March/April 2018 PS Magazine by Professional Skaters Association

MARCH/APRIL

2018

2018 U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS COMPETITOR & PSA MEMBER

Grant hochstein coached by

Peter Oppegard & Karen Kwan-Oppegard

The Professional Skaters Foundation was founded to expand the educational opportunities of PSA members through a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable foundation. The Trustees of the PSF have developed several scholarship programs for its members through a selection process based on established guidelines and criteria.

www.skatepsa.com

MARCH/APRIL 2018

COLUMNS 2

Over the Edge

President’s Message

Ratings

SafeSport

| Jimmie Santee | Christine Fowler-Binder

| Tim Covington | U.S. Figure Skating

Sport Science

Education

Real Life Coaching

Best Business Practices

| Heidi Thibert

| Carol Rossignol | Bob Mock

DEPARTMENTS 7 37 40 46 48

FEATURES 9

Adaptive Skating Games

Start Your TOI Team

2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show | Orlando, FL

Coach Care: Sleep

Update: Coach Compliance

Women Athletes Business Network

2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championship Photos

2018 Honor Roll of Coaches

PSA Board of Governors Nominees

Rinkblazer: Randy Clark

| Kate McSwain & Garrett Kling

| Terri Milner Tarquini

Rating Exams Passed Obituary Professional Skaters Foundation

DEADLINE APPROACHING!

New Members PSA Calendar of Events

april 7, 2018

Elizabeth Thornton | Editor/Advertising Carol Rossignol | Contributing Editor Amanda Taylor | Art Director

Find, Friend, Follow

Issue No 2 |

» COVER: Grant Hochstein competes at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships | PHOTO BY Vicki Luy

WWW.SKATEPSA.COM

PS MAGAZINE

OVER THE EDGE Jimmie Santee, MPD, MG

Reporting Abuse

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

arlier this year I was following a post on social media. Some coaches were complaining about the costs of coaching and all the requirements —background checks, insurance, CERs, etc. Another recent thread started after a coach was arrested for sexual misconduct. Instead of showing sympathy for the victim or shame at the coach involved, comments were made instead that implied SafeSport was just a money-grab, the training is only so organizations like PSA can use it to their benefit if they get sued, and background checks only catch those who have already been caught. Unfortunately, these coaches miss the point completely. It is the responsibility of the associations to help provide a safe environment for all. I do, however, agree that background checks only catch the guilty. But what if we didn’t have that in place? What would keep abusing coaches from moving to the next state? What if a parent of a prospective student asked the status of your background screening? Are you going to say a check doesn’t mean anything? Now on to SafeSport. SafeSport is mandated by the U.S. Olympic Committee. SafeSport will not keep a predator from abusing children. However, one purpose of SafeSport is to educate anyone who is in the presence of minors to recognize and report real or suspected misconduct. That is the point. Unfortunately, it is up to coaches like those above to do the right thing and report abuse. Based on their comments and flippant attitude, I have real concerns that they would report abuse and that is the real issue. This is not the first nor will it be the last time I write about this topic. One year ago I wrote the following in the March/April 2017 PS Magazine and it bears reprinting again today: As adults, we are responsible for the welfare of minors. Be diligent. The PSA, U.S. Figure Skating, and ISI have safeguards in place to minimize the risk of inappropriate behavior. Safeguards such as background screenings, ethics education, locker room policies and Safesport are just a few. If you’re hiring, just don’t check the references but call their former employers too. None of it matters however if we sit idly by and do nothing. If you suspect something, report the matter to the attention of local law enforcement or public child welfare organization. File a Safesport complaint with your club's SafeSport chair and with U.S. Figure Skating. Second, educate yourself of the warning signs. The PSA offers several e-courses on the subject. Specifically from the CER ET 201/SS 206, 2 GRO-W Champions: Effects of Sexual Abuse Children may be psychologically traumatized by sexual abuse. How do you recognize children who have been sexually abused? The child may exhibit some of the following signs:

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Members at Large

Committee on Professional Standards Ratings Chair Seminar Chair ISI Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Rep to PSA PSA Rep to U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Awards Coaches Hall of Fame Education Seminars Apprentice Program Area Representatives Hockey Skating Sport Science Endorsements Executive Executive Nominating Finance Nominating Professional Standards PSA Rep to ISI Ratings Adaptive Skating FCC

Christine Fowler-Binder Alex Chang Rebecca Stump Tim Covington Carol Murphy Kelley Morris Adair Phillip Mills Michelle Lauerman Teri Klindworth Hooper Patrick O'Neil Tim Covington Janet Tremer Cindy Sullivan Jason Dilworth Carey Tinkelenberg Kelley Morris Adair Tim Covington Don Corbiell Scott McCoy Kirsten Miller Zisholz Kelley Morris Adair Jimmie Santee

Tim Covington Kelley Morris Adair Rebecca Stump Don Corbiell Janet Tremer Gloria Leous Paul Paprocki Heidi Thibert Jamie Lynn Santee Christine Fowler-Binder Kelley Morris Adair Carol Murphy Kelley Morris Adair Kelley Morris Adair Gerry Lane Tim Covington Mary Johanson Carol Rossignol

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Martha Harding Kimberlie Wheeland tbd Tim Covington Angela Roesch-Davis Kevin Curtis Robyn Poe Melanie Bolhuis Lisa Bardonaro-Reibly

Area Area Area Area Area Area Area Area

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Stacie Kuglin Brigitte Carlson-Roquet Sharon Brilliantine Liz Egetoe Lisa Mizonick Don Corbiell Josselyn Baumgartner Kirsty Cameron

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 2, 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, Fax 507.281.5491, Email: office@skatepsa.com © 2017 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. Second-class Postage Paid at Rochester, MN 55901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Professional Skater, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Printed in the USA.

1) Sleeping problems 2) Lack of attention, difficulty concentrating, and/or spacing out at odd times 3) Loss of appetite 4) Sudden mood swings (angry outbursts, sullenness, fearfulness, depression, or withdrawal) 5) Unexplained frequent stomach aches 6) Extreme immaturity (acting like a much younger child) 7) Frequent accidents or self-injurious behaviors 8) Refusal to go to school, or to the doctor, or home 9) Fear of adults 10) References to an “older friend” 11) Sexual activity or making references to sex 12) Extreme fear of being touched 13) Unwillingness to submit to physical examination

protect all skaters. Keeping our skaters safe requires a vigilant and educated community. Protecting our skaters must be based on the principle of partnership and shared responsibility of all. The challenge of protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.

How to Report Sexual Misconduct Violations Individuals should report suspected sexual misconduct violations directly to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Online Reporting Form: www.safesport.org/response-resolution/report Phone: 720-524-5640 For more information: Online – usfigureskating.org/safesport or Email safesport@usfigureskating.org or call 719-635-5200

Warning Signals That Might Lead to Abuse Sometimes we may observe adults interacting with adolescents in ways that strike us as odd or inappropriate. Don’t ignore these feelings. Stay alert and be aware of such warning signs as: 1) Making frequent physical contact with an adolescent (hugging, wrestling, tickling, or other kinds of touching) 2) Seeking alone time with an adolescent 3) Spending free time with adolescents and disinterest in spending time with same age peers 4) Buying adolescents expensive gifts 5) Following adolescents into bathroom or locker room 6) Showing an interest in adolescent sexual development 7) Asking adolescents about their sexual experiences 8) Making references to athlete’s body parts 9) Calling athletes by sexual names (e.g., “stud,” “sexy,” “slut”) 10) Disrespecting adolescent’s expressions of choice and ownership 11) Not responding to or correcting athletes’ inappropriate behavior 12) “Stalking” behavior. Every skater has the right to a safe environment free from any type of abuse. It is up to all of us to ensure our skaters can learn and train in environments that build confidence, friendship, and security. The PSA, U.S. Figure Skating, and ISI are committed to providing a unified and consistent approach that defines roles and responsibilities to

A new way to submit affidavits!

1.) 2.) 3.) 4.)

Go to www.skatepsa.com Click on the Affidavit button on the homepage Fill out the form and click the Submit button The information will be emailed to staff to enter into your account

Under Education you will find the Affidavit you can click on and print if you would prefer to scan and send to affidavit@skatepsa.com. Contact affidavit@skatepsa.com or 507.281.5122 with any questions.

PS MAGAZINE

PRESIDENTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MESSAGE Christine Fowler-Binder, MPD, MG

Market Yourself H

ow do you market yourself as a figure skating coach? Do you have your own website or publish a monthly newsletter? Or do you rely strictly on your coaching credentials to acquire business? I believe there are many ways to market yourself in a positive way. First of all, you need to be professional from the way you dress to the way you communicate to parents, skaters, and other coaches in the rink. Showing up on time and ready to work is also a must! And of course having a good attitude and motivating your kids, even if it is 6:00 in the morning, is important. Once you start employing these basic work habits, skaters and parents will trust you, respect you, and work hard on the ice and in your lessons. This will result in skaters passing tests and doing well at competitions and hopefully increasing your business. Secondly, some coaches rely on marketing themselves through newsletters or marketing brochures. These can be inexpensive and very effective, you just have to find the time to create and develop this material. It is always useful to have a small informational page, brochure, or newsletter ready to hand to prospective skater or to a new client. A simple business card may do the trick, but if you want to stand out maybe a brochure would be better. Some information that would be useful on these types of marketing material would be: your philosophy of coaching, what you specialize in teaching (spins, jumps, choreography, ice dance, etc.) and some of the accomplishments you have had with your skaters. Catch their attention with a picture or use color to enhance the look. You may also want to briefly explain what you accomplished as a skater and what your goals are for your students. Another useful marketing tool is having your very own website; although this may be pricey, it certainly has its benefits. You can search the web for ideas and then contact web designers or marketing firms to get this accomplished. I have been on a few coaches' websitesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some that are one page and others that are multi-tiered. Some of these websites provide pictures of the coach with their athletes while others offer videos and teaching tips. Regardless, I believe this type of marketing, for today's technology, is very effective. Lastly, I still feel like the best way to market yourself is through your athletes' accomplishments and your coaching philosophy. For example, if you prepare your skater well and they pass their juvenile moves test, this reflects on your teaching skills and the knowledge that you shared with your skater. It shows that you are able to teach at that level and that you possess the skills needed to help your skater progress

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in the U.S. Figure Skating testing structure. If you have ever been in this situation, you know that other parents and skaters recognize you as a competent coach when they see your skater succeeding. If you continue to produce skaters that pass tests and do well at competitions, your reputation will speak for itself and you should benefit from your hard work by acquiring more students. Of course, in order to have the skills necessary to teach your skaters proper technique and to be up to date on all the rule changes, it is imperative that a good coach be educated and trained. PSA has so much education to offer in all disciplines and levels, both through our webinar series as well as in-person education, such as conference. We offer live streaming of some of our seminars and online courses. There is truly something for everyone. The PSA Conference this year is in Orlando and will offer presentations on rule updates, IJS spins and jumps, moves in the field, and grassroots. Our conference will provide you with everything you need to better yourself as a coach at any level. Whether you have never attended conference before or you have attended in the past, we encourage you to sign up and be part of our PSA family. It will be a wonderful four days of education, sun, and fun in Orlando. Hope to see you there!

GROW YOUR WEB PRESENCE Weebly.com | Thanks to its simple interface and beautiful templates, anyone can build a quality website. In addition to Weebly, there are numerous website builders available; you are sure to find one to meet your needs!

Skate to an unbreakable team. Skate to great. Ice skating teaches kids how to work as a team and make lifelong friendships along the way. Get started today, visit LearnToSkateUSA.com

endorsed by

RATINGS Tim Covington MFS, MM, RC

Free Skating Oral Exam Updates B Y C H E R Y L FA U S T, M F S , M M

e have exciting news on the free skating oral exam home front! Based on feedback from examiners and examinees, we felt the free skating oral exam process needed a facelift. After two years of research, data collection, meetings, conference calls, and video mock tests, we are proud to launch our newly revised exams! First, our goal was to continue PSA’s history of educating coaches by making the exams a true learning process. We developed a more comprehensive study guide which acts like a workbook to prepare you for exams. Printing out the study guide and working through questions, drawings, definitions, exercises, tips, and techniques will make you more actively prepared for your exam. Second, we wanted to make the oral exam more focused on technique. In order to do this we needed more time. As a result we separated the exam into two parts: a written exam and an oral exam. The written exam is a short 10-15 minute true/false, short answer, and multiple choice test you take at the ratings site before you enter your oral exam. Information that can be easily accessed online is on the written exam, such as: • Rules (well-balanced and test requirements) • Ethics and education • IJS • Drawings of jumps, steps and turns The oral exam is now more technique-based and has the following categories: • General • Stroking • Jumps • Video analysis • Spins • IJS • Program construction PSA constantly strives to deliver exams that are accurate, up-to-date, user friendly, and more importantly—a positive experience. Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome at any time! PSA would like to acknowledge the efforts of the volunteers who contributed their time and knowledge to the project: Tim Covington, Jason Dilworth, Patrick O'Neil, Kori Ade, Lee Cabell, Alex Chang, Doug Haw, Gerry Lane, Diane Miller, Danny Tate, and Denise Williamson.

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Recently Passed

RATING EXAMS Congratulations to the following coaches who passed the Basic Accreditation (BA) written rating exam in the PSA E-learning Academy:

D EAD L I N E AP P ROACHI N G

RATINGS REGISTRATION DEADLINE:

March 16, 2018

Rating exams will take place Monday, May 21, from 8am-8pm and 7:30am-3pm on Tuesday, May 22. Make this the ultimate week of education in your coaching journey!

PSA E-Learning Academy

All disciplines are offered at conference: Free Skating, Moves in the Field, Pairs, Figures, Dance, Group, Program Director, Synchronized Skating, Choreography

Dmitry Dun Laurilee Gudino Elliot Hilton Karina Johnson Anika Leszkowicz Ashley Zdunich-Balch

> www.skatepsa.com

Congratulations to the following coaches on their Emeritus rating:

Rankings Janice Wallace- Level I Britni Trinidad- Level I Thomas Kevin Poit- Level I Ellie Karamati Nielsen- Level II David Aretz- Level III Robyn Petroskey-Poe- Level IV Ann Hanson Clemons- Level IV Ana Cecilia Cantu Felix- Level V

Regina McManus Burton – Emeritus-18: SD-71, MFF-77, MG-81, CP-81, CS-96, RM-98 Eleanor Fraser-Taylor – Emeritus-18: SG-90, RFF-87

Congratulations to the following coach on completing an apprenticeship:

Joy Elder, apprentice from St. Louis, MO and her master-rated mentor, Evelyn Gwi MM, SFS, CG completed a Level 4 Moves in the Field apprenticeship.

Checklist to

Ratings 1

Complete the Basic Accreditation exam online

Complete the Foundations of Coaching Course

2 3

Do you have a plan to get rated?

UPCOMING RATING SITES:

• • • •

March 8-9 . . . . . . . . . . Lake Worth, Florida May 21-22 . . . . . . . . . . Orlando, Florida August 26-27 . . . . . . . Fort Wayne, Indiana October 26-28 . . . . . . Phoenix, Arizona

>> Register at skatepsa.com

Take the Sport Science & Medicine exam that corresponds with your rating level. There are four levels: Registered, Certified, Senior, and Master. Register for Ratings Prep and/or Apprentice Program Make sure you meet all requirements for your discipline level. Register for and submit required paperwork for oral rating exams.

Continue to study and prepare for your exam.

Take your oral rating exam!

Study guides, manuals, exam requirements and other resources are available at skatepsa.com PS MAGAZINE

The Center for SafeSport Revised Reporting Procedures A

s athletes are particularly vulnerable in locker rooms/ changing areas and restrooms due to various stages of dress/undress and because they are less supervised than at many other times, U.S. Figure Skating has revised their locker room policy to align with the SafeSport Handbook. Athlete-to-athlete problems, misconduct, bullying, harassment and hazing may occur when a coach or other responsible adult is not in a position to observe. Adherence to a locker room/changing area policy enhances privacy and reduces the likelihood of misconduct. There are often questions asked about the U.S. Figure Skating Locker Room Policy, so it has been reprinted here for your use and information.

U.S. Figure Skating Locker Room Policy (Revised 7.2017)

One-parent policy, for those 11 and under at Regionals, Sectionals, Non-Quals, (LTS USA Compete USA) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Singles, Pairs & Dance U.S. Figure Skating Locker Rooms/Changing Areas Policy for Figure Skating Competitions Only athletes competing at the figure skating event are allowed in the Locker Rooms/Changing Areas. An exception may be allowed for an athlete age 11 years or younger to be accompanied by one parent of the same sex to assist their child immediately prior to and after their skating event(s), unless otherwise specified. In the event of a medical situation or emergency, U.S. Figure Skating officials working on behalf of the event (such as doctor, physical therapist, chief referee) or emergency medical personnel will be permitted into the Locker Room/Changing Area. All Locker Rooms/Changing Areas will be monitored. If any concerns arise, the Locker Room/Changing Area monitor must be contacted immediately. If the monitor ascertains that anyone inside the Locker Room/Changing Area has engaged in any form of sexual misconduct, that person will be removed immediately and local law enforcement will be contacted. If there are concerns regarding this policy, an athlete

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should change prior to arriving at the competition. The use of any recording and photographic devices inside a Locker Room/Changing Area is strictly prohibited. Any violation of this policy will be addressed under the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Program and U.S. Figure Skating Ethics/Grievance procedures. TEAMS: Synchronized, Theatre on Ice, intercollegiate team skating U.S. Figure Skating Locker Rooms/Changing Areas Policy for Synchronized Skating, Theatre on Ice and Intercollegiate team skating competitions The team coach, team manager, one additional team service personnel and athletes competing at the skating event are allowed in the Locker Rooms/Changing Areas. In the event of a medical situation or emergency, U.S. Figure Skating officials working on behalf of the event (such as doctor, physical therapist, chief referee) or emergency medical personnel will be permitted into the Locker Room/Changing Area. All Locker Room/Changing Areas will be monitored. If any concerns arise, the Locker Room/Changing Area monitor must be contacted immediately. If the monitor ascertains that anyone inside the Locker Room/Changing Area has exposed himself/herself in a sexual manner, made lewd statements or engaged in or threatened any form of sexual misconduct, that person will be removed immediately and local law enforcement will be contacted. In the case of mixed-gender teams gathering in a Locker Room/Changing Area prior to/or after competition, the Locker Room/Changing Area must be free of any person changing clothing/costumes and the team coach and/or team manager must be present. If there are concerns regarding this policy, an athlete should change prior to arriving at the competition. The use of any recording and photographic devices inside a Locker Room/Changing Area is strictly prohibited. Any violation of this policy is punishable under the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport policy and U.S. Figure Skating Rulebook.

Adaptive Skating Games

ere are some instructions for creating your own adaptive program for students who require special attention, as offered by Kari Sackett, PSA member and adaptive skating coach.

Set Up and Class Structure Set up six stations on the ice where you will do skating games. Mark each station with a colored flag which is taped to the boards. During class, call out a color of flag and have them skate to the color flag. While they skate across the ice towards the color flag, have them work on skills at their own level (ex. some march forward, some do forward swizzles). Have them skate across to the next station after playing the game planned for that station. Warm Up Start with a three-to-five minute off-ice warmup. Select fun movement songs from YouTube and play them from your phone using a Bluetooth speaker, or other rinkprovided audio. Some examples of movement songs are: Banana Song from Dr. Jean; Pop-see-ko and Milkshake from KooKangaRoo; Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (different variations); The Penguin song from The Learning Station; and any action songs related to holidays or seasons such as Halloween Hokey Pokey or Winter Hokey Pokey. Substitute movements such as marching, and have them do excercises crossing the midline (ex. right arm touches left knee). Practice falling and standing up off ice. Driving Cars Skaters drive on different paths (straight and curvy roads, weave around cones for "road construction"), and draw stop signs on the ice where they need to stop. Have drawbridges over some paths and when the bridge crosses the path, the students have to dip down to go under the bridge. Then have them skate to a new color station, again having them work on a skill they are working on at their level, while going across the ice to the new colored flag where they do a new game.

Hide-and-Seek Duck For this game, hide plastic ducks and fish inside small orange cones. Have skaters bend down and pick up the cone. If they find a duck they skate the duck back over to the boards by the color flag. If they find a fish, they put the cone back over it and continue searching. Bubble Gum To play the Bubble Gum game, start close together in a circle and say the Bubble Gum counting rhyme (Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish...). Have a student pick a number from 1-10 and have the skaters wiggle backwards and count out loud until they reach the number the student chose. When the circle gets big enough to where you can no longer hold hands, pop the bubble by clapping hands above their heads and skate back into a tight circle. Volcano Hot Lava Game In this game gather around a small red dot on the ice and count down from 10. When you reach zero, have them skate forward or backwards to a large red circle, where the pretend lava can't get them. The large red circle is around the smaller red dot. Classics and Free Skate Also have them play the classic games of Simon Says, Red Light Green Light (using a visual such as one green piece of paper and one red piece of paper for the lights). For the last few minutes left on the session, let them do a free skate where they can skate where ever they like to on the ice. This is where we can put in some fun music for them to skate to and they can show off their skills to their families.

PS MAGAZINE

SPORT SCIENCE Heidi Thibert, MFS, MM, MC

Off-ice Training Redefined A NOTE FROM THE SPORTS SCIENCE COMMITTEE CHAIR As the sport has changed under IJS, the off-ice trainer has become more critical to the long-term success of skaters at all levels. That said, training for skating starts and ends on the ice, and there is a difference between conditioning for general fitness and sports-specific training for figure skating. Some skills may be either developed or supported through other training away from the ice. In particular, younger and less-developed athletes need a broad-based athletic education that can integrate ideas and skills from other sports and activities. As the athlete gets older and more advanced, there is still plenty of room in the athlete’s training repertoire for many different types of training, but as this article explains, it is imperative to make sure training is oriented towards what your athlete needs athletically to support on-ice performance and skills development. There must be a personalized balance between on- and off-ice loading to include prevention and management of injuries. Selecting an off-ice trainer that understands the nuances of figure skating is essential. The information in this article will help coaches with the task of selecting a team that will work for their athletes. - Heidi Thibert

igure skating is a sport unlike any other. Growing up as a competitive skater in the 1970s, it did not take long for me to realize that the only people who understood the physical, mental, and emotional demands were fellow athletes, their parents, coaches, and judges. The lack of knowledge by those outside the sport was understandable, but their closed-minded rigidity was shortsighted. It would take years of educating and challenging school districts for students to be excused from required on-campus physical education protocols and receive a grade for skating. Fellow students looked at us differently because we did not play the same sports and school coaches questioned our athleticism. Our skating coaches were protective and preferred other activities to be kept to a minimum in an effort to mitigate the risk of injury. In addition to teaching counters, rockers, and Axels, they were stewards of other aspects in our development including serving as strength coaches and sport psychologists. Fortunately, they no longer have to wear multiple hats in the process of developing their athletes, as other specialists and organizations have taken up the gauntlet to provide skaters a more wellrounded training experience. This year, the National Strength and Conditioning

MARCH/APRIL 2018

DA N A JACO N I , CS CS, * D A N D LEE CABELL, EDD

Association (NSCA) celebrated its 40th year. Each year, the NSCA’s commitment to evidence-based research to improve athletic performance has grown and spans all sports, including skating. Within the NSCA, there are Special Interest Groups (SIGs) focused entirely on the strength and conditioning requirements of specific disciplines. The Figure Skating SIG, chaired by Dr. Lee Cabell, is collaborating with the PSA and USFS to provide clarity of the roles and responsibilities of strength coaches, establish trust, and pave a new future to off-ice training, thus bridging a gap that has existed for so long. Defining the organization and credentialing strength coaches are key to building trust and paving that path to the future.

Who is the NSCA? The NSCA defines itself thusly: The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning profession around the world. The NSCA advances the profession by supporting strength and conditioning professionals devoted to helping others discover and maximize their strengths. We disseminate researchbased knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, and continuing education opportunities. The NSCA community is composed of more than 45,000 members and certified professionals who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength coaches, personal trainers, and other roles in related fields. (www.nsca.com)

Who is a CSCS? Launched in 1985, the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist is the first certification created by the NSCA and was the first nationally accredited strength and conditioning certification. According to the NSCA website, “Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists® (CSCS®) are professionals who apply scientific knowledge to train athletes for the primary goal of improving athletic performance. They conduct sportspecific testing sessions, design and implement safe and

effective strength training and conditioning programs and provide guidance regarding nutrition and injury prevention. Recognizing that their area of expertise is separate and distinct, CSCS® consult with and refer athletes to other professionals when appropriate.” So, what does that mean in terms of incorporating a conditioning specialist into your athletes’ training regimens? First, the CSCS® performs a needs analysis to determine the bioenergetics and the biomechanics specific to a given sport. Further analysis can then be conducted by position for team sports; for example, the needs of a baseball pitcher will differ from those of the right fielder and the center in football has different requirements than a wide receiver. As a conditioning specialist working with skaters, I perform assessments on both the short and long program—documenting the tempo of the music, jumps, spins, footwork, stroking transitions, etc.—to determine the amount of time used by each energy system, fluctuations in energy use, and opportunities for recovery. This is incredibly useful when designing a circuit training program targeting metabolic conditioning. Off-ice assessments include VO2 max (maximal oxygen consumption) and lactate thresholds, muscular strength, local muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. (Body composition is an important assessment component, but is a slippery slope due to body image issues experienced by many athletes.) For example, changes in those metrics can help identify overtraining. We are focused on the metrics that are key to maximizing performance and decreasing the risk of injury.

A Snapshot of Figure Skating A CSCS® added to your skaters’ training programs will focus on several important aspects of sport-specific athlete development: ENERGY: Skating requires both speed and endurance throughout a program, so it is necessary to train both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. Your athletes will use the phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative systems throughout the long program. The ability to perform triple jumps, spins, and all demanding choreography within the last minute of a four-minute program is critical. While programs are generally designed for the skater to execute the most difficult jumps and jump combinations in the early stages of a long program, jumps will still be performed in the last 1 to 2 minutes. When considering near-maximal heart rate (reached within the first minute of the program) and accumulation of lactate within the body, even the most consistent jumps will be challenging. It is not enough to land the jumps, it is necessary to perform all jumps, spins,

and choreography without showing obvious fatigue. Judges consider this when determining the marks for technical merit and artistic impression. The CSCS® focuses on the maximal heart rate, the accumulation of blood lactate, and resulting fatigue. Programming is designed to optimize the skating performance. STRENGTH & POWER: Developing strength plays a major role in success on the ice. Despite this knowledge, many athletes remain reluctant to spend time in the weight room for fear of muscular development that decreases flexibility and range of motion, and musculature weight gain and size. An exercise design and prescription will be based on the season (periodization), meaning that the training volume and intensity will vary during the competition season and the brief post season. Each individualized exercise program is crafted to generate more strength rather than muscular hypertrophy. Increases in strength lead to increases in power and force production meaning stronger jumps, spins, and transitions. Plyometric exercises should be reviewed with strict scrutiny. INJURY PREVENTION: Injuries have plagued figure skaters for years at every level. The goal of a CSCS® is not only to improve the endurance, strength, and power of the athlete; close attention is given to addressing imbalance and weakness in the body with corrective exercises. The number of acute injuries typically increases when the athlete is learning new jumps, increasing rotation, or during periods of overtraining. Physical preparation

PS MAGAZINE

is the number one component in injury prevention. The athlete must complete proper warm-up, flexibility, and cool down routines. Resistance training is imperative to increase and maintain strength throughout the entire year. Sufficient rest periods are also required to ensure adequate recovery which will help prevent injury, overtraining, extreme fatigue, and skater burnout. It is critical that the skater has proper equipment—properly-fitted boots and blades—that address the athlete’s training needs. If the skates don’t fit, potential hazards include altered performance as well as injury.

The NSCA Figure Skating SIG Commitment

coaches, and people passionate about the sport. Our commitment to you is continued collaboration with the PSA and U.S. Figure Skating. We are committed to educating our peers through journal articles, presentations, research, and in-person training on the best practices in program design specific to skating. We will work to facilitate a broad network throughout the country and around the world to ensure that exceptional and trusted resources are available to you and your athletes. We look forward to working with you. Cheers to a successful 2018. About the authors: Dana Jaconi is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® with Distinction (CSCS®,*D) focused on long-term athletic development (LTAD) and proper education protocols in physical education programs. Her coaching career spans three decades in figure skating, power skating, off-ice conditioning for figure skating and hockey, and overall fitness of both youth and adults. Her passion is the advancement of research in athletes with autoimmune spondyloarthritis. She currently serves as the Idaho State Director for the NSCA. Lee Cabell is a PSA Master rated coach in figures and freeskate and serves on the PSA Sports Science and USFS Sports Medicine and Science Committees. He is also the Department Head of Health and Physical Education at Arkansas Tech University. Dr. Cabell is a Biomechanist who has published his research in sports and clinical journals and lectured in the USA and abroad.

The Figure Skating SIG consists of former skaters, current

REGISTER BY APRIL 15 TO RECEIVE DISCOUNTED RATE Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Alexandria, VA | June 5-8 skateisi.org/conference SESSIONS • On-Ice Jumps and Spins with Ryan Bradley • Both On- and Off-Ice Choreography with Kelly Corcoran Smith • “School of Dave” (David Santee) • Theater on Ice, Productions and Ensembles • Synchronized Skating Teams – Keeping Your Skaters Skating Longer • Judging Workshop (2018 rule revisions included) • Injury Prevention & More Productive Trainings • Innovative Technology for Today’s Coaches • And More!

HIGHLIGHTS • ISI University (ISIU) Certified Skating Director Course, Part 3 • ISI National Instructor Training Core/Intermediate • ISI Annual Awards Ceremony • One-Day Trade Show on Thursday • Friday is Rink Day (special one-day price offered)

ISIconference2018

MARCH/APRIL 2018

@skatingisi #ISIconference2018

EDUCATION Carol Rossignol, MD, MS, MG, MPD, MFF

Brackets, Counters and Rockers, Oh Boy! BY D E B B I E L A N E , M D F D, MM , M F F

urns are at the core of understanding the control of balance in skating. To simplify the concept of teaching turns, relate them in a building block manner. This will make it easier for you as a coach and easier for your student to retain the information. Brackets can be related back to the counter rotation feeling of forward outside Mohawks and back inside Mohawks. I like to have skater memorize that on forward brackets the upper body faces outside the curve and on backward brackets the upper body faces inside the curve. A bracket is a turn that stays on the same curve, but changes edge. I teach these on the hockey circle. The skater pushes off either at the top, or bottom of the circle and places the turn between the hash marks on the side of the circle. On the forward outside bracket, the skater will be facing outside the circle with the skating arm in front and free arm back over the circle carrying the free foot at the heel of the skating foot. The balance on their skating foot is on the middle/back of the blade approaching the turn, and then the skater performs a gentle rock up to the ball of the foot to shape the top of the turn. The hips will turn under the shoulders and the balance on the skating foot will remain on the ball of the foot on the exit edge of the turn with the free foot remaining at the heel of the skating foot. The forward inside bracket also faces the outside of the circle with the free arm in front and the skating arm back. Carrying the free foot slightly in front of the skating foot while entering the turn will help to keep the circle from dipping in. The free foot is carried at the heel on the exit of the turn. Again the hips turn under the shoulders. Back brackets are skated by facing into the hockey circle with the arms held over the circle. Back outside brackets are skated by carrying the free arm in front and skating arm back. The free foot is carried at the heel of the skating foot in and out of the turn with the balance on the blade going into the turn on the ball of the foot, a gentle rock to the back of the blade and the exit out on the middle/back of the blade. Counters can be related back to brackets. The entry into all counters is counter rotation to the curve and exit with natural rotation to the curve, like a three-turn. The balance on the blade for entry and exit of the turn is like a bracket. However unlike brackets, counters change curves and do not change edge. I teach these turns on the same hockey circles, but the

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skater places the counter between the hash marks closest to the long axis of the rink and the exit edge continues until reaching the hash marks on the adjacent hockey circle. Again the arms are over the hockey circle on the entry and over the exit curve. Introducing a small scissoring motion with the free leg on counters helps the balance and control of the turn. On the front counters the motion would be free leg in front, then back and front. The back counters have the opposite motion with the free leg back, then front and back again. There should be a free leg extension on the exit of both front and back counters. The skaters are taught to say front/back/front and back/front/back depending on the direction of the turn. Of course checking the shoulders against the hip action is extremely important at the top of a bracket or counter for proper body and edge control. Moving on to a different feel, we enter the world of rockers. Rockers are best related to three-turns on the entry edge. There is a natural rotation on the entry edge into the rocker and a strong check for the exit edge. The upper body faces into the curve on the entry edge and outside the curve on the exit edge for forward rockers. The upper body faces outside the curve on the entry edge and inside the curve on the exit edge for back rockers. The free leg would assume the same positions on the entry and the exit of the turns as counters. This turn changes curves, but stays on the same edge like the counters. The rockers can be taught the same way as counters on the hockey circles. In an attempt to be thorough, these explanations are a bit lengthy. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the mind and body control you will be teaching your students! Debbie Lane is a coach in Denver, CO at the South Suburban Ice Arena, is a PSA rating examiner, and is the ISI District 12 Representative.

Four Steps to Starting Your TOI Team

t’s no surprise that Theatre on Ice (TOI) is becoming one of U.S. Figure Skating's fastest growing disciplines. TOI programs include all the ingredients that make figure skating special: athleticism mixed with artistry, musicality, expression, and dance translated to ice. For clubs interested in beginning a TOI program, it can provide many possibilities of furthering participation in our sport. TOI is a discipline where creativity is championed, artistry is paramount, and teamwork is essential. Its growth is evident by the steady increase in participation at the Theatre on Ice National Competition. Sixty-eight teams competed in Hyannis, Massachusetts in 2015, and that number grew to 80 by 2017 in Evansville, Indiana. The 2017-18 competitive season is starting even earlier with more competitions, critiques, and showcases around the country. With such a vigorous rise in interest, many clubs are asking, “How do I start a TOI team?” To answer this question, we have created a recommended four-step process for launching a Theatre on Ice program in your rink:

START SMALL For the first year, don't stress about numbers. Gauge interest by hosting artistic seminars at your rink so students can learn what TOI, performance, and movement on ice is all about. Provide seminars where body movement, expression and improvisation will be explored and taught. It's also important for skaters to interact off the ice and learn to support one another as a “team.” And finally, be thoughtful about the other disciplines in your club. Work with other program directors and skaters (i.e. synchro, junior club, bridge program, or your club’s annual spring/holiday shows) to demonstrate that you’re hoping to collaborate to build all the programs and that there is space for everyone to grow together. Perhaps you could start

mid-year (in January or February) by creating a “freeskate” with several of the interested skaters and perform at your club’s annual show. With the end goal as a fun, show performance, many skaters may enjoy the process of working with an ensemble and the creativity of the choreography. This is an inexpensive, low pressure way to get skaters enthusiastically involved in the beginning stages of program development. After your low-key first year, invite the skaters and parents to an “Open House” to introduce them to the concept of a more competitive team. Start early— September is when practices typically commence and then choreography should begin as early as October. It can take 4-6 months to choreograph the CE and FS programs. At the “Open House,” prepare parents with budget expectations, practice time, absence requirements, and competition/critique dates for the following year. For this first year, give the parents between 4-6 weeks to plan before committing—begin practices with the skaters allowing them to participate and engage and then set a deadline for the contracts to be signed. Some things to consider when entering your first full season: • Aim to secure at least two hours off-ice and one hour of on-ice time for the team each week • Research the TOI competition/

show/critique schedule of events in your region

• Bring a junior coach, coaching assistant,

or volunteer on board to help manage the team’s logistics for the season

• Consider the costs of ice, coaching fees,

costumes, and travel when drafting your budget and fundraising needs

• Create a contract that outlines the

expectations to the parents and skaters who decide to commit to the team

KR PHOTOGS PHOTOGR APHY

By Kate McSwain, MC and Garrett Kling, MC

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Theatre on Ice coaches and choreographers need to be prepared to teach the skaters a multitude of performance fundamentals in addition to basic skating skills: counting steps to music, guiding in lines, creating facial expressions, understanding core body movement, and presenting many other dance elements such as canon, cascade, diminution, retrograde, amplification, syncopation, percussive, allegro, adagio, counterpoint, and flocking. The best ways to educate yourself on these fundamentals include: • Researching the vocabulary and list of terms provided on U.S. Figure Skating’s website • Exploring dance videos and skating ensemble pieces • Attending live dance performances • Going to dance classes in your local area • Registering for PSA and U.S. Figure Skating TOI seminars • Participating in contemporary skating workshops and festivals • Learning from TOI competitions and critiques continued on page 17

PS MAGAZINE

Julia Kim. Flying is just part of her daily routine.

#WeGetUp

WeGetUp.com

continued from page 15

• Researching the works of profes-

sional Ice Theatre companies such as American Ice Theatre (AIT), Ice Theatre of New York, Ice Dance International, Le Patin Libre, The Next Ice Age, and many more!

Additionally, there are two major certifications that can expand your knowledge of choreography for Theatre on Ice: the PSA ratings system track for choreographers and American Ice Theatre's “Master Choreography Techniques” online class. For more information on these opportunities visit the PSA (skatepsa.com) and AIT (www.americanicetheatre.org) websites.

EMBRACE CREATIVITY

TOI’s purpose is to promote infinite creativity so we encourage you to take creative risks in your choreography by challenging yourself, your skaters, and even the judges too! We often compare experiencing a wellchoreographed freeskate to viewing a painting in a museum: if the program’s performance prompts questions, discussion, and impressions from its audience— then you know you’ve succeeded in creating a piece of art. For many people, the definition of “Theatre on Ice” is frequently associated with stage theatre, Broadway musicals, Disney classics, well-known movies, and/or other recognizable storylines performed on ice. While this is certainly one possible interpretation, TOI can and should encompass a wide range of music, movement, and dance styles to create endless possibilities on the ice. For instance, in France (the other leading country from where this discipline originated) teams call this specialty “Ballet Sur Glace” or “Dance on Ice.” The “theme” or storyline of the freeskate can be told using body movement, facial expression, ensemble interaction, musicality, and gesture, urging skaters toward abstract movement and energy that is “outsidethe-box.” Find ideas in the artistic world around you: visual art, books, dance, current events, and history. Sometimes taking a walk and studying the natural world can spark an idea for the perfect original theme.

After choosing and editing your music to create an underlying theme, and making sure to find an effective climax to work the piece around, it’s finally time to begin choreography! We recommend creating a “map” of the music by listing out all the counts and sections; accompany this with a storyline or intention sheet for each section. Block out the design and direction of the ensemble on paper beforehand to ensure the best use of ice space and the skaters’ traffic flow. Finally, fill in the blocking with unique choreography using steps and body movement to express each section’s emotional intention. Consider the four choreographic processes of Space, Time, Energy and Form (STEF). By taking PSA ratings and the AIT “Master Choreography Techniques” classes, you will learn the fundamentals of these processes to help you choreograph in a more clear and efficient way. When creating, utilize important choreographic ensemble elements such as flocking, splicing, and weaving. For intentional choreography, develop 3D body movement, gesture, levels of the body via lifts and on-ice movement. Another idea is through the manipulation of energy in movement, emotions can be demonstrated. Slow, heavy energies tend to express sadness while quick, percussive energies portray strength and confidence. Remember you can also use various CE elements to help create sections of your freeskate with useful tools such as canon, retrograde, amplification, diminution, cascade and syncopation. In terms of rhythm, don't always resort to unison—change it up by using contrast in tempo. These choreographic devices can help create dynamic, moving, and eye-catching choreography for your ensemble.

PROMOTE POSITIVITY

Don’t forget: Theatre on Ice is fun! TOI programs can provide a healthy competitive atmosphere for skaters, but it’s also important to stress to the parents and skaters the merits of teamwork, sports-

manship, body awareness, musicality, expression, and performance execution. In order to keep TOI fun for the skaters, organize team building nights—both outside and inside the rink. Fundraisers, holiday parties, and volunteer activities can help the team continue to support one another and keep perspective on the importance of teamwork over competitiveness. In addition, Theatre on Ice can expose skaters to the entirely new world of “contemporary skating.” Contemporary skating is an additional track skaters can choose for their own artistic fulfillment, or to collaborate with others in the contemporary skating community, or to further their professional opportunities with companies or touring shows. There are contemporary skating festivals all over the world as well as seminars and performance opportunities that embrace this artistic community. With TOI as the starting point, young skaters can learn these contemporary style movement and ensemble tools early on to apply to their love of skating for future hobbies and careers. Hopefully our four steps—start small, educate yourself, embrace creativity, and promote positivity —have given you some helpful reminders to successfully launch a Theatre on Ice program at your club or encourage you to continue the one you’ve already started! TOI is one of the most exciting disciplines to participate in within the skating community today, and the goal is to inspire the skaters to enjoy performing, support each other, and pursue self-awareness and self-expression through this creative outlet. Good luck to you all! If you have any questions in regards to the information in this article or further questions on how to launch a TOI program at your rink, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Kate McSwain k8create@ yahoo.com or Garrett Kling gbkling@gmail.com.

PS MAGAZINE

visit our vendors! TRADE SHOW

On behalf of the Professional Skaters Association, we invite you to Orlando!

Join us for our full display of exhibitors. This is a great opportunity to be fitted by the professionals, purchase direct from manufacturers, and view the latest in software, boots, blades, clothing, and much more! Vendors include… • Champion Developmental Seminars • Golden Horse Skates • Harlick

he PSA is eager to have you join us for our most exciting annual educational event. The conference will be packed full of wonderful speakers, presentations, and networking opportunities for all. There are a wide variety of levels and disciplines that will be covered by some of the top coaches and speakers in our industry. Learning is something we all continue to do. PSA has listened to our members' needs and worked hard to create the perfect environment for your educational experience. New this year and in an effort to develop side-by-side education, U.S. Figure Skating judges have been invited to attend conference as well. By bringing judges and coaches together, we will be sharing knowledge and insight to help all of our athletes. We hope that you also join us for an extraordinary event—the 2018 U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships—presented by the Professional Skaters Foundation. This spectacular event is FREE to attend and takes place Tuesday, May 22, at the RDV Sportsplex. It is an opportunity to cheer on our fellow professionals and enjoy great skating! PSA realizes that it is hard to get away from family and work, so we truly appreciate you taking your time to attend our conference.

• Jackson Ultima • Jammin • MK John Wilson • Paramount Sk8s • Riedell • Risport • Skates US • SP-Teri • U.S. Figure Skating

JOIN us!

* **N E W* FIRST AID/CPR TRAINING New this year at conference, we will be offering First Aid and CPR certification training exclusively for conference attendees. Make the safety of your skaters and rink patrons a priority by adding this certification to your professional credentials.

Wednesday May 23, 2018 • 8:00am – 12:30pm • $62 Registration is due April 15, 2018 and available at skatepsa.com HOCKEY Looking to grow your coaching business? Have you considered becoming a hockey power skating coach? Coaching hockey skaters to build their power and skating skills is one easy way to grow your client base and tap into a whole new market. Hockey 1 and Hockey 2 certifications are available online in the e-learning academy. Hockey 3 and Hockey 4 are only offered at conference. Be sure to complete Hockey 1 and Hockey 2 prior to conference. CONFERENCE SPECIAL Take both Hockey Skating 1 and Hockey 2 online certification courses, and you will receive a $30 credit on your PSA account. That’s a two-for-one deal! *Offer ends April 16 and both courses must be registered for in the same transaction. Register for your hockey certifications today at skatepsa.com

*All conference attendees are welcome to attend on- and off-ice hockey sessions at no additional charge. To complete the exam and certification, additional fees are applicable. The four Hockey Skating certification levels must be taken in order.

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Glitter, Gold, and Magic Edi Awards Dinner Friday May 25 at 6:30pm Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista

Share a beautiful evening with friends and be the first to congratulate our 2018 EDI award winners during the 50th Annual PSA Awards Dinner. The PSA Edi awards are named in honor of Edi Scholdan, an Olympic coach at the Broadmoor Skating Club, who was killed in the 1961 crash. Edi was president of the PSA from 1950 to 1954 and was inducted to the Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001.

Tickets must be purchased in advance by April 15. Dress is black tie optional.

May 23-26, 2018

FREE EVENT

Speakers and Topics KEYNOTE OPENING SPEAKER Charles Marshall FEATURED SPEAKER Frank Carroll SKATING SKILLS/DANCE Tanith White & Charlie White CHOREOGRAPHY Scott Brown SYNCHRO Carla DeGirolamo PAIRS Amanda Evora & Jim Peterson SINGLES Christy Krall THEATRE ON ICE Louis Vachon LEARN TO SKATE USA Kim Hines & Susi Wehrli-Mclaughlin IJS SPINS Denise Williamson

March 15 April 15 • $525 After April 15 • $625

Hotel Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Walt Disney World Resort 1751 Hotel Plaza Boulevard, Lake Buena Vista, FL Hotel reservations: Single and Double Triple Quad

1-800-782-4414 139 + 12.5% $159 + 12.5% $179 + 12.5%

NO Resort Fees included for PSA Attendees that book in the PSA block of rooms. Group Code: SKA Rate cut-off date: April 30, 2018 or until the block sells out

Rink RDV Sportsplex Ice Den 8701 Maitland Summit Blvd. Orlando, FL

Tuesday May 22, 2018 LIVE Entertainment at the 2018 U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships! Ladies, mens, pairs, dance, specialty acts, and groups compete together to win prizes and prestigious titles. The Grand Champion will take home a cash prize and an invitation to perform with Ice Theatre of New York. Want to join the fun and compete? Registration is due April 1, 2018 and available at

www.skatepsa.com PS MAGAZINE

By Terri Milner Tarquini

n the medical world, caffeine dependency due to a lack of sleep is called a vicious cycle.

In the figure skating world, it could also be categorized as the “coaching cycle.” “You don’t get enough sleep, so you start drinking caffeine in the later afternoon,” said Dr. Brian Michalsen, a family and sports medicine physician in Illinois. “Having that soda or coffee will get you through the evening, but it doesn’t allow for rest at bedtime. Then you get up tired and the whole thing starts over again. It’s a very hard cycle to break.” Lack of sleep is a common issue for coaches and others with continuously high-stress jobs. “Coaches keep odd hours, going to competitions and practices and traveling throughout the country,” said Michalsen, who is also a team physician for the Rockford Ice Hogs, the farm team of the Chicago Blackhawks. “It’s tough to stay on a schedule, but it needs to be done as much as possible for the good of the coach and the athlete.” It’s likely no surprise what the affects are when it comes to lack of sleep:

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decreased concentration, decreased focus, and irritability. For most coaches, it’s been there; done that. “People know it’s a problem, but they shrug it off – and it can’t be shrugged off,” Michalsen said. “Sleep will make you a better coach, period. It will also make you a better person. Sometimes that falls on deaf ears, but it needs to keep being said: You will be more present and you will be better at your job. Those benefits outweigh anything you are getting out of that extra hour of being awake at night.” Bottom line: the recommended amount of sleep is seven to nine hours a night. “I talk about sleep hygiene,” Michalsen said. “which means going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every morning, as often as possible.” It’s a good guess that many coaches are not getting that amount of sleep – not on any type of consistent basis anyhow. “There was the idea a while ago that you could bank sleep,” he said. “The idea was that you could burn the candle at both ends and then sleep 12 hours and

that would be enough to bring restoration. Studies have since shown that that doesn’t seem to have the same health benefits as a consistent seven to nine hours a night.” Studies have borne out facts that daytime choices can have substantial effects on nighttime rest. According to the National Sleep Foundation, while the stimulating effects of caffeine can begin 15 minutes after your first sip, it has a half-life of about six hours. That means that half the caffeine of the mochaccino you have to get through the 4p.m. session at the rink will still be in your system at 10 p.m. Even caffeine-free soda can be an issue. The carbonation often causes bloating and stomach pressure, which can trigger heartburn, which often flares up at night. Another no-no? Booze. While a glass or two of wine might make you feel sleepy, alcohol messes with chemical levels that tell the body when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. As such, you may go to sleep easier after a drink or two, but will wake up in the middle of the night feeling that it’s time to get up.

“If you prioritize sleep, it will happen. It’s all about changing

your belief system of what’s important to you.”

“There is nothing good about the idea of a cocktail or cigarette before bed to wind down,” Michalsen said. “Against some people’s perception, these do not allow the brain to shut down and your quality of sleep is compromised.” Beyond what is going into your body, the the choices being made at bedtime can also have a huge impact on the body’s ability to sleep properly. “I can’t stress routine enough,” Michalsen said. “No TV in the bedroom and no phone or tablet by your bed.” The particular type of bright light produced by electronic devices confuses the brain’s sleep/wake cycle. However, reading a book or magazine by a lamp is fine before bed, according to the National Sleep Foundation. “There needs to be 30 to 60 minutes of relaxation before going to sleep,” he said. “That bright light in a dark room contradicts everything the brain needs to begin the process of shutting down. Coaching is a job where a large portion of the workload happens “after hours,” outside of the rink. This means that coaches are bringing the stresses of the work environment home with them. “I don’t recommend a lot of sleep aids – even over-the-counter ones,” Michalsen said. “However, melatonin is one that seems to be working well for a large percentage of the population.” But here’s the thing: melatonin has a paradoxical reaction, which means that

the more you take, the less effective it is, which is what most people don’t realize. “When people tell me that melatonin doesn’t work for them, it’s usually because they are taking too much,” he said. “One to three milligrams 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime works the best. It’s important to check the bottle. There are a lot of five and even 10 milligram doses of melatonin out there and that seems to actually stimulate the brain and you can’t go to sleep.” Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body. During the day, melatonin levels in the body are barely detectable, but, cued by darkness, the pineal gland goes to work and ramps up melatonin production at night. “Now, there’s still a lot of research going on regarding melatonin,” Michalsen said. “It is a supplement so you’re not 100 percent sure what’s going in that tablet, so I always recommend going with a reputable brand. Cheapest isn’t always best. Go with your pharmacy’s brand or a brand that has a long list of various vitamins and supplements. But taken in lower doses, melatonin does seem to help with restful sleep without the hangover effect that seems to accompany a lot of other sleep aids.” In the end, getting sleep is like anything else on the daily to-do list – and needs to be prioritized the same way. “Everyone places different importance on the things they need to get done every day,” Michalsen said. “If you

prioritize sleep, it will happen. It’s all about changing your belief system of what’s important to you.” The ability of the body and mind to deal with high-stress careers make the healing and rejuvenating effects of sleep too important to ignore. Plus, there’s the obvious connection that coaches want their athletes getting sleep to perform optimally – and what good for them is also good for those in charge of them. “Coaches who are practicing what they preach are listened to much more attentively by their athletes,” Michalsen said. “Athletes can tell when they are getting genuine advice. It’s not much different than a parent-child relationship. They see and they know. You will be a better coach if you are rested and your athletes will be more apt to follow your lead.”

Did you know?

You can access a library of webinars on your U.S. Figure Skating Members Only page? “Sleep Strategies for Athletes” is one such webinar! PS MAGAZINE

IMPORTANT CHANGE TO

Coach Compliance for the 2018-19 season:

eginning July 1, 2018, the CER Category A and B in the CER Program will be merged and renamed to become the "Professional Coach/ Choreographer CER Program." All coaches will be required to complete four CER courses and the SafeSport Training. In order for coaches to be “Coach Compliant” on July 1, 2018, U.S. Figure Skating will now require the following: 1. Must be a current full member of U.S. Figure Skating • Either through a member club or as an individual member — available at usfigureskating.org 2. Must complete SafeSport Training • Available now through the U.S. Figure Skating website “Members Only” tab at usfigureksating.org 3. Must successfully pass a background check • Only if 18 years or older • Available through the U.S. Figure Skating website “Members Only” tab 4. Must complete four CER courses (See rule MR 5.12) • Available now through the PSA website at skatepsa.com 5. Must possess proof of current general liability insurance • With limits of $1 million per occurrence/$5 million aggregate • Available through the PSA website 6. Must be a current full PSA member (See rule 1022) • Only if coaching skaters/teams in qualifying levels at U.S. Figure Skating qualifying competitions

MARCH/APRIL 2018

TO COMPLETE THE TRAINING COURSES: SafeSport Training: All coaches and registered instructors will be required to take the SafeSport training course. The course is separate from the CER courses. This course can only be accessed through the “Members Only” tab at usfigureskating.org. There is no cost to the SafeSport Training. CER Courses: All Professional Coach/ Choreographer category coaches will take four CER courses. These courses are available at skatepsa.com, but a coach does not need to be a PSA member to complete the courses.

LIFE ON THE ICE has never been more exhilarating

Team up with world-class skaters in a show that warms hearts around the world! Feld Entertainment ® is seeking male and female skaters for U.S. and International tours of Disney On Ice. It is your opportunity to truly shine. Please send a skating resume, photos, a current video (3 – 6 min.) and all contact info to: Judy Thomas, Talent Director and Production Coordinator, Feld Entertainment 2001 U.S. Highway 301. Palmetto, FL 34221 USA

©Disney

Phone: (941) 721-1234 Email: jthomas@feldinc.com

PR O FES S I O N A L SKATE R S A SSOC IATION

EXCELLENCE ON ICE Sherwood Ice Arena

Park City Ice Arena

Skate Frederick Ice Sports

Kendall Ice Arena

Sherwood, OR Frederick, MD

Ice Den Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ

Cincinnati Skating School Cincinnati, OH

Stamford Twin Rinks Stamford, CT

Central Iowa FSC Urbandale, IA

Sprinker Recreation Center Tacoma, WA

Park City, UT Miami, FL

World Arena Ice Hall Colorado Springs, CO

Edge Skating School/ Edge Ice Arena

Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena

Kettle Moraine FSC

Lexington Ice Center

Marquette FSC

Palm Beach Skate Zone

Littleton, CO

West Bend, WI Marquette, MI

Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex

Rochester FSC

Ice Den Chandler

Pines Ice Arena/Pines FSC

Martha’s Vineyard FSC

The Rinx Total Skating Program

Jacksonville, FL Chandler, AZ

Vineyard Haven, MA

Pelham, AL

Lexington, KY

Lake Worth, FL

Rochester, MN

Pembroke Pines, FL

Hauppauge, NY

Excellence On Ice(EOI) is a National Award Program established by the PSA that provides rinks and clubs with national recognition as a progressive training facility dedicated to excellence in coaching both on and off-ice. EOI clubs/facilities must have 100% PSA members on staff, all carrying personal liability insurance and seeking to obtain or maintain a rating in the discipline of their choice. PS MAGAZINE

Women Athletes Business Network By Terri Milner Tarquini Grit. Discipline. Fortitude. The ice rink is a breeding ground for a host of traits that are often at the core of business leaders and successful entrepreneurs. The Women Athletes Business Network (WABN) is particularly interested in what those traits could do for elite female athletes in their post-competitive careers. “The qualities women in sport bring to the business world are limitless,” said Holly Humphrey, director of external communication at EY and a WABN director since its inception. “They see failure as feedback to success so they can improve. They see projects through to completion. They don’t let challenges stop them. They are more valuable than they realize.” The WABN was the brainchild of the EY firm, one of the world’s largest professional services firm. Formerly Ernst & Young, EY was a first-time sponsor for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and recognized the platform and opportunity they had in front of them. “We thought long and hard about what meaningful contribution we wanted to

MARCH/APRIL 2018

make to leave a legacy long after the Olympics,” Humphrey said. “EY has had a strong commitment to gender parity for many, many years now so we started investigating more down that path with how it related to female athletes.” What they heard resonated: Athletes need help transitioning from their sport to the outside world after their athletic career is done and want support in how to utilize the skills they learned in their sport in the workforce. “The qualities female athletes possess can’t be learned in a classroom,” Humphrey said. “And they’re all the things that are needed in business.” EY research showed that 94 percent of women in the C-suite (a term for a corporation’s most senior executives) played sport, 52 percent at the university level or beyond. Aided by their ability to see projects through to completion, motivate others and build strong teams, 74 percent of executive women believe a background in sport can help accelerate a woman’s career. Athletes also have seven percent higher annual salaries than their non-athletic colleagues. “What we kept hearing was that female

athletes often felt that coaching and broadcasting were the only options,” Humphrey said. “Those fields are fantastic if that’s where your passion lies, but the business world is craving the traits they possess. We want to ignite a spark that might get female athletes to begin thinking more broadly as to what their traits can bring to all variety of careers.” The form that spark has taken is a one-year mentor program, matching 25 female athletes with senior female business leaders from the International Women’s Forum, an American non-profit organization focused on issues of concern to women. The mentors and mentees meet virtually throughout the year, culminating in all participants being brought together for a two-day training session. “It’s a unique and inspiring opportunity to think about how to look at the future and how to break through to the place you want to be,” Humphrey said. “Mentees can really evaluate how much their past has influenced them and where their future is headed. It’s about looking into who you are and who you want to be.” Emily Hughes, 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships silver medalist and 2006 Olympian, was in the first mentor program. She was paired with Whitney Mortimer, partner and chief marketer at IDEO, the well-known global design and innovation firm. Mortimer has been at the forefront of IDEO’s marketing efforts since 1997 and was named one of the Bay Area’s most influential women leaders by Business Insider in 2015 and 2016. “Whitney was such an inspiring leader and, to get the chance to meet with her and get advice from her was an amazing experience,” Hughes said. “My big takeaway was how critical mentors such as Whitney are to success. In skating, I sought out great coaches and people to guide my training. In business, I’ve found that a similar group of mentors and trusted advisors is just as important.” Hughes graduated from Harvard in 2011 and worked for Deloitte Consulting in New York as a business analyst and the International Olympic Committee

www.ey.com/womenathletesnetwork

@EYWomenAthletes

in Switzerland, before joining Google in San Francisco in 2014 in a strategy and operations role. She has been with Johnson & Johnson since August 2017 as a senior manager on the health technology team. “It’s interesting working with a company that’s so large and has been so successful for so long,” Hughes said. “We’re working on helping the brands in the company to think differently in an age where technology is so important. The people who work there have such a depth of knowledge and expertise, I continue to learn every day.” Getting out into the career world has meant Hughes could use her skills, but apply them in very different ways. “Deloitte was my first experience not being in a rink all day, every day,” she said. “There I was in an office working on a computer preparing presentations in a conference room. While the physical environment was very different, I realized that I was still using a lot of the same qualities that helped me in skating.” The connection between the mindset of elite competitors and that of businesspeople is both linear and obvious. “Sports, in general, teach hard work, goal setting and time management – all of which play a huge role in any career,” Hughes said. “Also, the ability to overcome obstacles is so important. In skating, you fall,

“The qualities female athletes possess can’t be learned in a classroom,” Humphrey said. “And they’re all the things that are needed in business.”

womenathletesnetwork

get up, smile and continue on. In the workplace, you don’t actually physically fall, but there’s always setbacks and obstacles. You can’t dwell on it. You keep looking forward and, oftentimes, you can still do well.” The stressors of a career and the want and need to succeed are often not too far removed from those of an athlete. “Being able to work under pressure was something I also took into the workplace,” Hughes said. “I loved competing and I exceled at that part. There will always be pressure; handling that pressure really comes in handy in work and in life.” Through training, athletes are clear that criticism is helpful, not hurtful. “The only way to get better is to know what you’re doing wrong so you can fix it,” Hughes said. “Athletes are constantly being told what they need to work on. When I was skating, I was always analyzing what I was doing wrong and how I could make it better. I definitely brought that lens into the workplace.” Putting together and presenting an overall impression is a unique quality of skating, where the whole package matters. “Skaters communicate without words,” Hughes said. “They project confidence, whether they feel it inside or not. They are aware of how they are carrying themselves and they know it matters. All of those things play a big part in a meeting or presentation.” EY, which dates back to 1849, has 231,000 employees in over 700 offices in 150 countries around the world. In 2016, EY was the 11th largest privately-owned organization in the U.S. In 2017, Fortune magazine ranked EY as 29th on the list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. It’s a ranking that some athletes are getting the opportunity to experience first-hand. “We hired nine Olympians from Rio as interns at EY,” Humphrey said. “To be able to take the leadership potential of these athletes and get them over the hump from sport

to business is what Women Athletes Business Network is all about.” EY identified “five winning attributes” for why women athletes make winning entrepreneurs: confidence, single-mindedness, passion, leadership and resilience. “Athletes are more entrepreneurial in any venture they choose to pursue,” Humphrey said. “Entrepreneurs face so much failure – many people wouldn’t subject themselves to that. They have to be willing to have those failures, learn from them and keep going. Athletes get that.” Current and former elite female athletes interested in more information regarding the mentor program or who are interested in networking with other women regarding sports, business, careers and leadership, can go to EY Women Athletes Business Network on Facebook. “The ultimate goal is to create more women leaders all over the world, in every sector,” Humphrey said. “We believe elite female athletes are uniquely positioned to take on leadership roles. They have a lifetime’s worth of skills already developed when they leave their sport. What’s important is that the athletes believe in the traits they possess – then they can really do anything.” PS MAGAZINE

2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

MARCH/APRIL 2018

PHOTOS BY VICKI LUY

PS MAGAZINE

2018

HONOR ROLL

COACHES

U.S. Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Bradie Tennell Mirai Nagasu Karen Chen Ashley Wagner

1 2 3 4

Denise Myers Tom Zakrajsek Tammy Gambill Rafael Arutyunyan

Novice Pairs Jade Hom/Franz-Peter Jerosch Joanna Hubbart/William Hubbart Masha Mokhova/Ivan Mokhov Ellie McClellan/Jim Garbutt

1 2 3 4

Carrie Wall Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana Zimmerman Andrey Mokhov, Oksana Yakusheva Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana Zimmerman

Senior Men Nathan Chen Ross Miner Vincent Zhou Adam Rippon

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Tammy Gambill, Tom Zakrajsek Rafael Arutyunyan

Novice Ice Dancing Katarina Wolfkostin/Howard Zhao Gianna Buckley/Jeffrey Chen Caroline Liu/Kenan Slevira Elizabeth Tkachenko/Alexei Kiliakov

1 2 3 4

Natalia Deller, Angelika Krylova Oleg Epstein, Charlotte Maxwell Oleg Voyko Alexei Kiliakov, Natalya Linichuk, Elena Novak

Senior Pairs Alexa Scimeca-Knierim/Christopher Knierim Tarah Kayne/Danny O'Shea Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Nathan Bartholomay Ashley Cain/Timothy LeDuc

1 2 3 4

Dalilah Sappenfield, Edwin Shipstad Amanda Evora, James Peterson Cindy Caprel, Amanda Evora, James Peterson Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

Intermediate Ladies Indi Cha Alyssa Chan Arianna Concepcion Alena Budko

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young

Senior Ice Dancing Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani Madison Chock/Evan Bates Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker

1 2 3 4

Intermediate Men Maxim Zharkov Matthew Nielsen Liam Kapekis William Annis

1 2 3 4

Andrei Zharkov Jacqueline Henry Redenshek, Christian Martin Louise Kapeikis, Paul Kapeikis Karen Lehmann, Debra Minahan

Junior Ladies Alysa Liu Pooja Kalyan Ting Cui Hanna Harrell

Patrice Lauzon Marina Zoueva, Massimo Scali Igor Shpilband Pasquale Camerlengo, Natalia Deller, Angelika Krylova

1 2 3 4

Laura Lipetsky Alexander Ouriashev, Cindy Sullivan Vincent Restencourt Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Intermediate Pairs Zoe Larson/Nick Hubbart Cate Fleming/Jedidiah Isbell Katie Luong/Nathan Luong Sydney Flaum/Cayden McKenzie-Cook

1 2 3 4

Junior Men Camden Pulkinen Dihn Tran Maxim Naumov Ryan Dunk

1 2 3 4

Becky Calvin, Tom Zakrajsek Jeff Crandell Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova Christian Conte

Intermediate Ice Dancing Elliana Peal/Ethan Peal Claire Cain/Andrei Davydov Anna Gissibl/Alexander Colucci Nastia Efimova/Jonathan Zhao

1 2 3 4

Robert Peal Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov Yovanny Durango, Slava Uchitel Natalia Efimova, Nathan Truesdell

Junior Pairs Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov Sarah Feng/TJ Nyman Laiken Lockley/Keenan Prochnow Nadine Wang/Spencer Howe

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Dalilah Sappenfield Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker Bruno Marcotte

Juvenile Girls Isabeau Levito Clara Kim Macie Rolf Madeleine Park

1 2 3 4

Otar Japaridze, Yulia Kuznetsova Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skornyakov Susan Liss Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem

Junior Ice Dancing Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko Caroline Green/Gordon Green Chloe Lewis/Logan Bye Eliana Gropman/Ian Somerville

1 2 3 4

Igor Shpilband Alexei Kilikov, Dmitri Ilin, Elena Novak Oleg Epstein, Marina Zoueva Alexei Kilikov, Dmitri Ilin, Elena Novak

Juvenile Boys Keita Horiko Jacob Sanchez Nhat-Viet Nguyen Andriy Kratyuk

1 2 3 4

Jeffrey Chang, Kevin Coppola Oleg Makarov Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Ikaika Young

Novice Ladies Beverly Zhu Emilea Zingas Violeta Ushakova Calista Choi

1 2 3 4

Derrick Delmore, Ivan Dinev Brooke O'Keefe, Lindsay Page-O'Donoghue Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova Sandi Delfs, Denise Myers

Juvenile Pairs Natasha Mishkutionok/Daniel Tioumentsev Nadia Wang/Jaden Schwab Dalila DeLaura/Ryan Xie Megan Voigt/Levon Davis

1 2 3 4

Natalia Mishkutionok, Anna Tarassova Ann Eidson, Benjamin Miller Reisman Holly Harper, Marc Weitzman Amanda Evora, James Peterson

Novice Men Goku Endo Max Lake Nicholas Hsieh Lucas Altieri

1 2 3 4

Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Jonathan Cassar, Colleen Mickey Viktor Pfeifer Douglas Haw, Ilona Melnichenko

Juvenile Ice Dancing Jenna Hauer/Benjamin Starr Zoe Sensenbrenner/Matthew Sperry Kristina Bland/Gabriel Francis Emma L'Esperance/Mika Amdour

1 2 3 4

Svetlana Kulikova, Denys Latyshev Alexei Kilikov, Ramil Sarkulov Paul Bellantuono, Natalia Deller Dawn Ponte-Jarvis

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Melanie Lambert, Fred Palascak Christine Fowler Binder, Jenni Meno, Todd Sand Laureano Ibarra, Stephanie Kuban, Dalilah Sappenfield

2018 HONOR ROL L

Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships

Intermediate Men Liam Kapeikis Samir Mallya Ian Ramsey Lawrence Winters

1 2 3 4

Louise Kapeikis, Paul Kapeikis Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Zinaida Kovalenko, Charles Tickner Amanda Kovar

Intermediate Pairs Katie Luong/Nathan Luong Kayla Black/Kamden Black Carolyn Bartel/Alfred Bartel Emerson Stein/Blake Edwards

1 2 3 4

Intermediate Ice Dancing Kelsey Schaub/Anthony Haddad

Jenni Meno, Todd Sand, Christine Binder Barbara Murphy Perry Jewell, Bianca Marro-Weissmann Perry Jewell, Bianca Marro-Weissmann, Carrie Phillips

Sabrina Foti/Christian Bennett Raffaella Koncius/Dane Ayers Isabella Alexis/Ethan Alday

2 3 4

Cheryl Demkoski-Snyder, Leifur Gislason, Katrina Shalin Gary Shortland Douglas Razzano Ryan Devereaux, Charlotte Maxwell, Marina Zoueva

Senior Ladies Starr Andrews Tessa Hong Vivian Le Kaitlyn Nguyen

1 2 3 4

Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem Frank Carroll, Jonathan Cassar Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov

Senior Men Sean Rabbitt Daniel Kulenkamp Scott Dyer Sebastien Payannet

1 2 3 4

Richard Dornbush Darlene Cain, Peter Cain Frank Carroll Derrick Delmore, Lou Anne Peterson Conant

Junior Ladies Alysa Liu Akari Nakahara Lily Sun Emma Coppess

1 2 3 4

Laura Lipetsky Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson Sherri Krahne Thomas, Drew Meekins Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem

Junior Men Paul Yeung Patrick Frohling Dinh Tran Kendrick Weston

Juvenile Girls Madeleine Park Elizabeth Hong Morgan Heavrin Ashlynne Lee

1 2 3 4

Peter Kongkasem, Charlene Wong Ivan Dinev, Naomi Nam Evegeniya Chernyshova Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson

1 2 3 4

Bianca Marro-Weissmann, Brianna Weissmann Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson Jeff Crandell Lisa Kriley

Junior Pairs Sarah Feng/TJ Nyman Ainsley Peterson/Griffin Schwab Meiryla Findley/Matthew Rounis Sapphire Jaeckel/Matthew Scoralle

Juvenile Boys Andriy Kratyuk Mikah Tong Sergei Evseev Allan Fisher

1 2 3 4

Ikaika Young Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Bianca Butler, Denys Petrov Victoria Pliatsok

1 2 3 4

Dalilah Sappenfield Jenni Meno, Todd Sand, Christine Binder Dalilah Sappenfield Peter Oppegard

Junior Ice Dancing Chloe Lewis/Logan Bye Jocelyn Haines/James Koszuta Alina Efimova/Alexander Petrov Molly Cesanek/Nikolay Usanov

Juvenile Pairs Ashley Stark/Aiden Elswick Sylvia Wong/Zachary LoPinto Allison Kim/Ethan Musladin Julie Dupont/Theodore Dupont

1 2 3 4

Brittany Vise, Tiffany Vise Baldwin Trudy Oltmanns Bilal Kheir Perry Jewell, Bianca Marro-Weissmann

1 2 3 4

Oleg Epstein Carly Donowick, Bianka Szijgyarto Oleg Petrov, Nathan Truesdell Ramil Sarkulov

Novice Ladies Christina Lin Beverly Zhu Noelle Rosa Amie Miyagi

Juvenile Ice Dancing Zoe Sensenbrenner/Matthew Sperry Veronica Chunikhin/Maxim Korotcov Julia Epps/Blake Gilman Juliana Newton/Evan Mullins

1 2 3 4

Alexei Kiliakov, Ramil Sarkulov Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Ramil Sarkulov Bianka Szijgyarto Christopher Kinser

1 2 3 4

Evgeniya Chernyshova, Christopher Ord Derrick Delmore, Ivan Dinev Lisa Kriley Lisa Kriley

Novice Men Goku Endo Max Lake Joshua Simkin Henry Privett-Mendoza

1 2 3 4

Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Jonathan Cassar, Colleen Mickey Eric Millot Rudy Galindo, Robert Taylor

Novice Pairs Jasmine Fendi/Joshua Fendi Ashley Haywood/Alec Schmitt Milena Markin/Matthew Essigmann

1 2 3

Peter Oppegard Stephen Baker, Outi Francis, Brenda Peterson Peter Oppegard

Senior Ladies Hannah Miller Brynne McIsaac Emily Chan Ashley Lin

1 2 3 4

Kirsten Miller-Zisholz Becky Calvin, Stephanie Kuban Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva Sergey Artemov

Novice Ice Dancing Caroline Liu/Kenan Slevira Gianna Buckley/Jeffrey Chen Cordelia Pride/Benjamin Lawless Maxine Weatherby/Dmitry Bogomol

1 2 3 4

Oleg Voyko Oleg Epstein, Charlotte Maxwell Robert Kaine, Chuen-Gun Lee, Michelle Marvin John Kerr

Senior Men Alexander Johnson Tomoki Hiwatashi Jordan Moeller Ben Jalovick

1 2 3 4

Caryn Kadavy, Paige Lipe Kori Ade, Doug Ladret Kori Ade, Doug Ladret Kori Ade, Doug Ladret

Intermediate Ladies Kate Wang Alena Budko Courtney Phillips Ava Stephens

Senior Ice Dancing Alexandra Aldridge/Daniel Eaton Karina Manta/Joseph Johnson

1 2

Paul Bellatuono, Natalia Deller Patti Gottwein-Britton

1 2 3 4

Charyl Brusch, Jeff Crandell Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young Kelley Everett-Takemura, Junichi Takemura Rudy Galindo, David Glynn

Junior Ladies Hanna Harrell Jenna Shi

1 2

Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva Theresa McKendry

Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships

PS MAGAZINE

2018 HONOR ROL L Pooja Kalyan Angelina Huang

3 4

Alexander Ouriashev, Cindy Sullivan Damon Allen, Kelsey Drewel

Junior Men Alex Wellman Sasha Lunin Luke Ferrante Justin Wichmann

1 2 3 4

Damon Allen Alexander Lunin, Alena Lunin Peter Cain, Editha Dotson-Bowser Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva

Junior Pairs Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov Laiken Lockley/Keenan Prochnow Evelyn Grace Hanns/Kristofer Ogren Eliana Secunda/Blake Eisenach

1 2 3 4

Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker Laureano Ibarra, Dalilah Sappenfield George Selimos, Robyn Sudkamp, Cindy Sullivan

Junior Ice Dancing Avonley Nguyen/Vadym Kolesnik Isabella Amoia/Luca Becker Sophia Elder/Christopher Elder Katarina DelCamp/Maxwell Gart

1 2 3 4

Adrienne Lenda, Greg Zuerlein Elena Novak, Ramil Sarkulov Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair Mathew Gates, Svetlana Kulikova

Novice Ladies Ariela Masarsky Emilea Zingas Jessica Lin Calista Choi

1 2 3 4

Valeria Masarsky, Alexander Ouriashev Brooke O'Keefe, Lindsay Page-O'Donoghue Sergey Artemov Sandi Delfs, Denise Myers

Novice Men Jonathan Yang Nathan Chapple Chase Finster Daniel Argueta

1 2 3 4

Melissa Jasperson, Benjamin Miller Reisman Sherry Marvin Stephanie Miller Elena Prudsky, Val Prudsky

Novice Pairs Masha Mokhova/Ivan Mokhov Isabelle Goldstein/Keyton Bearinger Isabelle Martins/Ryan Bedard

1 2 3

Hilary Asher/Nathaniel Dennler

Andrey Mokhov, Oksana Yakusheva Zuzanna Parchem Lauryna Andriukaitis, Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

Novice Ice Dancing Katarina Wolfkostin/Howard Zhao

Paulina Brykalova/Daniel Brykalov Isabella Flores/Mikhail Gumba Isabel Blahunka/Will Shawver

2 3 4

Pasquale Camerlengo, Natalia Deller, Angelika Krylova Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlien Elena Dostatni Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair

Intermediate Ladies Samantha Liker Alyssa Chan Ava Raiter Isabelle Inthisone

1 2 3 4

Amber Gil, Alexander Vedenin Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva Becky Calvin, Stephanie Kuban Alexander Ouriashev

Intermediate Men Joseph Klein Matthew Nielsen Maxim Zharkov Daniel Tioumentsev

1 2 3 4

Agata Czyzewski Christian Martin Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov Anna Tarassova, Tom Zakrajsek

Intermediate Ice Dancing Elliana Peal/Ethan Peal Maria Brown/Marius Driscoll Hope Noelle Lassiter/Luke Anderson Alexandra Johnston/Maxim Zharkov

1 2 3 4

Robert Peal Yaroslava Nechaeva, Charles (Chip) Rossbach Kristen Nardozzi, Pierre Panayi, Nick Traxler Daniil Barantsev, Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov

Juvenile Girls Macie Rolf Bridget Isaly Emilie Mao Ellie Kam

1 2 3 4

Susan Liss Damon Allen, Scott Brown Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva Damon Allen, Christine Krall

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Juvenile Boys Nhat-Viet Nguyen Ethan Peal Timothy Bergal Andy Deng

1 2 3 4

Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva Carol Kaufmann, Robert Peal Burton Powley Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin

Juvenile Pairs Natasha Mishkutionok/Daniel Tioumentsev Nadia Wang/Jaden Schwab Hailey Sundstrom/Andy Deng Annie Bai/Andrew Bai

1 2 3 4

Natalia Mishkutionok, Anna Tarassova Ann Eidson, Benjamin Miller Reisman Alena Lunin Dmytro Boyenko, Benjamin Miller Reisman

Juvenile Ice Dancing Avery Weishaus/Laurent Sainte-Marie Kristina Bland/Gabriel Francis Amber Clift/Marcellus Krueger Saige Chaseley/Aidan Bell

1 2 3 4

Paul Bellantuono Paul Bellantuono, Natalia Deller Jamie Burns Kendra Allen

Senior Ladies Emmy Ma Franchesca Chiera Katie McBeath Megan Wessenberg

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Sally Tasca Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell

Senior Men Timothy Dolensky Kevin Shum Jimmy Ma Emmanuel Savary

1 2 3 4

Daniil Barantsev Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Peter Cain Jeffrey DiGregorio, Pamela Gregory

Senior Pairs Allison Timlen/Justin Highgate-Brutman Jade Esposito/Enrique Newby-Estrella

1 2

Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall

Senior Ice Dancing Julia Biechler/Damian Dodge Elicia Reynolds/Stephen Reynolds Cassidy Klopstock/Jacob Shedl

1 2 3

Pasquale Camerlengo, Yovanny Durango

Junior Ladies Ting Cui Audrey Shin Gabriella Izzo Emily Zhang

1 2 3 4

Vincent Restencourt Mary-Lynn Gelderman Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Christian Conte, Valentyn Nikolayev

Junior Men Maxim Naumov Ryan Dunk Peter Liu Tony Lu

1 2 3 4

Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova Christian Conte Viktor Pfeifer, Irina Romanova Christian Conte

Junior Pairs Nadine Wang/Spencer Howe Sarah Rose/Ian Meyh

1 2

Amanda Evora, James Peterson

Junior Ice Dancing Caroline Green/Gordon Green Eliana Gropman/Ian Somerville Emma Gunter/Caleb Wein Allie Rose/J.T. Michel

1 2 3 4

Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Chuen-Gen Lee, Michelle Marvin

Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships

Anastasia Cannuscio, Colin McManus, Christie Moxley-Hutson

2018 HONOR ROL L Novice Ladies Maddie Weiler Violeta Ushakova Sarah Jung Sophia Chouinard

1 2 3 4

Sergey Mineav, Suna Murray Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova Pavel Filchenkov, Vincent Restencourt Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev

Novice Men Nicholas Hsieh Eric Prober Lucas Altieri Jordan Evans

1 2 3 4

Viktor Pfeifer Aaron Gillespie Douglas Haw, Ilona Melnichenko Jeffrey DiGregorio, Pamela Gregory

Novice Pairs Jade Horn/Franz-Peter Jerosch Georgia Bush/Timmy Chapman Joanna Hubbart/William Hubbart

1 2 3

Paige Ruggeri/Christopher Aaron Singletary

Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall Cheyne Coppage, BJ Shue Chapman Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana Zimmerman, John Zimmerman Roland Burghart

Novice Ice Dancing Oona Brown/Gage Brown Elizabeth Tkachenko/Alexei Kiliakov Jordan Lin/Morgan Sletten Anna Pettersson/TJ Carey

1 2 3 4

Andrew Lavrik Alexei Kiliakov, Natalya Linichuk, Elena Novak Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Dmytri Boundoukin, Felita Carr, Alexei Komarov

Intermediate Ladies Indi Cha Haley Scott Alexa Binder Arianna Concepcion

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Karl Kurtz Silvia Fontana Zimmerman, John Kerr Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin

Intermediate Men Zachary Yaninek William Annis Robert Yampolsky Haydn Gock

1 2 3 4

Rashid Kadyrkaev, Doris Papenfuss Karen Lehmann, Debra Minahan Anastasiya Kononenko, Anton Nimenko Ronald Ludington, Patricia Ziegler

Intermediate Pairs Cate Fleming/Jedidiah Isbell Zoe Larson/Nick Hubbart Anastasia Lestina/Benjamin McLemore

1 2 3

Melanie Lambert, Fred Palascak Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana Zimmerman Crystal Mekonis

Intermediate Ice Dancing Claire Cain/Andrei Davydov Anna Gissibl/Alexander Colucci Nastia Efimova/Jonathan Zhao Haeley Arruda/Christopher Alexander

1 2 3 4

Juvenile Girls Clara Kim Isabeau Levito Sue Zhang Hannah Byers

3 4

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Dawn Ponte-Jarvis

Senior Ladies Grace Cohen Courtney Kirschke Julia Meltzer Fennell Emma Krinsky

1 2 3 4

Evelyn Kramer Randy Clark Douglas Ladret, Emily Oltmanns Jason Briggs, Stacie Young-Krinsky

Junior Ladies Gabriella Lee Raffaella Koncius Kayleigh Elliott Nira Barlow

1 2 3 4

Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young Douglas Razzano Randy Clark Susannah Hall

Novice Ladies Jenny Shyu Kaizen Oudom Cheyenne King Riona Kessler

1 2 3 4

Jared Hoadley, Lisa Ware Kehaunani Malama, Kananililiaikapela Tanaka Randy Clark, Shannon Damiano Sharon Jones Baker, Chiharu Osumi Joyce

Novice Men Andrew Lee

Lisa Kriley

Intermediate Ladies Alena Budko Da eun (Danika) Lee Abby Jurasin Marina Black

1 2 3 4

Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young Kehaunani Malama, Kananililiaikapela Tanaka Randy Clark Damon Allen, Janet Champion

Intermediate Men Liam Kapeikis Kamden Black

1 2

Louise Kapeikis, Paul Kapeikis Barbara Murphy

Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Yovanny Durango, Slava Uchitel Natalia Efimova, Nathan Truesdell Mary Ellen Lunn, Paul Salas

Juvenile Girls Devyn DeLaura Riko Nakagawa Tia Hilbelink Skyler Fee

1 2 3 4

Holly Harper Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young Diane Rawlinson Shannon Damiano

1 2 3 4

Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skornyakov Otar Japaridze, Yulia Kuznetsova Crystal Kiang Jenna Pittman Bracone, Tommy Steenberg

Juvenile Boys Andriy Kratyuk Nikolai Kaldanian Santiago Soto

1 2 3

Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young Nancy Kaldanian Alanna Collins, Paul Kapeikis

Juvenile Boys Matthew Grossman Ethan Kohn Jacob Sanchez Keita Horiko

1 2 3 4

Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana Zimmerman Kristin Alberico, Maxim Frossin Oleg Makarov, Larisa Selezneva Jeffrey Chang, Kevin Coppola

Juvenile Pairs Megan Voigt/Levon Davis Caitlin Levine/Bryan Lehmann Dalila DeLaura/Ryan Xie Isabella Costa/Noah Lafornara

1 2 3 4

Amanda Evora, James Peterson Genevieve Coulombe, Dmitri Kazarlyga Holly Harper, Marc Weitzman Donald Mitchell, Susan Mitchell

Juvenile Ice Dancing Jenna Hauer/Benjamin Starr Macy Halim/Noah Lafornara

1 2

Svetlana Kulikova, Denys Latyshev Melissa Gregory, Denis Petukhov, Jeannie Widlicka-Lafornara

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan Douglas Chapman, Dianne DeLeeuw-Chapman Dawn Piepenbrink-McCosh Karen Gesell

Olivia Ilin/Dylan Cain Emma L'Esperance/Mika Amdour

Northwest Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships

Southwest Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Vivian Le Vanna Giang Alexis Gagnon Elena Pulkinen

PS MAGAZINE

2018 HONOR ROL L Senior Men Scott Dyer Sebastien Payannet

1 2

Frank Carroll Derrick Delmore, Lou Anne Peterson Conant

Junior Men Kendrick Weston Mitchell Friess Alain Sandraz

1 2 3

Lisa Kriley Amanda Kovar, Karel Kovar Zinaida Kovalenko, Charles Tickner

Junior Ladies Akari Nakahara Gia Kokotakis Emma Coppess Samantha Appleton-Sackett

1 2 3 4

Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson Alex Chang, Jere Michael Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem Tammy Gambill, Ryan Berning

Novice Ladies Noelle Rosa Christina Lin Anastasiya Chechetenko Amie Miyagi

1 2 3 4

Lisa Kriley Evgeniya Chernyshova, Christopher Ord Tammy Gambill Lisa Kriley

Junior Men Paul Yeung Patrick Frohling

1 2

Bianca Marro Weissmann, Brianna Weissmann Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson

Novice Ladies Beverly Zhu Alex Evans Caroline Harris Jacqueline Lee

1 2 3 4

Derrick Delmore, Ivan Dinev Igor Samohin Marina Mikoultchik, Christopher Pottenger Tammy Gambill

Intermediate Ladies Kate Wang Ava Stephens Hannah Herrera Abigail Ross

1 2 3 4

Charyl Brusch, Jeff Crandell Rudy Galindo, David Glynn Evgeniya Chernyshova, Christopher Ord Jozef Sabovcik

Novice Men Max Lake Joshua Simkin Henry Privett-Mendoza

1 2 3

Jonathan Cassar, Colleen Mickey Eric Millot Rudy Galindo, Robert Taylor

Intermediate Men Kai Kovar Ian Ramsey Lawrence Winters Seth Kurogi

1 2 3 4

Amanda Kovar Zinaida Kovalenko, Charles Tickner Amanda Kovar Lisa Kriley

Intermediate Ladies Aubrey Ignacio Courtney Phillips Jessica Housen Ellen Slavicek

1 2 3 4

Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson Junichi Takemura Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson

Juvenile Girls Morgan Heavrin Mia Kalin Sienna Dyer Alice Feng

1 2 3 4

Evgeniya Chernyshova Vadim Shebeco Lisa Hakimi Sherri Krahne-Thomas, Gilley Nicholson

Intermediate Men Samir Mallya Danil Siianytsia Jacob Wineland Gerald Hsu

Juvenile Boys Cyrus McSwain

Michelle Hong, Deryck Szatkowski

1 2 3 4

Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Trudy Oltmanns Loree Cantrell-Briggs, Jill Watson Douglas Chapman, Dianne DeLeeuw-Chapman

Juvenile Girls Elizabeth Hong Madeleine Park Ashlynne Lee Lindsay Mattenson

1 2 3 4

Ivan Dinev, Naomi Nam Charlene Wong, Caroline Zhang Amy Evidente Rafael Arutyunyan, Peter Kongkasem

Juvenile Boys Sergei Evseev Mikah Tong Allan Fisher Joshua Lau

1 2 3 4

Bianca Butler, Denys Petrov Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Victoria Pliatsok Cathy O'Donnell, Terry Tonius

Senior Ladies Brynne McIsaac Emily Chan Avery Kurtz Lydia Menscher

1 2 3 4

Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Edwin Shipstad Damon Allen

Senior Men Ben Jalovick Luke West

1 2

Kori Ade, Douglas Ladret Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin

Junior Ladies Pooja Kalyan Shannon Porter Aurelia Perkins Sonja Hilmer

1 2 3 4

Alexander Ouriashev Sandy Rucker Straub, Edwin Shipstad Kori Ade, Douglas Ladret Kori Ade, Douglas Ladret

Junior Men Blake Eisenach Thomas Schwappach

1 2

Cindy Sullivan Mia Hoeksema

Novice Ladies Stephanie Ciarochi Jessica Lin Akane Eguchi Nikolett Albrechtovics

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Sergey Artemov Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin

Intermediate Ladies Madison Nguyen

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Central Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Nina Ouellette Alice Yang Julie Suzuki Sierra Venetta

1 2 3 4

Rudy Galindo, David Glynn Lynn Smith Rudy Galindo Grete Castaneda, Charles Tickner

Junior Ladies Alysa Liu Lily Sun Elizabeth Ding Erina Yamaguchi

1 2 3 4

Laura Lipetsky Sherri Krahne-Thomas, Drew Meekins Rachael Flatt Sherri Krahne-Thomas, Gilley Nicholson

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Southwestern Regional Figure Skating Championships

2018 HONOR ROL L Tamnhi Huynh Alyssa Chan Ava Raiter

2 3 4

Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin

Intermediate Men Austin Borjas-Ewell Maxim Zharkov Daniel Tioumentsev Ian Kirk

1 2 3 4

Cynthia Ezzo Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov Anna Tarassova, Tom Zakrajsek Ann Brumbaugh, Benjamin Shroats

Juvenile Girls Emilie Mao Bridget Isaly Ellie Kam Kacey Dockum

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Christine Krall Damon Allen, Christine Krall Kitty Carruthers Conrad

Juvenile Boys Nhat-Viet Nguyen Joshua Mori Nikita Prudsky

1 2 3

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Elena Prudsky, Val Prudsky

Upper Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Maxine Marie Bautista Diana Zhu Alexandra Rogers Taylor Morris

1 2 3 4

Alexander Ouriashev Ann Eidson, Ben Miller Reisman Denise Myers, Cindy Sullivan Damon Allen, Janet Champion

Senior Men Colton Johnson

Thomas Amon

Junior Ladies Anissa Maravilla Karina Nance Lily Miller Emily Soto

1 2 3 4

Alexander Ouriashev Sandi Delfs Susan Ervin, Denise Myers Jeremy Allen, Denise Myers

Novice Ladies Ariela Masarsky Calista Choi Wren Warne-Jacobsen Sunny Choi

1 2 3 4

Valeria Masarsky, Alexander Ouriashev Sandi Delfs, Denise Myers Ann Eidson, Ben Miller Reisman Damon Allen, Mandy Pirich

Novice Men Jonathan Yang Trevor Bucek Daniel Turchin Paul Egebrecht

1 2 3 4

Melissa Jasperson, Ben Miller Reisman Marina Gromova, Yevgeny Martynov Amber Gil, Alexander Vedenin Joshua Fischel, Fury Gold

Intermediate Ladies Samantha Liker Isabelle Inthisone Hannah Lofton Mia Hackworth

1 2 3 4

Amber Gil, Alexander Vedenin Alexander Ouriashev Carol Kaufmann, Denise Myers Susan Liss

Intermediate Men Joseph Klein Collin Motley Daniel Martynov Jan William Eracker

1 2 3 4

Agata Czyzewski Gary Irving Marina Gromova, Yevgeny Martynov Amber Gil

Juvenile Girls Macie Rolf Lily Podgorak Cathy Yang Elsa Cheng

1 2 3 4

Susan Liss Ben Miller Reisman, Molly Oberstar Susan Liss, Courtney O'Connor-Bartlett Jeremy Allen, Denise Myers

Juvenile Boys Ethan Peal Aidan Bell Timothy Bergal Daniel Borisov

1 2 3 4

Carol Kaufmann, Robert Peal Jeremy Allen, Denise Myers Burton Powley Caryn Kadavy

Senior Ladies Hannah Miller Lyndsay Ream Julia Budnick Cristina Rackley

1 2 3 4

Kirsten Miller-Zisholz Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Glyn Watts Lindsey Weber, Vickey Weber Carol Heiss-Jenkins, Roberta Santora-Mitchell

Junior Ladies Jenna Shi Samantha Lang Maggie MacKinnon Tori Bennett

1 2 3 4

Theresa McKendry Yuka Sato Theresa McKendry Jacqueline Henry

Novice Ladies Emilea Zingas Emily Saari Molly Davies Alexa Gasparotto

1 2 3 4

Lindsey Weber, Vickey Weber Heidi Masse, Laurent Masse Theresa McKendry

Novice Men Nathan Chapple Evan Whitlow Dylan Wajda

1 2 3

Sherry Marvin Jessica Mills Kincade, Heidi Whitlow Glyn Watts

Intermediate Ladies Finley Hawk Alison Yan Josephine Hagan Sasha Klein

1 2 3 4

Jeremy Allen Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Mary Anne Williamson Jessica Mills Kincade Deborah Klein, Marina Zoueva

Intermediate Men Matthew Nielsen Alexei Chen

1 2

Christian Martin Scott Omlor

Juvenile Girls Samantha Lee Hailey Sundstrom Eleanor Scheinler Briley Socha

1 2 3 4

Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Mary Anne Williamson Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin Rebecca Hatch-Purnell Lindsey Weber, Vickey Weber

Juvenile Boys Matthew Mlachak Lake Liao Charles Huang

1 2 3

Molly Dowling-German Christina Polychronou Rachel Bauld Lee

Eastern Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships

PS MAGAZINE

2018 HONOR ROL L

North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships

Junior Ladies Dayoon Chang Analise Gonzalez Gabriella Izzo Liza Hayes

1 2 3 4

Suna Murray, Matthew Savoie Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell

Junior Men Jun-Hong Chen Ryan VanDoren

1 2

Vadim Naumov Jessica Dupuis, Kristen Weir

Novice Ladies Emilia Murdock Maddie Weiler Mauryn Tyack Saphie Niane

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Sergey Minaev, Suna Murray Alisa Contreras, Liane Moscato Matthew Lind

Novice Men Seungil (Rick) Lee Jedidiah Isbell

1 2

Suna Murray, Matthew Savoie Suna Murray

Senior Ladies Katie McBeath Olivia Serafini Jordan Bauth Haley Beavers

1 2 3 4

Sally Tasca Elizabeth Commerford, Rafael Arutyunyan Lenel Van Den Berg, Suzanne Bauth Gilberto Viadana

Junior Ladies Rena Ikenishi Sophie Nye Imogene Schwarz Jaclyn Bozzetti

1 2 3 4

Inese Bucevica, Mary Lynn Gelderman Elizabeth Commerford, Kyoko Ina Roman Serov Kimberley Sutton, Nina Petrenko

Novice Ladies Violeta Ushakova Irene Kim Laura Jacobson Tiffany Pennella

1 2 3 4

Kelly Ushakova, Yuri Ushakov Craig Maurizi, Nina Petrenko Gilberto Viadana, Steven Rice Artem Torgashev, Curtis Chornopyski

Intermediate Ladies Indi Cha Arianna Concepcion Hazel Collier Julia Kierul

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin Suna Murray Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin

Novice Men Konrad Marut Nicholas Bausenwein

1 2

Igor Krokavec, Nina Petrenko Lynn-Claudia Massone

Intermediate Ladies Sophia Tsintsadze Lindsay Thorngren Emily Zhang Angie Chen

1 2 3 4

Julija Lasenko, Mary Lynn Gelderman Julia Lautowa Craig Maurizi Crystal Kiang

Intermediate Men William Annis Ryan Siracuse Bryan Lehmann Edison Chae

1 2 3 4

Karen Lehmann, Debra Minahan Suna Murray, Matthew Savoie Karen Lehmann, Debra Minahan Arlene Collins

Intermediate Men Yuki Horiko Haydn Gock Ean Huang Robert Yampolsky

1 2 3 4

Jeffrey Chang, Kevin Coppola Ronald Ludington Inese Bucevica, Mary Lynn Gelderman Anastasiya Kononenko, Anton Anton Nimenko

Juvenile Girls Chloe Zhang Brie Dwyer Richelle Chang Caitlin Levine

1 2 3 4

Stephanie Cooke, Alexei Komarov Amy D'Entremont-Allen, Kristen Weir Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin

Juvenile Girls Isabeau Levito Sue Zhang Tess Keller Gwen Bloesch

1 2 3 4

Otar Japaridze, Yulia Kuznetsova Crystal Kiang Brigitte Bazel Rocky Marval

Juvenile Boys Jonathan Hildebrandt Jack Liu Luke Witkowski Alexander Bologov

1 2 3 4

Amanda DeAguila Vadim Naumov Amanda Farkas, Simon Shnapir Garrett Lucash, Sean Marshinski

Juvenile Boys Jacob Sanchez Keita Horiko Louis Lorenz Lucas Fitterer

1 2 3 4

Larisa Selezneva, Oleg Makarov Jeffrey Chang, Kevin Coppola Larisa Selezneva, Oleg Makarov Anna Zadorozhniuk, Roman Serov

Senior Ladies Kristine Levitina Grace Moyer Camilla Zhang Morgan Leighow

1 2 3 4

Irina Delgado, Maxim Frossin Angela Roesch-Davis Sergey Korovin, Inna Volyanskaya Lisa Plumeri

Junior Ladies Ting Cui Emily Zhang Lara Annunziata Jessica Zink

1 2 3 4

Vincent Restencourt Christian Conte Curtis Chornopyski, Ilona Melnichenko Rashid Kadyrkaev

Junior Men Joseph Kang William Hubbart David Shapiro Peter Liu

1 2 3 4

Pamela Gregory, Anne Militano Jeremy Barrett Viktor Pfeifer Viktor Pfeifer, Irina Romanova

New England Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Megan Wessenberg Heidi Munger Rebecca Peng Kjerstyn Hall

MARCH/APRIL 2018

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Damon Allen, Edwin Shipstad Andrea Mohns-Brillaud

South Alantic Regional Figure Skating Championships

2018 HONOR ROL L Novice Ladies Sophia Chouinard Sarah Jung Ivy Liu Paxton James

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Julia Sretenski Christian Conte Silvia Fontana Zimmerman

Novice Men Lucas Altieri Ilia Malinin Jordan Evans Eric Prober

1 2 3 4

Douglas Haw, Ilona Melnichenko Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skornyakov Jeffrey DiGregorio, Pamela Gregory Aaron Gillespie, John Kerr

Intermediate Ladies Alexa Binder Haley Scott Olivia Tennant Lindsey Scurlock

1 2 3 4

John Kerr Karl Kurtz Kevin Curtis, Connie Fogle Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skornyakov

Intermediate Men Zachary Yaninek Antonio Maravilla Luke Wang Benjamin McLemore

1 2 3 4

Rashid Kadyrkaev, Doris Papenfuss Kalle Strid Denise Cahill Crystal Mekonis

Juvenile Girls Elli Kopmar Heleyna Walton Clara Kim Hannah Byers

1 2 3 4

Amanda Evora, James Peterson Leifur Gislason, Megan Williams-Stewart Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skornyakov Tommy Steenberg

Juvenile Boys Matthew Grossman Ethan Kohn Jon Maravilla Eric Heston

1 2 3 4

Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana Zimmerman Kristin Alberico, Maxim Frossin Kalle Strid Amanda Evora, James Peterson

*The PSA Honor Roll is sourced from U.S. Figure Skating using the coach of record listed on the athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official competition registration. It may not fully reflect an athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complete coaching team.

PS MAGAZINE

APRIL 19-21, 2018 COLORAD O SPRINGS, CO

INTERNATIONAL AND OLYMPIC COACHES

ANALYZE THE TEACHING OF JUMPS! Jump Theory, Technique and Training Educational Forum for coaches included

OBITUARY Kathy Slack Mary Kathleen (Kathy) Slack, age 72, of Troy, passed away December 21, 2017 at her home surrounded by family after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born, September 1, 1945, in Troy, to the late William Jacob and Mary Josephine (Baker) Fellers. Kathy was considered by many to be the Matriarch of the Troy Skating Club, which her father helped establish. Kathy had been a member of the Troy Skating Club for over 50 years. She served on the board for many of those years in many different roles. Her accomplishments in the skating world are unmatched. Her life was truly about the love, passion, and service to a sport that grasped her heart as a child. She was a national pairs competitor, a national level judge, and served as U.S. Team Leader for many international and world/ ISU level competitions. Most notable, was her role as U.S. Team Leader for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. In addition, Kathy served as U.S. Figure Skating First Vice President - Midwest. She has also been a Jimmy Disbrow Award winner for her passion and service to skating. While she was well known in the skating world and spent much of her life traveling around the world judging, she was a mainstay at Hobart Arena. She was present at nearly every TSC test session, took tremendous pride in the Annual Summer Skating Competition. She was a kind and happy soul who just wanted everyone who skated, to love it. Kathy is lovingly survived by her husband of 52 years, William H. Slack of Troy; children: Kim (Blake) Heim of Troy and Sean (Molly) Slack of Troy; grandchildren: Alex Heim, Parker Heim, Sean Slack, Jr., and Ethan Slack. Memorial contributions may be made to: Hospice of Miami County, PO Box 502, Troy, OH 45373 The Troy Foundation, “Kathy Slack Scholarship Fund – Troy Skating Club, c/o The Troy Foundation, 216 W. Franklin St., Troy, OH 45373 U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund, 20 First St., Colorado Springs, CO 80906.

CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Former CER Category A and B for US Figure Skating Coach Compliance is now: “Professional Coach/Choreographer” Category. The program is now open in the PSA E-Learning Academy and accessible from the PSA website at skatepsa. com. The following two courses are prepaid, and all other courses are $35.00 each until July 1, 2018. An annual subscription fee of $25.00 is charged to access the e-learning platform. This fee is paid directly to the provider, not to PSA or U.S. Figure Skating. Professional Coach/Choreographer CER Program Topic Area: RULES OF SPORT (ROS) CER ROS 201 – Understanding Test Refresh

CER ROS 201 is prepaid by U.S. Figure Skating (January 1 to July 1, 2018) COURSE DESCRIPTION:

CER ROS 201 – Understanding Test Refresh is designed to assist coaches to: • Understand the change made to the U.S. Figure Skating test structure in May of 2017 • State the timelines of implementation for: o Athletes to be able to receive test credit through IJS protocol o Athletes to be able to use the well-balanced program requirements for testing o Replacing the 6.0 system, with an evaluation scale of -3 to +3 for testing o Athletes to have the opportunity to earn “pass”, “pass with honors” or “pass with distinction” as a test result • State the procedure for applying for test credit through IJS protocol • State the differences between test judging on a 6.0 scale versus a -3 to +3 scale Professional Coach/Choreographer CER Program Topic Area: ATHLETE/ COACH PROTECTION (ACP) CER ACP 402 – “Coach Health, Well-Being and Self-Care”

CER ACP 402 is prepaid by PSA (January 1 to July 1, 2018) COURSE DESCRIPTION:

As PSA and U.S. Figure Skating seek to promote an environment in which coach well-being is readily identified and properly addressed, in CER SAF 402 - “Coach Health, Well-Being and Self-Care”, coaches will learn tools and strategies to put their own well-being in the forefront as a foundational component of quality coaching. Rather than coaches succumbing to the consequences of too much stress without effective management strategies, CER SAF 402 encourages a set of proactive measures that coaches can take to be their best. Former CER Category C for U.S. Figure Skating Coach Compliance is now: “Professional Group Instructor” Category. The program is now open in the PSA E-Learning Academy and accessible from the PSA website at skatepsa.com. All courses are $10.00. An annual subscription fee of $25.00 is charged to access the e-learning platform. This fee is paid directly to the provider, not to PSA or U.S. Figure Skating.

PS MAGAZINE

REAL LIFE COACHING Bob Mock, MDFD, SG

Bad Behavior and Drama Queens I

f you have been teaching for any length of time, you know there is nothing better than a peaceful rink with a happy group of skaters who are achieving their goals and enjoying all skating has to offer. Generally this means that everything is in balance and the coaches, parents, and skaters are feeling good about being at the rink every day. Club officials and rink managers are happy because the rink and the club benefit financially. Out of nowhere, something happens! All of a sudden the whole program is going out of balance. People become irritated with each other. Issues arise that were never noticed before. It is contagious and it spreads like a bad virus. It can come from many different areas. It can spring up out of nowhere and challenge the best coaches, managers, and club officials to address. Incredibly, that happy, busy group of skaters has become fragmented, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what to do. This negative force can hurt skaters and their families, the coaches, the skating club, and the bottom line of the arena, resulting in the possible demise of figure skating in the facility. This widespread phenomenon is "Drama in the Rink". Nothing is more dreaded and dangerous to the well-being of figure skating as this issue. It wrecks skating clubs and arena-driven figure skating programs. Skaters leave the sport and those driving the drama remain to reap their rewards... an empty rink that cannot sustain a skating program.

"We have to remember that these are children and adolescents who will make mistakes, will need direction and behavioral corrections, and must be given the opportunity to correct their misdeeds and restore integrity. As coaches, we are in a position to provide the guidance and mentoring these kids need."

Often we find at the bottom of the problems a "drama queen", or king, in the rink. The drama queen was a terrific kid who was really doing great. Then a whole new behavior develops that affects everyone and endangers the skating program. The million dollar question is why did this skater all of a sudden become such a problem? What went out of kilter to completely change the behavior from great to awful?

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Those in the field of psychology often say the challenges and pressures of the sport can trigger a change of behavior. Other factors can include trouble at school, issues with problem in the home, or even drugs or alcohol. But what if none of these factors are in play? What remaining issue may be causing the negative behavior? This has been a question that has plagued skating for many years. But maybe we have found the answer! After much research, I ask you to consider the following: According to family psychologist John Rosemond in one of his syndicated articles on child and family behavior, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes there is no explaining a flip-flop of this natureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it is what it is.â&#x20AC;? Today's teens seem drawn to the opportunity to create drama out of their lives. These dramas run the gamut, but usually whirl around conflicts in peer groups. If no drama presents itself, the default theme is "My parents (or coaches) don't understand me or my needs." These dramas do not necessarily reflect any reality outside of some idiosyncratic "reality" that exists solely in the teen's own mind. In the final analysis of the bad behavior drama queen or king, the culprit can come in all shapes, sizes, levels, and age. The behavior may be an attention-seeking effort from a skater who is not receiving proper attention while other skaters in the rink are receiving notice for a new jump landed or an outstanding competition result. The drama queen or king, in order to gain control, will create chaos within the rink or club program and within that chaos they find the attention they are seeking. But, as Dr. Rosemond stated, all of this negative energy can also be invented for no apparent reason other than the need for drama in their lives. We have to remember that these are children and adolescents who will make mistakes, will need direction and behavioral corrections, and must be given the opportunity to correct their misdeeds and restore integrity. As coaches, we are in a position to provide the guidance and mentoring these kids need. If you have had experience with this issue or have a positive solution, we would like to hear your opinion or stories on dealing with the bad behavior of drama queens and kings. Your comments are welcome at: MBobMock@aol.com or 412-780-6637

2018 PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION

Board of Governors Nominees Board elections will open on March 19 and close on March 30. Voting is open to all full PSA members and will be sent via email.

Ea st Co as t NAME: Cheryl Faust PSA AREA: South Atlantic Area 7 RANKING/RATINGS: Master Free Skating, Master Moves in the Field, Hockey Level I and Level II COACHING DISCIPLINES: Free skate, moves in the field, dance, power, adults, Learn to Skate USA

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? Firstly, to uphold our mission statement: Dedicated to providing continuing education and accreditation to ice skating professionals in a safe and ethical environment. Training quality coaches around the world. Secondly, the Board of Governors' role is to make decisions in the best interest of all its members and the organization. Thirdly, in order to meet the goals above, each governor must play an active role to ensure the organization keeps moving forward.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? 1) Streamline all oral exam disciplines to be the same format 2) Update all exam videos and add videos to other disciplines 3) Continue to expand its reach to more coaches through webinars and be more active on social media. The conference app is such a success and well-used. We need to use that as a template for other social media outlets. It also connects people within our organization.

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address? 1) Perceptions: • PSA rating exams are not for everyone • Ratings are too expensive and unnecessary • Coaches feel they don’t need a rating because they already “know everything” • Master coaches are unapproachable • The PSA Edi Awards are only for elite and celebrity coaches 2) Reaching even more grass roots and elite coaches who are interested in education and ratings 3) Continuing to be a number one resource for coaches and their needs (legal, ethical, educational, provide insurance, apprenticing, and networking) and letting coaches know the PSA is a resource for them. NAME: Tracey S. O’Brien PSA AREA: New England Area 1 RANKING/RATINGS: Master Free Skating, Senior Moves in the Field, Hockey Level I & Level II, Level II Ranking COACHING DISCIPLINES: Free skate, moves in the field, choreography, power skating, edge, theater on ice

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? I believe that the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors

is to ensure that the educational arm for U.S. Figure Skating and ISI organizations continues to evolve and service the PSA community. The PSA offers education to all coaches, it challenges and encourages them to be the best they can be. The PSA offers this in many ways from seminars, PSA Conference, Jump Technical seminars, webinars, E-Learning 24 hours a day, CERs, PS Magazine, and e-magazine, and networking. The support within the PSA is amazing on some many levels and the Board of Governors is the driving force behind the educational opportunities.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? 1) The PSA needs to continue to extend its reach and commitment to the vast network of local professionals and rinks. The more we can grow and strengthen our connections as a skating community, by being seen as a valuable resource and organization with our membership, the more successful we will all become. 2) We have to continue to build on the different methods of sharing our knowledge with our membership by providing timely and engaging content in various convenient formats.

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address? 1) I believe the PSA needs to further concentrate on the grassroots of teaching by further enabling coaches everywhere regardless of geography, to become fully engaged in our professional skaters' community. I would love for all coaches to have a sense of a community and ask for help, guidance or some directions when they are trying to navigate through our sport. I was so fortunate to have this type of environment in my earlier years and cherish that to this day! 2) The PSA needs to continue to consolidate and streamline the yearly membership requirements to make this an easier process. From being the PSA Area 13 Representative for many years this is a common source of frustration from many coaches. 3) The PSA needs to continue to improve its overall value to coaches by offering additional services and opportunities in addition to continuing education. NAME: Angela M. Roesch-Davis PSA AREA: South Atlantic Area 5 RANKING/RATINGS: Master Group, Master Program Director, Certified Free Skating, Master Moves in the Field COACHING DISCIPLINES: Group, competitive, and recreational figure skaters, moves in the field, freestyle, choreography, stroking and edge classes, beginning dance, and off-ice conditioning

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? I believe the Board of Governors is the group of people who work with the executive director and president to manage the continued on page 41 PS MAGAZINE

Professional Skaters Foundation

A Community that Cares

P R O F E S S I O N A L S K AT E R S F O U N DAT I O N S C H O L A R S H I P S

Deadlines fast approaching

The deadline for applications for The Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship is April 1, 2018. The PSF offers two scholarship programs, The Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship and the The Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship. The Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship, offers three merit based apprentice scholarships, each intended for the reimbursement of direct expenses incurred for attending the PSA Apprentice Development Program at ShattuckSt. Mary’s in Minnesota. Direct expenses include travel to the program site, lodging, and meals. Awards are based on dedication to coaching, sound character, and ethical practices. Additional information can also be found on our website, skatepsa.com and the application deadline to apply is April 1. The Professional Skaters Foundation (PSF) was founded to expand the educational opportunities of PSA members through a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable foundation. WA LT E R & I R E N E M U E H L B R O N N E R S C H O L A R S H I P

Scholarships awarded

The Professional Skaters Foundation is pleased to announce that four of our members have been awarded a Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to be used during in 2018. Congratulations to Amy Ladogana, Sarah Neal, Jill Smith and Jessica L. Williams, for their commitment to coaching and their desire to continue their education. The Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship is available to PSA members for attendance at PSA education programs such as Ratings Prep, Nationwide Seminars, State Workshops or the International Conference. Scholarships are intended for the reimbursement of associated fees to attend PSA education programs. Up to four scholarships are awarded annually up to $1,000 each. More information can be found on our website and the application deadline is January 1.

Thanks to 201 7 S K AT E RS F UN D CON TR IBUTOR S Gold Patrons $1,000+

Bronze Patrons $100+

Cindy Geltz, in memory of Jim Sladky,

Kathryn Sutterfield Denver Skating Club Carol Scherer Murphy

Bobbie Shire, and Tom McGinnis

Thanks to DAV I D SCH UL M A N L EA DER SHIP SC HOL A R SHIP CONTRIBUTORS Silver Patrons $500+

Bronze Patrons $100+

FMC Ice Sports ISI District 1 Cindy Geltz

Gerry & Debbie Lane

The Skaters Fund continues to assist all coaches and performing skaters who need financial assistance due to sickness, disability or age. The PSF through the Skaters Fund has distributed $49,000 to 24 coaches since April 2015. We are honored that we have been able to assist these coaches and continue the legacy that was started with both Sandy and Charles Fetter.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Platinum Sponsor | $7,500 • Representative introduced to announce winners • Rink banner and VIP seating at event • Back outside cover ad in event program • Logo in conference agenda booklet & linked on webpage • Ad in conference attendee mobile app • PSA e-news & social media platform mentions • Recognition plus logo in PS Magazine • ITNY performance opportunities with event champion Gold Sponsor | $5,000 • Acknowledgement during event • Signage at event • VIP seating at event • Inside cover ad in event program • Logo recognition in conference agenda booklet • PSA e-news & social media platform mentions • Recognition plus logo in PS Magazine • ITNY performance opportunities with event champion SilverSponsor | $2,500 • Acknowledgement during event • Signage at event • Full page ad in event program • Logo recognition in conference agenda booklet • PSA e-news & social media platform mentions • Recognition plus logo in PS Magazine Bronze Sponsor | $1,000 • Acknowledgement during event • Half page ad in event program • Logo recognition in conference agenda booklet • Social media platform mentions • Recognition in PS Magazine Pewter Sponsor | $500 • Acknowledgement during event • Quarter page ad in event program • Social media platform mention • Recognition in PS Magazine Champion Sponsor | $250 • Acknowledgement during event • Honor Roll recognition in event program • Social media platform mention • Recognition in PS Magazine • Sponsorship includes competitors entry fee

2018/2019 Officers, Board Members, and Trustees PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER SECRETARY Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Carol Murphy Kelley Morris-Adair Scott McCoy Gerry Lane Paul Wylie Jill Maier-Collins Carol Rossignol Tim Covington Patrick O’Neil

Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee

Richard Dwyer Cindy Geltz Robbie Kaine Moira North Wayne Seybold Curtis McGraw Webster

The PS Foundation is a part of the Smile Amazon Program. Amazon donates 0.5% of all eligible purchases to a charity that you designate on the Smile.amazon.com website. It is a simple and automatic way for you to support the PS Foundation every time you shop, with no additional cost to you. Visit smile.amazon.com and select the Professional Skaters Foundation as your designated charity, and use your existing amazon.com account with all the same settings! Please spread the word to family and friends!

Board Nominees continued from page 39

organization. The board also works together to create new programs, set up seminars, training, ratings, process grievances, modify bylaws when needed, serve as a voice for the membership.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? Over the next three years I believe the organization can create more dynamic programming to encourage new coaches to be a bigger part of the organization. Also, create more educational programming opportunities that may be more readily available to the members.

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address? 1) Continued growth in membership 2) Utilize of a wider group of members for presentations and seminars to enhance the organizations reach and have more diversity 3) Creating a set program that works along with the Ratings Prep program for members to have a specific person to assist them in their preparation for a rating, separate from the apprenticeship program.

M i d we st NAME: Andrea Kunz-Williamson PSA AREA: Southwestern Area 12 RANKING/RATINGS: Master Free Skating, Master Moves in the Field, Master Group, Master Program Director COACHING DISCIPLINES: Free skate, moves in the field, group, choreography, off-ice

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? I believe the focus of the PSA Board of Governors is to promote and provide continuing education to its members, strengthen and nurture relations with U.S. Figure Skating, ISU, and ISI, and continually search for avenues of future growth and development of the organization.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? 1) Increase their utilization of advanced technology to provide more affordable and accessible educational opportunities for all coaches, grassroots through elite levels 2) Continue to improve the standardization of the ratings process, exams and examiners, to provide a positive and beneficial experience 3) Promote greater membership involvement in all aspects of the organization to encourage more investment in the growth and success of the PSA

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address? 1) Affordable and accessible educational opportunities to our members

NAME: Patrick O'Neil PSA AREA: Eastern Great Lakes Area 8 RANKING/RATINGS: Master Free Skating Instructor, Master Moves in the Field Instructor COACHING DISCIPLINES: Singles, pairs, dance, group, choreography, hockey, synchro

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? I believe the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors is to deliver quality education to coaches in an effective, cost efficient, and timely manner.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? While we continue to provide quality and cost effective education to all coaches, I think we need to look at other ways to deliver the information. In particular, continuing to develop our webinar series and developing apps for phones/tablets.

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address? 1) Cost of education 2) Delivery of education 3) Timeliness of education NAME: Stacie Kuglin PSA AREA: Upper Great Lakes Area 10 RANKING/RATINGS: Master Moves in the Field, Senior Figures, Senior Free Skating COACHING DISCIPLINES: Freestyle, moves in the field, dance, choreography, group

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? To promote professionalism in our sport and to help raise the coaching level and ability of each member through continuous education.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next 3 years? 1) Have conference live-streamed so more coaches can experience it and continue to offer more webinars and rating sites throughout the year 2) Have every committee, with their job description and terms, posted on the PSA website 3) Send out notices through ARC E-Reach when openings are available and how to apply

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address? 1) Continue to make educational opportunities more readily available and affordable to coaches 2) Promote coaches to get rated and ranked 3) The PSA is our organization! Members need to be encouraged to get involved through service, whether it's being a ratings examiner, hosting a clinic/seminar or being on a committee

2) Increasing membership, worldwide recognition of the organization 3) Keeping membership updated and current with our everchanging sport/rules

PS MAGAZINE

BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES Paul Paprocki, MG, RFS, MPD, SM

Investing In Your Future M

any books have been written on the subject of personal finance. The massive amount of information available can be overwhelming. However the basic concepts of money management are not as complex as one might initially believe. This article will simplify those concepts so that anyone can have success in managing their money. As a professional skating instructor, you already have the necessary knowledge and skills to manage your money. Discipline, not an extensive understanding of finance, is the main factor in determining who will succeed or fail. Let’s explore the tools of finance and how we can use discipline to ensure the outcome we desire. You’ve heard the saying “time is money”. This statement is true. The earlier you start saving and investing money the better. Take three ladies: Tamie Teenager, Mary Middleage, and Ruby Readytoretire. Tamie works a summer job and invests in an IRA $1,000 for four years, age 16-19. Mary invests $1,000 each year between the age of 25 to 35, and Ruby invest $1,000 every year from age 35 to 65. They each placed their money in a mutual fund that averaged an 8% return and never withdrew any money. Who would have the most money to retire? Before we get the answer, let’s review their investment contributions. Tamie invested $4,000, Mary $10,000, and Ruby $30,000. Even though Tamie put in the least amount of money, she had the most amount of time and will retire with $156,000. Mary had more money, but less time and will retire with $150,000. Ruby put in the most amount of money, but had the least amount of time and will retire To understand the destrucwith $132,000. tiveness of credit cards, go We now know that earlier is better. The second powerful to the bank and ask them concept of finance is consisto pay you 21% interest on tency. In finance-speak, consistency is designated as an your savings account. They annuity. An annuity is easy to will laugh at you as they tell understand. It is a set amount you that no one can stay of money over a set amount of time. An example might in business if they had to be investing $500 a year from pay out that kind of money. age 25 to 65, or $100 per month for 20 years. Let’s see Hint: you pay out that kind what happens if Tamie invests of money when you carry a $1,000 each year, starting at balance on your credit card." age 16 and ending when she is

MARCH/APRIL 2018

65. Her total investment was $49,000 ($1,000 a year for 49 years). Tamie would retire with $616,000. Annuities can be greatly enhanced by increasing the annual contribution by a set percentage each year. For example, invest just 3% more each year. The first two finance tools, time and consistency, must be accompanied by a good return (interest rate). Investing in stocks is the best method to gain a higher rate of return. Over the past 50 years, stocks have averaged about an 8% return. However, stocks carry a greater risk. This risk can be reduced by purchasing many companies with varied businesses, often called a well-diversified portfolio. To create this type of portfolio, you need millions of dollars. Since few of us have this much money, investment companies offer mutual funds. Mutual funds pool together thousands of dollars from many small investors to make a portfolio of millions or even billions of dollars. It is important to invest with a company that has a long history of safe investing and offers low management fees. A high fee mutual fund may charge 1.5% or $15 per thousand dollars invested. A low cost fund may charge .19% or $1.90 per thousand dollars. Here are a few companies that are well respected and offer low cost mutual funds: Charles Schwaab, Vanguard, Fidelity, or T. Rowe Price. The two biggest purchases you will make in your lifetime are a house and a car. The tools of finance apply to loans as well as saving and investing. If you take out a 30-year loan to purchase a house, the first fifteen years of payments will mostly be interest and therefore will not pay down much on the principle. I have two suggestions to pay down the balance quicker. The first method is to take out a mortgage less than 30 years. Many people think that you can only write a mortgage for 15 or 30 years. Not true! You can take out a 22 year mortgage or any other number of years. You may be eligible for a lower interest rate with a shorter term mortgage, since the loan is less risky for the lender. You will be shocked to learn that the monthly payment of a 22 year mortgage is only slightly higher than a 30 year loan, but will save you 8 years of payments. The second method to pay down your principle faster is to make additional principle payments to your monthly payment. For example, if your monthly payment is $922, you could round it up and make it an even $1,000. Since continued on page 47

RINKBLAZER Randy Clark hasn’t strayed very far from his roots, but he is a believer in enjoying the journey. The 54-year-old, raised on the ice in Spokane, Washington, has coached for 33 years in that same town—methodically growing the program and his career along the way by his belief in building a solid foundation on which to develop. Basics are at the heart of Clark—for himself and his skaters. He believes in teaching them and he believes in the importance of enjoying them. When he talks career highlights, he discusses the bridge program he started from Learn to Skate, to aid the transition to the skating club. “The classes were taught by our club coaches and many of those students went on to private lessons and soon they became active members of our skating club,” he said. “It was very rewarding for me to see the club grow and to be able to help increase my colleague’s clientele as well.” With degrees in business and education, Clark pays attention to both the big growth picture and the individual athlete, which has led to grooming skaters from the beginning levels to the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and to being invited to the Team USA training camp in Lake Placid— the first time he had ever been to New York. All of these accomplishments he gives equal credit to his coaching partner and “wing man” of 25 years, Noreen Clohessy Olson, who provides the choreography for all of Clark’s students from beginner to senior level. “Having Noreen as a choreographer has allowed me to be more specialized as a coach and concentrate on the things I love to do,” Clark said “She has enabled me a lot more time to focus on my strengths as a technical coach. Having her by my side every day at the rink working together as a team is why I'm so successful.” The success also inarguably comes from the cornerstones that conversation with Clark regularly, refreshingly circles back to: the steps, the progress, the journey. He shares a quote from a book he is reading called Perfectly Yourself: “I know that practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Randy Clark

progress. And practice makes progress only if you practice the right things in the right way.” “I think that says so much for the skaters and the beginning coaches out there,” he said. “Teaching the right things in the right way. Learning the right things in the right way. Practicing the right things in the right way. Nothing is more important than that.”

Your mom, Joan Bellessa, is in the Spokane Hall of Fame for coaching figure skating, and your grandfather was a barrel jumper on skates. With this family history, was coaching your destiny? I was destined. I have always skated and what I really wanted to help my skaters with were the things that I could have done better. While I was skating, I openly admitted that I could’ve worked harder on my programs. My kids will never say that. We do program, program, program. My strikes will be their successes.

What was the moment you realized coaching was your path? Well, I left skating for two-and-a-half years. I’d gotten a degree in business so I went to work for a welding company because they offered me a company car and benefits and I thought that all sounded pretty good. One day I just realized that I was doing sales and maintaining accounts and working on salary and that I didn’t love this job. So, I went back and got my education degree and I did some substitute teaching for a while, but that never quite fit either. Maybe it was because I was so used to skating being one-on-one, but it just felt like I was babysitting. It was not at all rewarding. As I was trying to figure out what to do with my life, it hit me: I love working with kids and figure skating is what I did all my life, so it was just meant to be.

Skating as a sport takes great passion—so does coaching. What are you passionate about? Working with the kids on a one-on-one basis and working on the overall person. In some cases, they are with me more than they are with their parents so it’s important to me to strive to be a good role model and teach them hard work, discipline and work ethic so they can be successful. Whatever student comes in, it’s my goal to help them reach their fullest potential for as long as they want to keep doing it. I am passionate about showing them the importance of appreciating the progress, not just the outcome. Sure, there’s a 13-yearold Russian skater with a quad-triple, but that didn’t just happen—she still had to take all of the beginning steps to get there. Skating is a

By Terri Milner Tarquini

long journey—it’s important to enjoy it.

Let’s talk about some qualities you think, in your experience, that are important for coaches to possess? The number one thing is patience. You can’t expect results right away. I think, oftentimes, beginning coaches try to get to the end result too soon. It’s about basics, basics, basics. I spend a lot of time on stroking and crossovers, even before we do waltz jumps.

What do you think has aided you on the path to finding more success and growth as a coach? Watching others coach, learning from other coaches and being hungry to always learn more. I don’t think there’s any sport where there’s more pressure for one person when their name is called. I love working with skaters who are as hungry to learn and keep trying and get better as I am.

What is your favorite move to watch when it is performed really, really well? I can tell a lot about a skater just from a simple waltz jump. How they go out and push up into it. What their landing looks like. And I love to watch stroking. The way a skater carries themselves without even jumping. That draws me in before they’ve even done a trick.

Do you have a motto or philosophy? I have something I recently wrote down: My students, through proper training, see success, and with success I earn their trust. Through trust we acquire mutual respect and respect turns into results. The process in its entirety creates lifelong lessons of work ethic, appreciation and integrity. What says a lot about an athlete is how they handle it when they get to the next hardest trick. If they shut down and don’t focus on the baby steps, it’s so hard to get to that next level. They have to enjoy the digging into the process so they can take the time and the proper steps to get it right.

What are your goals with regards to your career? I’d love to get more skaters to Nationals and hopefully maybe even one day to the Olympics. Spokane has hosted Nationals in 2007 and 2010 so we have a town that knows skating and supports skating. We’ve had success, but it’s not reoccurring with skaters qualifying every year. We need to keep pushing forward. The northwest can be stronger as a competitive program; we need to keep seeing what’s being done elsewhere and implement it here. Putting

prepared, to put their mind to a task and to give their best.

What is something that not many people know about you? Spokane on the map for figure skating would be exciting.

How would you describe your journey in the skating world so far? Very fulfilling. Not too many people get up as early as I do and look forward to it. I love the kids and I love working with them. I love helping them—and maybe helping them with things not even having to do with skating. In the business world, you can say, “Hey, I made the sale,” but that’s not rewarding to me. When you work with kids, you realize you’re going

to leave a lasting impression throughout their life. You are going to teach them important things that they will take with them—and maybe even teach their own children. That’s rewarding.

Down the road of life, what are some of those things you hope your skaters will take with them that they learned from you? Hard work. Discipline. Never give up. So many of the skaters I have worked with have gone on and been so successful academically and in their careers. Skaters know how important it is to be

I don’t think a lot of people know that I thank God every day for everything he's done for me. I believe I'm here for a purpose and that everything happens for a reason and that He's directed me on a path He sees for me. I believe that all skaters should appreciate their Godgiven abilities. I view the chance to take the ice as a blessing and to never leave any talent unused. One of my favorite quotes is by Erma Bombeck, "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”

On-ice sessions from the 2017 Conference are now available !

www.skatepsa.com SKYL IN E PH OTO CO U R T E SY O F THE NA SHV IL L E CONV ENTION & V ISITOR S COR POR ATION

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New

MEMBERS NEW MEMBER SPONSOR Barbara Allen Ariadna Andrade Andrea Bennett-Kinne Avery Bott Talea Boutz Ashley Bratton Beth Brown Davies Mary Clamp Mariana De Leon Hernandez

Balam Labarrios Jeannie Clay Michelle Worthy Berkley Villard Robin Aprea Zoe Hill Brenda Farkas

Tesla Peterson Daniel Petri Hannah Pfeifer Chloe Regan Paige Rydberg Sasha Schneider Corinne Small Mia Soviero

Janet Hoitomt Jeff Petri Emily Ma Rausa Lauren Thompson Tom Zakrajsek Jill Maier-Collins Michele Kelley Dmytri Ilin

Balam Labarrios

Randi Strong

Damian Dodge

Isabella Devroye

Kathy Gates

Nancy Tanita

Andrew Foland

Kayleigh Elliott

Randy Clark

Siobhan Tully

Carola Mandeville

Jose Encinas-Garcia

Balam Labarrios

Arleth Estaca

Christopher Pottenger

Lisa Evans

Marcia Pearce Chaffee

Chantal Filiau Christopher Freas

Teri Nordle Jeff Carstensen

Megan Gornick

Stephanie Bigelow

Marlon Grigsby

Andrew Foland

Rebecca Hyndman

Carissa Green-Tambaschi

Valerie Jahn

Mimi Wacholder

Georgia James

Melissa Knutson

Meegan Johnson

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Rachel Lariviere

Andrea Lariviere

Tesla Peterson

Makaila Mailhot

Berkley Villard

Juan-Carlos Maldonado Juliana May Marina McCourt Mckala McWilliams-Nehring Oleksiy Melnyk Jacob Mercer

Simon Hewett

NEW MEMBER SPONSOR

Karen Olson

Welcome coaches!

Help them get a head start on their coaching career, and encourage them to join PSA! Visit www.skatepsa. com or contact Justin at jmathre@skatepsa.com to learn more about PSA membership opportunities.

Melissa Gregory Rocky Marvel Jade Fulton Taylor Galarnyk Nataliya Tymoshenko Paulette Bleam

Alexie Mieskoski

Svetlana Khodorkovsky

Amanda Nelson

Rodrigo Menendez

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Sydney Ullman

Do you know coaches who are new to the profession?

NOTICE 1/12/2018 In light of the recent allegations that led to the arrest of Mr. Thomas Joseph Incantalupo, the PSA has immediately suspended Mr. Incantalupo pending the resolution of both the criminal matter and subsequent PSA disciplinary procedures.

BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES continued from page 42

time is money, making these additional payments at the beginning of the loan will save you the most amount of interest and will substantially reduce the length of your loan. A car is the worst investment you can make. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say you buy a new car when you are 25 years old with a $400 monthly payment. At the end of 4 years, you trade it in for another new car with a $400 payment. You repeat this purchase and payment until you are 65 years old. How much did these new cars cost over the 40 years? If you took the same $400 and invested it each month at 8%, you would have a staggering $1,442,000. There is nothing wrong with buying a new car, just beware that the rapid depreciation, especially of a new vehicle, is very costly. It is much cheaper to buy a slightly used car and drive it for six years or more. To understand the destructiveness of credit cards, go to the bank and ask them to pay you 21% interest on your savings account. They will laugh at you as they tell you that no one can stay in business if they had to pay out that kind of money. Hint: you pay out that kind of money when you carry a balance on your credit card. Avoid paying this type of interest at all costs.

If you want more income there are two ways to produce it: earn more or reduce expenses. To get an additional $100 of disposable income (also known as take-home pay), you must earn $130 because you will owe social security and taxes. If you reduce your expenses, you will get a dollar for dollar return since no tax must be paid. In summary, if you start early and invest consistently into a low cost, well-diversified mutual fund, you will have substantial assets when you retire. At the same time, pay down your mortgage quickly, reduce your car expenses, avoid credit card debt, and reduce your spending. This list is not long, but failure often occurs due to a lack of discipline. Be disciplined and you will succeed. Paul has a B.S. in Business Administration (double major- finance/accounting, minoreconomics). He holds two master ratings and is the chair for the PSA Hockey Committee. Paul has written several articles for PS Magazine and is the author of the fictional novel Until the Miracles Come. For more in-depth information on personal finance, contact Paul at paprocki89@charter.net

PS MAGAZINE

CALENDAR

EVENTS

MARCH Date: Event: Location: Credits: Contact:

March 8-9, 2018 Area 7 PSA Oral Rating Site Palm Beach SkateZone in Lake Worth, FL 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken PSA Office

Deadline:

January 8, 2018

Date: Event: Location: Credits: Host:

March 9-11, 2018 Area 7 PSA Ratings Prep Palm Beach SkateZone in Lake Worth, FL 28 PSA credits Audra Leech audra@pbskatezone.com

Deadline:

February 8, 2018

Date: Event: Location: Credits: Host: Register:

March 11, 2018 Area 7 Grassroots to Champions Seminar Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trial, NC 7 PSA credits Audrey Weisiger http://comp.entryeeze.com/Home.aspx?cid=588

Date: Event: Location: Credits: Host: Register:

March 24, 2018 Area 15 Grassroots to Champions Seminar Park City Ice Arena in Park City, UT 6 PSA credits Audrey Weisiger figureskatingclubofparkcity.org

APRIL Date Event Location: Credits: Contact: Register:

April 19, 2018 Area 10 Learn to Skate USA / Program Director Workshop Lake Delton Ice Arena in Lake Delton, WI 3 pre-approved credits Kim Hines khines@learntoskateusa.com learntoskateusa.com

M AY Date: Event: Location: Credits: Contact:

May 21-22, 2018 Area 7 PSA Oral Ratings at 2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show Hilton Orlando Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken PSA Office

Deadline:

March 16, 2018

Date: Event: Location: Credits: Contact:

May 23-26, 2018 Area 7 2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show Hilton Orlando Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL 28-35 PSA credits PSA Office

Deadline:

April 15, 2018

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Please visit www.skatepsa.com for the complete Calendar of Events

CLASSIFIEDS The Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club located in Ann Arbor, Michigan is looking for elite freestyle figure skating coaches. Successful applicants should have a history of building on past successes of taking skaters to “the next level”.

AUGUST Date: Event: Location: Credits: Contact:

August 26-27, 2018 Area 9 PSA Oral Rating Site SportOne/Parkview Ice House in Fort Wayne, IN 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken PSA Office

Deadline:

June 26, 2018

Date: Event: Location: Credits: Host:

August 27-29, 2018 Area 9 PSA Rating Prep SportOne/Parkview Ice House in Fort Wayne, IN 28 PSA credits Alena Lunin alunin@icesports.com

Deadline:

July 27, 2018

Please respond with resume. Bonnie Shay bshay@umich.edu

ADVERTISE WITH US!

O C TO B E R Dates: Event: Location Credits: Contact:

October 26-28, 2018 Area 16 PSA MASTER Rating Site (all levels included) Radisson Phoenix Airport Hotel in Phoenix, AZ 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken PSA Office

Deadline:

August 31, 2018

Let the skating community know about your upcoming event, product, service, or job opportunity by advertising with the PSA! We offer many different advertising options at affordable rates. For more information, go to our website at skatepsa.com and click on "About Us" and then "Advertise.".

As of 1/11/2018

PERSONS BANNED OR SUSPENDED FROM U.S. FIGURE SKATING, ICE SPORTS INDUSTRY, AND THE PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP In reference to the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) Bylaw Article V the persons listed have been suspended or banned from PSA membership. In addition, these persons are not eligible to attend PSA educational events, purchase liability insurance or to hold active ratings. Through a reciprocal agreement, the PSA recognizes each disciplinary action of U.S. Figure Skating and the Ice Sports Industry. PERSONS SUSPENDED PENDING FINAL HEARING PANEL DETERMINATION FROM THE PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION Thomas J. Incantalupo – suspended January 11, 2018 Seth Chafetz – suspended September 18, 2013 PERSONS SUSPENDED PENDING FINAL HEARING PANEL DETERMINATION FROM U.S. FIGURE SKATING AND THE PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION **Genrikh Sretenski – suspended September 18, 2012 PERSONS SUSPENDED PENDING FINAL HEARING PANEL DETERMINATION FROM U.S. FIGURE SKATING — None PERSONS BANNED FROM THE PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION Andrew Hayes – five year ban beginning December 30, 2014. Eligible for reinstatement December 30, 2019 PERSONS PERMANENTLY BANNED FROM U.S. FIGURE SKATING AND THE PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION Tonya Harding – lifetime ban **Sandra Sikorski – lifetime ban David Loncar – lifetime ban **Regina Sumpter – lifetime ban Marc Mandina – lifetime ban **Richard Thomas – lifetime ban Gordon McKellen – lifetime ban Robert Young – lifetime ban Jacqueline Mero – lifetime ban **Laurie Van Den Bosch – lifetime ban Joseph Mero – lifetime ban **Renee Velasquez – lifetime ban Erik Pedersen – lifetime ban ** Donald “D.J.” Vincent – lifetime ban **Lindsey Sikorski – lifetime ban PERSONS SUSPENDED FROM U.S. FIGURE SKATING **Roy Cofer – suspended indefinitely **Daniel Gray – suspended indefinitely

**Amy L. McCann – suspended until October 6, 2018 **Tricia Rubacky – banned from sanctioned competitions until specific conditions are met

** The persons noted have been disciplined under U.S. Figure Skating Bylaw Article XXIV and have been suspended or banned from U.S. Figure Skating membership [or competitions] These persons should not be credentialed, nor permitted to coach in any U.S. Figure Skating sponsored or sanctioned activity including but not limited to participating in qualifying or nonqualifying competitions, tests, carnivals and exhibitions. For more information regarding the discipline of U.S. Figure Skating members please refer to the grievance page on the U.S. Figure Skating Website.

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2018 U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS SILVER MEDALISTS & 2018 OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALISTS

Maia & alex shibutani coached by

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