March/April PS Magazine by Professional Skaters Association

MARCH/APRIL 2019

2019 U.S. Figure Skating Champion

Nathan Chen COACHED BY

Rafael Arutyunyan

A Community that Cares 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.

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MARCH/APRIL 2019

PHOTO COUR TESY OF JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SK ATING

COLUMNS 2

Over the Edge

President’s Message

Ratings

SafeSport

| Jimmie Santee | Christine Fowler-Binder

| Tim Covington | U.S. Figure Skating

Sport Science

Education

| Heidi Thibert

PHOTO COUR TESY OF WINTERHAWKS FSC

FEATURES 17

U.S. Figure Skating Qualifying Competition Structure

2019 Honor Roll of Coaches

Audrey Weisiger: Featured PSA Conference Presenter

Board of Governors Candidates

Rinkblazer: Sofia Inthalaksa

| Terri Milner Tarquini

| Carol Rossignol

DEPARTMENTS 7 11 34 38 40 41

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

The countdown is on!

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

Find, Friend, Follow

Issue No 2 |

» COVER: Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff/U.S. Figure Skating

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PS MAGAZINE

OVER THE EDGE Jimmie Santee, MPD, MG

THE STATE OF SAFESPORT

How We Got Here

“ T H E MAS S ES D O N ’ T T H I N K , T H E MAS S ES F E E L …” JUAN PERÓN, 1951

o better example of this was the recent death of John Coughlin. As a group, skating was not prepared for the allegations and the sudden turn of events. The turmoil and conflict between the accused and victims was difficult to process. The open anger on social media sites was painful. The lack of information led to confusion and speculation. What and who do we believe? My perspective as Executive Director nonetheless is that I cannot make personal judgements when dealing with any type of accusation. I must think about the facts and the facts only, making the best decision with the information we have. This is not the first time a figure skating name has been placed on the interim measure list. In response to interim measures by SafeSport, PSA has been alerting members to the allegations of misconduct for the protection of victims and potential victims for the last year. Public notice regarding an active investigation into sexual misconduct is something that was once a recommendation to U.S. Gymnastics prior to the Nassar case. They ignored it and allowed several hundred more victims to be abused. I wish that were the first NGB to react to accusations in that way, but it wasn’t. If you truly want to know how and why SafeSport was created you need to go back to August of 2013 and read, “WHEN THE ATHLETE IS A CHILD: An Assessment of USA Swimming’s Safe Sport Program.” Reports began to surface in 2010 regarding swimming coaches molesting under-age girls, with some abuse lasting years, without being reported. USA Swimming responded by forming Safe Sport (not to be confused with the U.S. Center for SafeSport). After three years of ineffectual supervision, USA Swimming contracted with the National Child Protection Training Center, a program of Gundersen Health System, to conduct an independent assessment of USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program. This was also the first time Congress’ House Education and the Workforce Committee asked the General Accountability Office to investigate how USA Swimming and other youth sports organizations handle child abuse allegations. The first paragraph on page one says, “When children have disclosed, or abuse has otherwise been discovered, there have been a number of cases in which parents, athletes, clubs and communities rally around an accused coach and ostracize the victim irrespective of the strength of the evidence. Understanding why this happens—and stopping it—is of critical importance to the organization since it deters children from disclosing abuse and may have a chilling effect that keeps others from reporting.” When victims were exposed they were often treated poorly in the swimming community, the report said, “for example, a prominent coach told a survivor to just get over it.” A footnote in the report stated that there were other examples reflecting this culture. There were instances where a distinction was made by a club between, “sexual

MARCH/APRIL 2019

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

Committee on Professional Standards Ratings Chair Seminar/ Webinar Chair ISI Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Rep to PSA PSA Rep to U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director COMMITTEE CHAIRS Awards Coaches Hall of Fame Education 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 Tim Covington Rebecca Stump Carol Murphy Kelley Morris Adair Phillip Mills Michelle Lauerman Teri Hooper Patrick O'Neil Cheryl Faust Janet Tremer Derrick Delmore Jason Dilworth Ben Miller-Reisman Kelley Morris Adair Tim Covington Patrick O'Neil Scott McCoy Kirsten Miller Zisholz Kelley Morris Adair Jimmie Santee

Teri Hooper Kelley Morris Adair Rebecca Stump Janet Tremer Angela Roesch-Davis Jordan Mann 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 Janet Tremer

PSA AREA REPRESENTATIVES Area 1 Martha Harding Area Area 2 Kimberlie Wheeland Area Area 3 Andrea Kunz-Williamson Area Area 4 Tim Covington Area Area 5 Angela Roesch-Davis Area Area 6 Kevin Curtis Area Area 7 Robyn Petroskey Area Area 8 Melanie Bolhuis Area Area 9 Lisa Bardonaro-Reibly

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Stacie Kuglin Charmin Savoy Sharon Brilliantine Liz Egetoe Lisa Mizonick Don Corbiell Josselyn Baumgartner Karen Preston

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.

assault on a child” and, “consensual sexual assault on a child.” How can someone think a minor could ever consent? The note also said, “One witness told us there was a day when some within the swimming community openly wondered if the victims of abuse were victims at all.” I read the USA Swimming report in 2014. It greatly affected the direction of PSA’s own response to abuse, and in turn PSA wrote 2 GRO Champions, the first e-course dedicated to all forms of abuse, specifically in figure skating. I read the Daniels report (USA Gymnastics) which was published in June of 2017. Here at PSA we took the report and swapped out USA Gymnastics and placed our name in its place. PSA staff went through the process of reviewing the findings and recommendations to strengthen our own policies to protect athletes and made several changes. After the Daniels report came the Ropes & Grey Report regarding Larry Nassar. Again, staff of PSA reviewed the issues that caused changes in leadership at the U.S. Olympic Committee. Before these reports it was Penn State. These reports are long—and in some instances uncomfortable to read—but are part of the process of growth. I suggest reading these reports. I believe our members would better understand why we have SafeSport and the important work they do. Is the SafeSport process perfect? I’m sure even

SafeSport would not agree with that. However, it serves a very important purpose and one that will not go away. First and foremost we must protect our athletes; our future coaches. Neglect of our athletes will kill the sport and the business. If we can’t protect our athletes, who will? Secondly, we need to ensure that the accused have their fair process. SafeSport has assured PSA during a face-toface meeting in late February that the accused does have a right to appeal an interim decision and the Center will offer an opportunity for a hearing in front of an independent arbitrator to take place no later than 72 hours after the request. If you ever receive communication from the U.S. Center for SafeSport, either by email or certified letter, do not ignore it. There is vital information within the initial contact that must be read and understood. In closing, please remember that as members of the PSA, we have a responsibility to uphold our code of ethics and to act with professionalism, even during times of chaos. We need to have civil dialogue and to figure out a way forward that protects all.

Join us in beautiful Palm Springs this May! Advanced deadline fast approaching!

PS MAGAZINE

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Christine Fowler-Binder, MPD, MG

Who’s On Your Staff? O

ver the past few months, I have been communicating with several skating directors about their Learn to Skate/group lesson programs and the challenges they face. Each director had some different challenges, but what they all have in common is that each program needs to hire quality instructors and pay them according to set guidelines. Hiring instructors can be challenging. Who do you hire? The cheapest instructor or the one who may cost more but has more experience? And once they are hired, how do you determine a pay scale? Years of experience? Regional or national coach? Do they have a PSA rating or ranking? There are many formulas that skating directors use, but I believe a combination of years of experience, plus education and accreditation, are what makes an instructor valuable to a program. Instructors who are PSA members have invested time and resources into making themselves better coaches. They go the extra distance to pursue continuing education by attending seminars, webinars, taking CERs and possibly attending the PSA Conference. These instructors seek out education and stay up-to-date with rule changes, new teaching techniques, and current teaching trends. Wouldn’t you want them on your staff? If you are lucky enough to have PSA instructors on your staff, did you know they may hold an accreditation? PSA has an excellent accreditation program that allows coaches to earn ratings and rankings. Coaches who have a ranking or rating have made a choice to set themselves apart and validate their coaching knowledge through the rating system, or get a ranking based on their coaching accomplishments. Let me explain more clearly, the PSA Rating System is for coaches who want to validate their skating skills and teaching experience. Ratings are an assurance to clubs, rinks, skaters, parents, and the general public that the coach they hire is technically qualified to instruct at the level in which they are rated regardless of personal background and skating achievement. More and more coaches are required to become rated, and many are choosing to do so because it is so beneficial for both the coaches and athletes. The Rating System has various levels and many disciplines, so coaches of all levels and specialties can take part in this process. In the rankings program, the career coaching record of a PSA member is established only through the accomplish-

MARCH/APRIL 2019

“Coaches who have a ranking or rating have made a choice to set themselves apart and validate their coaching knowledge through the rating system, or get a ranking based on their coaching accomplishments.” ments of a skater/team under his or her direction. A coach, who is a PSA member, can apply for a ranking at no charge. Rankings start at Level I and go up through Level X. In this day and age, rinks and rink managers (as well as skating directors) are looking to hire instructors with credibility. They want to minimize risk to their organization by hiring competent and educated instructors. That is exactly what PSA membership and accreditation provides. PSA accreditation is a simple way to help distinguish a quality candidate when hiring instructors, and gives validity to a pay scale. Some skating programs have always used PSA’s membership and accreditation to help set guidelines for hiring and pay scales and others are just beginning. Either way, those instructors who care enough to become PSA members, participate in continuing education, and put in the extra time to receive a rating or ranking are the instructors who will also invest in your skating program and will help your program grow. So, spread the word and let your skating director and rink manager know how important PSA is to their skating program and to their coaching community! Happy coaching!

If you want to thrive with unrivaled skating opportunities in every discipline imaginable, then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to welcome you to our community of elite athletes. Here, we share a passion for excellence and the excitement of touring the world.

Start your journey at DisneyOnIceAuditions.com

RATINGS Tim Covington MFS, MM, RC

New Changes Come To Ratings BY TIM COVINGTON, MFS, MM, RC

t’s almost spring… thank goodness. If you live in the south perhaps the flowers are already blooming. If you live in the Northeast like I do, you never know what the weather will do until June officially hits. But with all this change of seasons comes some big changes in our ratings process. The Ratings Committee would like to announce the pilot of a new way of conducting oral rating exams for the registered level. Registered exams are introductory exams. They are the beginning of the rating process and the candidate’s ratings journey. PSA felt it could serve the membership better by making the registered exams a friendlier introduction to the process. Starting in March we will be conducting a pilot using only two examiners for the registered ratings. This will streamline the process by not only putting the candidate more at ease with less of an examination audience and reduce follow up questions, but also solve many logistical problems for the PSA Office in regards to examiner availability and travel.

Under our current process you may pass if two out of the three examiners pass you at an exam. For this pilot we are keeping the same rules meaning you must pass by both of the two examiners. If one examiner gives it a pass and another a retry, it will be a retry for the candidate. Hopefully all will benefit from this new pilot and if it goes well we hope that the Board of Governors will vote this into process this year. The other big change that was previously announced is all new free skating and group instructor oral exams are required to complete the requirements in the table below prior to taking the test: We hope this new pilot and the addition of First Aid and CPR certificates will make for a better rating process, and more importantly, better coaching.

Registered

Certified

Senior

Master

• Must have completed Concussion Training.

• Must hold a valid First Aid Certificate

• Must hold valid First Aid and CPR Certificates

• It is recommended that you hold a valid F irst Aid Certificate.

Are you looking for additional PSA credits? Do you have an idea for a seminar or education event in your area? Good news! The PSA offers the opportunity to broaden our outreach for educational credits and coaching seminars and is looking for educational partners and events that we can put a stamp of approval on and endorse. If you have an idea for an event or are interested in an endorsement, please contact office@skatepsa.com or visit skatepsa.com for more information.

MARCH/APRIL 2019

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

Basic Accreditation (BA)

Foundations of Coaching Course (FCC)

E-learning Academy

Willmar, MN | January 6, 2019

Gary Kemp Ben Honeywill-Sykes Kristen Perdue Tara Smith Shari Heywood- Jude Ashley Smith Samantha McCain Sabrina Eldredge Natalie Steel Ashley Tike Stephanie Smith Courtney Wetterich Brad Vigorito Brianna Hatch Amanda Gelb Dakota Delsey

Ashlyn Bergh Riley Block Amanda Erickson Kayla Fernandez Sydney Fischer April Groff Sarah Hanson

Adeline Hayden Allison Heilman Tasia Hillestad Lindsay Johnston Karen Louise Lobosco Mitchel Markkanen Debbie Minter

Gina Plotz Andrea Schwartz Debra Shriver Alexandra Suchy Michaela Trickey

Thank you to course conductors Tom Hickey, Mark Ladwig of Jackson Ultima, and Barb Yackel.

Ratings Detroit, MI | January 21, 2019

Annacaye Clark CC

HAVE YOU CHECKED US OUT?

PSA invites you to explore our valuable coaching resource! PSA TV is an on-demand video library of past conferences and seminars presented by the Professional Skaters Association. This rich and valuable resource also includes tips from master rated coaches, webinars, and podcasts. PSA TV is an ever-growing collection of educational assets to explore at your own convenience. We proudly offer a selection of free content, videos for purchase, or subscribe for only $4.99/ month for on-demand access to the full catalog. Keep an eye out for new content being added often!

www.skatepsa.com PS MAGAZINE

SafeSport Q & A B Y K R I S T I N A R N E S O N C U T L E R , U . S . F I G U R E S K AT I N G S A F E S P O R T C H A I R

t has long been the commitment of U.S. Figure Skating to provide an environment to its members that is safe, healthy and positive. At the core of this philosophy is athlete safety. Through the Ethics Rules and the SafeSport Program, U.S. Figure Skating provides clear expectations for membership and participation in sanctioned events as well as a reasonable administrative process to resolve concerns, violations and disputes. Following the activation of the U.S. Center for SafeSport and the updated guidance and proposed policies it provided to all NGBs, U.S. Figure Skating further developed its own SafeSport Policies through the SafeSport Handbook and the updated Ethics Rules. The U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook includes clear definitions of the six types of prohibited conduct, including emotional, physical and sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment and willful failure to report misconduct. It also provides practical applications for the Two Deep Leadership policy through the travel and billeting restrictions for minor athletes and Covered Individuals. Handbook development and related presentations and training were the first step in moving the SafeSport Program forward—ensuring that everyone is on the same page about what is expected, both in terms of behavior and in terms of speaking up on behalf of yourself, or another

MARCH/APRIL 2019

athlete or member. However, we will only achieve the goals of the SafeSport Program if all members—including athletes, parents, coaches, officials and volunteers—are committed to working together in support of the program. Because a coach is in a position of authority, the SafeSport Program defines a coach as a “Covered Individual” and applies certain expectations and limitations on activities with minor athletes. It is important that coaches review and understand these policies and ask questions if they are unsure as to how a certain policy applies to their work with students. For instance, in regard to the travel and billeting restrictions, the permission of a parent or legal guardian does not remove the restriction. While the application of these rules may require some adjustments to the way athletes, parents and coaches have interacted in the past, such modification is essential for athlete safety and to meet the requirements of federal law and the expectations of the U.S. Olympic Committee. It is important that we all get comfortable talking about SafeSport issues and take the training seriously. We must be open to concerns raised by others. Many concerns can be resolved at the Club level, following the Club dispute-resolution process. More serious concerns should be reported to U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport. Where sexual contact or sexual misconduct is suspected, a report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport and local law enforcement is mandated. It is essential we work together to ensure that our athletes know that their voices are an essential element to athlete

safety. As a part of this commitment, later this year U.S. Figure Skating and the U.S. Center for SafeSport will provide age-appropriate SafeSport training for minor athletes.

Q&A with U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Chair Kristin Arneson-Cutler Question: The synchro team had just finished a rough practice before a major competition. The head coach called a mandatory meeting in the locker room before anyone could depart the rink. Our coach began to address the team in an angry, loud voice, saying, “Sarah, you absolutely stink! If you don’t figure out how to execute the step sequence without putting your foot down by next practice, you will be replaced by a substitute! Do you understand? And if any of the rest of you think you are exempt from being replaced as well, just try me. You are all on the bubble. The most important thing to me is that we win this next competition, and if I have to lose some of you to do it, I will. Any questions? Good. Dismissed.” Kris: I understand that performing well is important and there are times that making expectations and consequences clear, but it is a concern when a coach feels he or she must shout, scream or belittle athletes in any setting. Bullying behavior is never appropriate, certainly not from a Covered Individual. However, for this to be in violation of the SafeSport Handbook, the behavior must be intentionally aggressive and persistent behavior repeated over time. The key here, is repeated over time. Q: A promising, confident novice level

REPORT Allegations of Sexual Misconduct should be reported directly to the U.S. Center for SafeSport at: www.safesport.org (click “Report a Concern”) or by calling: 720-531-0340. To report a suspected violation of the SafeSport Policy that does not involve Sexual Misconduct, go to www.usfigureskating.org (click on “Clubs” tab; click on SafeSport Program tab; click on the form to report.

singles skater made a commitment to try pairs skating. Her skating and her body are strong and athletic. Within six months of becoming a pairs skater, she presented very differently. Her confidence and self-esteem were noticeably low, she had lost significant weight and she rarely spoke unless asked a direct question or made eye contact at all. Her coach was visibly irritated and sharp with her. Is this a SafeSport violation? Kris: There could be many reasons why an athlete loses confidence or appears to be struggling. While not immediately a SafeSport violation, there appears to be a problem. If a

coach appears to be aggravating the situation and not seeking support for the athlete, it may be time for a parent or guardian to ask questions or seek help from trained professionals such as a physician or other sports medicine professionals.

comments about what a terrible skater she was and how she was going to be last, and that they would have to put up with another difficult meeting with the skater’s mother after the event. Unfortunately, all at the gate heard every word they said.

Q: It was regionals, and two coaches were standing at the gate during the 6-minute warm-up coaching their skater. Both coached an Olympic athlete at the time and co-teach several skaters. The tone of voice when coaching the skater made others uncomfortable. And when she skated away to warm up the next element, the two coaches made

Kris: The Codes of Conduct for Figure Skating make clear that we are to treat one another with dignity and respect. And certainly, elite coaches are role models for many—including other coaches. Whether meant in a joking fashion or not, the demeaning comments were inappropriate.

PS MAGAZINE

[ BOARD PROFILE ]

The Greensboro Ice House

Kelley Morris Adair Kelley Morris Adair, who served as president of the Professional Skaters Association from 2007-2010, works with her husband Donny at the Louisville Skating Academy coaching a group of competitive dance teams. Adair has been working in Louisville for the past eight years, and as such, has seen numerous skaters grow from high schoolers on their dance teams to go on to college and adulthood. Additionally, she currently has one team that is succeeding as part of Team USA. “It’s been so rewarding working with them through all of their development stages,” Adair said. “I feel very fortunate to work with such amazing athletes, so committed to skating while in college. They are extraordinary.” Adair also works with approximately 256 skaters who are at different stages of their skating development, dealing with moves, dance, and choreography, and one day a week she works with synchro teams representing the University of Miami of Ohio. In 1991, the Adairs were hired to start a competitive dance program in Indianapolis, and they still make their home in the Indiana capital city. Adair is a self-proclaimed lover of all sports, but when it comes to playing the games, she prefers to play golf, and she and Donny enjoy attending golf tournaments as fans. She also enjoys one of the more stringent portions of her job as a skating coach—traveling with her junior teams to many sites over the past few years. But the passion that fills up Adair’s time away from skating is, fittingly, skating. “My husband would say my biggest hobby is volunteering, and he might be right,” she said. “I have always loved committee work with the PSA and U.S. Figure Skating. I have been coaching for almost 40 years and I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t serving one of the committees.”

Greensboro, NC

Kendall Ice Arena Miami, FL

Kettle Moraine FSC West Bend, WI

Skate Frederick Ice Sports Frederick, MD

Ice Den Chandler Chandler, AZ

Ice Den Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ

Cincinnati Skating School Cincinnati, OH

Central Iowa FSC Urbandale, IA Adair currently sits on the PSA Board of Governors, and is the committee chairperson for Professional Standards, Nominating, and Coaches Hall of Fame committees. She is also the PSA representative to U.S. Figure Skating. Her committee work allows her to maintain her goal to improve conditions for skating coaches and to promote the programs the PSA offers to the skating profession. “We need to continue our efforts in helping coaches create safe environments for athletes to learn,” she said. “We need to continue to have high expectations from all of our coaches and educate them on their responsibility within these efforts. We also need to continue advancing our technology to have more opportunities to reach younger coaches.” On that last point, Adair points to PSA TV, a library of videos from past conferences and seminars, as well as tips from masterrated coaches, as a way to reach coaches who have grown to learn via video instruction. You can check out PSA TV at skatepsa.com.

Edge Skating School/ Edge Ice Arena Littleton, CO

Palm Beach Ice Works West Palm Beach, FL

Ice Centre at the Promenade Westminster, CO

Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena Pelham, AL

Marquette FSC Marquette, MI

Palm Beach Skate Zone Lake Worth, FL

Honnen Ice Arena Colorado Springs, CO

Rochester FSC Rochester, MN

World Arena Ice Hall Colorado Springs, CO

Carolina Ice Palace North Charleston, SC

Martha’s Vineyard FSC Vineyard Haven, MA

Park City Ice Arena Park City, UT

Hertz Arena Estero, FL

The Rinx Total Skating Program Hauppauge, NY Congratulations to these progressive training facilities dedicated to excellence in coaching both on and off-ice.

PS MAGAZINE

SPORT SCIENCE Heidi Thibert, MFS, MM, MC

National Standards for Sport Coaches by Core Responsibilities B Y H E I D I D E L I O T H I B E R T, P S A D I R E C T O R O F C O A C H I N G D E V E L O P M E N T ; SPORT SCIENCE COMMITTEE CHAIR

ccasionally I field questions regarding The National Standards for Sport Coaches (NASPE 2006). The standards are now organized into seven core responsibilities of coaching and align with the International Sport Coaching Framework (ICCE, ASOIF, and Leeds Metropolitan University, 2013). Both the core responsibilities and standards are based on the most recent scientific research in coaching. Since 2014, PSA coaching education programs developed and administered for U.S. Figure Skating have met the requirements to bear the USOC CNS (Complies with National Standards) logo. A baseline measuring tool, the CNS Program provides an opportunity for each National Governing Body (NGB) to conduct an internal evaluation of its coaching curriculum â&#x20AC;&#x201D;ranging from content to applicationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and verify that its program complies with the national standards. Our recognition by the USOC is one of only five to meet the requirements to date. The complete NSSC document is too lengthy to print here, but I wanted to bring to your attention area #4 and #6 that specifically correlate with sport science and safety principles.

The National Standards for Sport Coaches Core Responsibilities Area #4: Safe Sport Environment Sport coaches create an emotionally and physically safe sport environment by following the practices outlined by sport organizations, coaching science, and state and federal laws. To meet this responsibility sport coaches:

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Standard 12

Create a respectful and safe environment which is free from harassment and abuse

Standard 13

Collaborate with program directors to fulfill all legal responsibilities and risk-management procedures associated with coaching

Standard 14

Identify and mitigate physical, psychological and sociocultural conditions that predispose athletes to injuries

Standard 15

Monitor environmental conditions and modify participation as needed to ensure the health and safety of participants

Standard 16

Reduce potential injuries by instituting safe and proper training principles and procedures

Standard 17

Develop awareness of common injuries in sport and provide immediate and appropriate care within scope of practice

Standard 18

Support the decisions of sports medicine professionals to help facilitate a healthy return to play for athletes following an injury

Standard 19

Model and encourage nutritional practices that ensure the health and safety of athletes

Standard 20

Provide accurate information about drugs and supplements to athletes and advocate for drug-free sport participation

The National Standards for Sport Coaches Core Responsibilities Area #6: Conduct Practice and Prepare for Competition Sport coaches draw upon current coaching science, sport-specific knowledge, and best practices to conduct quality sport practices, prepare athletes for competition, and effectively manage contests. This practice can be framed around how coaches plan, teach, assess, and adapt in practices and competition. To meet this responsibility sport coaches:

Standard 24

Create seasonal and/or annual plans that incorporate developmentally appropriate progressions for instructing sport-specific skills based on best practices in motor development, biomechanics, and motor learning

Standard 25

Design appropriate progressions for improving sport-specific physiological systems throughout all phases of the sport season using essential principles of exercise physiology and nutritional knowledge

Standard 26

Plan practices to incorporate appropriate competition strategies, tactics, and scouting information

Standard 27

Incorporate mental skills into practice and competition to enhance performance and athlete well-being

Standard 32

Craft daily practice plans based on sound teaching and learning principles to promote athlete development and optimize competitive performance

Standard 33

Use appropriate motivational techniques to enhance performance and athlete engagement during practices and competitions

Standard 34

Implement appropriate strategies for evaluating athlete training, development, and performance

Standard 36

Adjust training and competition plans based on athlete needs and assessment practices

Standard 37

Use strategic decision-making skills to make adjustments, improvements, or change course throughout a competition

Role and Purpose of the Standards The National Standards for Sport Coaches (NSSC) provide direction for coach educators and developers, sport administrators, coaches, athletes and their families, and the public regarding the core responsibilities that coaches should possess along with the supporting task-related competencies. The standards identify the knowledge and skills to support a quality amateur sport experience for athletes and provide those working with sport coaches the resources to develop their coaching staff.

References International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) Association of Summer Olympic Federations (ASOIF) Leeds Metropolitan University (2013). International sport coaching framework. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)

PS MAGAZINE

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

Behavior Analysis Tools for Figure Skating B Y P AT R I C K S M I T H NOTE TO READERS:

This article is a follow up to an education article appearing in the January-February 2019 issue entitled “Behavior Analysis for Popped Jumps.”

Diving Right In The previous article outlined four steps to using contingency analysis in your coaching practices. 1. Identify the target behavior 2. Identify the reinforcer 3. Identify the antecedent conditions 4. Bring it all together Within those, I noted that being able to separate form from function and the practice of fading are two key skills. This article focuses on introducing those skills.

Form versus Function In any coaching situation, we’ve all known the problem athlete. No matter how much we encourage, cajole, or punish them, they seem to keep missing a critical skill. In other words, they have stopped improving and continue to make the same mistake over and over. For coach or athlete, this is massively frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be the end. As the coach, you’re going to go through the four steps above and may find yourself asking “What IS the reinforcer for the mistake behavior?” The reinforcer can be especially unintuitive if your regular response to mistakes is letting the athlete know that they did wrong. This is where the form versus function distinction comes in. In this case, the form of your feedback is negative, coercive, abrasive, or even straight up mean. So how could this be reinforcing? If you refer back to the original article, you’ll see that one of the four functions is attention. Here, the yelling, joking, or corrective commentary, despite the form, is still attention for the athlete. Functional attention doesn’t discriminate between nice and not nice and can be as simple as just facing the athlete or making eye contact. The distinction of form versus function boils down to ‘the what’ (form) versus ‘the why’ (function). In the article, I shared the most common four whys of behavior; (1) attention, (2) escape, (3) access, and (4) stimulation. We’ve already reviewed a few examples of attention maintained behaviors and reinforcers. I’ll go through the other three briefly now.

MARCH/APRIL 2019

Escape An example of an escape reinforced behavior would be a mistake that results in ‘time out.’ Commonly, escape maintained behavior is due to an uncomfortable environmental element that is eliminated or reduced when the reinforcer is delivered. If a skater is fatigued or uncomfortable with their surroundings, mistakes resulting in time resting or a change in surroundings may become more frequent. Access Access is very similar to escape but the distinction is the reinforcer itself is the thing they are trying to access. In contrast, escape reinforcers, like ‘time out,’ have a secondary effect of removing the element that is causing discomfort. Access reinforcers are what most might call incentives. Snacks, breaks, or socializing are common forms of access reinforcers. Stimulation Stimulation reinforcers are relatively rare among athletes that are normally developing but can actually be valuable amongst mastery level athletes. (That mastery deep dive is for another day) Stimulation maintained behavior is more frequent in nonverbal, or limited verbal capacity individuals. In those unique cases, their sensory experience of certain behaviors reinforces that behavior and their minimal verbal capacities limit effective counter control through verbal relations. This is effectively a special category of access, where they engage in a behavior because the physical sensation involved makes that behavior more frequent. If you think you have an athlete that is engaging in a detrimental, stimulation maintained behavior, you can contact me for more resources. Among these big four, attention is the most common reinforcer. The great implication here is, if your athletes are suffering from performance plateaus or persistant mistakes, try changing what athlete behaviors get your attention. When an athlete does the improved behavior, give them visual and/or verbal acknowledgement promptly and consistently. When they make a mistake, don’t respond to the mistake. It’s likely they know they made a mistake, which can be aversive in itself, and if they are reinforced with attention, any comment, no matter the

form, will just make the mistake behavior more frequent. The goal here is to rapidly attend to correct, constructive, and improving behavior such that constructive responses, improvement, and consistently correct behavior become the most frequent and regular.

Fading Fading is a process of changing elements of an athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environment in order to shift them from training to performance environments without performance losses due to those shifts. Early on in training, they may work in a studio or gym in order to learn the basics of any particular jump or move. This is a great way to introduce risky stunts in a safer environment than on the ice. But this also means that a hard shift from the gym to the ice may change so many environmental conditions that the athlete struggles to repeat the target behavior under the new conditions. This is why many coaches try to train in conditions that replicate competition. But as we just noted, some tricks are too high risk to attempt for the first time on ice. The solution here has two elements: First, Fading Manage the training conditions to start in easy to learn/ low risk settings. As the skill becomes more persistent, add more and more elements of the competition environment. This may take the form of using lots of matts at first for safety and transitioning to a sprung floor, then solid floor, then ice. Or training 1 on 1 and then in groups, then with a small audience, then with some judges, progressively increasing the audience and judging presence to get closer to a competition experience.

Second, Variability Include some degree of environmental variability early on. This is to prevent what is called overly-discriminated behavior. You may have previously seen this in the athletes that are fantastic in practice at their home venue but seem to fall apart whenever they travel or compete. This is a known situation where consistent practice that reinforces the target behaviors under the same conditions over a long period of time makes those behaviors persistant under those exact conditions but hard to translate to other similar conditions. The best way to counter this is to regularly change venue, time of day/week, training activity, etc. Structure in training is still important, but structured training that includes some variability will produce athletes that can more fluidly compete across differing conditions.

Wrapping Up By distinguishing between the form of reinforcers and their function and using fading techniques in a somewhat variable training environment you will be well on your way to getting your athletes to that next level of performance. What Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written here is just one more step toward behavior analytic skills that can improve your coaching skills. If you know a coach who may benefit from these skills, please share. Patrick Smith is a PhD student in Behavior Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno and a multi-sport endurance coach. He researches how to improve coaching effectiveness in ways that benefit coach and athlete mental health outcomes. For more information or coach skills consultations, contact him directly by email at Patrick@CoachPatrickSmith.com

PS MAGAZINE

U.S. Figure Skating Qualifying Competition Structure

Identify. Develop. Promote. T

he 2019-20 competitive season will be an exciting time of change for athletes competing in the U.S. Figure Skating qualifying competitive pipeline. Coaches are encouraged to learn as much as possible about the new structure to support their athletes in maximizing their potential next season. The new competitive pipeline features the following: 1. A National Qualifying Series (NQS) 2. New names for qualifying competitions 3. A National High-Performance Development Team Camp 4. Additional singles athletes qualifying for sectional competition 5. A new, earlier pathway for pairs and dance teams All of these changes are explained in detail at www.usfigureskating.org select “Athletes,” then “Qualifying Competitive Pipeline.

National Qualifying Series (NQS)

The NQS is a series of officials U.S. Figure Skating approved nonqualifying competitions hosted individually by clubs around the country, in which athletes earn officials scores towards a sectional and national rank and the opportunity to earn a bye through the first qualifying competition. All competitions will be held between June 1—September 15, 2019 and serve juvenile –senior competitors in singles, pairs and dance. The list of official NQS competitions will be published by March 1, 2019. Athletes begin the series by registering directly with U.S. Figure Skating, via Members Only, by the NQS entry deadline of May 28, 2019. Athletes may compete at their test level, or one higher and may even register for two levels for flexibility. The overall entry fee for the series is $25 per event. Athletes are automatically entered

in the section of their home club or home address is an individual member. Athletes then choose any NQS competitions they wish to enter. There is no minimum or maximum number required, and competitions can be located anywhere in the country. Athletes register directly with the competition, via U.S. Figure Skating’s Event Management System (EMS). Each athlete’s highest Total Score counts towards the national and sectional ranking.

Conduct of Competition For scores to be compared fairly between competitions, all NQS singles events will be conducted in accordance with U.S. Figure Skating Rule 2460, which is the same way Regional Championships have been conducted: • If there are more than 24 skaters in an event, a qualifying round, consisting of only the free skate will be held. • Four skaters per group, plus the next four highest scores, will advance to the final round. • Final rounds (or first round, if fewer than 24) will consist of a combined short program and free skate, with the skater’s Total Score (TS) being their official score for that competition. • Competitions that have enough competitors to hold qualifying rounds are encouraged to also hold consolation rounds consisting only of the short program, to all competitors to compete their short program. • All NQS competitions must feature a panel of officials at the regional level or higher, approved by U.S. Figure Skating, to ensure quality events. An Athlete Handbook is available on usfigureskating.org that outlines all of the details of competition rules.

Results / Ranking As each competition concludes, scores are uploaded to U.S. Figure Skating’s EMS, where a running ranking of skaters in each level is displayed. Each athletes’ highest Total Score is recorded in the ranking. For this reason, there is no advantage to competing many times. The athlete is essentially competing against him or herself, trying to beat their current highest score. At the end of the last event in the series, the ranking becomes final. Singles skaters will be ranked both nationally and within their section. Pairs and dance teams will only be ranked nationally. Skaters in the top 25th percentile will earn a gold pin and those in the top 50th percentile earn a silver pin, in addition to a certificate with their national rank. Skater below the top 50th percentile earn a competitor pin and certificate. In singles, the top six athletes, per section, per event, earn a bye to the Sectional Singles Final, and in pairs and dance, the top three teams nationwide, per event, earn a bye to the U.S. Pairs or U.S. Dance Final.

Qualifying Competition Pipeline (Chart 1) For singles, the Regional Figure Skating Championships will be called the Regional Singles Challenge, and the Sectional Championships is now known as the Sectional Singles Final. In pairs and dance, teams begin competing earlier in the season (October), and in lieu of starting with the Sectional Figure Skating Championships, their first event is the Sectional Pairs or Dance Challenge, held in conjunction with one of the regional events. This advances to the U.S. Pairs Final or U.S. Dance Final, held in November, in conjunction with one of the sectional singles events. The NQS or a “Challenge” is always open-entry, and the term “region” or “section” defines the geographic location, not the level of competition. A “Final” is the next step in the pipeline, with athletes having to qualify. The term “section” or “U.S.,” again, defines the geographic nature

PS MAGAZINE

Chart 1

QUALIFYING STRUCTURE Singles, Pairs, and Ice Dance

June-September

NQS

Singles

NQS

Pairs

NQS

Dance

October

Regional Singles Challenge

New England, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Eastern GL, Upper GL, Soutwestern Pacific, Central Pacific, NW Pacific

Sectional Pairs Challenge* Eastern, Midwestern, Pacific Coast

Sectional Dance Challenge* Eastern, Midwestern, Pacific Coast

November

Sectional Singles Final

Eastern, Midwestern, Pacific Coast

January

U.S. Championships or National High Performance Development Team

U.S. Pairs Final**

U.S. Championships or National High Performance Development Team

U.S. Dance Final**

U.S. Championships or National High Performance Development Team

• A National Qualifying Series or Challenge is open entry and advances to a Final • All athletes and teams must qualify to compete in a Final. Top placing athletes and teams in a Final advance to the U.S. Championships (junior and senior) or the National High Performance Development Team (juvenile, intermediate, and novice) *The Sectional Pairs and Sectional Dance Challenge events will be held in conjunction with one Regional Singles Challenge per section **The U.S. Pairs Final and U.S. Dance Final events will each beheld in conjunction wtih one of the Sectional Singles Finals

of where the competitors are from, not the level of competition. A “Final,” whether one of the three Sectional Singles Finals, or the U.S. Pairs or U.S. Dance Final, qualifies athletes for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships ( junior and senior) or the National High-Performance Development Team Camp.

National High Performance Development Team and Camp The National High Performance Development Team (NHPDT) and Camp is a new program run by U.S. Figure Skating’s High Performance Department. In lieu of the top placing juvenile, intermediate and novice athletes competing at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, they will instead qualify for the NHPDT, commencing with a training camp immediately following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Athletes will attend this program with one parent and one coach and participate in a two-and-a-half day educational training program to accelerate their exposure to High Performance Programs and Team USA. The program includes competitive group training on-ice, sports science and access to specialty coaches and international officials, in addition to the opportunity to watch the senior competition and practice sessions.

MARCH/APRIL 2019

Other Changes to the Competitive Pipeline In novice ladies and novice men, the top two finishers at each of the Sectional Singles Finals will be invited to compete at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships—in their respective junior event; accelerating their experience competing with more developed athletes in preparation for a stronger transition to competition at the international level. These athletes will also participate in the NHPDTC. Finally, at the senior level, all athletes that qualify for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships through their placement at a Final, must also have met a minimum Technical Elements Score (TES) during the season to compete at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The score will be published in early spring, and may be achieved at any official NQS event, a Regional or Sectional Challenge, a Sectional of U.S. Final or any international competitions. Senior athletes not earning the minimum TES will not be permitted to compete at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, regardless of their placement at their Final.

Summary – Advancement Numbers and Overview

For complete details, by discipline, go to www.usfigureskating.org, click on

Frequently Asked Questions How does the NQS work with the Regional Singles Challenge? Does my student need to register for both? The NQS and the Regional Singles Challenge (and subsequent Sectional Singles Final and U.S. Championships / NHPDT) are considered separate programs. Athletes may enter one or both and do so separately. The NQS will result is a “national ranking,” and top athletes are offered a bye to the Sectional Singles Final, but to progress officially through the competitive pipeline, athletes must enter the qualifying season by Sept. 1, as usual. Entry deadline for NQS participation: May 28, 2019 Entry deadline for Regionals/Sectional: Sept. 1, 2019 We might not know which level my skaters want to compete in my May 28th. How do we do the NQS? Entry rules are more flexible for the NQS, than regionals. Athletes may “skate up” one level higher than their test level and they may also enter two levels. For example, if you have a skater that has passed juvenile and you think they might want to compete intermediate by the fall, they may enter both juvenile and intermediate and try each (just not in the same competition). The skater will receive two separate NQS rankings. They will then need to decide prior to September 1st, which level to continue in for the remainder of the qualifying season; if that is intermediate, they will need to pass the intermediate free skate test. My skater has entered the NQS via her Members Only / EMS account. Now what? Choose whichever competitions you want to enter, and directly enter those competitions, according to the announcement. Entry for all official NQS events is via Members Only / the U.S. Figure Skating Event Management System (EMS). Do we have to do competitions in our section? No. Skaters can enter any competitions they want to, anywhere. Their Total Score (TS) is pulled into EMS for the national ranking, and for the sectional ranking of whichever section their home club is located, regardless of where they compete. How many competitions are skaters required to do for the NQS? One. All skaters that enter at least one NQS competition will be considered a competitor. Only the skater’s highest Total Score (TS) will count. Skates are welcome to do as many or as few as they wish. There is no advantage or disadvantage do doing any number of competitions. We missed the NQS deadline of May 28th. What happens? Is my skater out all season? Late entries are not accepted for overall participation in the NQS. However, your skater MAY still compete in any summer competitions they want to; their score just won’t be counted in the ranking and they won’t have the opportunity to earn a bye. There is no requirement that skaters be part of the NQS to skate in a competition that is an NQS competition. They may enter the Regionals Singles Challenge, by September 1, and continue through the season, like usual. The ONLY penalty for missing the NQS deadline is the missed opportunity for a ranking and earning a bye.

ADVANCEMENT FOR SINGLES LEVEL Can my student change sections during the NQS? What about the Regional Singles Challenge? Skaters are automatically entered into the section of their home club, at the time of NQS registration, for the NQS. Their score / ranking will be counted in that section for the duration of the NQS. However, they have an opportunity to change regions / sections when they enter the Regional Singles Challenge by September 1st. Note that byes do NOT carry between sections. If a skater earns a bye to the Pacific Coast Singles Final through the NQS, he or she may not then switch to a club in the Midwest and take their bye to the Midwestern Singles Final. In this case, the skater would need to choose to a) stay in the Pacific Coast and accept the bye or b) Forfeit the bye and start with regionals in their new region / section. Does the five-and-fewer rule apply for pairs and dance, from the Sectional Pairs / Dance Final to the U.S. Pairs / Dance Final? It only three teams enter in our section, do we have to compete? For juvenile, intermediate and novice, the fiveor-fewer rule does NOT apply. If there are at least two teams entered, teams MUST first compete at the Sectional Pairs Challenge (held in conjunction with one of the regions), to compete at the U.S. Pairs Final. For junior and senior, it does apply; if there are five or fewer teams entered in a section, teams may choose an automatic advancement. What happens if my student places in the top 6 in her section, but still wants to compete at the Regional Singles Challenge? She can choose to do that. She already earned her spot at the Sectional Singles Final and will be able to advance regardless of her placement at regionals. If she finishes in the top four, the fifth-place skater will be invited also. If she finishes below fourth, that’s fine as well and she will still advance. How will scores be compared across competitions in the NQS? All NQS competitions will be conducted in the same format; in accordance with U.S. Figure Skating rule 2460. If there are 24 or fewer skaters in any event, there will be a just one final round. Juvenile this will be a free skate, and intermediate and higher this will be a combined short program and free skate event. If more than 24 skaters enter an event, there will be a qualifying round of only the free skate, followed by a final round of the free skate and short program. Only the Total Score in the final round counts towards the NQS rankings. Skaters that compete but don’t make final round will be recognized in the rankings as a “competitors,” but will not receive an official ranking until they earn a Total Score.

Be sure to visit www.usfigureskating.org/Athletes/ QualifyingCompetitiveStructure to learn all of the details.

Juvenile & Intermediate

NQS*

REGIONAL SINGLES CHALLENGE

SECTIONAL SINGLES FINAL

U.S. Championships / NHPDT

Entry: Open Entry

Entry: 18 / event

Result: Top 6 per section earn a bye to the Sectional Singles Final

Result: Top 4 per region advance to the Sectional Singles Final

(6 NQS + 4/region x 3) Result: Top 4 per section advance to the NHPDT camp Entry: Same as above.

Novice

Junior & Senior

Same as above.

Same as above

Same as above.

Entry: 12 per event participate in the NHPDT camp

Result: Top 2 per section advance to U.S. Champs. Top 4 per section advance to the NHPDT camp

Entry: 6 entries are added to the junior event at U.S. Championships 12 per event participate in the NHPDT camp.

Entry: Same as above + Int’l byes.

Entry: Junior: 18 + Int’l byes

Result: Top 4 per section advance to U.S. Championships.

Senior: 12 + Int’l byes; must meet minimum TES

ADVANCEMENT FOR PAIRS AND DANCE LEVEL Juvenile, Intermediate & Novice

Junior & Senior

NQS*

SECTIONAL PAIRS or DANCE CHALLENGE

Entry: Open Entry

Result: Top 3 nationwide earn a bye to the U.S. Pairs or Dance Final

Result: Top 5 per section advance to the U.S. Final

Same as above

U.S. Championships / NHPDT

U.S. PAIRS or DANCE FINAL Entry: 18 / event (3 NQS + 5/section x 3) Result: Top 9 advance to the NHPDT camp

Entry: 9 teams per event participate in the NHPDT camp

Entry: Same as above + Int’l byes.

Entry: Junior: 12 + Int’l byes Senior: 12 + Int’l byes; must meet minimum TES

Result: Top 12 advance to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships

*Note: The NQS is considered a separate program; the only thing that carries between the NQS and the remaining part of pipeline are the byes. All athletes must enter the qualifying system by September 1st and be test-eligible to continue to the next event. They also have the opportunity, at this point, to change levels, region/section, home club, etc.

“Athletes”, then “Qualifying Competitive Pipeline” The goal with these changes is to propel the focus on long-term athlete development throughout the competitive pipeline while providing more opportunities for athletes, coaches and parents to have flexibility in their training and competitive calendar. The NQS will allow coaches to design a training plan and calendar that works for their athletes and provides multiple opportunities for advancement. It also allows them to set personal performance goals and compare themselves to all skaters their level throughout the country with minimal travel and be recognized for their accomplishment. The new structure for pairs and dance will provide additional competitive opportunities and encourage teams to look nationally vs locally in disciplines

with fewer competitors. The U.S. Final events will make the former sectionals more valuable and add an additional “national” competition. The National High-Performance Development Team model shifts the focus for developing athletes from placement at a competition to providing them with tools for a bright and successful future in the sport, setting the most important goal as competition at the junior and senior level; while including parents and coaches in the process. U.S. Figure Skating is excited for the future of our sport and our emerging athletes. The new structure will require coaches to do their homework are re-evaluate their strategy, and coaches are strongly encouraged to spend the next few months studying the new pipeline, so they are prepared to set their athletes up for success!

PS MAGAZINE

Kick off the 2019-20 skating season by registering for the National Qualifying Series (NQS). NQS is the part of the new competitive pipeline for singles, pairs and dance athletes. In a series of official U.S. Figure Skating approved competitions hosted nationwide, NQS will allow athletes to earn official scores towards a sectional and national rank.

Learn more about the new National Qualifying Series today by visiting usﬁgureskating.org/qualifying

2019

Honor Roll of Coaches

2019 U.S. Figure Skating Champion

Alysa Liu C OAC HED BY

Jay Adeff/U.S. Figure Skating

Laura Lipetsky

2019 HONOR ROL L

Honor Roll of Coaches U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1. Alysa Liu

Laura Lipetsky

2. Bradie Tennell

Denise Myers, Jeremy Allen, Vladimir Fedorov

3. Mariah Bell

Rafael Arutunian, Vera Arutunian

4. Hanna Harrell

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

SENIOR MEN 1. Nathan Chen

Rafael Arutunian

2. Vincent Chou

Tammy Gambill, Tom Zakrajsek, Christy Krall

3. Jason Brown

Tracy Wilson, Brian Orser, Karen Preston, Lee Barkell

4. Tomoki Hiwatashi

Christy Krall, Damon Allen, Mark Pillay

S E N I O R PA I R S 1. Ashley Cain/Timothy Leduc

Peter Cain, Darlene Cain, Nina Mozer

2. Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier

John Zimmerman, Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana

3. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/ Nathan Bartholomay

Jim Peterson, Amanda Evora, Lyndon Johnston, Cindy Caprell

4. Tarah Kayne/Danny Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shea

Dalilah Sappenfield

SENIOR DANCE 1. Madison Hubbell/ Zachary Donohue

Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis

2. Madison Chock/ Evan Bates

Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer

3. Kaitlin Hawayek/ Jean-Luc Baker

Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer

4. Lorraine McNamara/ Quinn Carpenter

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Ilin, Ramil Sarkulov, Greg Zuerlein

JUNIOR LADIES 1. Gabriella Izzo

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

2. Audrey Shin

Tammy Gambill

3. Emilia Murdock

JUNIOR DANCE 1. Caroline Green/ Gordon Green

Alexei Kiliakov, Dmytri Ilin, Elena Novak, Ramil Sarkulov, Greg Zuerlein

2. Avonley Nguyen/Vadym Kolesnik

Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo, Adrienne Lenda, Natalie Deller

3. Eliana Gropman/Ian Somerville

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Greg Zuerlein, Dmytri Ilin

4. Oona Brown/ Gage Brown

Inese Bucevica

NOVICE LADIES 1. Calista Choi

Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs

2. Aubrey Ignacio

Amy Evidente, Naomi Nam

3. Isabelle Inthisone

Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs

4. Laura Jacobson

Cindy Sullivan, Damon Allen

NOVICE MEN 1. William Annis

Debra Minahan

2. Matthew Nielsen

Christian Martin, Jacqueline Redenshek-Henry

3. Ilia Malinin

Tatyana Malinina

4. Joseph Klein

Valeria Masarsky, Agata Czyzewski

N O V I C E PA I R S 1. Isabelle Goldstein/ Keyton Bearinger

Zuzanna Parchem, Craig Joeright

2. Cate Fleming/Jedidiah Isbell

Melanie Lambert, Fred Palascak

3. Anastasia Smirnova/ Danil Siianytysia

Trudy Oltmanns

4. Alexandra Schneiderhahn/ Timmy Chapman

John Zimmerman, Jeremy Barrett, Silvia Fontana

NOVICE DANCE 1. Elizabeth Tkachenko/ Alexei Kiliakov

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

2. Jordan Lin/ Morgan Sletten

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

3. Layla Karnes/Kiril Aksenov

Collin Brubaker, Jamie Whyte

4. Sarah Jung

Alexander Zahradnicek

4. Elliana Peal/Ethan Peal

Robert Peal

JUNIOR MEN 1. Ryan Dunk

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1. Lindsay Thorngren

Julia Lautova

2. Dinh Tran

Don Corbiell, Lisa Kriley

2. Isabeau Levito

Otar Japaridze, Yulia Kuznetsova

3. Joonsoo Kim

Devin Matthews, Derrick Delmore

3. Hazel Collier

Suna Murray

4. Peter Liu

Viktor Pfeifer

4. Tamnhi Huynh

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

J U N I O R PA I R S 1. Laiken Lockey/Keenan Prochnow

Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1. Robert Yampolsky

Anton Nimenko

2. Kate Finster/Balazs Nagy

Stephanie Kuban, Dalilah Sappenfield

2. Daniel Martynov

3. Isabelle Martins/Ryan Bedard

Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov, Yevgeny Martynov, Marina Gromova

4. Maria Mokhova/Ivan Mokov

Andrey Mokov

3. Jacob Sanchez

Oleg, Makarov, Larisa Selezneva

4. Kai Kovar

Amanda Kovar, Jozef Sabovcik

MARCH/APRIL 2019

2019 HONOR ROL L

I N T E R M E D I AT E PA I R S 1. Faye Kropf/Sasha Lunin

Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin

2. Natasha Mishkutionok/ Daniel Tioumentsev

Natalia Mishkutionok, Dmytro Palamarchuk

3. Kayla Black/Kamden Black

Barbara Murphy

4. Aleksandra Prudsky/Enoch Chen

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky

I N T E R M E D I AT E D A N C E 1. Nastia Efimova/ Jonathan Zhao

Nathan Truesdell, Natalia Efimova

2. Leah Neset/Dimitry Tsarevski

Elena Dostatni

3. Zoe Sensenbrenner/ Matthew Sperry

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

4. Jenna Hauer/ Benjamin Starr

Svetlana Kulikova, Denys Latyshev

JUVENILE GIRLS 1. Kanon Smith

Tammy Gambill

2. Tai Hilbelink

Shannon Damiano

3. Lilly Mills

Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova

4. Ava Ziegler

Steven Rice, Patricia Ziegler

JUVENILE BOYS 1. Lucas Brossard

Darrin Hosier, Corrie Martin

2. Matthew Grossman

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

3. Jonathan Hildebrandt

Suna Murray, Amanda DeAguila

4. Nikita Prudsky

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky, Roman Zaretsky

J U V E N I L E PA I R S 1. Hailey Sundstrom/Andy Deng

Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin

2. Ashley Stark/Kevin Ponceau

Tiffany Vise Baldwin

3. Madeleine Phan/Laz Lune

Bilal Kheir, Duncan Cohen

4. Dalila DeLaura/ Ryan Xie

Holly Harper, Marc Weitzman

JUVENILE DANCE 1. Kiana Pan/Ilya Mondrowski

Alina Ponomarova, Kseniya Ponomaryova

2. Olivia Illin/ Dylan Cain

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

3. Vanessa Pham/Jonathan Rogers

Roman Zaretsky, Val Prudsky

4. Rhiannon Rodriguez/ Rogue Rodriguez

Roman Zaretsky, Kaia Darling

EASTERN SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

S E N I O R PA I R S 1. Allison Timlen/ Jade Esposito

Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall

JUNIOR LADIES 1. Gabriella Izzo

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

2. Audrey Shin

Tom Zakrajsek

3. Emily Zhang

Priscilla Hill-Wampler, Christian Conte

4. Sarah Jung

Vincent Restencourt

JUNIOR MEN 1. Peter Liu

Viktor Pfiefer

2. Ryan Dunk

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

3. Joseph Kang

Priscilla Hill-Wampler

4. Lucas Altieri

Aaron Gillespie, John Kerr

J U N I O R PA I R S 1. Grace Knoop/ Blake Eisenach

James Peterson, Amanda Evora

2. Sarah Rose/ Jim Garbutt

John Zimmerman, Sylvia Fontana Zimmerman

3. Jade Hom/ Franz-Peter Jerosch

Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall

JUNIOR DANCE 1. Caroline Green/ Gordon Green

Alexei Kiliakov/ Elena Novak

2. Oona Brown/ Gage Brown

Inese Bucevica

NOVICE LADIES 1. Laura Jacobson

Cindy Sullivan, Damon Allen

2. Arianna Concepcion

Konstantin Kostin, Genevieve Coulombe

3. Indi Cha

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

4. Emily Zhang

Craig Maurizi

NOVICE MEN 1. Ilia Malinin

Tatyana Malinina

2. Eric Prober

John Kerr, Aaron Gillespie

3. William Annis

Debra Minahan

4. Philip Baker

Konstantin Kostin, Genevieve Coulombe

N O V I C E PA I R S 1. Cate Fleming/ Jedidiah Isbell

Fred Palascak, Melanie Lambert

2. Anastasiia Smirnova/ Danil Siianytsia

Trudy Oltmanns

3. Alexandra Schneiderhahn/ Timmy Chapman

John Zimmerman, Sylvia Fontana Zimmerman

4. Alexandra Fakhroutdinov/ Christopher Aaron Singletary

Larisa Selezneva, Oleg Markarov

SENIOR LADIES 1. Ting Cui

Tom Zakrajsek

NOVICE DANCE 1. Elizabeth Tkachenko/ Alexei Kiliakov

2. Megan Wessenberg

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

2. Jordan Lin/ Morgan Sletten

3. Julia Biechler

Viktor Pfiefer, Ronnie Biancosino

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

4. Rena Ikenishi

Mary-Lynn Gelderman, Samantha Cesario

3. Claire Cain/ Andrei Davydov

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

SENIOR MEN 1. Timothy Dolensky

Daniil Barantsev

4. Katherine Bronov/ Oleksandr Kolosovskyi

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

2. Jimmy Ma

Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

3. Kevin Shum

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1. Lindsay Thorngren

Julia Lautova

4. Tony Lu

Priscilla Hill-WamplerSenior Pairs

2. Isabeau Levito

Otar Japaridze, Yulia Kuznetsova

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

PS MAGAZINE

2019 HONOR ROL L

3. Gloria Xia

Pamela Gregory, Jeffery DiGregorio

4. Hazel Collier

Suna Murray

JUNIOR LADIES 1. Wren Warne-Jacobsen

Ann Eidson, Debbie Warne-Jacobson

2. Stephanie Ciarochi

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1. Robert Yampolsky

Anton Nimenko

3. Akane Eguchi

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

2. Jacob Sanchez

Larisa Selezneva, Oleg Makarov

4. Alyssa Rich

Ann Brumbaugh, Benjamin Shroats

3. Bryan Lehmann

Debra Minahan, Karen Lehmann

4. Yuki Horiko

Jeffery Chang, Kevin Coppola

JUNIOR MEN 1. Chase Finster

Edwin Shipstad,

2. David Shapiro

Ronnie Biancosino

I N T E R M E D I AT E D A N C E 1. Nastia Efimova/ Jonathan Zhao

Nathan Truesdell, Natalia Efimova

3. Alex Wellman

Joshua Ferris

2. Jenna Hauer/ Benjamin Starr

Svetlana Kulikova, Denys Latyshev

4. Luke Ferrante

Editha Dotson-Bowser

3. Avery Landis/ Kenny Eckert

Leifur Gislason

J U N I O R PA I R S 1. Laiken Lockley/ Keenan Prochnow

Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker

2. Kate Finster / Balazs Nagy

Dalilah Sappenfield, Larry Ibarra

3. Isabelle Martins / Ryan Bedard

Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker

4. Evelyn Grace Hanns / Kristofer Ogren

Dalilah Sappenfield, Larry Ibarra

4. Emma Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Esperance/ Mika Amdour Dawn Ponte-Jarvis JUVENILE GIRLS 1. Ava Ziegler

Steven Rice, Patricia Ziegler

2. Lilly Mills

Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova

3. Gabriela Summer Panaligan

Jeffery Chang, Kevin Coppola

4. Amy Cui

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

JUVENILE BOYS 1. Matthew Grossman

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

2. Jonathan Hildebrandt

Suna Murray, Amanda DeAguila

2. Ella Ales/ Daniel Tsarik

Igor Shpilband, Adrienne Lenda,

3. Antonio Monaco

Rocky Marval, Isabelle Brasseur Marvaldi

3. Sophia Elder/ Christopher Elder

Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair

4. Jason Hu

Jason Wong

4. Katarina DelCamp/ Maxwell Gart

Svetlana Kulikova, Matthew Gates

J U V E N I L E PA I R S 1. Dalila DeLaura/ Ryan Xie

Holly Harper, Marc Weitzman

NOVICE LADIES 1. Calista Choi

Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs

2. Emily Renzi/ Zachary LoPinto

Rocky Marval, Isabelle Brasseur Marvaldi

2. Isabelle Inthisone

Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs

3. Caitlin Levine/ Bryan Lehmann

Dmitri Kazarlyga, Genevieve Coulombe

3. Alyssa Chan

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

4. Briella Doherty/ Hans-Erik Jerosch

Kristin Andrews

4. Abby Slovin

Dana Hult

NOVICE MEN 1. Matthew Nielsen

Christian Martin, Jacqueline Redenshek-Henry

2. Danial Argueta

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky

3. Joseph Klein

Valeria Masarsky, Agata Czyzewski

4. Daniel Tioumentsev

Anna Tarassova, Tom Zakrajsek

N O V I C E PA I R S 1. Isabelle Goldstein/ Keyton Bearinger

Zuzanna Parchem, Craig Joeright

2. Sarah Burden/ Jake Pagano

Stephanie Kuban

3. Campbell Young/ Mikhail Gumba

Stephanie Kuban

NOVICE DANCE 1. Elliana Peal/ Ethan Peal

Robert Peal

2. Maria Brown/ Marius Driscoll

Jackie Miles, Adrienne Lenda/ Natalia Deller

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1. Elsa Cheng

Denise Myers, Jeremy Allen

2. Tamnhi Huynh

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

3. Hannah Lofton

Denise Myers, Carol Kaufmann,

4. Amber Barth

Natalia Mishkutionok, Nicholas Jesionek

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1. Daniel Martynov

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

2. Andy Deng

Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin

JUVENILE DANCE 1. Olivia Illin/ Dylan Cain

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

2. Caroline Mullen/ Brendan Mullen Daphne Frysiek, Ruslan Goncharov 3. Annelise Stapert/ Maxim Korotcov

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Greg Zuerlin

4. Xenia Monti/ Gaetano Monti

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

MIDWESTERN SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1. Amber Glenn

Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

2. Hanna Harrell

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

3. Pooja Kalyan

Oleg Ouriashev

4. Hannah Miller

Kirsten Miller-Zisholz

SENIOR MEN 1. Jordan Moeller

Kori Ade, Douglas Ladret

2. Emmanuel Savary

Thomas Dickson, Becky Calvin

3. Ben Jalovick

Kori Ade, Douglas Ladret

4. Andrew Austin

Quinton Clemons

MARCH/APRIL 2019

JUNIOR DANCE 1. Eliana Gropman/ Ian Somerville

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin, Natalya Linichuk

2019 HONOR ROL L

3. Daniel Borisov

Caryn Kadavy

4. Nhat-Viet Nguyen

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

I N T E R M E D I AT E PA I R S 1. Faye Kropf/ Sasha Lunin

JUNIOR LADIES 1. Emilia Murdock

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

2. Noelle Rosa

Lisa Kriley, Oliver Pekar

Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin

3. Amie Miyagi

Lisa Kriley

2. Natasha Mishkutionok/ Daniel Tioumentsev

Natalia Mishkutionok, Dmytro Palamarchuk

4. Caitlin Ha

Jerome Michael, Ivan Dinev

3. Estelle Schwab/ Jaden Schwab

Dmytro Boyenko, Benjamin Miller-Reisman

4. Aleksandra Prudsky/ Enoch Chen

Val Prudksy, Elena Prudsky

JUNIOR MEN 1. Dinh Tran

Don Corbiell, Lisa Kriley

2. Eric Sjoberg

Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan

I N T E R M E D I AT E D A N C E 1. Leah Neset/ Dimitry Tsarevski

Elena Dostatni

3. Max Lake

Jonathan Cassar, Coleen Mickey

2. Giulia Paolino/ Noah Lafornara

Jeannie Widlicka-Lafornara

4. Joonsoo Kim

Devin Matthews, Ryu Namhoon

3. Hope Noelle Lassiter/ Luke Anderson

Nick Traxler, Pierre Panayi

JUNIOR DANCE 1. Molly Cesanek/ Yehor Yehorov

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmytri Illin

4. Kristina Bland/ Gabriel Francis

Adrienne Lenda, Natalia Deller

2. Jocelyn Haines/ James Koszuta

Bianka Szijgyarto, Carly Donowick

JUVENILE GIRLS 1. Ava Neuhaus

Igor Shpilband

Denise Myers, Carol Kaufmann

3. Katarina Wolfkostin/ Howard Zhao

2. Nicole Shalaev

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

4. Alina Efimova/ Alexander Petrov

Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo

3. Kaylee Dobson

Tommy Steenberg, Andriy Kyforenko

4. Ella Wingler

Mary Anne Williamson, Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas

NOVICE LADIES 1. Aubrey Ignacio

Wendy Olson, Amy Evidente

2. Alena Budko

Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young

3. Kate Wang

Jeffery Crandell, Alexandra DeGroot

4. Allison Zheng

Laura Lipetsky

NOVICE MEN 1. Liam Kapeikis

Paul Kapeikis, Louise Kapeikis

2. Henry Privett-Mendoza

Robert Taylor, Rudy Galindo

3. Samuel Mindra

Kehaunani Malama, Kananililiaikapela Tanaka

4. Samir Mallya

Ivan Dinev

N O V I C E PA I R S 1. Taylor Nordquist/ Mark Sadusky

James Peterson, Cindy Caprel

NOVICE DANCE 1. Layla Karnes/ Kirill Aksenov

Collin Brubaker, Jamie Whyte

JUVENILE BOYS 1. Charles Huang

Rachel Bauld-Lee

2. Nikita Prudsky

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky, Roman Zaretsky

3. Matthew Soifer

Sandi Delfs

4. Addison Apisarnthanarax

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky

J U V E N I L E PA I R S 1. Hailey Sundstrom/ Andy Deng

Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin

2. Olivia Jacobs/ Matthew Ho

Natalia Mishkutionok, Dmytro Palamarchuk

3. Annie Bai/ Andrew Bai

Dmytro Boyenko, Benjamin Miller-Reisman

4. Morgan Hilbrich/ Michael Poland

Grant Huang, Carrie Greene

JUVENILE DANCE 1. Rhiannon Rodriguez Avellan/ Rogue Rodriguez Avellan

Roman Zaretsky, Kaia Darling

2. Vanessa Pham/ Jonathan Rogers

Roman Zaretsky, Val Prudsky

3. Kiana Pan/ Ilya Mondrowski

Alina Ponomarova, Kseniya Ponomaryova

4. Bella Golomb/ Skylar Weirens

Peter Biversâ&#x20AC;&#x192;

PACIFIC COAST SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2. Cordelia Pride/ Benjamin Lawless Michelle Marvin, Chuen-Gun Lee 3. Anna Nicklas/ Max Ryan

Yuri Chesnichenko , Yaroslava Nechaeva

4. Breelie Taylor/ Tyler Vollmer

Graham Payne

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1. Lindsay Mattenson

Peter Kongkasem, Ivan Dinev

2. Morgan Heavrin

Evgeniya Chernyshova, Christopher Ord

3. Katherine Ong

Christopher Pottenger, Alyssa Hatfield

4. Hannah Herrera

Evgeniya Chernyshova, Christopher Ord

SENIOR LADIES 1. Alysa Liu

Laura Lipetsky

2. Akari Nakahara

Amy Evidente

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1. Michael Xie

Jonathan Cassar, Colleen Mickey

3. Brynne McIssac

Derrick Delmore

2. Andriy Kratyuk

Ikaika Young, Sofia Inthalaksa

4. Sierra Venetta

Jeffery Crandell, Charles Tickner

3. Kai Kovar

Amanda Kovar, Josef Sabovcik

SENIOR MEN 1. Sean Rabbitt

4. Allan Fisher

Victoria Pliatsok

Tammy Gambill

2. Sebastien Payannet

Derrick Delmore

I N T E R M E D I AT E PA I R S 1. Kayla Black/ Kamden Black

Barbara Murphy

3. Daniel Kulencamp

Douglas Razzano

2. Sage Kerst/ Samuel Alen

Cedric Laignier, Elizabeth Laignier

4. William Hubbart

James Peterson, Cindy Caprel

3. Calli Blumenthal/ Blake Edwards

Devin Matthews, Jerome Michael

4. Audrey Duggleby/ Daimion Davis

Taffee Palmer PS MAGAZINE

2019 HONOR ROL L

I N T E R M E D I AT E D A N C E 1. Anna Gissibl/ Alexander Colucci

Slava Uchitel

NOVICE LADIES 1 Arianna Concepcion

Konstantin Kostin, Genevieve Coulombe

2. Zoe Sensenbrenner/ Matthew Sperry

Alexei Kiliakov

Indi Cha

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

3. Romy Malcolm/ Davis Ortonward

Tiffany Dombeck, Ben Agosto

Cate Fleming

Suna Murray, Sergey Minaev

4. Alexandra Ortiz/ Clayton Ramsey

Jonathan O’Dougherty, Pamela O’Dougherty

Jamiesen Cyr

Amy Allen, Jessica Dupuis

JUVENILE GIRLS 1. Kanon Smith

Tammy Gambill

2. Tia Hibelink

Shannon Damiano

3. Emma Dickau

Randy Clark

4. Sonia Baram

Anna Baram

JUVENILE BOYS 1. Lucas Broussard

Darin Hosier, Corrie Martin

2. Tao MacRae

Kananililiaikapela Tanaka, Kehaunani Malama

3. Vaclav Vasquez

Yidan Li

4. Mark Williams

Kananililiaikapela Tanaka, Kehaunani Malama

J U V E N I L E PA I R S 1. Ashley Stark/ Kevin Ponceau

Tiffany Vise Baldwin

2. Madeleine Phan/ Laz Lune

Bilal Kheir, Duncan Cohen

3. Melania Delis/ Allan Fisher

Bianca Butler, Denys Petrov

4. Olivia Mendoza/ Aiden Elswick

Tiffany Vise Baldwin

JUVENILE DANCE 1. Anna Sophia Obrien/ Steven Wei

Kristen Fraser-Lukanin,

2. Isabella Bickenbach/ Drake Tong

Sinead Kerr, Dmitriy Serebrenik

3. Angela Sha/ Andrew Xu

Anthony Darnell, Judy Blumberg

4. Julia Epps/ Blake Gilman

Slava Uchitel

NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1 Megan Wessenberg

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Maddie Weiler

Suna Murray, Sergey Minaev

Heidi Munger

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Julia Biechler

Viktor Pfiefer, Ronnie Biancosino

SENIOR MEN 1 Jun-Hong Chen

Carrie Wall, Shin-Juh Chen

Seungil ( Rick) Lee

Suna Murray, Matthew Savoie

Paul Rizzio

Chelsea Chiappa, Justin Kozikowski

JUNIOR LADIES 1 Iris Zhao

Konstantin Kostin, Genevieve Coulombe

Mauryn Tyack

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Lily Rauh

Arlene Collins, Suna Murray

Analise Gonzalez

Tammy Gambill, Carrie Wall

JUNIOR MEN 1 Ryan VanDoren

Jessica Dupuis

Matthew Savoie, Sergey Minaev

Jedidiah Isbell

MARCH/APRIL 2019

NOVICE MEN 1 William Annis

Debra Minahan

Philip Baker

Konstantin Kostin, Genevieve Coulombe

Ryan Siracuse

Suna Murray, Matthew Savoie

Danil Siianytsia

Trudy Oltmanns

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1 Hazel Collier

Suna Murray

Cathryn Limketkai

Suna Murray, Domenica Capachietti

Marilena Kitromilis

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Caroline Santaguida

Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Bryan Lehmann

Debra Minahan, Karen Lehmann

Damian Jarvis

Ronna Gladstone, Suna Murray

Jessie Phaneuf-Moniz

Simon Shnapir, Rebecca Stump

Anthony Ying

Suna Murray

JUVENILE GIRLS 1 Amy Cui

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Lydia Canavan

Curt Doten, Beth-Anne Duxbury

Ela Cui

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Lauren Jeong

Serhii Vaypan

JUVENILE BOYS 1 Matthew Grossman

Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansson

Jonathan Hildebrandt

Suna Murray, Amanda DeAguila

Luke Witkowski

Simon Shnapir, Rebecca Stump

Patrick Blackwell

Annette Blackwell, Garret Lucash

NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1 Rena Ikenishi

Mary-Lynn Gelderman, Samantha Cesario

Sophie Nye

Kyoko Ina

Sabrina Zayas

Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova

Jaclyn Bozzetti

Igor Krokavec, Kimberley Sutton

JUNIOR LADIES 1 Audrey Shin

Tom Zakrajsek

Violeta Ushakova

Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova

Irene Kim

Craig Maurizi, Nina Petrenko

Giulia DiRaimo

Alexander Esman, Marina Koulbitskaya

NOVICE LADIES 1 Emily Zhang

Craig Maurizi

Laura Jacobson

Cindy Sullivan, Damon Allen

Ashley Leahy

Michela Boschetto. Gilberto Viadana

Sophia Tsintsadze

Mary-Lynn Gelderman, Julija Lasenko

2019 HONOR ROL L

NOVICE MEN 1 Haydn Gock

Patricia Ziegler, Ron Ludington

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1 Gloria Xia

Pamela Gregory, Jeffery DiGregorio

Ken Fitterer

Steven Rice, Anna Zadorozhniuk

Alexandra Boyd

Antonina Berekhovskaia

Ean Huang

Mary-Lynn Gelderman, Inese Bucevica

Clara Kim

Roman Skornyakov

Nicholas Bausenwein

Lynn-Claudia Massone, Stephanie Roth

Jeslyn Choi

Vincent Restencourt, Alexander Zahradnicek

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1 Lindsay Thorngren

Julia Lautova

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Ethan Kohn

Kristin Alberico, Maxim Frossin

Isabeau Levito

Otar Japaridze, Yulia Kuznetsova

Ian Kang

Dia Toussaint-McGaughey

Maliah Utley

Kimberley Sutton

Eric Heston

Amanda Evora, Jim Peterson

Gwen Bloesch

Rocky Marval, Isabelle Brasseur Marvaldi

Raymond Carey

Silvia Fontana-Zimmerman, John Zimmerman

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Robert Yampolsky

Anton Nimenko

JUVENILE GIRLS 1 Laylah El-Amin

Tommy Steenberg

Jacob Sanchez

Larisa Selezneva, Oleg Makarov

Phoebe Stubblefield

Adrian Schultheiss, Artem Torgashev

Yuki Horiko

Jeffery Chang, Kevin Coppola

Kaitlyn McGarigle

Debbie Prachar

Lucas Fitterer

Steven Rice, Anna Zadorozhniuk

Jordan Scott

Silvia Fontana-Zimmerman, Karl Kurtz

JUVENILE GIRLS 1 Ava Ziegler

Steven Rice, Patricia Ziegler

JUVENILE BOYS 1 Jason Hu

Jason Wong

Lilly Mills

Yuri Ushakov, Kelly Ushakova

Juan Carlos Maravilla

Mikael Olofsson, Kalle Strid

Gabriela Summer Panaligan

Jeffery Chang, Kevin Coppola

Cruz Teller

Kevin Curtis, Jenna DuMond

Dalila DeLaura

Holly Harper, Marc Weitzman

Vince Schacknies

Julia Sretenski

JUVENILE BOYS 1 Zachary LoPinto

Rocky Marval, Isabelle Brasseur Marvaldi

UPPER GREAT LEAKES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Andrei Dumuta

Darlene Parent, Adam Lieb

Antonio Monaco

Rocky Marval, Isabelle Brasseur Marvaldi

Alexander Ting

Steven Rice, Roman Serov

SOUTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1 Morgan Leighow

Benjamin Cohen, Lisa Plumeri

Kristine Levitina

Irina Delgado, Maxim, Frossin

Gabriela Godin

Jeffery DiGregorio, Pamela Gregory

Ivy Liu

JUNIOR LADIES 1 Emily Zhang

Priscilla Hill-Wampler, Christian Conte

Sarah Jung

Vincent Restencourt

Sophia Chouinard

Pricilla Hill-Wampler, Christian Conte

Lara Annunziata

Vincent Restencourt, Alexander Zahradnicek

NOVICE LADIES 1 Anastasia Russ

Curtis Chornopyski, Aaron Gillespie

Haley Scott

Silvia Fontana-Zimmerman, Karl Kurtz

Mia Eckels

Kimberly Meissner

Olivia Tennant

Connie Fogle, Deborah Jones

NOVICE MEN 1 Eric Prober

John Kerr, Aaron Gillespie

Ilia Malinin

Tatyana Malinina

Jordan Evans

Jeffery DiGregorio, Pamela Gregory

Antonio Maravilla

Mikael Olofsson, Kalle Strid

SENIOR LADIES 1 Taylor Morris

Damon Allen, Joshua Farris

Maxine Marie Bautista

Alexander Ouriashev, Osadolo Irowa

Madalyn Moree

Page Lipe, Caryn Kadavy

Lily Miller

Denise Myers, Amy Brolsma

JUNIOR LADIES 1 Wren Warne-Jacobsen

Ann Eidson, Ben Miller, Debbie Warne-Jacobson

Ariela Masarsky

Alex Ouriashev, Valeria Masarsky

Alison Neumann

Ben Miller, Ann Eidson,

Laiken Lockley

Lauryna Andruikaitis

JUNIOR MEN 1 Paul Egebrecht

Joshua Fischel, Fury Gold

Ryan Bedard

Jeremy Allen, Mimi Bedard

NOVICE LADIES 1 Isabelle Inthisone

Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs

Calista Choi

Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs

Abbie Symanietz

Ann Eidson, Ben Miller

Abby Slovin

Dana Hult

NOVICE MEN 1 Joseph Klein

Valeria Masarsky, Agata Czyzewski

Daniel Turchin

Alexander Vednin, Amber Gil

Trevor Bucek

Yevgeny Martynov, Marina Gromova

Payton Winkler

Denise Myers

PS MAGAZINE

2019 HONOR ROL L I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1 Elsa Cheng

Denise Myers, Jeremy Allen

I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1 Amber Barth

Natalia Mishkutionok, Nicholas Jesionek

Macie Rolf

Susan Liss, Courtney O’Connor-Bartlett

Tamnhi Huynh

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Hannah Lofton

Denise Myers, Carol Kaufmann

Emilie Mao

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Brooke Gewalt

Lars Jensen

Avril Phillips

Tom Zakrajsek, Tammy Crowson

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Daniel Martynov

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Alexander Liu

Cambria Jones, Julianne Kos

Ethan Peal

Carol Kaufmann. Robert Peal

Nhat-Viet Nguyen

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Daniel Borisov

Caryn Kadavy,

Joshua Mori

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Timothy Bergal

Burton Powley, Amy Blades

Donovan Cunningham

Dianna-Lynne Wells

JUVENILE GIRLS 1 Ava Neuhaus

Denise Myers, Carol Kaufmann

JUVENILE GIRLS 1 Janice Baek

Natalia Mishkutiok, Nicholas Jesionek

Alina Bonillo

Larissa Bonillo

Nicole Shalaev

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Janine May

David Santee, Christina Godziszewski

Ayne Park

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Julia Kasprzyk

Alexander Ouriashev, Jennifer Dooley

Emma Chen

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

JUVENILE BOYS 1 Andrew Bai

Ann Eidson, Ben Miller

JUVENILE BOYS 1 Beck Strommer

Cindy Sullivan

Solomon Bristol

Joshua Fischel, Fury Gold

Nikita Prudsky

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky, Roman Zaretsky

Matthew Soifer

Sandi Delfs

Addison Apisarnthanarax

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky

Dylan Oliver

Oleg Podvalny

Zitong Wang

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky

SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1 Paige Rydberg

Becky Ccalvin, Gayle Davis

Emily Chan

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Vivian Le

Sergey Artemov

Sonja Hilmer

Doug Ladret

SENIOR MEN 1 Emmanuel Savary

Thomas Dickson, Becky Calvin

Aleksey Letov, Scott Brown

Aleksei Krasnozhon

JUNIOR LADIES 1 Jessica Lin

Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

Stephanie Ciarochi

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Alyssa Rich

Ann Brumbaugh, Benjamin Shroats

Akane Eguchi

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

JUNIOR MEN 1 Alan Wong

Alexei Sidorov, Olga Ganicheva

NOVICE LADIES 1 Madison Nguyen

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Nicole Chong

Sergey Artomov, Anya Artemova

Alyssa Chan

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Ava Raiter

Becky Calvin, Drew Meekins

NOVICE MEN 1 Maxim Zharkov 2

Daniel Tioumentsev

Anna Tarassova, Tome Zakrajsek

Daniel Argueta

Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky

Austin Borjas-Ewell

Cynthia Ezzo

MARCH/APRIL 2019

EASTERN GREAT LAKES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR LADIES 1 Hannah Miller

Kirsten Miller-Zisholz

Lyndsay Ream

Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Mary Anne Williamson

Aubyn Herbison

Theresa McKendry, Lisa Kirby

Irina Gonzalez-Sigler

Coach not listed in report

JUNIOR LADIES 1 Jenna Shi

Theresa McKendry

Emilea Zingas

Lindsay Page-O’Donoghue, Brooke Castile

Samantha Lang

Yuka Sato, Jason Dungjen

Vanessa Jasiewicz

Carol Heiss Jenkins

JUNIOR MEN 1 David Shapiro

Ronnie Biancosino

Luke Ferrante

Editha Dotson-Bowser

Chase Finster

Edwin Shipstad,

Nathan Chapple

Sherry Martin, Jacquline Redenshek-Henry

NOVICE LADIES 1 Finley Hawk

Jeremy Allen

Emily Saari

Lindsey Weber, Vickey Weber

Alexa Gasparotto

Theresa McKendry

Kendall Erne

Serguei Zaitsev, Elena Zaitsev

NOVICE MEN 1 Collin Motley

Suzanne Semanick-Schrman, Matthew Mackall

Ronnie Biancosino, Viktor Pfeifer

Codie Hazen

2019 HONOR ROL L I N T E R M E D I AT E L A D I E S 1 Jadyn Bortman

Julianne Berlin, Jodie Balogh Tasich

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Andriy Kratyuk

Alison Yan

Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Mary Anne Williamson

Lilah Gibson

David Ings

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MARCH/APRIL 2019

ure Skating

2019 U.S. Figure Skating Champions

ashley cain/ timothy leDuc C OACHED BY

Peter Cain, Darlene Cain, Nina Mozer

I N T E R M E D I AT E M E N 1 Nathaniel Chen

Jay Adeff/U.S. Fig

“You start with a lump of coal and you apply just the right amount of pressure and heat, as in training, and then you focus on the cutting and polishing—and that’s how you get a diamond."

Confe

PSA ow 2019 de Sh & Tra e renc

FEATURED PRESENTER

Audrey Weisiger By Terri Milner Tarquini

n Audrey Weisiger’s world, figure skating coaches might also be called “diamond makers.” “Always foremost in my mind is, ‘What’s the final product we’re looking for?’” Weisiger said. “I call it ‘the making of a diamond.’ You start with a lump of coal and you apply just the right amount of pressure and heat, as in training, and then you focus on the cutting and polishing—and that’s how you get a diamond.” A coach since 1973, Weisiger really put her passion into practice when she founded the Grassroots to Champions (G2C) program over 15 years ago, which provides seminars to coaches and skaters. The goal is a lofty one: To raise the technical level of U.S. figure skaters. Her process is in the break-down: To develop skaters from their initial steps on the ice into champions.

MARCH/APRIL 2019

Weisiger, a two-time Olympic coach and PSA and US Figure Skating Coach of the Year, will be sharing her knowledge and expertise at the PSA Conference in Palm Springs in May. On Thursday of the conference, Weisiger will be presenting back-to-back presentations with the United States Olympic Committee. Three presentations will address age groups under 10 years of age, ages nine to 14, and ages 15 and older. USOC representatives will present what should be looked for at the different ages with regards to growth and development, such as sports nutrition and strength training; Weisiger will bring the skating wisdom. “The USOC will purely be discussing the sport science aspect,” she said. “They are the growth and development experts; I am the figure skating expert.” A very cool feature new to this year’s conference is coaches being able to ask questions electronically— and anonymously. “It can be intimidating to raise your hand in a room full of coaches and ask, ‘What did you mean when you said the skater should be looking to the right?’” Weisiger said. “The USOC developed a website where the coaches can type in their questions during the presentation. We’ll answer a lot of them there, but the USOC and I will respond to all of the other questions online.” On Friday, Weisiger will present on single, double, triple and quad jumps. For the first time, the conference will take place entirely off-ice. “This class will be about how to read a print on the ice,” she said. “We’ll go through the physical movements that create the wrong print and the

movements that create the correct print—the correct takeoff, rotation and landing.” Weisiger will be joined by Nick Perna and Jeremy Allen, for their diagramming and jump skills, respectively. “We’ll also go through correct walkthroughs,” she said. “I see a lot of skaters doing incorrect walk-throughs and all that does is imprint the incorrect way to do the jump.” On Saturday, Weisiger will also open her bag of off-ice tricks, such as an electric spinner and an off-ice harness. “An off-ice harness or spinner can give a skater a sense of confidence when spinning fast,” she said. “Off-ice training can create power and explosiveness. You’re not going to land a quad flip on the floor, but you can learn to create power and thrust. Off-ice is a very big part of what creates a champion.” Being a coach who specializes in helping other coaches create the future of figure skating, Weisiger sees the big picture and what is being done to achieve it, most notably returning the U.S. to the Olympic podium. “We’re in the process of doing it now,” she said. “We have juveniles doing triples and intermediates doing tripletriples. It’s been a long time since that’s happened. I predict a way different Olympics in 2022.” Perhaps that upswing has already started with 13-year-old Alysa Liu and her point-shattering performances, which included a total of three triple axels, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January. “She is just what we needed,” Weisiger said. “She is a fearless competitor—she was doing triple Axels while waiting for her name to be called. She is also

Experience conference together—take advantage of the group rate! Find at least three other PSA members to take advantage of the group savings of $30 per registrant. Further details can be found at skatepsa.com.

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PHOTO BY MARK WALENTINY

extremely well-taught—I saw her coach, Laura Lipetsky, talking to USOC strength and conditioning trainers.” That willingness to seek information and advice from other professionals is a key dimension to a successful coach, whose knowledge—of course—extends to a successful skater. “Coaches know more now about developing young skaters at the lower levels to get them to the higher levels,” Weisiger said. “U.S. Figure Skating’s vision is more focused on the big picture and how to problem solve to get where we need to be. Kyoko Ina and Frank Carroll are just two of the mentors going out to work with our athletes and coaches.” This pooling of knowledge will provide the strength on which the future of figure skating can be built. “When I was coming up, I had to figure everything out on my own,” Weisiger said. “We are stronger as coaches when we get mentorship from others. I believe you must have one person in charge— only one person can drive the bus—but all coaches who are making a difference in our sport have auxiliary people helping them. The conference brings so much knowledge from so many angles to so many coaches who can make a real difference in our sport.”

PHOTO BY MARK WALENTINY

Competitor Final deadline April 1, 2019

PS MAGAZINE

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

Officers, Board Members and Trustees PRESIDENT Carol Murphy VICE PRESIDENT Kelley Morris-Adair TREASURER Scott McCoy SECRETARY Gerry Lane BOARD MEMBER

Paul Wylie Carol Rossignol Tim Covington Patrick O'Neil Jill Maier-Collins

Thank you to our generous donors. Have you considered supporting the Foundation? The Professional Skaters Foundation (PSF) was founded to expand the educational opportunities of PSA members through a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable foundation. The Skater’s Fund assists all coaches and performing skaters who need financial assistance due to sickness, disability, financial distress or age.

THANK YOU

TRUSTEE

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

2018 Skaters' Fund Contributors Platinum Patrons $10,000+ • Roslyn S. Heath • Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation, Inc.

Gold Patrons $1,000+ Skaters' Fund – Donation Levels: • Platinum • Diamond • Gold • Silver • Bronze

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

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

• Moira North

THANK YOU

General PSF Donations

The PSF through the S katers' Fund has dis tributed $ 71,000 to 25 coaches sinc e April 2015

Gold Patrons $1,000+ • Richard T. Button Foundation

Bronze Patrons $100+ • John Lynam • Rob McBride • Carol Scherer Murphy • Patrick O’Neil The PS Foundation recently joined the Smile Amazon Program. Amazon donates 0.5% of all eligible purchases to a charity that you designate on the Smile.amazon.com website. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the PS Foundation every time you shop, with no additional cost to you. Simply go to smile.amazon. com from your web browser, choose the PS Foundation as your designated charity, and use your existing amazon. com account with all the same settings! We all shop on Amazon today; please consider choosing the PS Foundation as your designated charity and start shopping on smile. amazon.com! Please spread the word to family and friends!

• James Santee • Nicholas Skinner • Janet Tremer

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 $71,000 to 25 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.

Please consider supporting the PS Foundation.

Donations can be made via our website at skatepsa.com or checks can be mailed, payable to the PS Foundation, (please indicate the specific program you wish to support) at: PSA Attn: PS Foundation 3006 Allegro Park Lane SW Rochester, MN 55902 Please include your email address on the check.

A Community that Cares 34

MARCH/APRIL 2019

Board of Governors

Candidates Midwest

West

Andrea Kunz-Williamson

Phillip Mills

Ratings: MFS, MPD, MM, MG

Rating: MC Ranking: Level VII

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

Jason Dilworth Ratings: MFS, MM MG, MPD, SF

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? Increase members by 5%, continued improvement of symbiotic relationship with U.S. Figure Skating, development of a long range plan

Tom Zakrajsek Rating: MFS

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? The PSA is on a great trajectory. I believe in the next three years the PSA can provide important outreach for promoting collaboration between coaches so that every potential skater who wants to learn figure skating can have access to the best information, coaching and technology in their area/rink.

What do you believe is the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? I would like to be involved with the PSA Board to help educate, inspire, and motivate our young coaches to greater heights of excellence. This will certainly be reflected in our country’s standing on the World stage of the International figure skating community.

Russ Scott Ratings: MFS, MP, CM Ranking: Level V

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? I believe in the next three years that the PSA can reach more coaches with the expansion of the educational webinars. I feel that the association can form a closer working relationship with rink management around the country to institute a more universal acceptance and reliance on PSA ratings/rankings as means for them to staff their facilities.

Stacie Kuglin Ratings: SF, SFS, MM

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

2019 board election voting is open to all full PSA members and will be sent via email in March. PS MAGAZINE

RINKBLAZER

Sofia Inthalaksa

The pressure of competition—and often of skating itself— is a real hurdle for many skaters, but Sofia Inthalaksa sees the ice as a haven. “Skating provides so many life lessons,” Inthalaksa said. “Really, of all the places a child could learn those lessons, it’s one of the safest place for them to be learned.” The Oregon coach has had numerous skaters at the regional, sectional, and national level and in 2017 had a ladies intermediate skater and a men’s juvenile skater qualify to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, both placing fourth. She has coached skaters going to nationals nearly every year since 2010, adding international coaching to her resume five years ago, including Junior Grand Prix, Senior International, Worlds, and Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. In January she attended nationals with a novice lady and an intermediate man. Inthalaksa’s gratitude for skating and the skating network is evident. She has a genuine warmth in her voice when she talks about her longtime coaching partner and former Team USA ice dancer Ikaika Young, as well as many established coaches who have provided mentorship, in particular two-time Olympian and six-time world competitor Anthony Liu, recognized as one of the best jump technicians in the world. “Everybody started somewhere and having an open mind, having compassion and a real understanding for everyone around you is so important,” she said. “How you treat people matters. In comparison to my colleagues, I had no real background as a skater, but so many people have given of their time and talent to help me.” She also gives credit to her coach who “truly influenced my passion for skating. She really convinced me that anything is possible in skating as long as you work smart, not just work hard. There are so many people we come across in skating that impact our coaching in one way or another.” The mother of a daughter, 17, and two sons, 14 and 12, brings a unique perspective to the table, born in Thailand and being of Laotian heritage. “In other countries, figure skating is a skater’s priority,” Inthalaksa said. “There are so many distractions here with such busy lifestyles. It is not realistic for the skaters to give undivided attention toward skating in the U.S. It is possible, but both parents and coaches must work together to make this a priority because the life span of young skaters is often so short. We need to keep those skaters healthy and on the ice and improving.” With skating debuting in Cambodia in 2016 and a facility known as “The Rink” having opened in Thailand last summer, Inthalaksa has got her eye on a global goal. “In the bigger picture, I’d love to start a skating federation in my country,” she said. “Laos is very small and still developing. I’m working on establishing the appropriate network to bring skating there. To be able to bring the sport I love so much to the people of my country—I can’t think of anything better.”

How did you get into skating?

I was born in Thailand, but I am Laotian, from Laos, a small country between Vietnam and Thailand. My family moved to the U.S. when I was very young, around three or four. My mom saw the skating center at the mall so she would drop me off at the rink while she shopped. I started taking group classes and I just loved it.

MARCH/APRIL 2019

Was there a moment you realized that coaching was in your future?

Well, I wanted to study journalism, but my parents didn’t want me to get too immersed in American culture. My culture is very traditional and I just wanted to go out and live. While I was trying to figure out my life, there was an opportunity at a local rink. I have always adored working with children, so

By Terri Milner Tarquini

Coaches Sofia and Ikaika young with skaters Alena Budko, Riko Nakagawa, and Gabriella Lee at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Sectional Championships.

I started coaching and every day I feel so privileged and blessed to have my passion as my career.

Skating as a sport takes great passion. So does coaching. What are you passionate about?

I had all three of my personal children by the time I was 27 and I learned quickly that there are so many different ways to teach them, and how differently each one of my kids learned something. That helped how I share information with the skaters I work with. You have to develop many ways to get the knowledge to them and communicate to them so I always want to keep growing and learning. Even though core values usually remain the same when teaching, a coach must keep evolving because the system is constantly evolving.

What are some of your core values that remain at the heart of how you work with your skaters? First, honesty. Why am I skating? Being honest with ourselves and what we want from our skating relationships will provide clarity of what kind of work needs to be done to get the results. This also applies to being honest even when we don’t know what we want from skating. It will help guide the journey either way. Second, love of sport. What am I skating for? Passion! Skaters and coaches should be enjoying sharing a fun time when working together. Sometimes the process of working for what we love will present challenges, but our love of skating should carry us through all of the good and bad. Third, respect. Treating yourself and

photos courtesy of Sofia Inthalaksa

to help with injury prevention.

What do you do with your skaters to aid with body awareness?

We dance! We do ballet! We learn about our body and how it moves through rhythm! It all depends on a skater’s goals and how serious they want to be, but once they decide skating is what they want to do, then they do a lot of developmental Sofia and Ikaika Young with their 2018 Pacific Coast Intermediate Sofia with her children LaSayany, JahAllah, and Zhalei enroute Men's Champion skater Andriy Kratyuk to Laos for her sister's 2016 wedding. group classes, jump exercises and skating skills. I absolutely do others with integrity is part of good nurturing. The giving back by other not have them do jumps—real jumps— coaches to me has been endless. It has sportsmanship. We all win and lose until they can demonstrate the approtaught me more than I thought I could at some point in skating and know priate physical strength and strong ever know. It’s so inspiring. what each side feels like. Also, being skating skills. respectful of time shows coaches that There’s a lot of looking into the problem of you value your training and learning. We all know that the mental aspect of figure overuse injuries with figure skaters. As a coach skating is a huge component. You have had Fourth, discipline. Skating is so who specializes in jump technique, what are and are continuing to have success with skaters hard; one of the most difficult sports some things you really emphasize to try to qualifying to higher competitions. What do you in the world, in my opinion. We have reduce this risk? think is important when it comes to getting a to be committed to our training and Body awareness. Where body skater to do the performance in competition do things we don’t necessarily want to. parts should be, how each part works that they do in practice? This skill of being disciplined will help and when to use them. I put a lot of There are many variables involved. down the road when there comes a time emphasis on how they carry themselves It can be about whether it’s a recent when a skater must perform even when on the ice. We are playing catch-up element or an element they can do they are feeling uncomfortable. right now with results on the world with their eyes closed, new skates, stage—I believe that is because we do You stopped skating at the intermediate level; home, school, social life—again, there however, you have far surpassed that with your not emphasize body awareness early are so many things our skaters have to coaching career and your ability to train skaters enough. Body awareness is all about worry about. Realistic expectations for alignment, axis, rotation, and rhythm. for regionals, sectionals, nationals and worlds. each element, each performance, each It’s all science and physics! Figures (Laughs) Honestly, I am a very competition is so important. Overall, kept our bodies safe for so long. Like competitive person. I’ve always I do my best to convince them not to I said before, because of the busy enjoyed the competitive aspect of worry about the outcome or what other lifestyles and limited training time, this sport. Combining the love for the skaters are doing, as well as any “what we’re cramming everything in and we movement of skating while executing if’s” or other distractions the skater have zero time to get it all done with difficult athletic techniques and then tries to focus on. I tell them to just be quality. But I really believe body awareintegrating them together for others to themselves. (Laughs) Every coach says ness should be a priority and, if we start enjoy…it’s amazing! The whole process that right? I speak to them about how in the very beginning stages, would is very addicting. this is the same as practice—ice is ice help support and prevent a lot of things Then there’s the other aspect—with and all that. later on in a skater’s career. In addition, all of the coaches I’ve come across stretching is also heavily integrated into However, recently, I have really who have always been so fabulous worked toward convincing the skater my training program. We use rhythmic in sharing their knowledge and gymnastics and gyrokenesis instructors experience by being supportive and

continued on page 39 PS MAGAZINE

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Rinkblazer continued from page 37

to be the best version of themselves they can be during practice, not just emphasizing that idea at competition. By that time it’s too late to convince them of anything, especially when they are experiencing stress. My job is to get the skater’s mind in a safe place before we leave for the performance, which should help them comfortably perform in high-pressure situations. That’s why it should be a priority to be realistic about what the expectations are for each skater for each competition. With that confidence from training, they can be more free to be their best selves at competition.

What is your favorite move to watch when it’s performed really, really well?

For jumps it’s a Lutz and an Axel. Past that, a huge back outside spread eagle.

What are your goals with regards to your future with skating?

I’ve been so fortunate to have many of my coaching goals checked off already. Although, I have yet to go to Junior Worlds or the Olympics, so, of course,

I’d love to be able to do that next. My goals always relate to my skaters’ goals. I am dedicated to my skaters and the skating community.

Do you have a philosophy or motto?

hope your skaters take with them that they learned from you?

As long as all of us are committed to being our best selves daily, it will yield desired progress and results. That goes for all aspects of our lives.

Down the road of life, what is something you

To trust themselves and what they are passionate about. To accept the successes and the failures. The only true failure is in giving up; otherwise, it’s just learning. To be flexible and open-minded. To use the tools they have learned from their skating journey to help them through the next steps in their life journey.

Helping coaches in need. The

Skaters'Fund Donating is easy. Visit skatepsa.com and navigate to the Foundation page. Clicking the Donate button will take you to our online store where you may choose which program to support. The Skaters' Fund is a part of the 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable Professional Skaters Foundation.

Please send a contribution today! 100% supported through contributions from the general public. All contributions are tax-deductible.

www.skatepsa.com PS MAGAZINE

CALENDAR of E V E N T S

2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show | Orlando, FL

MARCH Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

March 31, 2019 PSA Hockey Power Skating Clinic Oakton Ice Arena, Park Ridge IL 4 - 6 credits March 8, 2019

APRIL Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

April 6-7, 2019 PSA Rating Sites Panthers Ice Den, Coral Spring, FL 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken February 28, 2019

Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

April 6, 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Judges School Mount Pleasant Ice Arena, Baltimore, MD 5 PSA credits April 1, 2019

2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show | Orlando, FL

MAY Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

May 11-12, 2019 2019 Pro Skaters Seminar Knoxville Ice Chalet, Knoxville, TN 4 PSA credits May 1, 2019

Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

May 20-21, 2019 PSA Rating Sites Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, Palm Springs, CA 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken March 15, 2019

Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

May 22-25, 2019 PSA Conference and Trade Show Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, Palm Springs, CA 36 PSA credits April 15, 2019

Please visit www.skatepsa.com for the complete Calendar of Events 40

MARCH/APRIL 2019

2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show | Orlando, FL

Area Rep Chair Angela Roesch-Davis, Ratings Chair Tim Covington, and Area Rep Stacie Kuglin at the 2018 PSA Conference & Trade Show

Classifieds

O B I TUARY

Carola Dietl A family-owned rink dating back to 1958 brings fond memories upon the passing of Fritz Dietl Skating Rink owner and director Carola Dietl, 80, on January 21, 2019. Her late husband, Fritz Dietl, is the namesake of the rink which has remained a staple for those looking to get on the ice year round. Her sons, Grvegory and Ernst, will continue the tradition along with the professional coaches and staff. Mrs. Dietl, originally from Berlin, met her husband Fritz, an international figure skating star and coach, at a World Championship Figure Skating event. She was the Secretary for the German Skating Association at that time. Mrs. Dietl was an avid traveler. The family has traveled the world and when not globetrotting, she could always be found at the rink alongside her best friend “Dillon” the Dachshund! Carola Dietl will be remembered as a “force to be reckoned with” and a lovely woman.

Professional Performance Apprenticeship – Skate with industry professionals in Florida. • 3-5 day intensive lessons available • Audition preparation (video) • Refined skating • What producers seek • Variable ice size technique & tricks • Performance • Boots/appearance • Production references/affiliations • Touring, contracts • Apprentice with experienced solo artists of: Torvill and Dean, The Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice, The Next Ice Age, Bietak Productions, and Feld Entertainment Contact: shows@iceshows.info

ADVERTISE WITH US!

Let the skating community know about your upcoming event, product, service, or job opportunity by advertising with the PSA! We offer many different advertising options at affordable rates. For more information, visit skatepsa.com.

SAVE $50 SESSIONS • Benefits of Off-Ice Stretching/Yoga • Strength & Conditioning – Preparing Athletes’ Bodies for Sport and Injury Prevention • Liability Insurance – What Is It? Why Do You Need It? How to Use It? A N N I V E R S A R Y

ISI CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW

C H I C A G O DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago - Oak Brook Oak Brook, Illinois JUNE 4-7 skateisi.org

• Business of Coaching • Everything Competitions – The A to Z’s of Running a Successful Event

HIGHLIGHTS • ISI University Certified Skating Director Course • 60th Anniversary Celebration (Dinner & Dancing) • 6 Hours of On-Ice Sessions

REDUCED

RATE 500

FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION ISI Member Rate

PS MAGAZINE

3006 Allegro Park SW Rochester, MN 55902

2019 U.S. Figure Skating Champions

Madison Hubbell/ Zachary Donohue COACHED BY

Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis Jay Adeff/U.S. Figure Skating