about? What presentations would be helpful to you? Reach out to leadership and let us know what your needs are. We want to hear from you. We want to support you and your athletes on your journeys to success.

The Professional Skaters Association is your organization. It is a place where all coaches can contribute to the sport. This is where we, as coaches, can collaborate with each other at unique networking opportunities such as seminars and the Summit. We share coaching experiences and technique ideas. And the networking you build will help you throughout your career.

4

JULY/AUGUST 2022

President Stump with Carol Rossignol, previous PSA Education Director, and Past President Alex Chang at the 2022 PSA Summit and Trade Show.

At this year’s Summit in Chicago, many coaches commented on how excited they were to be around other coaches who were willing to share and talk and collaborate.

It was a wonderful experience, one that many of us have missed through the isolation of living through a pandemic.

Many of us came away from the Summit with a renewed excitement and many tools to put into effect to help build our athletes to be the best they can be. Next year’s Summit will be in Orlando, Florida and I am already looking forward to seeing many of you there!

What’s in it for you? A place of belonging. Being a member of PSA can give a coach a sense of belonging. We are a diverse community made of expert coaches in many fields. If you are a coach who works with singles, pairs, ice dance, synchro, or Theatre On Ice athletes, you belong.

Coaches who are group instructors or Program Directors or work with hockey skaters, there is a place and value for you with PSA. If you are a new coach trying to find your way in your new coaching career, PSA and our members will help you. PSA members are willing to share with each other.

For all, it will be a pathway of give and take. You can give by getting involved. And you can take by jumping on board with the PSA. PSA is here for you!

PS MAGAZINE

5

RATINGS Cheryl Faust MFS, MM

What’s Your Why? W

hat’s your why? That phrase is all abuzz in the self-help world. But more importantly, I think we should ask- what’s your why NOT? Why not start or take the next step in your ratings journey?

I don’t have the time.

I always say when you want something done, give it to a person who is already busy. You were a skater. You may have even been a student athlete. You know how to manage your time well. Take 10-15 minutes a day to study or research for an exam. Use your lessons to think through exercises to develop your skaters’ skills and make corrections.

I don’t know what questions will be asked.

Good news! The study guides are FREE online for you to download and start reading.

Just as you would prepare your students for their skating tests by telling them what is on the test…we have everything laid out for you to easily access. Even better—you can ask us questions at any time!

The examiners are really tough.

Well…no. They are thorough. You should think through your answers and video yourself walking through the elements you are trying to teach the examiners. See if your demonstrations are clear. See if your answers are succinct. If you are not sure…ask a Master-Rated examiner!

Remember, we are also coaches so we love to coach! We will be more than happy to help you.

I got a retry on an exam.

Well…so did I! During the Ratings Quest presentation at the recent Summit in Chicago, Denise Williamson and I shared our very different ratings journeys. Mine included a retry on the Senior MIF exam—I didn’t deserve to pass. I am very open about this and grateful because it made me a better coach by going back to the grindstone and making sure I knew everything on that exam and took nothing for granted. I promise it will only make you stronger!

Although we are professionals and clients look to us to be knowledgeable about our sport, no one knows everything and you should always keep learning and getting stronger.

6

JULY/AUGUST 2022

It is too expensive.

You don’t even have to leave home! Traveling to and from exams used to be the biggest expense. Now you can take the exams virtually. We have taken extra care to make this experience top notch and accommodate as many people as possible.

We have seen participation in ratings exams grow exponentially since we started offering virtual rating sites.

Don’t be left out in the cold…start or continue your ratings journey now. You won’t regret it.

PROF ESSI O N AL D EV E LO PM E N T

Congratulations, coaches!

Hockey Skating 1

Basic Accreditation Katie Otten Pavel Filchenkov Nathan Bashkier Melissa Wilkens

Crystalrose Sanders Jennifer Oster Annaleissa Gerlach Belle Buehrle

Caylin Rudedenman Chad Hawse Breanne Bonilla Tara Lorenz Leslie Barnes Albright William Howard Michael Bramante

Kate McSwain RTOI Ailsa Robertson RTOI Paige Scott RTOI Nicole Zawojski RTOI Hazel Dodson RTOI Allye Ritt SFS Kathyrn Vaughn SC Michele Cantu Felix SM Matthew Lind SFS

Hockey Skating 2

May 24, 2022 | Summit Ratings Jacqueline Benson MG Drew Meekins MFS Madeleine Newby-Estrella MG Richard Reyor MFS Benoit Richaud MC William Anderson MPD Michele Cantu Felix MM

Rankings Elena Garania — Level 7 Ice Dance Kelley Morris Adair — Level 7 Synchro Stephanie Kuban — Level 6 Singles Denae Raught — Level 3 TOI Denae Raught — Level 4 Dance

Rating Examiner Appointments Tier I — Registered & Certified Tier II — Senior & Master Connie Fogle — Tier I Free Skating Andria Kelling — Tier I Skating Skills Kathryn Vaughn — Tier1 & Tier II Skating Skills (formerly MIF)

Danielle Brogley Cecelia Wisner Tara Lornez Leslie Barnes Albright Bradley Shumway

Hockey Skating 3 Amber Crispell Rory Gautsche Abigail Peschges Williams Anderson Cecelia Wisner Leslie Barnes Albright Bradley Shumway

Hockey Skating 4 Kathryn Vaughn Claire Lonergan Abigail Peschges Anglea Dodge Dawn Victorson-Bennett Erin Egelhoff Shayne Orologio Bradley Shumway Madeleine Newby-Estrella Alyssa Craig

PS MAGAZINE

7

New Rule Changes Coaches Should Know T

his year, the U.S. Figure Skating Governing Council delegates considered more than 40 rule changes and seven bylaw changes. Here is a summary of the changes that will have the greatest effect on coaches.

Everything goes into effect on July 1, 2022, unless otherwise noted.

Tests

Skate United tracks for skaters with physical disabilities were added for pair tests, pattern dance tests, partnered free dance tests, and solo free dance tests.

To pass a test using an IJS protocol, there must not be more than two falls in singles and pairs free skate, or one fall in partnered and solo free dance.

For pairs free skate and partnered free dance, the fall count is a maximum count for the program and not per partner. The total number of falls will be determined by checking the fall deduction value on the IJS protocol.

Solo free dance tests may now be passed by submitting a protocol from a sanctioned nonqualifying competition conducted under the IJS. The requirements for the novice, junior, and senior solo free dance tests were updated to add a one-foot step sequence, eliminate flying spins and flying entrances on the solo dance spin, and increase the durations of the programs. The intent of these changes is to bring them in line with the solo free dance series competition requirements.

References to “lady” and “man” will be removed from pattern dances and free dance tests. Partners for free dance tests will be composed

8

JULY/AUGUST 2022

of a leading partner and a following partner, and pattern dance diagrams and descriptions will have “lead” steps and “follow” steps. In addition, there will be four separate tracks of pattern dance tests: lead partnered, follow partnered, lead solo, and follow solo. These changes will become effective July 1, 2023, to allow time to update test forms and the U.S. Figure Skating database.

Also, effective July 1, 2023, to allow time for test forms and the database to be updated, test names will be changing as follows: Moves in the field tests will be renamed skating skills tests.

Free skate tests will be renamed singles tests.

“Pre-juvenile” through “senior” test levels for skating skills (moves in the field), singles (free skate), free dance, and pairs tests will be renamed as “pre-bronze” through “gold.”

Pairs

The pairs bonus rules were amended to increase the bonus for each triple jump in the novice pairs free skate from +1.0 to +2.0; add a bonus for each thrown double Axel and throw triple jump achieved in the novice pairs short program and free skate; and add a bonus for triple twist lifts achieved in the junior pairs short program and free skate.

Singles

The bonus rules for singles short program and free skates were updated. In addition, the spin requirements for the intermediate men’s and women’s short programs and well-balanced free skates were updated. In the intermediate men’s and women’s short programs, skaters are now required to perform a camel spin with one change of foot and four revolutions in position on each foot, and the combination spin may not be commenced with a jump. In the intermediate men’s and women’s free skate, one of the two spins must have a flying entry.

Synchronized Skating

Times were updated for synchronized skating for the preliminary free skate, junior free skate and collegiate free skate official practice ice segments.

Adult Skating

The twizzle requirements for the adult gold solo free dance event were updated to align with the requirements for the standard, adult 21+ and adult 50+ senior solo free dance tests.

An adult pre-bronze solo pattern dance event was added to the rulebook.

Qualifying Competitions

The qualifying competition structure for singles, pairs, and ice dance was amended to merge the regional singles challenges, sectional pairs challenges, and sectional ice dance challenges with the National Qualifying Series as the first step in the qualifying system. Detailed information about the 2022-23 qualifying season is available on the U.S. Figure Skating public site at www.usfigureskating.org/news.

Terminology

Finally, not coming out of the Governing Council, but instead resulting from a change made by the ISU in 2021, U.S. Figure Skating will be changing the names of its singles events from ladies to women for intermediate, novice, junior, senior and adult events. References to lady/ladies will also be updated to woman/women as they pertain to a partner in a pairs event or an ice dance event for competitions, and partners for pairs tests.

These changes only represent a portion of what was approved by the Governing Council April 29–30. For full details on all approved changes, please visit https://www.usfigureskating.org/ about/rules.

Membership Anniversaries We would like to recognize the devoted members who have supported PSA and our profession for so long. You've been with us over the decades—including our transition to PSA from PSGA—and we value your commitment. Enjoy this peek back at some materials which help illustrate just how long you've been engaged with education and skating. Imagine the positive ripple effect of such dedication over the years!

30 Years Susan Babcock Brigitte Bazel Amy Bielski-Lanier Karen Boornazian Marguerite Browne Anne Buccino-Katz Inese Bucevica Ralph Burghart Debbie Cole Gianine Craw Laura Delbarba Andrzej Dostatni Brenda Eby-Bader Alexander Esman Tracy J. Fancher Lisa Fedick Kristine Fondran Christine Fowler-Binder

Jayci Freedlander Mary Lynn Gaglioti Leigh Gervais Rose Mary Hanson Monica Harris-Muehl Heidi Hartley Robin Heimgartner Dan Hollander Lee Chabot Horner Alanna Jones Jennifer Juleff-Jeffrey Jolyne Kane Jill Kolaitis Marina Koulbitskaya Lisa C. Kriley Debbie Labuz-Miller Renee Laurin-Roos Ari Lieb

Catarina Lindgren Tammy Liptak Holly Renee Malewski Karolyn Marr Lisa Martin Sherri Maturo Arlene McSorley Diane K. Mendez Beverly Messina-Fernald Cheryl A. Moscato Eric Lee Mumper Heather Mumper Yvonne Neale Catherine A. Nutter Laura Pizzelanti Lori Richetelle-Pizzi Amy Rivers Pamela Sandborg

Jessica Schofield Barb Shepperson Eddie Shipstad Michelle Sibley Shirra Sinnaeve Patti Snyder Calla Urbanski-Petka Elena Valova Lenel Van Den Berg Robin Wagner Lisa M. Ware Sara Weymouth Kimberlie Wheeland Brenda Willhite Helene Wolf

40 Years Jill Aybar Katie Baxter Craig Bodoh Kenneth Congemi Kathleen Gates

Kathleen Gazich Michael Leeke Jackie Miles Cristen Nowka Glenn Patterson

Betty Ponciano Jeanne Raftery Carol Rossignol Joann Schneider-Farris Pamela Warren

Barbara Fitzgerald Vicki Helgenberg Betty Lewis

Mark Militano Sharon Wagner

50+ Years Candice Brown Mary Ann Callaghan Melissa Driscoll

60+ Years

Chuck Rossbach

Carole Shulman

Maude White

PS MAGAZINE

9

SPORT SCIENCE Garrett Lucash, RFS, RM

Mindfulness and Awareness in Figure Skating

BY L E E CA B E L L , E D D, M F F

F

igure skating is a beautiful sport, but there is a lot of physical training behind it. Figure skaters devote a lot of time practicing at an ice rink and exercising in a gym every day, but how much time do they spend preparing mentally for the precious minutes on the ice during training or competition? How do figure skaters and coaches improve their cognitive control, making their minds stronger and strengthening their attention control? One answer can be found in taming their minds through the practice of meditation, increasing mindfulness and awareness.

In the last 20 years, meditation and mindfulness/awareness have gone from being “kind of cool” to becoming an omnipresent Band-Aid for fixing everything from weight to relationships to achievement level. Cutting-edge research has revealed meditation’s many benefits and, as indicated below, how it can help practitioners achieve their goals.

At its root, mindfulness is about staying focused on what is happening in the present moment. The mind is like a wild horse that needs to be tamed. Finding a “focal point” can help tame the mind’s wild tendencies. We can focus on any object, but breath is the best object to focus on because it is always with us. Mindfulness means attention to detail; however, our mind must be calm in order to be focused.

Awareness means using your five sense perceptions at every moment. You are fully present sensing the outside world with the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. You notice we are here, facing the external reality we need to relate to.

Do I like or dislike this reality? What is my personal feeling about it? And we project our prejudices into this reality. We never see it as is, we only see our projection of it. That is why that it is like a dream, the rainbow or magic show. We only see our version of the external world.

We can learn about mindfulness and awareness by practicing meditation. In the West, more than 10 million people practice meditation every day. What is meditation and how it can help us? There are many kinds of meditation that influence the body and the brain, and scientists have just begun to scratch the surface of meditation’s possibilities. There is no need to become Olympic-level meditators or a yogi in a Himalayan mountain cave to learn about meditation and how to be mindful and aware. We can do it

10

JULY/AUGUST 2022

in the comfort of our home if we can have a quite space to sit on a meditation cushion or a chair.

You can begin mindful meditation by sitting with the back straight on a meditation cushion with legs crossed or sitting on a chair with both feet touching the ground and focusing your attention on your breathing. Basic and simple, is not it? Not quite. The breath is always with you and gives you a bridge between the body and the mind. If we are happy, sad, excited, or angry, our breathing patterns change. Our breath accurately reflects our state of mind.

As we focus on breathing, our breathing gradually becomes slower, then the frenetic activity in our minds becomes slower. We cannot breathe in the past or the future, we can only breath now. If we are conscious at the time of breathing, then we are in the present moment.

Your eyes should be semi-open with the gaze about three to four feet to the front. If you are too distracted at the beginning of meditation, close your eyes for a few minutes first then open them slightly again after you quiet your mind a bit. This can be repeated during your meditation session. I prefer my hands comfortably placed on my thighs to create a closed circle. Your sitting should be as natural as possible, not too tight and not too loose.

As we practice mindfulness meditation and sit and focus on our breath, we suddenly realize we are not the masters of our minds, yet the mind is with us all the time!

The mind feeds us with anything imaginary possible, and thoughts are coming and coming. We like these thoughts, dislike them or are indifferent; we do not have to follow our thoughts out. If our minds wander and we are aware, then we can notice our thoughts and bring our attention back to our anchor—our breath, “touch and go,” so to speak.

We should not be judgmental or pushing our thoughts away during the time of meditation. We are becoming friends with our minds and with ourselves. We certainly do not beat ourselves up because we are not the “perfect” meditators. We accept ourselves as we are. We observe our minds and what our minds are doing. We can see positive and negative states of mind, so we become more and more the masters of our minds rather than our minds’ slaves.

We are in control.

“Meditation is not about getting to a state of bliss, ecstasy, blanking out, or becoming thoughtless. It is about developing a clarity of mind, so we can see how much we are—or are not— imprisoned in our conceptual mind.”

While we practice mindfulness meditation, we want to also practice awareness meditation: a more global concept of space, i.e., panoramic awareness. We are aware with our whole being rather than just seeing with the eyes alone.

Either we are conscious or not conscious, there is nothing in between.

We are aware of our emotions, we have a moment of clarity, and we are aware and conscious of what is actually occurring. At the same time, we are aware of other peoples’ emotions and genuine communication can take place.

Meditation is not about getting to a state of bliss, ecstasy, blanking out, or becoming thoughtless. It is about developing a clarity of mind, so we can see how much we are—or are not—imprisoned in our conceptual mind. Most people identify with their thinking and feelings which are interconnected. We are thinking about the past or we are planning what we will do next, but all that is just a thought. It doesn’t exist. The past is gone; the future has not yet come. The only time we have is right now.

But even now is not now because the moment I say now, it is gone. We need to be aware of the space, not just the clouds covering the sky. There is nothing wrong with thinking, but if we cannot stop thinking, then we are in trouble. It is especially about how we recognize our negative emotions, so we become the masters instead of slaves of our destiny.

How often we should meditate? Even 10-15 minutes of sitting meditation in a quite space every day can make a difference. Regularity is key, however. Children as young as eight years old can meditate by lying on a soft surface, placing their favorite toy on their stomach and focusing on it rise and fall during breathing.

A practical effect of mindfulness/awareness meditation for figure skating coaches is the ability to focus and concentrate on the student during a lesson. How I feel inside is how I see people outside. My thoughts become my speech and my actions, and therefore affects others and the outer world. If I am there for my student at the present moment and can give her my full attention without any anger or

distracting emotions, I know I have done my job. The same can be applied to our mind and behavior during a competition. There is nothing technically new we can teach our skater during a competition. We are only focused on our skater, “holding the space for her.” If we concentrate, we will start hearing and seeing more clearly and both the skater and coach can benefit.

Also, coach’s ego can hurt the skater. It is one thing to be proud of our skater’s achievement, and another to “massage” our ego. It is the skater’s achievement, and we have helped our skater to achieve her goal. Nothing more, nothing less. Compassion and caring for themselves and others are other benefits of mindfulness/awareness meditation. Coaches can change their relationship for themselves and others.

A practical effect of mindfulness/awareness meditation for figure skaters is that mindfulness/awareness can help students to learn by focusing on the coach’s instruction rather than being distracted by their surroundings. They can skate on the ice with 100% attention on their coach’s instruction during a lesson and practice afterwards. They are aware of the space around them, and what the coach is saying. Their attention is fully present, mindful of sense perceptions at the very moment.

When skaters perform their program, they must be in control and totally in the present moment. If they make a mistake in the program, they need to let it go and not allow it to negatively influence the rest of the program.

Today’s kids have a video babysitter and have less human and personal interaction than previous generations. There are more distractions these days than any time before. A wealth of information means poverty of attention.

There is some scientific evidence about meditation that can be helpful to our coaches’ health. Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, published more than 190 scientific papers and 12 books about how meditation helps cardiac arrythmias, allergies, anxiety, bronchial asthma, depression, diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. By meditating, you can become happier, concentrate more, and change your brain.

Most scientific studies train participants to focus on their breath—to pay attention, for instance, to what it feels like when their breath moves in and out. But other types of mindfulness—related to physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions—can be employed with the same effect, according to Dr. Gaelle Desbordes, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School who studies mindfulness.

Continued on page 17

PS MAGAZINE

11

2022 Summit

Presenting with Kori Ade in 2018

Alex Chang: The Pandemic President

BY KENT M C DILL

I

t was with good fortune, perhaps, that the Professional Skaters Association selected Alex Chang to be its president in 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic struck the world.

Chang, it turned out, was the perfect person to be in charge of an organization built on live interactions to pull it through a period when nothing occurred in-person.

Chang, who turned over the presidency at the conclusion of the recent PSA Summit in Chicago in May, was awarded the David Shulman Award for Lifetime Achievement, in great part due to the manner in which he led the PSA at a time when leadership mattered the most.

It starts Chang was encouraged by coach Frank Carroll to take advantage of what the PSA offered.

“In 2001, I began as a general

12

JULY/AUGUST 2022

member and started slowly getting involved in other parts of the sport, initially as a technical specialist,” Change said. “From there, I started getting more involved in the leadership role in figure skating.

“You know, you go to the PSA events, and they are fun,” he said. “You go in, you socialize, you listen to a couple of things, pick up a couple of nuggets. I am an analytical person, and I found there was a whole infrastructure of coaching education that was appealing to me. It was well beyond what I realized or imagined. Once I started doing ratings exams for the PSA, that’s when I finally got it. It would not have happened if I had not gone through the process of preparing for the ratings exams.”

Chang followed the normal course of leadership roles, being a board member at large, accepting committee appointments, and eventually chairing committees.

Alex took over the preside from Christine Fowler-Binncy der.

“It is one of those things where you support from a place of intended outcome to make things better,” Chang said. “When you volunteer, you give to have an impact that is positive. And then you just keep doing it.”

When the idea of becoming PSA president came up, Chang realized “for this period of time, it looks like I might be the best candidate. It was incumbent upon me to step up and do my part. But I do not think of it as a solitary position, as a captain of a ship. It’s more of being a member of a crew and now it is your turn.”

The COVID President Chang became president at the 2019 PSA Summit, taking over in the summer of that year, not knowing what was about to happen.

Then it happened, and Chang realized “I am the COVID President, apparently.”

“The main thing for me was

Taking part in the 2020 Virtual Summit with PSA Executive Director, Jimmie Santee

Speaking at the 2019 PSA Conference in Palm Springs, CA

to be there for coaches during a difficult time,” Chang said. “I wanted to let them know no matter what happens, we will build a path forward. That is what coaches do. They needed to know the PSA was there to help them in partnership. They are not alone.

We are going to make this work.”

The words were nice, but the deeds took some doing. Like every other organization in the world, PSA had to become a virtual source for coaches who could not safely gather with students or other coaches.

“We had tons of webinars at the beginning of COVID,” Chang said.

“We talked to epidemiologists, sports psychologists, everybody under the sun to help people with what we were all dealing with. We were learning how to navigate the virtual space.”

Chang saw the pandemic struggle as an opportunity to reinvent the PSA. “It allowed us to restructure the business,” Chang said. “It allowed us to reach coaches where they were in a safer, effective, and affordable manner.

“The online education did not diminish the value of what was being taught,” he said. “It democratized the process and let everybody have easier access.

“We had tons of webinars at the beginning of COVID...

We talked to epidemiologists, sports psychologists, everybody under the sun to help people with what we were all dealing with.”

There was less travel, coaches were able to take exams online, and prepare for classes online through webinars.”

Noting that people have adjusted to the COVID threat in a manner that allows for in-person gatherings again, Chang said much of the educational process will remain online.

“The digital opportunities are indelibly etched forever into what we do,” he said. “Even with live events, we will keep a component that is virtual or live-streamed so people can go back and watch. To have something that can be stored and accessed later is critical.”

DEI and the Strategic Pillars Even before the pandemic struck, Chang had plans to make changes within the structure of the PSA. That included a personal drive to advocate for strengthening the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) component of the PSA. “I asked myself ‘is there something within the sport to do differently to draw more people into skating in general and into coaching and membership?’”

Chang said. “We must look at what our core values are, and DEI needs to be part of the DNA of the PSA. It does not need to be forced. We

do need to be more inclusive, be kind, and determine how to expand our DEI influence.”

The desire to improve the DEI influence within the PSA was part of one of Chang’s three strategic pillars for improving the organization: examining the PSA’s core values, updating the programming, and improving financial stability of the PSA. While the DEI influence played a role in the improvement of the PSA’s core values, the programming arm of the strategic pillars called for the PSA to consider whether it was doing what it needed to do to reach what Chang called “the grassroots coaches” in the figure skating community.

“Are we really getting to all the coaches we need to get to?” Chang asked. “We need to focus our energies there.”

With that in mind, Chang called for a change in the membership fees the PSA charged, dropping the Basic membership cost from $40 to $25. Then, he began efforts to increase programming aimed at the grassroots coaches. The goal was to make PSA membership more affordable and more effective for those at the lower levels of the coaching hierarchy.

While examining the cost

PS MAGAZINE

13

of joining PSA, Chang also directed efforts toward improving the financial status of the organization. His goal was to improve financial flexibility, and to do so, he determined that the cost of owning the building that housed the PSA was no longer a manageable expense.

“That was controversial,” Chang said. “But in retrospect, it was the right decision. The cost of maintaining and repairing the building was so extravagant, and that was not necessary for us to run the business. It was not a good asset for us to have. So we decided to sell the building as part of the strategic arm of financial responsibility, to make ourselves more sustainable and responsible.”

The PSA remains in that building—occupying just one single office–with most staff working remotely, and without the strain of being their own landlords.

The next chapter What do ex-PSA presidents do once they are out of office?

What they don’t do, most times, is retire. Chang has no plans to stop in his efforts to improve the PSA. “I am looking forward to transitioning into the past president’s position,” Chang said.

“I will continue to serve on PSA’s executive committee as well as oversee several committees.”

Chang is done with the PSA presidency but not with his PSA prescence.

Accepting his EDI at the 2016 EDI Awards in Las Vegas.

EX C EL L EN C E O N IC E

Does your club or rink meet these two requirements?

1. All coaches are PSA Members 2. All coaches carry liability Insurance.

Join the talented Disney On Ice team and find infinite opportunities to reach your potential as a performer.

Start your journey at DisneyOnIceAuditions.com

Register now and be recognized as a progressive training facility dedicated to excellence in coaching both on and off-ice.

As a registered facility you will receive an EOI shield for display and international recognition in PS Magazine—all at no cost!

14

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Professional Skaters Association Announces Winners of the 2022 EDI Awards JUNE 1, 2022 ROCHESTER, MN – The Professional Skaters Association

(PSA) announced the winners of the annual EDI Awards during the annual awards banquet at the 2022 PSA Summit in Schaumburg, Illinois on Thursday May 26, 2022.

2022 Joint PSA and U.S. Figure Skating EDI Awards COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan, Nadia Kanaeva

DEVELOPMENTAL COACH OF THE YEAR Tatyana Malinina & Roman Skornyakov

PAUL MCGRATH CHOREOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

PIETER KOLLEN SPORT SCIENCE AWARD

Marie-France Dubreuil

Dr. Caroline Silby

2022 PSA EDI Awards BEACON OF CHANGE

FRITZ DIETL AWARD

Timothy LeDuc

Great Park Ice

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

SHULMAN AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Tai Babilonia F. RITTER SHUMWAY AWARD

Alex Chang

Kelley Morris-Adair

DISTINGUISHED OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR AWARD

BETTY BERENS AWARD

Rick Perez

Ukrainian coaches within our membership JOE SERAFINE NATIONAL VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD Andrea Kunz-Williamson GUSTAVE LUSSI AWARD Nathan Chen SONJA HENIE AWARD Mariah Bell PHOTO OF THE YEAR Melanie Heaney

PRESIDENT’S AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Frank Singley – Eastern Great Lakes Ikaika Young – Northwest Pacific Tara Denkers – Central Pacific Michelle Lauerman – Southwest Pacific Mimi Wacholder – North Atlantic Joel Savary, Caroline Nickerson – South Atlantic

Nick Traxler – Southwestern Zane Shropshire – Upper Great Lakes Athlete Centered Coaching Team- Garrett Lucash, Sean Marshinski, Anne GoldbergBaldwin, Maxim Naumov – New England

PS MAGAZINE

15

EDUCATION

PART 2

Coaching In A Changing World: Why You Need to Embrace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion B Y D A R L E N E L E W I S , K A D A R I TAY L O R -WAT S O N , & D E N I S E V I E R A FROM CER PRO 204

C

ommon use of terms promotes understanding and clarification in specialized contexts. When we tell our skaters to “check” there is an immediate shared understanding of that word. Within this course, and to create a general awareness about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, it is important to have a shared comprehension of key terms used to describe the experiences of skaters from marginalized backgrounds. By being able to identify and apply these key terms to various scenarios in skating you will be better equipped to address concerns of skaters that face challenges with discrimination and inequality both on and off the ice.

Accessibility: Creating and providing products, services, and opportunities, so that they can be used by people with the widest range of physical and mental abilities Allyship: The practice by members of a privileged group of actively promoting inclusion and supporting the interests of a marginalized group. Tokenism (seen near end of article) is not allyship Bystander: An observer that does not participate or intervene in an activity or event; a passive witness Cultural Competency: The ability to understand and effectively interact with people from cultures different from our own. It also means being able to negotiate crosscultural differences to accomplish practical goals Discrimination: Differential attitudes or actions towards individuals or various groups based on conscious or unconscious prejudice. Discrimination has multiple dimensions: personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural Diversity: Sufficient representation of varied social identities and positions such as age, ability, body type, color, economic class, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, language, marital status, national origin, race, religion, size, etc. Diversity can also include differences of thoughts, experiences, and opportunities

16

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Equality: Even distribution of opportunities, resources, and assistance Equity: The use of targeted strategies that acknowledge the specific needs and provide remedies to equalize the opportunities and resources for a marginalized group without making structural changes Explicit Bias: Conscious beliefs, attitudes, or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions towards marginalized groups Implicit Bias: Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our feelings, actions, and decisions towards marginalized groups Inclusion: The efforts, policies, and practices that amplify, empower, and validate diverse voices and experiences to foster a shared sense of belonging Justice: Making structural or systemic changes that acknowledge the specific needs of marginalized people as groups and provide remedies that equalize opportunities, resources, and assistance for those groups Marginalized: Membership in a historically oppressed segment of society. Marginalization has historically occurred along the following dimensions: race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age Microaggression: Verbal or nonverbal slights, snubs, insults, or actions, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate a hostile, derogatory or negative message to a member of a marginalized group based solely upon biased beliefs Preferred Pronoun: The personal pronouns (such as he, she, or they) that an individual request be used when referencing them. These pronouns may, or may not, match the pronouns assigned to them at birth Privilege: Social advantages, benefits, or degrees of prestige and respect that an individual has solely by virtue

Sport Science Continued from page 11

of belonging to certain social identity groups. Privilege is grounded in institutional or structural discrimination Social Identity (groups): a group of individuals defined by some physical, social, mental characteristic. Examples of social identities are race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, religion/spirituality, nationality, and socioeconomic status Social Inequality: Unequal distribution of opportunities and resources amongst groups and individuals within a society Tokenism: When members of a dominant group use or expect a person who is a member of a marginalized group to be the representative of the entire oppressed group, not recognizing that person as an individual Upstander: An observer that intervenes to prevent or redirect a negative activity or situation

In 2006, the scientific study of mindfulness was still picking up steam. “Now we’re in a much better place because there is a body of scientific evidence about these practices,” said Desbordes, who has done imaging studies to figure out how mindfulness training alters activity levels in the brain. The weight of scientific evidence suggests that mindfulness is helpful for alleviating anxiety, she said. “That’s great because it means that there’s now another method available, and these things can be combined.”

A study by Dr. Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist and professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as well as founder and chair of the Center for Healthy Minds, focused on reducing anxiety and achieving more happiness. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain (Goleman & Davidson, 2018).

His subjects reported that they are more enthusiastic, more active, and experienced improved emotional well-being.

It is my hope that I have been able to show the benefits of mindfulness/awareness meditation to our figure skating coaches and skaters. Mindfulness/ awareness training takes time, and changes do not happen overnight. When you do it once, it is kind of like going to the gym and doing biceps curls once.

You may say, “Oh gosh, I am so weak; that was not fun and now I am going to be sore for three days.” No one expects to see a bulging muscle mass after that— instead, the effect is borne out after weeks or months of regular visits to the gym. Mindfulness is the same thing because what we are doing is training our neurons to connect, and that does not happen after just one time. Give it a chance and discover benefits for yourself and your skaters.

Reference: Goleman, D., & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Altered traits: Science reveals how meditation changes your mind, brain, and body. New York, NY: Avery Publishing.

Lee Cabell is a PSA Master rated coach in Figures and Free Skate and serves on the PSA Sports Science and U.S. Figure Skating Sports Medicine and Science Committees. He also incorporates mental and spiritual components in teaching. To help him achieve a body-mind-spirit connection, he has practiced meditation focused on mindfulness and awareness for the past 25 years and is a certified meditation instructor by Shambhala International and Interdependence Project in New York City. Dr. Cabell is also a university professor and scientist with a doctorate in biomechanics. He is a 2017 recipient of the PSA Pieter Kollen Sport Science Coaching Award and the prestigious U.S. Olympic Committee “Doc” Counsilman Sport Science Award in Figure Skating.

PS MAGAZINE

17

COACHING DEVELOPMENT Heidi Thibert, MFS, MM, MC

Catch a Falling Star: Integrity in Coach Professional Development A

t the writing of this article, the 2022 U.S Figure Skating Governing Council has just concluded. While all the proposals survived isolation for being rescinded, there were some concerning comments made by delegates about coaches on the Governing Council Meeting floor.

To give context, the issue was in regard to Item 113

that proposed the removal of restrictions capping the highest singles, pairs, and ice dance tests with regard to competition level. It proposed to “decouple” test structure from the competition structure. While the rationale added a notation that skaters are not permitted to move backwards to a lower level once they have competed in a qualifying competition, it was stated from the floor that “coaches would hold skaters back into the lower levels and create a lack of fair and meaningful competition.”

“Sandbagging”

To state the obvious, the accusation originates from an observation somewhere, and certainly there are coaches that in fact, do currently advise their skaters to “sandbag” (albeit not naming it as such). Assuming that the decision isn’t made for the reason of lost training time due to illness, injury, or some unknown circumstance that isn’t immediately obvious, let’s suppose that the observation is made that a particular coach or team of coaches are “known” for the sandbagging issue. The situation begs the questions: (1) How does this negative perception of coach behavior tie back to PSA and U.S. Figure Skating coaching education and development? (What are we missing?); (2) What can the PSA and U.S. Figure Skating do differently to teach and promote integrity in our coaches? (How can we do better?).

Do As I Do

We are all aware that the coach plays a “Be more concerned The point of this article is not to argue significant role in the moral developthe merits of the proposal, but to focus ment of skaters, and the implications with your character than on the assertion that we as coaches are unmistakable. Young skaters are your reputation, because would actively accept, encourage, and quite impressionable and look to their promote “sandbagging” — a strategy coaches for motivation, instruction, your character is what of competing in a skill-bracket or feedback, approval, and validation you really are, while your being ranked lower than one is — and so do many of their parents. deemed capable of.

After all, the coaches are the experts reputation is merely what When the delegate spoke on in the sport. If coaches overemphasize others think you are.” the U.S. Figure Skating Governing winning (by advising or encouraging Council Meeting floor, the collective sandbagging) and convey shame in – JOHN WOODEN integrity of coaches was challenged. losing (even when quality effort has Additionally, when a potential lack of been put out), that mindset will ineviintegrity by coaches was called out as a reason for speaking tably trickle down to the skaters. against the proposal, it was a collective humiliation for all If coaches neglect integrity and focus only on winning, the coaches in the room. what is the message being sent to our young skaters? Do we want them to think that only winning matters? It is up to the Integrity coaches to emphasize the value of fair play and adherence to the rules of the sport with honorable intent as the most On a broader scope, the notion of integrity as a compoimportant lesson. nent of professional development is worthy of exploration.

In “The Importance of Integrity in Coaching” published Describing integrity as the concept of “good character,” we by the National Federation of State High School know that it manifests itself in words and also in behavior.

Associations, high school tennis coach Kirby Morrison We all know that coaches should and hope that coaches do writes, “The success and development of an athlete or a consider the consequences of their behaviors and actions, team often begins with the coach, and that is a tremendous both for themselves and their skaters and the short-term and responsibility.”

The most valuable words of wisdom I’ve ever the long-term.

18

JULY/AUGUST 2022

FOR THE RECORD: Even though by the time this article is published, the proposal will be a rule with implementation at a later date, it is worth mentioning that both sides agreed that test level does not guarantee competitiveness in the corresponding competition level. There are a few points to note: (1) Skaters are not permitted to “skate down” from their previous competition level.

received as a coach were from a fellow coach. He explained that our job is not to win games or simply teach our players the sport. Our job is to teach them about life. If we, as coaches, keep this in mind and emphasize what is important then we can have a profound effect upon our skaters’ character development.

Professional (and Personal) Growth and Integrity As a leader of coaches in our organization, it is imperative to encourage coaches to adhere not only to the actual rules of our sport but also adhere to the spirit of the rules. The effort put forward to be quality coaches is lost if we choose to bend or break the rules or circumvent the purpose behind the rule in pursuit of a result.

U.S. Figure Skating and PSA partner in coach education and development. Since our society uses sports as a training ground for developing skills, as well as values, it is necessary for coaches to consider and model sportsmanship — for our skaters but also for ourselves.

(2) Skaters have been allowed to “skate up” from their test level at nonqualifying and NQS competitions.

(3) By allowing a skater to skate up, they can obtain test credit. The proposal still requires a minimum test requirement, so if the skater does not pass the test, they are still eligible to compete at their minimum test level moving forward.

This is not “skating down.” The definition of “skating down” is (for example) entering a competition at intermediate if the skater has already competed at novice and passed the minimum requirements for novice.

The Role of Reflection As coaches, we need to take time to reflect upon our motives that lead to our decisions concerning our skaters and the advice that we give them. The skater’s best interests (present and future) must be in the forefront of those decisions and advice. When we advise a skater to compete at a certain level, the skater and the parent are trusting us to make the recommendation with the skater in mind.

Building our coaching leadership upon the core values that nurture and provide for professional and personal growth involves teaching and setting expectations for integrity in our coaches and each other. If our education and development opportunities embody these values, the focus

on our coaches’ principles enables each of us to reach our full potential as coaches.

With the decoupling of test and competitive level passed, it will be more important than ever for us to really examine not just the level we advise our skaters to compete in, but the reasons driving that advice to them. We will need to examine the values taught and the lessons learned because those will outweigh any of the temporary rewards of placing high in a level too low.

The Importance of Integrity in Coaching — NFHS, www.nfhs.org/articles/the-importance-of-integrity-in-coaching/.

PS MAGAZINE

19

P R O F E SS I O N A L S KAT E R S ASS O C I AT I O N A N N O U N C E S

Figure Skating Coaches Hall of Fame

Class of 2022

APRIL 22, 2022 - The Professional Skaters Association

proudly welcomes Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, Otto Gold, Homer Hagedorn, and Mitch Moyer to the PSA Coaches Hall of Fame. Their inductions will be formally recognized during the Edi Awards dinner on May 26, 2022 in Chicago, Ill. The Figure Skating Coaches Hall of Fame is the highest award of recognition by the PSA and recognizes a lifetime of accomplishment in coaching. Through the success of their athletes and/or their profound

contribution to the coaching profession these coaches have made a significant impact. The candidate must have produced the majority of their work in the United States. They must be a member of the Professional Skaters Association now or in the past and may be living or deceased.

Please join us in honoring Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, Otto Gold, Homer Hagedorn, and Mitch Moyer to celebrate their many profound contributions to the sport.

Otto Gold P SA H A L L O F FA M E - E A R LY I N F LU E N C E S

Gold, who competed in men's singles, won the silver medal at the 1930 European Figure Skating Championships in Berlin. He began coaching in 1932. He coached Sonja Henie at the 1935 World Figure Skating Championships. In 1937, he moved to Ontario, Canada, where he began a four-decade coaching career at the Minto Skating Club. He was one of the first coaches of 1948 Olympic champion Barbara Ann Scott, and also worked in Vancouver, Norwalk, Conn., and Lake Placid, NY. He also coached Don Jackson to his first Canadian title. In the 1950’s and 1960’s there were not many indoor ice rinks in North America that had the ability to maintain ice in the summer months. It was common for both American and Canadian skaters and coaches to cross the borders in the summers to teach and train.

Otto Gold was a fixture in the summers in Lake Placid during this period and it is there where he helped some of the biggest American stars including Dorothy Hamill and Mary Batdorf Scotvold. He also coached Slavka Kahout Button. He was known as a tough coach with piercing black eyes. He has been recognized for raising the level of figure skating in North America. In April 1977, Gold died in a Toronto hospital from injuries caused by a fire at his apartment. He is interred in Spring Grove Cemetery in Fairfield County, Connecticut. His daughter, Frances Gold Lind, was a figure skater who placed fourth at the 1962 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and later became a coach. He was inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 1990.

20

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon P SA COAC H E S H A L L O F FA M E

PSA was delighted to have Patrice and MarieFrance in attendance to receive their EDI Awards.

Dubreuil and Lauzon were one of Canada's most beloved and successful ice dance pairs in the 2000s, known for romantic routines that showcased their obvious connection with each other. They won five Canadian titles and two silver medals at World championships, but their Olympics didn't go according to plan. In the original dance at the 2006 Torino Games, Dubreuil fell during a final move in which Lauzon hoisted her in the air horizontally and spun them both. She slammed onto the ice on her hip, finished the routine, but was in too much pain to even curtsy. They withdrew from the competition.

Dubreuil and Lauzon retired in 2008, married that fall, and opened a skating school two years later after some time on the touring circuit. They modeled Centre Gadbois after their own experiences in Europe, where they had moved to after their 12thplace finish at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. They trained with skaters from around the world, an atmosphere that simulated international competition and drove the skaters to work harder. Lauzon and Dubreuil accompanied their first couple to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Spanish dancers Sara Hurtado and Adrian Diaz, who finished in 12th. Patrice and MarieFrance were awarded the PSA Coach of the Year Award in 2018 and 2021. They were guest speakers at the PSA Conference in 2018.

Their current athletes include: Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron (Olympic gold medalist, Olympic silver medalist, four-time World Champions, Grand Prix Final Champions, five-time European Champions, three-time French National Champions); Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Nikolaj Sørensen (two-time Danish National Champions and 2019 Canadian bronze-medalists); Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue (Olympic bronze medalists, Four Continents Champions, Grand Prix Final Champions, U.S. National Champions); Madison Chock / Evan Bates (two-time Four Continents Champions, threetime U.S. National Champions); Kaitlin Hawayek / Jean-Luc Baker (Olympic competitors, Four Continents Champions); Marie-Jade Lauriault / Romain Le Gac; Olivia Smart / Adriàn Díaz (Spanish National Champions); and Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha (World Junior Champions).

PS MAGAZINE

21

Homer Hagedorn P SA H A L L O F FA M E - CO N T R I B U TO R S

Homer Hagedorn was involved in figure skating for many years. He and his wife, Pat (USFSA Secretary 1995-1998) watched their sons grow up skating, and after their sons finished competing, they wanted to give back to the sport (circa 1983). This led both to become very involved in the leadership of the United States Figure Skating Association where Homer served as the Chair of the Strategic and Long-Range Planning Committee. Through these experiences, he was well aware of the needs and plans for the USFSA. In addition, he represented the USFSA, at the request of the USFSA Board, on the ISI board of directors for over 18 years. These experiences gave Homer the depth and the breadth of the scope of the players involved within PSA and USFSA. Knowing his background, one can understand why he was a master of coordination and leadership as he was Valedictorian at Iowa State, and had his Master’s and PhD degrees from Harvard followed by a Fulbright Scholarship at the London School of Economics.

He started his professional career at MIT’s Lincoln Labs in the Human Resources Department working to coordinate MIT students within their first working experience. Homer next served as a staff Director at the Institute of Naval Strategic Studies. He then led the management consulting practice focused on Organization Design and Development at Arthur D. Little, Inc. for over 35 years.

In 1995 the United States Olympic Committee mandated that every NGB (Sport) have a coaching educational arm to create coaching education material and deliver that information to all coaches. During that time the PSA was under microscopic review by the USFSA. To comply with the USOC’s mandate, USFSA President Morey Stillwell created a committee to this end. The committee was Coaches Certification and Education headed by Homer Hagedorn. The purpose was to determine if the PSA was, in fact, the most credible organization to deliver coaches’ education to the sport of Figure Skating in the USA. After several years of exhausting review, Homer was able to satisfy the top leadership of U.S. Figure Skating and the USOC that indeed the PSA was the best vehicle to deliver figure skating coaching curriculum because these two organizations could depend on each other and on their strengths. At the 1997 PSA Conference in Nashville, the agreement between USFSA and the PSA was signed making PSA the coaching delivery arm for U.S. Figure Skating.

While not a skating coach who produced champions, himself, Homer made it possible for today’s coaches to be well educated and informed. Without Homer’s significant work on behalf of figure skating and the PSA, the PSA would not be what it is today.

22

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Charles, Homer's son, accepted the award on behalf of his late father at the 2022 PSA EDI Awards this past May.

Mitch Moyer P SA H A L L O F FA M E - CO N T R I B U TO R S

Mitch's parents and wife, Dawn, were there to celebrate his induction at the PSA EDI Awards Dinner.

Mitch Moyer, World and Olympic coach, was the first coach hired by U.S. Figure Skating as the Senior Director, Athlete High Performance in 2006 to collaborate and work with coaches, athletes, and officials create a pathway for success on the world stage.

The scope encompasses all Team USA, International Selection Pool, and the developmental pipeline feeding into elite level figure skating. His tireless efforts have taken the programming to new heights. His dedication to coaches has continued throughout his prestigious career. Mitch has always been a strong alliance and supporter of PSA and has attended almost every board meeting and conference in the last 15 years. He has truly changed the coaching culture.

Mitch works closely with the USOPC and develops a high-performance plan for U.S. Figure Skating to ensure the top athletes in Team USA have the proper support and U.S. Figure Skating has the funding to enhance the podium potential for Team USA at ISU Championship events and the Olympic Games. Mitch has served as the team leader for figure skating in the past four Olympic Winter Games.

During the majority of his 25-year coaching career, Mitch embraced a team coaching philosophy and worked with several coaches at the Detroit Skating Club and trained many national and international champions/medalists from 1988 through 2006. The pair teams who trained at the Detroit Skating Club were coached primarily by Johnny Johns, Jason Dungjen and Mitch Moyer included U.S. Pair Champions from juvenile through senior levels including 1999 U.S. Pair Champions, Danielle Hartsell / Steve Hartsell and Olympic Team members Marcy Hinzmann & Aaron Parchem. In addition, Mitch coached national and international athletes to podium results in men’s and women’s singles as well.

While coaching, Mitch was very active in the PSA and U.S. Figure Skating serving on numerous committees in both organizations and as a member of U.S. Figure Skating’s Board of Directors and PSA’s Board of Governors. In addition, he served as a staff member at several Team USA camps and was the initial recipient of the Pieter Kollen Sports Science Award in 2004.

Mitch is a published author with Johnny Johns, Shaun Riney, and Stephen Goldman in the Journal of Athletic Training of National Athletic Trainers Association with an article on Prevention of Lateral Hip Injuries in Competitive Figure Skaters. Mitch is a published contributor in the American Academy Osteopathy Journal (AAO) with Stephen I. Goldman for information on Neuromusculoskeletal Causes of Back Pain in Competitive Figure Skaters. This paper was a collaborative effort involving the osteopathic perspective of Goldman and the coaching perspective of Mitch Moyer as the second author.

Goldman and Moyer documented dramatic increase in back pain complaints among higher competitive levels of both freestyle and pairs figure skating. Patterns and the implementation of osteopathic manipulative management are discussed.

PS MAGAZINE

23

1.

2022 PSA Summit Recap and Reflection

By Teri Hooper

T

he “Journey” at the 2022 PSA Summit was a great learning experience, and it was so wonderful to reconnect with longtime friends and make new friendships. I was honored to serve as the Summit Chair and help plan the first in-person Summit since 2019. Of course, Summit would not be such an amazing event without all of you who attended. With over 300 coaches in attendance, it was a truly successful and celebratory event!

From meeting new 2022 Olympians, to a memorable President’s reception full of fun and dancing, the entire Summit was an enlightening event. The hybrid in-person and live streaming option enabled many to attend and be a part of the presentations with the amazing Matthew Lind as the live stream host.

With a new shortened format and all sessions together in one room, we began our first day with a

24

JULY/AUGUST 2022

2. morning reunion followed by an up close and personal discussion with Olympians Madison Hubble and Zachary Donohue. Their honesty and openness in talking about their journey with all the ups and downs along the way was quite admirable and interesting to hear.

On-ice sessions in the afternoon were able to be watched in the rink or in the warmth and comfort of the ballroom. Benoit Richaud presented us with new choreographic insight and Denise Myers shared her jump technique hints, while Drew Meekins gave us an array of exercises to improve spin positions.

All were excellent and the live stream at the hotel provided some

3.

4.

Thank you sponsors!

8.

7.

6.

5.

1.) The Olympic Coaches' Panel provided great insight into the 2022 Olympics 2.) Coaches Kathryn Vaughn, John Mucko, Ashley Wyatt, Phillip Mills, and Jessica Mills-Kincade find the joy of an in-person Summit 3.) The on-ice presentations are always a hit! 4.) Q&A time rounds out the educational sessions 5.) Denise Myers shared her tips for developing jumps 6.) Matthew Lind was our brilliant Livestream Host 7.) Kadari Taylor-Watson offered a crucial and stirring session on DEI 8.) Keynote speakers Madison Hubble and Zachary Donohue shared a touching and personal account of their partnership and also accepted their Best Performance EDI Awards from Summit chair, Teri Hooper 9.) We were proud to honor so many upstanding coaches.

9.

great up-close perspectives.

Combining an impressive group of elite coaches with all attendees made for many good discussions and interactions on IJS judging, diversity, equity, and inclusion, resilience, and Learn to Skate information from the Aspire Group. Everything you want to know about ratings was presented in a lively talk by Denise Williamson and Cheryl Faust. A panel comprised of the 2022 USA Olympic coaching team was enlightening. All the trying experiences they had as they progressed through a very difficult event full of ups and downs on many levels from travel, discouraging COVID implications, and medals won made us all realize this was not a “normal” Olympics. Bringing home the gold and Rafael’s perspective of his journey with Nathan was intriguing.

Another highlight was the award banquet where all attendees were invited. Some past award winners

PS MAGAZINE

25

10.

12.

11.

were finally able to be acknowledged along with the 2022 winners.

Congratulations to all the EDI award winners!

Many touching stories and journeys were presented and shared throughout the Summit. We ended the 2022 Summit with full hearts, renewed friendships, and new education to take home and reflect upon.

In addition, we welcomed a new PSA President, Rebecca Stump!

Remember, you can continue to watch all 2022 Journey presentations on PSA TV throughout the year.

This is included for those of you that attended Summit, whether virtual or in person.

We are already preparing for the 2023 Summit in Orlando. It is my hope that many of you will start planning now to attend and learn side-by-side with your fellow coaches. We will be implementing a new type of presentation and education with an IJS focus. See you next May in Orlando!

26

JULY/AUGUST 2022

13.

14.

15.

10.) Coaches take it back in time in their vintage US Open apparel 11.) Jordan Mann presented Hockey 4 on ice 12.) Benoit Richaud shared his philosophy over two on-ice sessions 13.) Drew Meekins explained his methods for approaching spins on-ice 14.) Jackson Ultima was one of many vendors at the Trade Show and also gave an educational presentation 15.) Carol Rossignol was recognized for her recent retirement after 20 years of service to PSA.

New Year, New Rules!

More Inclusive Rules Passed at Governing Council

By Courtney Fecske

A

nother Governing Council has concluded, and we have some exciting rule changes to enhance the inclusion of skaters with disabilities!

The Adaptive Skating Subcommittee presented rules to promote inclusion of our skaters in synchronized skating, pairs, and ice dance. As a reminder Adaptive Skating is the umbrella term for skaters with any disability within our structure. A skater with a physical disability and/or intellectual disability may choose to test or compete within the Adaptive Skating track. Skaters with intellectual disabilities may choose to participate within Special Olympics testing and competition events. Skaters with physical disabilities have the option to compete and test through Skate United options. Additionally, skaters with physical disabilities may choose to complete a Skating Accommodation Memorandum (S.A.M.) request form and use a S.A.M. which provides reasonable accommodations for testing and competition.

Synchronized Skating for Skate United Skaters After having a meeting with the parent of a skater with a physical disability, I was asked if the skater transitioned to the Skate United testing track if she could skate on

28

JULY/AUGUST 2022

a synchronized skating team with moves in the field test requirements.

I wanted to say yes but realized the rules currently did not support that answer. The intent of Skate United is to provide a more inclusive space for our skaters to test, compete, and develop their skills. Once in effect, the new rules will support a skater testing Skate United moves in the field and being able to compete on the equivocal synchronized skating team. For example, for the 2022-2023 synchronized skating season a skater who has passed Pre-preliminary moves in the field standard track or Skate United track and meets all other requirements may skate on a Pre-Juvenile team.

We hope to see skaters with physical disabilities participating in synchronized skating in future seasons!

Pairs and Ice Dance for Skate United Skaters Skaters with physical disabilities should also be able to develop skating skills and test pairs and ice dance.

With the passing and implementation of these rules, skaters with physical disabilities will now be included within all testing opportunities. This rule promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the testing structure for skaters with physical disabilities.

For both pairs and ice dance testing the requirements and patterns are the same with exception to the testing standard being one level lower than standard (like adult testing).

Specifically for partner dance testing, skaters may test within the Skate United track following the prerequisites of the outlined eight levels in accordance with the partner dance test rules. Partnered pattern dance test equivalencies are allowed in one direction only from the standard track to the Skate United track, not from the Skate United track to the standard track. For example, a skater who passes the standard bronze partnered pattern dance test is eligible to take the Skate United pre-silver partnered pattern dance test; however, a skater who has passed the Skate United

bronze partnered pattern dance test is not eligible to then take the standard pre-silver partnered pattern dance test. Likewise, solo pattern dances, partnered free dances, and solo free dance testing offer Skate United tracks following the same guidelines in that a skater may go from standard to Skate United tracks but not the other way. Additionally, all patterns and test requirements are the same between standard and Skate United with the difference being that the passing standard is one level below standard. Overall, this means skaters with physical disabilities can meet the same test prerequisites and test or compete in the appropriate level. Additionally, skaters have the option to apply for a S.A.M. if it would be supportive towards their skating testing and competition development for pairs and dance. For more details on these newly passed rules please refer to the rulebook and testing papers.

Questions: Reach Out! Please reach out to the Adaptive Skating Subcommittee with inquiries about these new and exciting rules!

The Adaptive Skating Subcommittee aims to recruit and support skaters with disabilities in their skating journey and strongly feels these rules will provide a strong foundation to do so.

You can find more information about Adaptive Skating and the new rules in the members only area of the website. https://www.usfigureskating.org The Adaptive Skating Subcommittee chair is Courtney Fecske, who may be contacted at courtneyjweisman@gmail.com Courtney Fecske, PhD, CTRS is the incoming National Vice Chair of the Adaptive Skating Subcommittee and serves as the Skate United lead. Dr. Fecske is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at Indiana University-Bloomington in the School of Public Health, is a former Team USA Synchronized skater, and current official for US Figure Skating. She has founded and worked with adaptive skating programs and conducts research focused on examining the impact of participation in adaptive sports.

Boston, 1975

Boston, 2012

f o y c a g e The L

n a m l u h S d i v a D

2017

By Kent McDill

A

simple explanation of the legacy of former PSA President David Shulman is that the PSA Lifetime Achievement Award is named after him.

It was in Shulman’s nature to give of himself to the profession of coaching. It was his early life experiences that put him in a position to give to the PSA in a way that was desper-

ately needed, and in which no one else could.

Shulman passed away in February of 2022 after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. The following will tell you who Shulman was and what he meant to the PSA. David Shulman was born in Chicago but grew up in Cleveland, where he initially developed his love for figure

PS MAGAZINE

29

2.

1.) Boston 1975 2.) 1992 PSA Board of Governors 3.) Red Bainbridge, David, and Irene Muehlbronner at the 2013 PSA Conference celebrating 75 years 4.) PSA Presidents in 1996 5.) David was a constant presence at the PSA Conferences. Here he attened the 2017 event.

skating. He trained with Olympic figure skating coach Gustave Lussi in Lake Placid before heading off to college at Michigan State University. He played on the Spartans’ hockey team, but more significantly competed in the National Junior Men’s Figure Skating Championships.

At MSU, Shulman earned a degree in history and political science.

Life eventually put him in Dallas, where he became the head figure skating coach for the Dallas Figure Skating Club, and met his wife Carole Banbury, who shared the rest of this story.

David Shulman eventually became the head figure skating coach of the Rochester Figure Skating Club.

Through all of his figure skating work, he also worked to get a law degree at the University of Minnesota School of Law. And still, there is more...

1.

Shulman’s role with the PSA

While coaching and pursuing his law degree at the same time, Shulman eventually earned a Master rating in three coaching disciplines. He was a World Professional Figure Skating judge, a consultant to President Jimmy Carter’s Commission on Olympic Sports, and eventually inducted to the PSA Hall of Fame.

He not only won the PSA Lifetime Achievement Award, it is now named after him.

Shulman was President of PSA from 1974-1977. It was during that time famed figure skating coach Carol Rossignol first met him.

“I was living and coaching in New Brunswick (Canada) in the early 1970s,” Rossignol said. “In the early ‘70s, I went to Boston for a joint conference of PSA and Canadian coaches. David was president at the time, and was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

30

JULY/AUGUST 2022

“I was a high school teacher as well as a skating coach at the time, and I felt how important education for coaches was at that event, and David emphasized that,” Rossignol said.

Shulman’s role at the PSA grew as he decided to provide legal guidance to both the organization and its members.

“He was legal counsel for the PSA, and helped out many coaches who had legal problems,” Rossignol said.

“He received a retainer from the PSA, but it didn’t cover all of the time he put in. It was within him to use his leadership qualities to bring the PSA forward at the time.”

From 1996-2006, Shulman served on the PSA Professional Standards Committee with Jackie Brenner, a former PSA Board member who is currently the director of figure skating operations at Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Oklahoma City and the Blazers Ice Centre in Edmond, Tx. “That time on the professional standards committee was a 10-year journey of growing and learning under him,” Brenner said. “We were working on developing conduct standards, what was expected of coaches in our industry, and we worked on the PSA grievance procedures at the time. He really took me under his wing and was very patient and encouraging as I learned that role.”

Legendary coach Janet Champion echoes the incredible legacy of David Shulman. “He was a monumental figure in the development

3.

Tribute to DAS H

Written by Tania Yarema and Jackie Brenner

4.

ere to honor someone so accomplished and praised, Surrounded now by all you’ve guided and amazed

Titles and positions no rankings were missed The post nominal letters are too many to list of PSA. David almost single handedly raised the bar for figure skating coaches with his work on education and accreditation. Because of David, the PSA is respected world-wide as the top coaches’ organization. David’s work as President and longtime legal counsel set us on a great path. I pray we will continue David’s visionary leadership,” Champion said.

There are very few stories about David Shulman that do not include Carole Shulman as well.

“Their love of the coaching industry in our sport was just remarkable,” Brenner said. “You could feel it in every project and every committee action, every conference call, every time we met in person. You could feel the energy and passion for representing the goodness of our sport through them.”

Rossignol stated “I’m sure he was a father figure to many young coaches”, which brings us to a look at…

David Shulman the person

David Shulman did not become a better person because he was involved in figure skating. Figure skating became a better sport because David Shulman was involved in it.

“He had such an imprint on me when I came into the PSA,” said former PSA President Alex Chang (whose tenure as president ended with the May 2022 Summit in Chicago). “David was pretty amazing. He could identify different scenarios and systematically determine ways to deal with them, troubleshoot issues, and come up with the most well-balanced approach to the host of issues that would come up.

“I have nothing but respect for the heart and mentoring he put into every one of us that serves in Continued from page 33

Higher education degrees, professional titles too So much greatness and there’s you just being you Not enough to work in law, at every level…for all cause So driven and motivated, never so much as a pause You’ve shared your knowledge in all you’ve learned Teaching the teachers at every turn

5.

The numerous certifications credited to your name You can even teach someone to fly a plane Legal Eagle in court, boardrooms even on a radio show Every challenge faced and conquered every line you did tow Boating captain, NRA, ski patrol and much more Have you left any rock unturned, any mystery door?

56 years in PSA and many years of USFSA You’ve been so integral in the skating world of today As competitior, as coach, as judge…all offices and commisions You’re poise, your passion, your class in every position Stories of David Shulman to find out from where I asked around and some I can share One mentioned a certain ice show, this story she picked An indian chief in trouble for his water gun trick Another you called “Peanut” at just 6 years old Your constant love and compassion and hand to hold “As moral compass to all” one would proclaim and tell Always wanting the greater good and handsome as well Consensus of all that were approached Your dedication for your family stands out the most Carole and your 4 children a love to admire Most of us dream and can hope to aspire I remember being introduced as “Jackie Shulman” back a while Proudly warmed my heart, really made me smile You’re always patient, kind, generous and sincere You’ve shown us all, everyone that is here Integrity, commitment, leaving a legacy, your mark This fire that burns just from even the smallest of spark Not a better person, collegue, family man you’ll meet So now as we rise up to our feet We applaud your history, your present and future Your influence and impact will always endure!

PS MAGAZINE

31

BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES

Principles + Policies = Best Business Practices S U B M I T T E D B Y T H E P S A C O M M I T T E E O N P R O F E S S I O N A L S TA N D A R D S

W

hat makes a coach reliable? In effect, it is to be able to deliver your coaching services in a competent, ethical, educated, and responsible manner in time every time. You must consistently make sure that the promise is fulfilled or surpassed. Coaches should employ principled strategies to enhance their business. Your name is your business and brand and will become symbolic of these business practices.

The quality of your coaching business reflects the quality of your brand. A company with one employee needs to be as organized and structured as a company of one hundred employees. Coaches need to communicate a clear and consistent business model of principles and policies

• Coaching Philosophy and Mission Statement • Defining Roles and Expectations • Parent • Skater • Coach • Communication Policy – Who • Parent • Legal Guardian • No minors • Communication Policy – When • Weekly email • Scheduled meeting time • Post-lesson briefing • Communication Policy - Where • In person • Rink • Home – office hours • Response time • Neutral site • Cell phone – text • Email • Achievement Policy • Daily practice expectations/ appropriate for level of skater • Testing – all disciplines • Competitions

32

JULY/AUGUST 2022

that create a safe and ethical environment.

Start with written policies for best business practices and strategies, stay committed and consistent with them, and you will have the best chance of increasing the longevity of your career. Communicate these policies to parents, and other coaches within your team.

Below is a list of several coaching policies to consider when developing your best business practices, not only to help establish better boundaries for yourself, but also communicating your policies to your clientele. Now is the perfect time to establish your policies!

Use this outline to help you build your own coaching business policies:

• Goal Setting Policy – How often, assessment, adjust • Realistic Goals • Short –term goals • Long-term goals • Future strategies • Coaching Fee Policy • Private/semi-private lessons • Choreography • Competition • Testing • Missed lesson policy • Off-ice conditioning • Travel and Accommodation Policy • Competition • Testing • Camps • Additional Services Policy • Music editing • Costume design • Fitting skates • Blade mounting • Skate Sharpening • Social Media Policy • No skaters under 18 • No current students • Parents

• No posting without parent consent • Parent re-post only (competition/test day) • Responsibilities • To the club • To the rink • To the community • To PSA • To U.S. Figure Skating • To ISI • Yourself (ethics, education, certification) • Sportsmanship Policy Coach, Skater, Parent • Respect the sport • Follow the rules • Daily practice sessions • Test sessions • Competitions – win or lose • Conflict Resolution Policy • Coach and skater • Coach and parent • Appropriate place and time to discuss • Ethical and professional transition for skater

Continued from page 31

leadership, as well as those who served in the past,” Chang said.

“David always treated me like an older daughter,” Brenner said. “He was so patient with me, teaching me legalese and the procedures for how things were done.

He entrusted me through the years to realize a moral ethical code to live by. I always felt so honored to be working with him.”

Brenner said Shulman was so excited for her when she started her family. When her first daughter was born, Shulman was asking her consistently whether she had landed her Axel yet. “She was, like, 2 years old!”

Brenner said with a laugh.

Brenner’s husband is a pilot for Delta Airlines, and Shulman had a love for flying, earning certification as an airline transport jet pilot who flew charter flights to Mayo Clinic to deliver organ transplant materials.

“He always had an interest in our travels as a family, and how I was raising my children on the ice,” Brenner said. “He always had the time and the patience to ask.”

Brenner wrote a poem for Shulman, which she read to him when the Lifetime Achievement Award was

named for him at the PSA Conference in 2017.

“He will live on in my heart always,” she said.

“He had a real fit for his position within the PSA, and he had a wonderful sense of humor,” Rossignol said. “At board meetings, he would always come up with a comment 6.) Speaking at the 2010 EDI Awards that would cause everyone 7.) David and Carole at the 1991 U.S. to laugh.

Open Professional Figure Skating “David’s legacy, as it Championships relates to the PSA, is as an inspiration to others,” she said. “He was always very giving of his time.”

MAKE MILE-HIGH MEMORIES WITH YOUR SKATERS! 2022 ISI Adult Championships Oct. 8-9 South Suburban Sports Complex Littleton, CO

Test & Entry Deadline: Sept. 1 skateisi.org/adultchamps

PS MAGAZINE

33

P ROF ESSIONAL S K ATE R S F O U NDATIO N •

Officers, Board Members and Trustees PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER SECRETARY

Patrick O'Neil Carol Murphy Scott McCoy Gerry Lane

BOARD MEMBER

Paul Wylie Carol Rossignol Tim Covington Kelley Morris Adair Jill Maier-Collins TRUSTEE

Richard Dwyer Robbie Kaine Wayne Seybold Moira North Curtis McGraw Webster SKATERS' FUND – DONATION LEVELS:

• • • • •

Platinum Diamond Gold Silver Bronze

10,000+ 5,000+ 1,000+ 500+ 100+

Recognition opportunities for donors available The Professional Skaters Foundation (PSF) was founded to expand the educational opportunities of PSA members through a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, charitable foundation.

Professional Skaters Association Announces Results of the 2022 U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships JUNE 13, 2022 – SHAUMBURG, IL — The Professional Skaters Association

(PSA) was pleased to present 27 performing artists at the 7th annual rebirth of the U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships, which was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, In Schaumburg, IL. A 10-point scale was used with open judging and live comments after each program with the help of our 2022 Masters of Ceremonies, Jimmie Santee and David Santee. Results were announced and beautiful glass awards and cash prizes were presented.

Judging Panel: Benoit Richaud, Christine Fowler-Binder, Drew Meekins, Tommy Steenberg, Debbie Stoery, and Adam Blake Admission was free, donations were accepted, and all proceeds benefited the Professional Skaters Foundation.

Congratulations to the entire 2022 cast of competitors!

The PS Foundation recently joined the Smile Amazon Program. Amazon donates 0.5 of all eligible purchases to a charity that you designate on the Smile.amazon.com website. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the PS Foundation every time you shop, with no additional cost to you. Simply go to smile.amazon.com from your web browser, choose the PS Foundation as your designated charity, and use your existing amazon. com account with all the same settings! We all shop on Amazon today; please consider choosing the PS Foundation as your designated charity and start shopping on smile.amazon. com! Please spread the word to family and friends!

Kristin Barber, Paige Bartholomew, Ania Biernat, Collin Brubaker, Jackie Charlebois, Marissa Diaz, Erin Egelhoff, Vivian Gabbard, Galina Hartshorn, Kaelynn Higgins, Valerie Jahn, Morgan Johnson, Alyssa Kormos, Allison Kymmell, Anastasia Migyanko, Elizabeth Mission, Emily Murdoch, Chloe O’Brien, Ashlyn Olson, Ashlee Pantano, Giula Paolino, Alyson Pekkola, Kysenia Ponomaryova, Alexarae Sackett, Jessie Santee, Brenda Tarkinton, and Donna Vorpagel-Gunther. *All performances will be accessible on the PSA TV platform

A special thank you to our platinum sponsor

and thank you to our additional sponsors and supporters!

A Community that Cares 34

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Congratulations to the 2022 winners GRAND CHAMPION AWARD

Kseniya Ponomaryova and Collin Brubaker CREATIVE VISIONARY AWARD - Most innovative and original

Harmony Theatre Group THE SKATER'S SKATER AWARD - Best skating technique

Ashlee Pantano GROUND BREAKER AWARD - Breakout or up-and-coming

Kseniya Ponomaryova and Collin Brubaker

Morgan Johnson and Jessie Santee

Morgan Johnson and Jessie Santee

Harmony Theatre Group Ashlee Pantano

PS MAGAZINE

35

NEW MEMBERS

We lc coac ome hes!

NEW MEMBER

SPONSOR

NEW MEMBER

SPONSOR

Max Anderson

Natalia Irvine

Sarah Lanier

Amy Bielski Lanier

Mary Archie

Kyle McIntryre

Sofia Lapeire

Kris Shakarjian

Luis Arrieta

Marisol Paiz

Alison Levin

Jana Reynolds

Hilary Asher

Megan Roth

Jennifer Matison

Jean Mims

Keyton Bearinger

Jimmie Santee

Morgan Michaux

Tracey Daniels

Amy Black

Jimmie Santee

Maggie Mieczkowski

Jimmie Santee

Hailey Bowman

Brooke Bowman

Jean Mims

Jimmie Santee

Anna Brandon

Janet Icenogle

Laura Molloy

Erin Sheehan

McKenzie Brouk

Jimmie Santee

Jenna Neaves

Shirra Sinnaeve

Belle Buehrle

Ginger Gober

Sydni Nikolai

Teri Haag

Kathryn Cochran

Shira Selis

Gregorio Nunez

Kristin Harris Alberico

Morgan Cooke

Jennifer Cagle

Jacob Nussle

Michelle Hunt

Amelie Coperchini

Marina Soroka

Jean Paradise

Heidi Parker

Eduardo Cruz

Marisol Paiz

Avery Perel

Jimmie Santee

Viktoriya Drazdova

Vitaliy Danylchenko

Viacheslav Peshkilev

Andrey Keforenko

Elizabeth Estey

Jimmie Santee

Skyler Rupp

Rachel Nevares

Jack Estfan

Erin Banner

Abigail Ryan

Andrea Mohns Brillaud

Mila Guberman

Jimmie Santee

Lily Samuels-Shragg

Michelle Hocknell

Tatiana Haas

Lisa Ware

Jessica Sassano

Roberta Santora-Mitchell

Gregory Hernke

B-J Shue Chapman

Melissa Simpson

Elizabeth Thornton

Jacqueline Jablon

Laura Pizzelanti

Rikkilee Smith

Darlene & Peter Cain

Kelly Janetzko

Maria Jezak-Athey

Judith Sokol

Jimmie Santee

Laura Julio

Leanne Abugov-Schaller

Amadea Wijayanto

Cheryl Pascarelli

Aleena Khatum

Jimmie Santee

Victoria Work

Jimmie Santee

Lilly Klingsporn

Allye Ritt

Katie Yum

Julie Morris McKenny

Reagan Klohr

Jimmie Santee

Ian Zachary

Michael Villarreal

Taylor Lance

Camille Pitman

Skating Director/World Ice Arena, Flushing, NY

Highly motivated individual needed to oversee day-to-day operations of skating school, plus private lessons, freestyles, ice shows, clinics, off-ice programs. Full-time. Benefits. Salary commensurate with experience.

Email resume to ktortorella@worldice.com

World Ice Arena is fully COVID-19 compliant; we follow all CDC, NY State and Queens County guidelines.

36

JULY/AUGUST 2022

About us

A word from Scott

Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer™ is the nationwide peer-to-peer fundraiser for the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, empowering the community to join the fight against cancer by funding critical research.

“I see a day where everyone survives cancer. A day when no one suffers their way through their treatments. Our body holds the keys to surviving this insidious disease, and only through the research we are funding that we can unlock the keys to a much brighter future a future celebrating survivors.“ - Scott Hamilton

Host a Frozen 5k or Ice Show as a fundraiser

Raise funds for cancer research and receive fundraising rewards at the end of the event

Email us to learn how you can host an event!

Honor those impacted by cancer and skate towards a better future for the next person diagnosed

Find an event near you today!

fundraise.scottcares.org │ info@scottcares.org│844.SCOTT84 │ PO Box 680483 Franklin TN 37068

Nutrition Myths

By Julianne Pondelli

T

here is so much contradicting information about which foods are healthy and which work best for athletes. This can often be overwhelming to decipher. Here are some common nutritional myths that athletes, and their coaching teams, should be aware of.

Myth #1: Carbs are bad for you Carbohydrates have a bad reputation; However, they are the primary energy source- especially for athletes.

Carbohydrates are not only important before, but also during, and after training.

Eating the right type of grain makes a huge difference. Refined and processed grains (donuts, muffins, and white bread) will provide empty calories without the added fiber and nutrients that whole grains provide. The refining process depletes carbs of fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin E. Choosing whole grains with fiber will help athletes feel fuller longer through their training. A simple goal is to make “half your grains whole.”

Before: Carbohydrate loading fills the glycogen stores in your body, so they can be used once all of your immediately accessible fuel is depleted. The week before a major competition, it is a good idea to consume additional healthy whole grains in addition to some protein. Carb loading isn’t an excuse to overindulge in foods like pizza and pasta. Carbohydrate intake for skaters looks differently than carb loading for a marathoner, so keep in mind portion sizes and added extras on carbohydrates (i.e. creamy sauces, butter, and cheese).

During: Sports drinks and gels are good to keep energy levels up and maintain

38

JULY/AUGUST 2022

blood glucose levels. During the day of a skating competition, between warm up and your time to skate, this fuel will keep energy levels up for competition time.

After: Carbohydrates will replenish the used up glycogen stores in the body.

Eating a snack within 30 minutes and eating a full meal two to four hours after the competition that is mostly carbohydrates with some protein and fat will aid in recovery.

Carbohydrate is the most efficient form of fuel and is used for energy rather than stored as fat. Converting carbohydrates into fat uses about 25% of those ingested calories to do so. A diet adequate in carbohydrates will also aid in fat metabolism and spare protein for muscle development.

Myth #2: Detox diets will cleanse toxins out of the body The body doesn’t accumulate toxins that need to be cleansed with a specific diet or product. This is what the GI tract, liver, and kidneys naturally are designed to do for the body.

Fasting or restricting calories will create a deficit of calorie intake, and will result in rapid weight loss. This rapid weight loss is due to loss of water, carbohydrate stores, and muscle. This weight will come back on once normal intake is resumed.

Severely restricting specific food, juicing, or fasting, will limit the available energy and different nutrients which can be detrimental to athletes. Juicing and fasting can also create havoc on the GI system if the muscles aren’t regularly used.

Athletes will end up hurting their performance if their bodies are not getting the essential calories and nutrients needed.

Myth #3: Eating late at night will cause weight gain The body doesn’t process food differently depending on the time of day. Weight gain is caused by calories in versus calories expended, regardless of when those calories are consumed. However, if athletes have restricted foods throughout the day, there is a tendency to overeat high caloric foods or snacks late at night, especially if they have worked out hard throughout the day. Overeating foods that are not nutritionally dense, and essentially empty calories, will lead to an excess of calories and weight gain.

To curb late night munchies, a dinner that is high in protein and fiber will help to keep you feeling satisfied. Scheduling an after dinner snack is another trick to satisfy a sweet tooth without overindulging. Remember to portion out your snack. Some after dinner options include: • Yogurt, fruit, and dark chocolate chips • Peanut butter on graham crackers • Banana and almond butter/ apple with peanut butter • Almonds • Popcorn Before grabbing a snack, make sure your skaters know how to determine if they are physically hungry by listening to their body. Late night snacking is often because they are bored or tired.

Myth #4: You have to restrict your favorite foods to be healthy Restricting foods that are enjoyable will undoubtedly lead to a binge of these foods. All foods can be part of an athlete’s diet, if consumed in moderation.

“Encouraging athletes to consume foods they enjoy in moderation won’t be detrimental to their skating.”

By allowing these foods, they become less appealing because they aren’t forbidden.

Encouraging athletes to consume foods they enjoy in moderation won’t be detrimental to their skating. Making the athletes aware of how they feel and how they practice after eating certain foods can be helpful. Eating fast food right before skating may leave them feeling sluggish and less energetic; however, fitting in a hamburger with small french fries, on a weekend night with friends, will leave them satisfied without “ruining” their healthy habits.

Myth #5: All fat should be avoided to be healthy Fats provide essential nutrients and are necessary for certain vitamins to be absorbed into the body (vitamins A, D,E and K). Fats, in general, have 9 calories per gram, as opposed to carbohydrates and protein that each have 4 calories per gram. Therefore, consuming an excessive amount of fats may contribute to a higher intake of calories. Moderation of healthy fats is key to ensuring your body is getting the nutrients it needs without the excess of calories. Choosing healthy fats, and limiting saturated fats, will help to accomplish this goal. Healthy fats such as olives, nut butters, olive oil, avocado, and tree nuts are good additions to a skater’s daily diet.

Thank you Trade Show Vendors!

Nutrition education is key to avoiding falling for marketing schemes or believing misinformation that is out there especially on social media. By understanding the science behind these myths, athletes will have a more positive relationship with food.

PS MAGAZINE

39

CALENDAR of E V E N T S

AUGUST Dates Event Credits

August 1-3, 2022 Endorsed Event- G2C Monument, CO 10 PSA Credits

Date Event Credits

August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2022 Virtual Foundations of Coaching 10 PSA Credits

Date Event

August 21, 2022 PSA Virtual Ratings Free Skating, Moves in the Field – All Levels TOI – Registered and Certified Levels Credits 1 PSA Credit per exam Lottery Opens June 20, 2022 Date Event Credits

Are you compliant? www.skatepsa.com/compliance

August 31, 2022 PSA Hockey Webinar - Building Blocks to Power 1 PSA Credit

SEPTEMBER Date Event Credits

September 7, 2022 IJS Tutorial (Beginner – Intermediate) Webinar 1 PSA Credit

OCTOBER Dates Event Credits

October 15-16, 2022 Virtual Ratings Prep – FS, Skating Skills/MIF, Group, TOI, Choreo 18 PSA Credits

Do you know coaches who are new to the profession?

Please visit www.skatepsa.com for the most current Calendar of Events

40

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Help them get a head start on their coaching career, and encourage them to join PSA! skatepsa.com/membership

ENHANCE YOUR ON-ICE TRAINING WITH PATENTED Pic® Frame Skates

Easy to Us e

our y e Se rame F Pic aler de

Practi c at hom e e

to y s Ea unt Mo that

I nsist o n Pic Fram e skates

Use d pair n seco boots of

From Everly and Alydia Livingston:

“We feel so fortunate to have had so many opportunities to skate other places than our home rink and enjoy the great friends and experiences that come with the roller side of things. We have tried other brands of inlines but none are as light or promote good freestyle skating form the way pic frame skates do. Having our picskates during the pandemic has been such a blessing, not missing practice times when ice rinks were closed, and they have become an integral part of our training. We love skating at all the outdoor ice rinks in the winter and our pic skates allow us to have equally amazing outdoor skating experiences in the summer.”

Picskate.com Harmony Sports Inc. | Riverside, RI 02915

A PUBLICATION OF THE PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION

3006 Allegro Park Lane SW Rochester, MN 55902

2022 PHOTO OF THE YEAR FINALIST

By Melanie Heaney

Ukraine's Oleksandra Nazarova & Maksym Nikitin react following their Rhythm Dance at the 2022 World Championships. Nazarova & Nikitin's hometown of Kharkiv was bombed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and they slept in bomb shelters before eventually evacuating to Poland. With just three days to train in Poland before leaving for Worlds, they changed their Rhythm Dance music to a song about the Soviet Union's 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars, and they chose to compete in their Ukrainian team uniforms, instead of sparkly costumes.