March/April2015 by Professional Skaters Association

MARCH/APRIL

2015

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2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

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COLUMNS 4

FEATURES

Over the Edge | Jimmie Santee

Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Message | Angie Riviello

Ratings | Brandon Forsyth

PSA Code of Ethics | FTC Settlement

Conference of 10,000 Tips 2015 PSA International Conference & Trade Show

SafeSport | U.S. Figure Skating

Sport Science | Heidi Thibert

Education | Carol Rossignol

2015 Honor Roll of Coaches

9 In the Trenches

9 Ratings Exams Passed

15 Excellence On Ice 44 New Members 46 PSA Calendar of Events Jimmie Santee | Editor Carol Rossignol | Contributing Editor Amanda Taylor | Art Director Elizabeth Thornton | Advertising/Editorial Assistant COVER PHOTO BY VICKI LUY

MARCH | APRIL

2015 ~ No 2 #ISSN-574770

34 39

U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships

HONOR ROLL

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COACHES 2015

COMING SOON!

Legal Ease | David Shulman

History of Judging: Part IV | by Bruce Poodles

PSA Board of Governors Candidates

40 What Would Scott Brown Do?

PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

34 PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

| by Terri Milner Tarquini

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Over the Edge

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JIMMIE SANTEE

GREENSBORO -- When has the United States ever been pleased with ninth place in a sporting event? Or 12th? When has settling for something less than a medal ever been acceptable? When have American athletes just been happy to be there? The answer is now. Right now, actually, in men’s figure skating, where the top two American skaters over the last year not only realize they are not pulling out all the stops to try to do their best on the world stage, they also appear completely content not to be. Their names are Jason Brown and Jeremy Abbott. Last year at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Brown finished ninth and Abbott 12th, the worst performances by U.S. men at the Olympic Games since 1936. They are beautiful artistic skaters, but neither tried a quadruple jump in Friday’s short program, the four-revolution risk-reward leap of faith that is essential to even have a chance of winning a medal at a world championships or Olympics nowadays. – CHRISTINE BRENNAN, USA

Mid-West East

y former coach Evy Scotvold always told me that one or two risks in a program was fine…but to gamble in a program? No way. If you are not landing an element more than 80% of the time, it’s a gamble…a crap shoot. Christine Brennan forgets something really important: the days are over from when the top skaters made the team regardless of their performance. Today’s IJS confirms that the best skater of the day will win. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are still that… a U.S. Championship. TODAY SPORTS, JANUARY 24, 2015 In the free skate, 11 of the 20 skaters attempted to follow Brennan’s logic by attempting a quad. Of those attempts, there were two deemed under-rotated, four downgraded, and four falls. Three of the attempts averaged just over two points… about the same as a double Lutz. While we can agree that it is important to compete for medals at the world level, I think it’s ultimately the choice of the athlete and coach to make the decision on whether to attempt it or not. Jeremy Abbott attempted the quad in the long and fell. It was a calculated risk, not a gamble. He landed a beautiful quad in the warm-up. He has landed quads in competition. An easier decision for sure. Jeremy didn’t skate to just make the team…he skated to defend his title and to honor his late father. Jason Brown on the other hand is still perfecting his triple Axel. That is his risk element. He was cited several times this year as under-rotated on the Axel. It is not yet the money jump it will become and the quad is still in the development stage. I see no benefit to try it and fall until the triple Axel is perfect and he can risk the quad attempt. At Jason’s two Grand Prix competitions this year, he placed 3rd and 5th. At Skate America, six of the seven skaters he beat attempted a quad. At the Rostelecom Cup in Russia, seven of the eight skaters he beat in the free skate also attempted a quad. I cannot find fault for the lack of of a quad attempt at nationals. He skated two great programs and put the burden on his fellow competitors to beat him. Additionally, landing a quad is not the key to winning, at least not in the U.S. Case in point is Max Aaron who landed two quads for almost 27 points. They are money in the bank! The difference is the program component marks and specifically the lack of transitions and linking steps. The spread was over 12 points between Max’s and Jason’s program component scores, while Max beat Jason by only three points in the technical mark. Max lost points by executing five elements with a negative GOE and one level three spin. Comparatively, let’s discuss the change foot spin that Jason and Max executed. Jason did a camel level four and Max a sit level three. Both had a positive GOE but Jason earned almost two more points.

MARCH | APRIL 2015

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To illustrate a point, after Max’s first two elements which were the quads, he beat Jason’s first two elements performed by 10.45 points. By the end of the programs however, Jason earned 15.27 points on the judge’s GOE; Max, just 5.51, a 9.76 difference, nearly wiping out the value of the quads. The second and third place winners did attempt quads. Adam Rippon’s quad Lutz attempt was "downgraded"… if he had made it to "under-rotated" the results may have been different; he possibly could have won. If he chose to do a triple flip in its place, the results would not have changed. Like Jason’s GOE scores, Adam had only one element that was negative. His program received over 17 points from the GOE and while there was only a half of a point separating the two in the program component marks, the difference was the transitions, something Jason excels at. Joshua Farris should have been the new U.S. champion. He won the program components, landed his quad, but made a critical error of repeating a double toe loop one too many times. Because of the repeat he received a zero, a loss of most likely eight points. A simple mental error. So this is where Christine Brennan is wrong. This is competition—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ultimately, a quad performed and landed, along with a strategically designed, well-rounded, and impeccably executed program will win. I can agree with Christine that none of our skaters are yet the complete package needed to medal at worlds without the competition making mistakes. But what is an acceptable level of risk? The object is to score as many points as possible between the two programs. Until the ISU decreases the penalty for failure, the risk for most athletes is not worth it. I believe those that attempted it, and those who did not, made the right choice. However, to be called out by the press for the decision is not only not fair, it is misleading.

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Be the first person to find the gold PSA logo in each issue of PS Magazine and we will send you some treasure! Once you have found the logo in this issue, post where you found it on the PSA Facebook page. Be the first person to find it and we will send you a prize! And no, the one on this page and in ads do not count.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Since I wrote this editorial, Jason Brown has competed

at Four Continents. He placed ninth in the short program after attempting a quad toe. The quad was the first element in the program and was downgraded, with -3 GOE’s for a total of 2.00 points. The second element was his triple Axel which was deemed under rotated.

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PS MAGAZINE

President’s Message ANGIE RIVIELLO

SELF ESTEEM:

What is it? Where does it come from? How can we build it? A

ccording to Wikipedia: In sociology and psychology, selfesteem reflects a person’s overall emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It’s a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Where does self-esteem come from? No one is born with self-esteem. It’s something that is learned from the experiences we have and the people we interact with as we are growing up. As children, we are receiving the opinions, comments, looks, suggestions, and actions of those around us. We perceive these actions in many different ways. We can take it as praise or as critical and disapproving. This is what influences us and our actions as we develop. How can we as coaches help develop and build positive self-esteem? As our personal identity is being established, we attach value to our identity based on the influential behavior from our caregivers, teachers, clergy, coaches, peers and parents of peers, among others. We as coaches have so much power with how we choose our approach, words, and actions. We can damage or build the self-esteem of not only our family, friends, and children, but also our athletes. It’s good to be honest, firm, and even tough with our athletes, but you should always be encouraging. Coaches are with their students sometimes more than the parent and in many coach/athlete relationships, the athlete listens to the coach more than the parent. This gives us a huge responsibility to help mold these athletes into not only good skaters but help develop them into great, productive adults with lessons they learn from us.

Some Indicators of Low Self-Esteem: • • • •

“I am not good enough” “There is nothing special about me” “I am not smart enough” “I am unattractive”

*When low self-esteem is acted out, the negative beliefs can result in behavior that can cause them to sabotage emotional and physical health as well as important relationships in their lives. Some Indicators of Positive Self-Esteem: • • • • •

Awareness and acknowledgement of personal strengths Ability to say no and set limits A good sense of personal limitations Willingness to take risks Optimistic attitude

The role we play is critical. Healthy self-esteem is a process that happens over time. Creating a warm, caring, supportive, encouraging environment is probably the most important thing we can do. Every day is not easy and our students can push our buttons the wrong way, but always show respect and remember teaching moments are some of the supreme moments in life. Turn the tough times into a time when you know you’ve made a significant difference and a positive impact. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Happy Coaching!

WALTER and IRENE MUEHLBRONNER SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT Congratulations Jessica Mill Kincade! The Professional Skater’s Foundation is pleased to announce that Jessica is the 2015 Walter and Irene Muehlbronner scholarship recipient which can be used at a Conference, Seminar or a Rating Prep program. Contributors to the Foundation invest in educational opportunities and scholarship programs for coaches. These scholarships are awarded through a selection process based on guidelines and criteria established by the Foundation Board of Trustees. Applications for the scholarships are located at the www.skatepsa.com.

MARCH | APRIL 2015

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Ratings BRANDON FORSYTH

Make this an extraordinary year by Carol Rossignol

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.” ~ RALPH WALDO EMERSON

ave you set any goals or New Year’s resolutions for your ratings? Research has consistently shown that those who succeed tend to make decisions rapidly and are slow to reverse a well-thought out position. This article is to help you decide to move forward with your ratings and make this year an extraordinary one. • Set a Goal — you need something to work towards • Be Specific — what discipline do you want to take your rating in (Group Instruction, Free Skating, Moves in the Field, etc.) • Take Action — select a rating site and apply for your exam NOW. Don’t wait until you have a break as you will be too late. Rating applications must be in 60 days in advance and fill up quickly. The sooner you apply the sooner you will receive your study guide to help you prepare. • No Excuses — take responsibility for yourself and stop making any excuses. Life alone can be an amazing journey and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. • Have Courage — do not listen to naysayers. Mapping out your course of action and following it through to the end requires courage. What Can I Do To Prepare For An Oral Rating Exam? The following is a list of opportunities and resources that can be utilized to prepare for an oral rating examination. 1. Ratings Guides • They are available to you for free once you have registered for an oral rating exam • Or receive one at Ratings Prep when you attend

MARCH | APRIL 2015

2. Attend a Ratings Prep Course • Ratings Prep is an event that was created to assist coaches in their preparation for oral rating exams 3. Do an Apprenticeship with a Master Rated Coach • You can do an apprenticeship through the PSA specifically to prepare for a rating or as part of your Apprentice Program • To find out more about our Apprentice Program check the PSA website www.skatepsa.com 4. Mentor with a Master Rated Coach • Ask a Master rated coach to help you prepare for your exam. (You can check the Master Rated Coach search on the PSA website to find a master rated coach near you) • Work with a mentor in person, over the phone, or through Skype • Look for a Master rated coach who is also an examiner – this will be beneficial 5. Attend PSA Educational Events/Online Learning • PSA hosts many educational events throughout the year that will aid you in your preparation for an oral rating • PSA offers many CER online courses on a variety of topics that may be useful to your preparation 6. PSA Coaches Manual • This manual is an excellent resource to use when studying • The Coaches Manual is available for purchase in the PSA online store 7. Create a Study Group • Help each other prepare by exchanging notes and ideas, creating scenario questions, and discussing new ways to approach questions • Find better ways to answer questions clearly and efficiently, practice asking each other questions, or do a mock exam for each other 8. Discipline Specific Resources • PSA MIF booklet and DVDs are available in our online store alng with the PSA Sport Science and Medicine manual • Basic Skills Lesson Planning Manual available from U.S. Figure Skating • WeSkate Manual available from ISI

Recently Passed

RATING EXAMS Congratulations to the following coaches who passed the Basic Accreditation (BA):

Congra

coachuelastions !

Congratulations to the following candidates who passed a rating exam:

BA online

Greensboro, NC | January 20-21, 2015

Bradley Daniels Chelsea Goessl Irene Harm Alina Sokolianski

Scott Cudmore RM, CM Elizabeth Egetoe CG, CM Devon Harman RFS Elizabeth Wright-Johnson CM

RANKINGS

Congratulations to the following coach on her Emeritus Rating:

Megan Gueli- Level II Nancy Pluta- Level II Terri Messner- Level II Amanda DeAguila- Level III Valerie Matzke- Level IV Alena Lunin- Level V Ana Cecilia Cantu Felix- Level VII

Maude Hammer White | Glen Allen, VA Emeritus-15: MFF-69,CP-72,MD-72,MG-00,MM-00

Valerie Knopp RFS Nicole Miller RFS, RM Victoria Fauver Robb SM Natalie Mitchell Schrader RFS

Congratulations to the following coaches and their master-rated mentors for completing the PSA Apprentice Program: Apprentice:

Level & Discipline:

Mentor:

Emily Catherine Fitzgerald Level 1 Group Instructor Deborah Leitner Jones, MG, MM Madeline Horinek Level 1 Group Instructor David Redlin, MG, MPD

In the TRENCHES

8 WAYS TO BE MORE CONFIDENT:

SCOTT BROWN

Live the life of your dreams

I came across this inspiring article by Lori Deschene on tinybuddha.com: “With realization of one’s own potential & self confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” Dalai Lama

4. Trust your capabilities—“Confidence comes not from knowing you know everything, but from knowing you can handle what comes up.” Donn King

Amy Lee Tempest

6. Take risks—“Confidence is a funny thing. You go out and do the thing you’re most terrified of, and the confidence comes afterwards.” Christopher Kaminski

Master-rated coach & IJS Technical 1. Tap into the confidence you were born with—“I feel it’s Specialist something that is always there, something you’re born with that gets lost along the way, or stolen by others. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find it again.”

2. Know your strengths and weaknesses—“As you learn who you are, you gain confidence in your strengths and also learn your weaknesses.” Angela Birt 3. Expect success—“Confidence comes from success…But confidence also combines another quality because you can be successful, yet lack confidence. It requires a mental attitude shift to an expectation of success. And this alone, can bring about more success, reinforcing the confidence. It spirals from there.” Jason Hihn

5. Embrace the unknown—“Confidence comes from a space of humility. It is spawned when we dare to see the world through an alternate lens. It grows when we have the courage to embrace the experience of the unknown and the unknowable.” Hana Lee

7. Learn to receive praise—“Confidence is earned through positive recognition and reinforcement.” Don La Franchi 8. Practice confidence—“It can be practiced—and with that practice you will get better.” Jacqueline Wolven Entire post: tinybuddha.com/blog/8-ways-to-bemore-confident-live-the-life-of-your-dreams/

PS MAGAZINE

SAFESPORT

The Harms of Bullying at the Rink By Karen Terry-Perreault, Ph.D.

hild abuse and misconduct is common in sports and other youth-serving organizations. To help maintain a safe environment for our athletes, the U.S. Olympic Committee created SafeSport guidelines. SafeSport is the Olympic community’s initiative to recognize, reduce and respond to misconduct in sports. Everyone involved in the sport of figure skating plays a role in creating a healthy environment for our skaters. The SafeSport guidelines U.S. Figure Skating has implemented raise awareness about misconduct; provide tools for education and training; provide guidelines for athlete protection; and outline the reporting process. The SafeSport Handbook provides information about six types of abuse and misconduct, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and bullying, harassment and hazing. The focus of this article is on the effects of bullying. According to the SafeSport Handbook, bullying “involves an intentional, persistent or repeated pattern of committing or willfully tolerating physical and non-physical behaviors that are intended to cause fear, humiliation, or physical harm in an attempt to socially exclude, diminish, or isolate another person.” Examples of bullying include: spreading hurtful rumors about a skater; posting messages, photos, videos and comments about a skater on a social network site with the aim of embarrassing or humiliating the skater. A significant number of children and adolescents experience bullying; more recent national estimates indicate that about 28 percent of students ages 12 to 18 have been bullied at school. Cyberbullying is also becoming increasingly common, as approximately one in four adolescents have admitted to being bullied online. Effects of Bullying The effects of bullying can vary depending on many factors, including severity of the bullying, relationship between the individuals, length of interaction, age, and other cognitive factors. However, research shows that being bullied can lead to negative short-term effects on adolescents’ physical and psychological health and long-

MARCH | APRIL 2015

term effects on their psychosocial adjustment. There are strong links between being bullied and developing psychological problems such as eating disorders, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. Over time, victims of bullying tend to develop low self-esteem and feelings of self-worth, and they experience high levels of loneliness and feelings of rejection. Children and adolescents who are bullied also exhibit many psychosomatic symptoms, including headache, stomach ache, backache, dizziness, bad temper, feeling nervous, feeling low, difficulties in getting to sleep, morning tiredness, feeling left out, loneliness and helplessness. What You Can Do Bullying cannot be tolerated. Our goal is to protect all skaters and U.S. Figure Skating members from the potentially harmful effects of bullying. If you have been, or know someone who has been, bullied, you should report this behavior. Depending on the circumstances of the behavior, it can be reported as follows: • If there is a violation of club code of conduct–file a complaint at the club level • Follow procedures set forth in club conflict resolution policy • Report the incident to club SafeSport compliance chair, if appropriate

If there is a violation of SafeSport policies – Report the incident to U.S. Figure Skating by sending a detailed description to safesport@usfigureskating.org and U.S. Figure Skating will take appropriate action by engaging the appropriate committee and process.

IN HER OWN WORDS

One Skater’s Experience with Bullying Life was like the kiss and cry, but more cry and less kiss. To put this in the simplest terms, my synchronized skating career was cut short. I was a candidate for a junior-level team for the 2014–2015 season, which was something I’ve always dreamed of. But then I was harassed and bullied by girls in my club. They constantly put me down by making fun of me, spreading rumors about me and purposely ruining friendships with some of my best friends that I’ve known for years. I was told, “You’re never going to be good enough to make junior,” and “our team is strong and we can’t have you on it if we want to succeed.” My personal favorite was, “She’s like gum on the bottom of your shoe. She’s annoying and impossible to get rid of, and everyone wants it gone.” These comments caused my drive for skating to wither away. No longer did I want to go to practice and see these teammates. I didn’t want to be at competitions with them, and I did not want to hold hands and arms with people who said disgusting things about me. But I persevered. I held on tight and prayed until the season officially ended. I didn’t miss a single practice, no matter how early or late. I didn’t miss any days of summer camp/ workshops, and I always came prepared. The ice rink is a place where magical things can happen, be that landing a new jump, passing a test, or getting a gold medal after an amazing program. But there are negative factors associated with the sport, too. I’ve learned that people would take a blade to your back as long as it gets them ahead. Emotional damage is hard to calculate, as it is felt and not physically seen. I have no bumps and bruises from the abuse by girls on my team, but it doesn’t always take a hit to the knee with a metal baton to cause pain. I was told “suck it up buttercup, maybe you need tougher skin.” I want to inspire people with my strength, and be able to make a difference in how people treat each other, so we can see teams go out on the ice and show that they trust who they’re holding on to, and that they can work together to present a gold medalworthy program every time.

Karen Terry Perreault is a Professor in the Department Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She holds a doctorate in criminology from Cambridge University and her research focuses primarily on sexual offending and victimization. She is also a National judge for U.S. Figure Skating and served as the Chair of the Ethics Committee for four years. She is currently the Chair of the SafeSport Subcommittee.

4th Annual 2015 PSA Rocker, Counter, Bracket, Challenge! Tuesday, March 17–Monday, April 6 BRACKET ENTRY DEADLINE:

Sunday, March 15th

We will be having our own version of March Madness again this year—only bigger & better! Fill out your official bracket online and track your progress with others who have entered the contest.

Visit us on Facebook to play! www.skatepsa.com

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

Nominate someone making a difference today! Dear PSA Membership, As we begin our 77th year I encourage each of you to examine your involvement in your coaching organization, the PSA. Many outstanding coaches within our country have reached wonderful success by their hard work and education they have received from the PSA. The broad diversity of our membership across the country and world is why your insight is important in recognizing colleagues within all aspects of our industry. Please take a moment to nominate a deserving coach, official, choreographer, or skating leader for recognition of the annual “Edi” Award by following the link at www.skatepsa.com. The “Edi” awards will be presented during the annual conference held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Minneapolis MN. When submitting a nomination, a brief description explaining why this individual is worthy of the award would be appreciated. All nominations are thoroughly considered and reviewed. Nominations close on March 30, 2015. Thank you for your participation, Denise Williamson | CHAIR, PSA AWARDS COMMITTEE

PS MAGAZINE

Sport Science HEIDI THIBERT

Menstrual Health in Figure Skaters Kathryn E. Ackerman, MD, MPH, FACSM

hile most female athletes are certainly not excited about getting their periods, and are most likely not at all interested in talking about them, it is important for coaches, parents, and sports medicine clinicians to keep our athletes’ periods on our radars. As a coach, you may be asking why your athletes’ periods are any of your business. But I would argue that you are one of the people most important in your skaters’ lives and someone they see frequently. You need to be in touch with their health, both physical and emotional, in order to mentor them as athletes and ensure their general well-being. Monthly periods are a sign of health and can be considered another vital sign: temperature, blood pressure, pulse, height, weight, and menstrual pattern. In the United States, the median age of menarche (first menstrual period), is 12.5 years of age. This age has decreased over time and has been attributed to multiple factors: genetics, ethnicity, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic circumstances. Ninetyeight percent of all U.S. girls reach menarche by age 15. However, many athletes in lean sports (e.g. figure skating, ballet, gymnastics, running sports) first experience periods later than this. While it may be considered the “norm” to some athletes and coaches, it is important to realize that it is suboptimal and should be concerning. In fact, a female who has not demonstrated pubertal development by 13 years of age (e.g. breast development, pubic and axillary hair growth, etc.), has not experienced menarche within five years of initial breast development, or has not experienced menarche by age 15 years, should be referred for a medical work-up. Additionally, it is common and considered medically “normal” for a female within the first two years of menarche to have cycles that range between 20-45 days. Thereafter, 60-80% of cycles are typically between 21 to 35 days long. Thus, an athlete who is still having menstrual infrequency (oligo/amenorrhea) two years after her first period should also be referred for a medical evaluation. (See table 1 for common menstrual definitions.) Some athletes may experience menorrhagia (heavy or prolonged periods) and/or dysmenorrhea (painful periods).

MARCH | APRIL 2015

Because these are typically quite disturbing and interfere with skating and life in general, most skaters are more likely to report these to their coach and/or doctor. Coaches need to be more concerned with helping athletes realize the importance of irregular cycles. Many coaches are familiar with the term “Female Athlete Triad” (Triad), a combination of decreased energy availability (not enough calories for what an athlete needs to train and have normal bodily function), menstrual irregularity, and poor bone health. When not enough calories are available, the body diverts resources away from the reproductive system, so the signals from the brain (hypothalamus- GnRH; pituitary- FSH and LH) to the gonads (ovaries- estrogen and progesterone) are disrupted. Many competitive skaters might be relieved to know that they are temporarily unable to get pregnant and sustain a pregnancy in that underfueled state, but what they may not realize is that many hormones necessary for reproduction, in addition to others altered by low energy availability (e.g.IGF-1, leptin, ghrelin, PYY, T3, etc.), are also quite important for proper bone metabolism and maintenance. Therefore, athletes with menstrual irregularity secondary to low energy availability are at increased risk for stress fractures, osteoporosis, and more significant fractures over time. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has endorsed a new term, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), which encompasses a broader picture. It has become evident that not just female athletes experience decreased energy availability, so RED-S applies to females and males. Additionally, RED-S may lead to multiple health and/or performance consequences. Athletes who are undernourished may injure bone and muscle more easily, may have gastrointestinal complications, may have decreased immune function, may have difficulty recovering from workouts, may find decreases in endurance, strength, and more. Abnormal or absent menses in a female skater can be an indicator of Triad/RED-S and should be taken seriously from a health and performance perspective. But low energy availability is not the only cause of menstrual dysfunction. Abnormal menses may indicate

"In the United States, the median age of menarche (first menstrual period), is 12.5 years of age... Ninetyeight percent of all U.S. girls reach menarche by age 15. However, many athletes in lean sports (e.g. figure skating, ballet, gymnastics, running sports) first experience periods later than this. While it may be considered the “norm” to some athletes and coaches, it is important to realize that it is suboptimal and should be concerning."

regular periods is a sign that they should see a doctor. Board-certified primary care sports medicine physicians are trained in performing the basic work-up for oligo/amenorrhea in athletes, in addition to family practice physicians, pediatricians, internists, gynecologists, and endocrinologists, so there are many medical resources available. These doctors will be able to rule out various causes of menstrual abnormalities and can refer to other medical specialists if more in-depth testing and management is warranted. Some menstrual disturbances require a multidisciplinary approach, but your primary care sports medicine physician or general practitioner can be a great resource and can help coordinate care. Coaches and doctors together can relate menstrual health to skating performance optimization. This may destigmatize the topic of periods, may allow them to seem more like a blessing than a curse, and may dispel the myth that not getting a period is a good thing.

TABLE 1

DEFINITIONS OF COMMON MENSTRUAL TERMS another medical condition. Table 2 lists just a few causes of amenorrhea, most of which have very different treatments, further demonstrating the importance of addressing menstrual irregularity head on and determining the cause. For example, another common cause of oligo/amenorrhea in athletes is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a disorder that may include increased levels of androgens, hirsutism (male pattern hair growth), acne, cysts in the ovaries, and/or insulin resistance. Unlike oligo/amenorrhea secondary to decreased energy availability in TRIAD/ RED-S, athletes with PCOS more commonly have normal bone density because of a different hormonal milieu. Treatment for athletes with Triad/RED-S often requires nutritional and psychological counseling to enhance caloric intake. Treatment for a normal weight PCOS patient is more geared to symptom management. Examples include laser treatment for hair growth, medications for acne, and sometimes oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) to better regulate periods, in addition to improving hirsutism and acne by stabilizing hormone levels. In contrast, OCPs are not first line therapy for TRIAD/RED-S, as they can mask the underlying problem of decreased energy availability, and they may have neutral or even negative effects on TRIAD/ RED-S patients’ bone density. So what can skating coaches do to help ensure healthy menstrual cycles in their athletes? Don’t be afraid to discuss periods, and obviously involve parents in these discussions. A few times a year you can check in with your athletes and remind them that irregular menstrual cycles may be a sign of inadequate caloric intake, which can negatively affect their stamina, their jumps, and can increase their chances of injury and illness. You can also tell them that not getting

• Menarche- onset of first menses • Primary Amenorrhea- failure to menstruate by the age of 15 years in the presence of normal growth and secondary sexual characteristics. • Secondary Amenorrhea- cessation of menstruation after menarche has occurred; 3 or more consecutive months of missed menstrual cycles, or having 0-3 cycles in the past year. • Oligomenorrhea- menstrual cycles occurring more than 35 days apart or having between 4-9 menstrual cycles per year. • Menorrhagia- menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding. • Dysmenorrhea- pain during menstruation that interferes with daily activities.

TABLE 2

SOME CAUSES OF AMENORRHEA Energy deficit Eating disorder Stress Malabsorption Anatomic abnormality Primary ovarian insufficiency Medications Polycystic ovary syndrome Thyroid disease

Adrenal disease Autoimmune Disease Hyperprolactinemia/ Prolactinoma Other tumors Congenital abnormality Pregnancy Contraception Constitutional delay of puberty

PS MAGAZINE

MEMB ER U PDATE

February 1, 2015

Dear Member: As you may know, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) conducted an investigation concerning the provision in PSA’s Code of Ethics that stated: No member shall in any case solicit pupils of another member, directly or indirectly, or through third parties. The FTC alleges that this provision in the Code of Ethics violates the Federal Trade Commission Act because it unnecessarily restricts members of PSA from competing for pupils, thereby depriving pupils of the benefits of competition among skating coaches. The FTC also alleges that PSA guidelines stating it is unethical for members to give free lessons is an illegal restriction on price competition. To end the investigation expeditiously and to avoid disruption to its core functions, PSA voluntarily agreed, without admitting any violation of the law, to the entry of a Consent Agreement and a Decision and Order by the Federal Trade Commission. As a result, PSA will eliminate the above provision from its Code of Ethics and other organizational documents and implement an antitrust compliance program. In general, the FTC has prohibited PSA from maintaining bylaws, code of ethics, operational policies, or membership requirements that restrict members

To Settle FTC Charges, Two Trade Associations Agree to Eliminate Rules that Restrict Competition FOR RELEASE | December 23, 2014

n association representing electricians and another representing skating teachers have agreed, in two separately settled actions, to eliminate provisions in their bylaws that the Federal Trade Commission charged limit competition among each association’s members. The settlements with the not-for-profit Professional Lighting and Sign Management Companies of America, Inc. (PLASMA) and Professional Skaters Association are the latest FTC enforcement actions challenging restraints on competition contained in membership rules or ethics codes of professional and trade associations. The FTC’s complaint against PLASMA alleges that its bylaws restrain competition by: 1) prohibiting members from providing commercial lighting or sign services in the designated territory of another member unless that member declines to perform the work; 2) imposing a price schedule on work performed in the designated territory of another member; and 3) barring former members from soliciting or competing for clients of current members for one year after leaving the group. The FTC alleged that the purpose and effect of these bylaws has been to restrain competition

MARCH | APRIL 2015

from soliciting students and engaging in price competition. The Decision and Order also prohibits PSA from (1) encouraging other organizations to adopt policies or practices that would violate the Decision and Order if PSA adopted such policies and (2) enforcing or investigating violations of the code of ethics of other organizations that would violate the Decision and Order if enforced or investigated by PSA on its behalf. PSA is also prohibited from adopting policies or practices that restrict or attempts to restrict non-members from talking to, convincing, or requiring students or parents of such students to switch from one coach to another. The Decision and Order does not prohibit PSA from adopting and enforcing Codes of Ethics or similar documents that govern the conduct of members with respect to representations that PSA reasonably believes would be false or deceptive within the meaning of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. A copy of the Decision and Order is enclosed. It is also available on the Federal Trade Commission website at www.FTC.gov, and through the PSA web site. Respectfully submitted, The Professional Skaters Association

by discouraging and restricting competition among PLASMA members. The proposed consent order settling the FTC’s charges requires PLASMA to revise its bylaws, publicize its settlement with the FTC, and implement an antitrust compliance program. In a separate complaint, the FTC charged that the Professional Skaters Association, through its code of ethics, broadly bans members from soliciting other members’ students, and thereby deprives consumers of the benefits of competition among the 6,400 ice skating teachers and coaches who are members. The association requires members to abide by its code of ethics, which states, “No member shall in any case solicit pupils of another member, directly or indirectly, or through third parties.” According to the complaint, the PSA instructed its members that this code provision prohibited coaches from many types of direct and indirect communications with skaters and parents, and actively enforced the ban through a variety of penalties, including suspension, even over the objections of skating students and their parents who wanted to switch coaches. The proposed consent order settling the FTC’s charges requires the Professional Skaters Association to stop restraining its members from soliciting work and competing on the basis of price. It also requires the group to change its code of ethics, publicize its settlement with the FTC, and implement an antitrust compliance program. The Commission votes to issue the admin-

istrative complaint and accept the proposed consent order for the Professional Lighting and Sign Management Companies of America, Inc. and the Professional Skaters Association for public comment were both 5-0. The FTC will publish the consent agreement packages in the Federal Register shortly. The agreements will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through January 22, 2015, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent orders final. Comments on the Professional Lighting and Sign Management Companies of America, Inc. matter and the Professional Skaters Association matter can be filed electronically, or in paper form by following the instructions in the “Supplementary Information” section of the Federal Register notice. NOTE: The Commission issues administrative complaints when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. When the Commission issues consent orders on a final basis, they carry the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $16,000 per day. The FTC’s Bureau of Competition works with the Bureau of Economics to investigate alleged anticompetitive business practices and, when appropriate, recommends that the Commission take law enforcement action. To inform the Bureau about particular business practices, call 202-3263300, send an e-mail to antitrust{at}ftc{dot}gov, or write to the Office of Policy and Coordination, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room CC-5422, Washington, DC 20580. To learn more about the Bureau of Competition, read Competition Counts. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

NEW 10.29.2014

Code of Ethics A Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is hereby adopted to the end that the public respect, safety and the status of the association members in the coaching profession may be enhanced and secured. The ethical principles are to be followed to avoid all actual or perceived impropriety. The following Code of Ethics rules shall govern the conduct of members of the Professional Skaters Association. Any complaint concerning breaches thereof shall be considered by the Committee of Professional Standards according to the procedures that are adopted from time to time by the Board of Governors of the Professional Skaters Association.

1. Members of the Professional Skaters Association (hereafter referred to as “members”), shall at all times exercise the greatest care and discretion in their relationships with other members, pupils, and pupils of other members. 2. No member shall represent themselves using false or deceptive statements intended to mislead. 3. In order to protect the safety and development of students, no member shall engage in any in person solicitation of a student while the student is actively engaged in a lesson or while “performing”. “Performing” means skating or preparing to skate in an event at an arena in a test, competition, or exhibition, and includes meeting with coaches, locker room time, practice skating, and warmup skating. 4. Members shall dress neatly and in a clean and appropriate manner as is becoming of a member of the Professional Skaters Association. Members shall be ever mindful of the influence they exercise over their pupils and under all circumstances this trust should never be abused. 5. Members shall at all times be mindful that he or she has the responsibility to influence his or her student to act ethically, with dignity, and with high moral conduct. The members shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest desirable ideas of character in his or her student, nor shall the member act in any manner inconsistent with a high standard of ethical and moral conduct. 6. The members shall take an active role in the prevention of using illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco abuse. 7. All members recognize that they shall act in a manner which avoids verbal or physical abuse of any skaters, other coaches, parents or officials. Members shall not engage in, nor permit, any skater with whom they are charged with the responsibility of coaching to engage in any offense in violation of federal, state, or local law, or laws of a foreign government. 8. A member shall at all times avoid conflicts of interest which can be considered to exist at any time, when the actions of the member for his or herself or on behalf of a skater would involve the obtaining of an improper advantage.

PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION

EXCELLENCE ON ICE

Wouldn’t you like to count your club or rink among the most progressive in the nation? AMES FSC Ames, IA APEX CENTER ICE ARENA Arvada, CO BLADE & EDGE FSC Omaha, NE CAROLINA ICE PALACE North Charleston, SC CENTRAL IOWA FSC Ankeny, IA CINCINNATI SKATING SCHOOL Cincinnati, OH COLORADO SPRINGS WORLD ARENA ICE HALL Colorado Springs, CO CRYSTAL ICE HOUSE Crystal Lake, IL EDGE ICE ARENA/ EDGE SKATING SCHOOL Littleton, CO EXTREME ICE CENTER Indian Trail, NC GERMAIN ARENA Estero, FL GREENSBORO ICE HOUSE Greensboro, NC ICE AND BLADES OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INC. Pittsburgh, PA ICE CENTRE AT THE PROMENADE Westminster, CO ICE DEN-CHANDLER Chandler, AZ ICE DEN-SCOTTSDALE Scottsdale, AZ JACKSONVILLE ICE AND SPORTSPLEX Jacksonville, FL THE JONES CENTER Springdale, AR KENDALL ICE ARENA Miami, FL LEXINGTON ICE CENTER Lexington, KY

LOUISVILLE SKATING ACADEMY Louisville, KY MARQUETTE FSC Marquette, MI MEDIACOM ICE PARK Springfield, MO MID-SOUTH ICE HOUSE Olive Branch, MS MOYLAN SKATING SCHOOL Omaha, NE PALM BEACH SKATE ZONE Lake Worth, FL PANTHERS ICE DEN Coral Springs, FL PARK CITY ICE ARENA Park City, UT PELHAM CIVIC COMPLEX & ICE ARENA Pelham, AL PHILADELPHIA SKATING CLUB & HUMANE SOCIETY Ardmore, PA ROCHESTER FSC Rochester, MN SHATTUCKST. MARY'S FSC Faribault, MN SKATE FREDERICK ICE SPORTS Frederick, MD STAMFORD TWIN RINKS Stamford, CT SPRINKER RECREATION CENTER Tacoma, WA THE GREENSBORO ICE HOUSE Greensboro, NC THE RINX TOTAL SKATING PROGRAM Hauppauge, NY WINTER CLUB OF INDIANAPOLIS Indianapolis, IN

PS MAGAZINE

Education CAROL ROSSIGNOL

This We'll Defend:

All for one or one for all? By Elizabeth Egetoe

t’s the Army way! Right? Well, it is the U.S. Army motto and should appropriately find its way into every skating director’s mission as well. As a skating director for an ice arena on a U.S. Army installation, many of you have approached me about the “uniqueness” of my facility, the opportunities I’m lucky to have as well as my not so lucky ones. Well, in such a transient community, my biggest obstacle is finding and maintaining a quality coaching staff. Bottom line, this translates into strong, resilient bonds, and relationships among each other—fighting the battle with, not against each other. • How many of you have struggled with fellow coach relationships? • What about a coach causing a “parting of the seas,” if you will? • Have any of you faced the predicament of one coach who is selfishly there for themselves instead of the program as a whole? • Maybe you have heard rumors of one coach tarnishing the mindset of your hard working and loyal ones? • As directors, we have all faced something along these lines at least once – if not once a season or more! I was lucky enough to walk into a facility without an existing program which meant I could build this with anything I had in mind. I was able to be creative, set the precedent, build a team (of skaters and coaches); I had anything I wanted in a program within my reach! With this sense of freedom, I also faced the normal struggles of becoming known, lack of budget to get started, finding coaches, along with many more daily dilemmas that I’m sure I’ve chalked up as traumatic experiences and erased from my memory. Brothers in Arms In the Army, as you go through basic training, job specific training, and get stationed at your first unit, you are stripped of anything you ever were or thought you were. Then you are pieced back together by what the Army wants you to be, because, after all, you are there strictly for the needs of the US Army. Throughout this process, you are taught to lean on your brothers and sisters. It is engrained in the brains of the men and women to your left and right that they are to defend you with their lives,

MARCH | APRIL 2015

and you would take a bullet for them too. The bond you build with the body next to you is like that of family and is unbreakable! The camaraderie you develop for any of your brothers in arms is a deep connection that will generally take the priority over most things in your life. My dear directors and coaches, we are no different! We are a family simply in a different and less stressful environment than these respected soldiers. Most of the coaches and directors I know eat, sleep, and breathe ice because it is our lifelong passion! The ice arena often takes the place of family dinners and restful Sundays. Many significant others and relatives take a back seat to arenas and our skaters— they sacrifice for us, but the coaches we work with are just as much family as the other halves! When you develop or build a coaching team, build this family into what your program needs just like your household in your home. Learn about each coach’s strengths and weaknesses. Capitalize on their strengths and help develop them so there are minimal weaknesses. Working together in this capacity will help build those bonds as well as your program! Our deep connection is the ice; our camaraderie is built from childhood through adulthood with ice shows, competitions, tests, club ice, holiday parties, and end of year celebrations. When you meet a new coach, is it easy to spark a conversation? Of course it is! Where have you skated? Where do you coach? I’m sure at this point you also have friends and colleagues in common. Our community of coaches has been built on several decades of the very same connections we make at every event, conference, or exam. The Common Good of the Household • What would you do if you got to start fresh with a team of coaches? • How would you create a successfully functioning unit? Well, I approached it like a family—a brother/sister-hood in a sense because that is truly the strongest functioning unit in any society. Families face the same type of struggles as skating directors! Families work towards creating the highest levels of opportunity for fractions of a penny as well as gracefully handling conflict resolution, which is sometimes like the mom/dad being a referee. This creates strong bonds through quality time or even problem solving, and most importantly every family member contributes to the common good of the

household. “The common good of the household”—this is critical for a successfully functioning family! Growing up, I feel like my mother drilled that line into my head—that the priorities of my chores or responsibilities were dictated by those which were for “the common good of the household” and those which were just for me. The priorities of your program and your coaches should be established with the mindset of which are for the common good of the household. This mindset also creates success among the coaches in their financial and goal-oriented achievements. We all talk about coaches’ education, but how many of you actually have “train the trainer” days where you take all of your coaches (on or off of the ice) and go through everything from how you teach first-time tots to singles and doubles? Yes, this is a several hour process, but if done two to three times a year could conclude with lunch or dinner together as a fun way to decompress. Think about this: when we go to PSA educational events, how many times do we come together for dinner and drinks at the conclusion of a day? We go out just about every night, which then builds the great relationships that we will keep forever! So why not do it at home? Why not build the same relationships within your own household as we do at our “family reunions” (aka PSA Conference)? The brothers and sisters to our left and right are the ones you should be defending as your family because your facility’s programs should take priority as the common good of the household. • So now that we have built our family connection, how do you defend your family? • How do you build it and maintain that unbreakable strength? 1. Be aware of your surroundings. 2. Support and stand by every single one of those to your left and right. 3. Ask for help when you need it. 4. Help your family members when they need it. 5. Build your resources (internally and externally). 6. Find an inspiration and self-reflect. 7. Become an inspiration. Zig Ziegler said, “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.” Every program has its ups and downs. How you carry those struggles and how you overcome them as a director with your family is what will make or break it. Let’s face it, figure skating breeds selfishness. Yes, I said it, but look at it objectively. Every skater goes out on the ice for themselves, coaching at a competitive level is about you and your skater, points and rankings are about each individual’s performance, etc! Every skater is accountable for only themselves when they step on the ice for their programs. How could you as a director expect this to not manifest within your coaching staff when this is all you have known since you were young? Skating (or any competitive sport) teaches discipline and commitment, and I’m not taking that away from any athlete or coach; however, those qualities are definitely not the root of the problem in our ice skating programs nationwide.

Mission Accomplished: “Successfully Functioning Family” Maintain strong bonds & be resilient This message is not just for the directors alone, but also for the coaches. Remember that the coaches in your facility are your brothers in arms and your family! At the end of the day, you only have each other within your facility. The last thing anyone wants is the program to self-implode. Empower & defend each other Capitalize on each others’ strengths in order to build an unbreakable program in which you rely on each other and work as a family. Contribute to the common good of YOUR household! Parents of your skaters will also see this positive reinforcement you have created and it will result in a snowball effect of great word-of-mouth referrals. Always train the trainer We are in a forever progressive learning environment! There are so many methods to approach our teaching techniques, but as long as the principal of the end result remains the same, the ability to learn from each other is truly endless. Always keep an open mind to change! Don’t be foolish and not soak in every ounce of knowledge from any coach if given the opportunity. Create a passion & love for the sport As directors, why are we here? At what point do you consider yourself or your program a success? If in 10, 15, 20+ years, your skaters are teaching their kids or grandkids how to skate, then congratulations are in order! You have successfully done your job and continued to build the sport. Make sure your skaters remember to HAVE FUN, to LOVE the sport and above all else, BE PASSIONATE in what they do! This lesson is also not a bad thing to remember in what you do as a coach either!

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams

Have family fun days Enjoy each others’ company! Go to dinner. Rent the rink for an hour and just skate together. If your rink has hockey sleds, have a friendly sled hockey game for a team building day. Go indoor rock climbing together (after all, you have to rely on each other for this). The possibilities of activities are endless, but find time to go together as the TEAM and FAMILY of coaches that you are. Don’t alienate anyone within your rink family. Remember we are here for the same mission Yes, you get to be selfish with your skaters as they prepare to step out for competition, but without a successful program, you wouldn’t have any skaters. Be a leader. Step up to help your director and your arena continue to build the programs. This will also help build each coach’s financial success. Never settle for good because greatness is around the corner! Elizabeth Egetoe has been a Skating Director for over 10 years in North Carolina. She has her master Program Director rating and is also rated in Moves in the Field, Free Skating, and Group Instruction. PS MAGAZINE

20 1 5 P SA CONF E RE NCE & TRADE SHOW

In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, PSA will present 10,000 tips FROM ENTRY-LEVEL TO ELITE, THIS CONFERENCE IS FOR YOU! The 2015 PSA International Conference and Trade Show will be held May 20 to 23 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Radisson Blu Hotel and the Bloomington Ice Gardens. This year's focus is on providing updated content to help increase your coaching business success, as well as providing tools to increase your students’ accomplishments. As always, we will offer great on-ice and off-ice sessions targeted at improving technical skills. In addition to the conference, stick around for some free fun as we roll out the Professional Skaters Association's official U.S. Open competition Saturday evening. MORE INFORMATION ON PAGE 31.

featured EXTRA EVENT Riedell Factory Tour |

Wednesday May 20

The bus leaves Radisson Blu at 8:00am and returns at 12:30pm. This tour is limited to only 50 people—reserve your spot now! The Riedell factory tour is approximately 1.5 hours in length. Breakfast goodies will be provided for the ride to Red Wing, MN, and a light snack will be provided on the return trip. There is no charge for this opportunity, courtesy of Riedell. Register in the PSA online store today!

speaHkLIGerHT HIG

Michael Buckley You know him from #SocialScene at the U.S. Championships and his Youtube show “What The Buck”, attracting over 400 million views. He was one of the first YouTube Partners and has been making videos as his full time career since 2008, focusing on smart and satirical commentary of popular and celebrity culture (and occasionally figure skating!). A figure skating fan since 1987, he started skating at 22 years old for fun and taught himself an Axel up to double Lutz. He won Ice Theatre of New York’s Celeb Skate in 2013 and has worked as part of the Ice Network broadcast team for U.S. Championships for the past three seasons. You won’t want to miss Michael’s engaging and witty presentation!

MARCH | APRIL 2015

profsk8rsassoc

#psa2015msp

Do you follow PSA on social media? Check us out – take advantage of special offers and industry information and updates!

Trivia Winner

PSA members received the Community Update email with Trivia rules & questions back in November. The winner receives free entry to the 2015 PSA International Conference & Trade Show.

KIRSTY CAMERON

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard I had won the Trivia Contest. I am so excited to be flying to the USA for the PSA conference in Minnesota. This is my third conference and I look forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. At the end of the conference I always feel motivated and enthusiastic, and look forward to returning to Scotland to share new ideas with my skaters and fellow coaches. Roll on May!!” More about our winner... • NCCP Level 2 National Coach • Lives in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom • Currently a Sport and Fitness Lecturer at Ayrshire College • A Director and Coach with ‘Skate 2 Success’ – a skating company operating within the UK • Qualified as a ‘Dance2Ice Barre ‘Instructor and in Master Choreography Techniques with American Ice Theatre in 2014

tentative SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH

SESSIONS AT THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL

Time

Topic & Speakers

10:00am-4:00pm

Registration

1:00-1:45pm

Newcomers' Meeting - Rebecca Stump

2:00-2:15pm

General Welcome - Angela Riviello & Jimmie Santee

2:15-3:00pm

Opening Keynote: "Push Dick's Button" - Dick Button

3:00-3:45pm

Featured Speaker: "Who do Your Skaters Think They Are?" - David Benzel

3:45-4:00pm

Break

4:00-4:40pm

A. IJS Singles - Part I - Denise Williamson & Alex Chang

4:00-4:40pm

B. Budgeting & Accounting for Skating Directors - Part 1 - Scott McCoy

4:00-4:40pm

C. Boot Course 101 - Dan Riegelman

4:50-5:30pm

A. IJS Singles - Part II - Denise Williamson & Alex Chang

4:50-5:30pm

B. Dreams Do Come True - Faye Kitariev

4:50-5:30pm

C. Legal Issues & Agreemenets - Jonathan Geen

7:00-8:30pm

President's Reception - Angela Riviello | sponsored by

THURSDAY, MAY 21ST SESSIONS AT THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL

Time

Topic & Speakers

7:30am-4pm

Registration

8:00-8:45am

"Ethical Solicitation, Marketing & Promotion" - Loren Hansen & Jimmie Santee

8:45-9:30am

Featured Speaker "Neuroscience of Learning" - Chris Snyder USOC

9:30-10:15am

"Actions Speak Louder than Words" - Michael Hennessy & Mark Stillman

10:15-10:30am

Break

10:30-11:15am

Sport Science "Skate to Win" - Peter Zapalo

11:15-12:00n

"The Fabulous Ice Age" - Roy Blakey & Keri Pickett

12:00-1:00pm

12:15-12:50pm

Mall of America® By The Numbers • .57 miles is the walking distance around one level of Mall of America • 70 degrees inside Mall of America whether its spring, summer, winter or fall • There are 520+ stores • 1.2 million-gallon aquarium at SEA LIFE™ Minnesota Aquarium

Lunch on your own

Meet Your Area Rep - Gloria Leous & Area Reps (bring your lunch)

1:00-2:30pm

PSA Membership Meeting - Angela Riviello & Jimmie Santee

2:45-3:45pm

Keynote Speaker "Formula for a Champion" - Brian Orser

3:45-4:00pm

Break

4:00-4:40pm

A. "Ask the Expert" Synchro Panel - Dann Krueger, Holly Malewski, Vicki Korn & Moderator: Rebecca Stump

4:00-4:40pm

B. Featured Speaker "How Credible Coaches Think" - David Benzel

4:00-4:40pm

C. Successful U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Programs - Carey Tinkelenberg

4:00-4:40pm

D. Skate Sharpening & Blade Maintenance - Sid Broadbent & Bruce Hurd

4:00-4:40pm

E. Budgeting & Accounting for Skating Directors - Part 2 - Scott McCoy

4:40-4:50

Break

4:50-5:30pm

A. Judging Synchro IJS & 6.0

4:50-5:30pm

B. Producing a Competitive Skater in a Non-competitive Environment - Kirsten Miller-Zisholz

4:50-5:30pm

C. Using ISI & U.S. Figure Skating to Maximize Your Skating School - Lisa Fedick & Cindy Solberg

4:50-5:30pm

D. IJS Pairs - Serguei Zaitsev

4:50-5:30pm

E. Personal Finance 101 - Paul Paprocki

DID YOU KNOW? PSA members can meet their PSA Area Representatives and learn about what is happening within the Area Representatives Committee. This session will break into smaller groups where members have the opportunity to voice suggestions, questions, and comments.

PS MAGAZINE

FRIDAY, MAY 22ND SESSIONS AT THE BLOOMINGTON ICE GARDEN

Time

Rink 1

Rink 2

7:45am - 9:300am

8:00am - 8:50am DID YOU KNOW? There is no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota

9:00am - 9:45am

11:00am - 11:50am

E VE

Pairs Off-ice

- Ben Agosto

- Tom Hickey

- Kori Ade & Ryan Jahnke

- Serguei Zaitsev

Helgenberg, Tara Lane, Paul Paprocki

Spin Theory

A Synchro Practice Session

Pairs

Dance Off-ice

Moves in the Field

- Bobbe Shire

- Holly Maleweski & Vicki Korn

- Serguei Zaitsev

- Ben Agosto

- Karen Olson

Moves in the Field

Dance On-ice

Jump Rope

Synchro

- Karen Olson

- Ben Agosto

- Buddy Lee

- Holly Maleweski & Vicki Korn

Body Movement

Common Foot Injuries & Remedies

Hockey II & III - Donna

Triples & Quads

Synchro Elements

- Alex Ouriashev

- Holly Maleweski & Vicki Korn

Helgenberg, Tara Lane, Paul Paprocki

Axels & Jump Combos - Brian Orser Buses to hotel

SESSIONS AT THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL

Topic & Speakers Industry Trade Show

1:00-5:30pm

2:30-5:30pm

Elite Coaches Seminar - Mitch Moyer

1:00-5:30pm

Trainers' Track- Peter Zapalo

2:15-3:30pm

Managing the Concussed Athlete in Return to Play - Expert Panel Discussion |

3:45-4:25pm

Moves in the Field - Karen Olson

4:35-5:15pm

IJS Dance - Janis Engel & Ben Agosto

6:30pm

Awards Reception

7:30pm

Awards Dinner |

(*INVITATION ONLY)

Presented by

BUY YOUR TICKET NOW!

Visit www.skatepsa.com for more information & to register 20

MARCH | APRIL 2015

Hockey II & III - Donna

Game On

LUNCH sponsored by PSA & Disney on Ice

12:00pm - 1:00pm

ExtNrTa

Classroom

Class Structure

11:30am - 12:15pm

Time

Ballet Room

Edge Class

Circuit: Pole Harness - Peter Biver Illusions - Bobbe Shire Transitions - Doug Mattis

10:00am - 10:45am

DID YOU KNOW? The Bloomington Ice Garden has grown to three rinks (one of them Olympic-size 100x200 and the other two regulation size) with a seating capacity of 2,500. There will also be sessions in the ballet room and classroom to take full advantage of this great location!

Rink 3

BREAKFAST sponsored by Riedell Skates & Eclipse Blades

sponsored by

Conference Wrap-up - Angela Riviello & Jimmie Santee Lunch & Check Out

BLOOMINGTON ICE GARDEN PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

5:00-7:00pm

U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Competition PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

ADVANCE DEADLINE – April 21, 2015 to be held at

Radisson Blu Hotel at the Mall of America 2100 Killebrew Dr. | Bloomington, MN 952-881-5258 | www.radissonblu.com Room rate: $139 | Cut-off date: April 20 Ask for “PSA 2015 Intl. Skating Conference” to get PSA rate

Bloomington Ice Garden

Wednesday to Saturday May 20-23, 2015 PS MAGAZINE

201 5 U.S. FI GURE SKATING C HAM P IONSHIP S

photos by Vicki Luy

HONOR ROLL

3 of 4

COACHES 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Ashley Wagner Gracie Gold Karen Chen Polina Edmunds

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan Frank Carroll Tammy Gambill Nina Edmunds, David Glynn

Senior Men Jason Brown Adam Rippon Joshua Farris Max Aaron

Novice Ladies Emily Chan Akari Nakahara Nina Ouellette Anna Grace Davidson

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Justin Dillon, Diana Miro Lisa Kriley

1 2 3 4

Kori Ade, Rohene Ward Rafael Arutyunyan Damon Allen, Christine Krall Becky Calvin, Tom Zakrajsek

Senior Pairs Alexa Scimeca/Christopher Knierim Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier Tarah Kayne/Danny O'Shea Madeline Aaron/Max Settlage

Novice Men Jonah Barrett Justin Ly Kendrick Weston Daniil Shamis

1 2 3 4

Lyndon Johnston, James Peterson Lisa Kriley Lisa Kriley Justin Dillon, Tammy Gambill

1 2 3 4

Laureano Ibarra, Dalilah Sappenfield John Zimmerman Amanda Evora, Lyndon Johnston, James Peterson Laureano Ibarra, Dalilah Sappenfield

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

Novice Pairs Katie Finster/Eric Hartley Sarah Rose/Joseph Goodpaster Jacquelyn Green/Rique Newby-Estrella Vanessa Chen/Robert Przepioski

1 2 3 4

John Coughlin, Richard Hartley, Dalilah Sappenfield Amanda Evora, James Peterson Ethan Burgess, Craig Joeright Richard Alexander, Doug Mattis

1 2 3 4

Igor Shpilband Oleg Epstein, Massimo Scali, Marina Zoueva Pasquale Camerlengo, Angelika Krylova Pasquale Camerlengo, Natalia Deller

Junior Ladies Bradie Tennell Olivia Serafini Vivian Le Elena Taylor

Novice Ice Dancing Caroline Green/Gordon Green Katherine Grosul/Cameron Colucci Emma Gunter/Caleb Wein Rebecca Lustig/Zachary Milestone

1 2 3 4

Dmirti Ilin, Alexlei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Slava Uchitel Dmirti Ilin, Alexlei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Yovanny Durango, Adrienne Koob-Doddy

1 2 3 4

Denise Myers Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan Leksey Letov Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem

Junior Men Andrew Torgashev Kevin Shum Paolo Borromeo Aleksei Krasnozhon

Intermediate Ladies Kassandra Carpentier Maxine Marie Bautista Gia Kokotakis Ting Cui

1 2 3 4

Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin Alexander Ouriashev Alex Chang, Jere Michael Christian Conte, Bobbe Shire

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Justin Dillon Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

Junior Pairs Caitlin Fields/Ernie Utah Stevens Chelsea Liu/Brian Johnson Olivia Allan/Austin Hale Lindsay Weinstein/Jacob Simon

Intermediate Men TJ Nyman Dinh Tran Alan Wong Ryan Dunk

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Katie Nyman Don Corbiell, Louis Vachon Alexei Sidorov Christian Conte

1 2 3 4

Serguei Zaitsev Jenni Meno, Todd Sand Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin Jeremy Allen

Junior Ice Dancing Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit Holly Moore/Daniel Klaber

Intermediate Pairs Elli Kopmar/Jonah Barrett Sydney Cooke/Nathaniel Dennler Joanna Hubbart/William Hubbart Jasmine Fendi/Joshua Fendi

1 2 3 4

Amanda Evora, Lyndon Johnston, James Peterson Melanie Lambert, Fred Palascak Laura Amelina, Alexander Vlassov Derrick Delmore, Peter Oppegard

1 2 3 4

Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Dmirti Ilin, Alexlei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Adrienne Lenda, Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlein Adrienne Lenda, Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlein

Intermediate Ice Dancing Sophia Elder/Christopher Elder Jillian Moyer/Jarred Druzynski

1 2

Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair Christine Fowler-Binder, Vitaly Novikov

PS MAGAZINE

2015 HONOR ROLL

Molly Cesanek/Maxwell Gart

3 4

Mathew Gates, Svetlana Kulikova, Dmytro Palamarchuk Gregory Maddalone, Katrina Shalin

Emily Day/Kevin Leahy Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko Maeve Pascoe/Micah Jaffe

2 3 4

Juvenile Girls Sophia Chouinard Emilia Murdock Jacqueline Lee Isabella Miller

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Mary Lynn Gelderman, Stacie Young-Krinsky Wendy Olson Evgeniya Chernyshova

Novice Ladies Nina Ouellette Akari Nakahara Anna Grace Davidson Meiryla Findlay

Christine Fowler-Binder, Vitaliy Novikov Adrienne Lenda, Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlein Yuri Chesnechenko, Jackie Miles, Yaroslava Nechaeva, Chip Rossbach

Cherri Chen/Edward Jahoda

1 2 3 4

Justin Dillon, Diana Miro Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Lisa Kriley Arlene McSorley

Juvenile Boys Daniel Turchin Chase Finster Joseph Kang Henry Privett-Mendoza

1 2 3 4

Alexander Vedenin Jessica Mills Kincade, Samantha Mohr Pamela Gregory, Anne Militano Natasha Adler-DeGuzman, Rudy Galindo

Novice Men Justin Ly Eric Sjoberg

1 2

Juvenile Ice Dancing Elizabeth Tkachenko/Alexei Kiliakov Byrdee Darling/Rebel Rodriguez Avellan Juliette Shadid/Lucas Shadid Jordan Lin/Morgan Sletten

Daniil Shamis Kendrick Weston

3 4

Lisa Kriley Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan, Nadezda Kanaeva Justin Dillon, Tammy Gambill Lisa Kriley

1 2 3 4

Elena Novak Kaia Darling, Roman Zaretsky Christine Fowler-Binder Alexei Kiliakov, Adam Munday

Juvenile Pairs Altice Sollazo/Paul Yeung Paige Ruggeri/Steven Rossi Dana Vulaj/Keyton Bearinger Jessica Sassano/Ethan Hall

Novice Pairs Hannah Klopstock/Brandon Kozlowski Megan Griffin/Andrew Civiello Alexandria Yao/Connor Fleming Sapphire Jaeckel/Matthew Scoralle

1 2 3 4

Jenni Meno, Todd Sand Doug Ladret, Lara Ladret David Delgado, Tracy Prussack Themistocles Leftheris, Naomi Nam

1 2 3 4

Perry Jewell, Bianca Marro Weissmann Roland Burghart, Gary Irving, Olga Orlova Craig Joeright, Gabe Woodruff Christopher Mattern

Novice Ice Dancing Cassidy Klopstock/Logan Leonesio Elizabeth Addas/Jonathan Schultz Alexis Middleton/Michael Valdez Kimberly Wei/Ilias Fourati

1 2 3 4

Christine Fowler-Binder, Vitaliy Novikov Ben Agosto, Arleen Barton Christine Fowler-Binder, Vitaliy Novikov Brad Cox, Jocelyn Cox

Intermediate Ladies Sierra Venetta Nhi Do Gia Kokotakis Cheyenne King

1 2 3 4

Grete Castaneda Douglas Chapman, Dianne DeLeeuw-Chapman Alex Chang, Jere Micheal, Natalie Shaby Randy Clark

Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Karen Chen Leah Keiser Tyler Pierce Caroline Zhang

1 2 3 4

Tammy Gambill Tammy Gambill Kori Ade, Rohene Ward

Intermediate Men Dinh Tran Max Wang Max Lake Paul Yeung

1 2 3 4

Don Corbiell, Louis Vachon Sara Robertson Jonathan Cassar Bianca Marro Weissmann, Brianna Weissmann

Senior Men Nathan Chen Seah Rabbitt Shotaro Omori Philip Warren

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan, Nadia Kanaeva Tammy Gambill Tammy Gambill Jenni Meno, Todd Sand

Intermediate Pairs Jasmine Fendi/Joshua Fendi Greta Crafoord/John Crafoord Cecilia Wright/William Wright

1 2 3

Derrick Delmore, Peter Oppegard Peter Oppegard Kloe Chanel Bautista, Devin Matthews, Jill Watson

Senior Pairs Anya Davidovich/AJ Reiss

Peter Oppegard

Senior Ice Dancing Alissandra Aronow/Collin Brubaker Tory Patsis/Nathaniel Fast Ashlyn Gaughan/Cody Lithco Paulien Bynum/Jason Deveikis

1 2 3 4

Massimo Scali Jonathon O'Dougherty, Pamela O'Dougherty Patti Gottwein-Britton Yuri Chesnechenko, Yaroslava Nechaeva

Intermediate Ice Dancing Jillian Moyer/Jarred Druzynski Amanda Miller/Nikolay Usanov Gianna Buckley/Caleb Niva Ashley Klotz/Palmer Middlekauff

1 2 3 4

Christine Fowler-Binder, Vitaliy Novikov Marina Klimova, Serguei Ponomarenko Sharon Jones Baker, Steve Baker Timothy McKernan, Massimo Scali, Marina Zoueva

Junior Ladies Amy Lin Hina Ueno Megan Wessenberg Sarah Feng

1 2 3 4

Tammy Gambill Stewart Sturgeon Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell David Glynn, Sherri Krahne-Thomas

Juvenile Girls Kaia Culotta Jacqueline Lee Isabella Miller Noelle Rosa

1 2 3 4

Alex Chang, Jere Michael Wendy Olson Evgeniya Chernyshova Lisa Kriley

Junior Men Kevin Shum Daniel Kulenkamp Paolo Borromeo Spencer Howe

1 2 3 4

Justin Dillon Doug Ladret, Lara Ladret, Steven Cousins Vera Arutyunyan Frank Carroll, Wendy Olson

Juvenile Boys Isaac Jun Henry Privett-Mendoza Jeffrey Chen Lawrence Winters

1 2 3 4

Marina Mikoultchik, Tim Tourtellot Natasha Adler-Guzman, Rudy Galindo Tammy Gambill Amanda Kovar, Karel Kovar

Junior Ice Dancing Chloe Lewis/Logan Bye

Judy Blumberg, Adrienne Lenda, Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlein

Juvenile Pairs Altice Sollazo/Paul Yeung Megan Audet/Jacob Wineland Katie Luong/Nathan Luong Erin Song/Eric Song

1 2 3 4

Bianca Marro Weissmann, Perry Jewell Jill Watson Jenni Meno, Todd Sand Devin Matthews

MARCH | APRIL 2015

2015 HONOR ROLL

Juvenile Ice Dancing Juliette Shadid/Lucas Shadid Tia Gore/Benjamin Klusewitz Emily Viehouser/Collin Woodall-Williams

1 2 3

Christine Fowler-Binder, Vitaliy Novikov Cindy Solberg Kendall LeClaire

Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Mariah Bell Amber Glenn Ashley Shin Christina Cleveland Senior Men Jordan Moeller Alexander Johnson Sebastien Payannet Robert Przepioski Senior Pairs Olivia Oltmanns/Joshua Santillan Brianna de la Mora/Taylor Wilson

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2

Senior Ice Dancing Anastasia Olson/Ian Lorello

Charlotte Maxwell/Ryan Devereaux Kseniya Ponomaryova/Oleg Altukhov

2 3

Junior Ladies Vivian Le Brady Tennell Elena Taylor Paige Rydberg Junior Men Aleksei Krasnozhon Chase Belmontes Tomoki Hiwatashi Anthony Boucher Junior Pairs Caitlin Fields/Ernie Utah Stevens Olivia Allan/Austin Hale Lindsay Weinstein/Jacob Simon Kailey Matkin/Justin Highgate-Brutman

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Kori Ade, Rohene Ward Ann Brumbaugh Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Rashid Kadyrkaev, Jenet Wene Kori Ade, Rohene Ward Thomas Dixon Lou Ann Petersen Conant, Cindy Sullivan Richard Alexander, Doug Mattis Dalilah Sappenfield Elena Prudsky, Val Prudsky Pasquale Camerlengo, Natalia Deller, Angelika Krylova Oleg Epstein, Massimo Scalia, Marina Zoueva Alina Ponomaryova, Jamie Whyte Aleksey Letov Denise Myers Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem Mary Antensteiner Darlene Cain, Peter Cain Tom Zakrajsek Osadolo Irowa, Alex Ouriashev Scott Brown, Cindy Sullivan Serguei Zaitsev Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin Jeremy Allen Brooke O'Keefe

Junior Ice Dancing Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit Holly Moore/Daniel Klaber Karina Manta/Joseph Johnson Danielle Thomas/Alexander Martin

1 2 3 4

Adrienne Lenda, Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlein Adrienne Lenda, Igor Shpilband, Greg Zuerlein Patti Gottwein-Britton Natalia Deller, Angelika Krylova

Novice Ladies Emily Chan Sarah Nunez Pooja Kalyan Ashlee Raymond

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Valeria Masarsky, Alex Ouriashev Frank Carroll, Cindy Sullivan Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Novice Men Kelvin Li Colton Johnson Ivan Mokhov Benjamin Shou

1 2 3 4

Alexander Ouriashev Thomas Amon Andrey Mokhov, Oksana Yakusheva Darlene Cain, Peter Cain

Novice Pairs Kate Finster/Eric Hartley Jacquelyn Green/Rique Newby-Estrella Vanessa Chen/Robert Przepioski Emily Chan/Misha Mitrofanov

1 2 3 4

John Coughlin, Richard Hartley, Dalilah Sappenfield Ethan Burgess, Craig Joeright Richard Alexander, Doug Mattis Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

Novice Ice Dancing Eleanor Babaev/Scott Wenner Coco Becker/Val Katsman Rachel Gart/Lance Stanley Heidi Washburn/Jeffrey Fishman

1 2 3 4

Yuri Chesnichenko, Yaroslava Nechaeva Patti Gottwein-Britton, Alexei Killiakov Matthew Gates, Svetlana Kulikova Natalia Deller. Angelika Krylova

Intermediate Ladies Ashley Lin Maxine Marie Bautista Diana Zhu Jenna Shi

1 2 3 4

Sergey Artemov, Anya Artemova Alex Ouriashev Ann Eidson, Benjamin Miller Reisman Theresa McKendry

Intermediate Men Luke Ferrante Jun-Hong Chen Alan Wong Ryan Bedard

1 2 3 4

Editha Dotson-Bowser Shin-Juh Chen, Ryan Jahnke Alexei Sidorov Mimi Bedard, Alex Ouriashev

Intermediate Pairs Deven Pascoe/Samuel Parks Danielle Neuberger/Kristion Major

1 2

Andrey Mokhov Nicholas Kole

Intermediate Ice Dancing Sophia Elder/Christopher Elder Claire Purnell/Lucas Purnell Josephine Hagan/JT Michel Cricket Darling/Racer Rodriquez Avellan

1 2 3 4

Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair Susan Caudill, Kelley Morris-Adair Kaia Darling, Roman Zaretsky

Juvenile Girls Angelina Huang Audrey Lu Paxton James Frances Rossiter

1 2 3 4

Kelsey Himmel, Alex Ouriashev Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Richard Callaghan, Todd Eldredge Heidi Masse

Juvenile Boys Daniel Turchin Maxim Zharkov Daniel Tioumentsev Chase Finster

1 2 3 4

Alexander Vedenin Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov Anna Tarassova, Tom Zakrajsek Jessica Mills Kincade, Smantha Mohr

Juvenile Pairs Eliana Secunda/Blake Eisenach Dana Vulaj/Keyton Bearinger Kristin Lyle George/Jake Pagano Jessica Sassano/Ethan Hall

1 2 3 4

George Selimos, Robins Sudcamp, Cindy Sullivan Craig Joeright, Gabe Woodruff Molly Quigley Moenkhoff, Laura Sanders Christopher Mattern, Christine Watts

Juvenile Ice Dancing Isabel Blahunka/Will Shawver Byrdee Darling/Rebel Rodriguez Avellan Paulina Brykalova/Daniel Brykalov Valerie Sroka/Samuel Hodman

1 2 3 4

Donald Adair, Kelley Morris-Adair Kaia Darling, Roman Zaretsky Peter Biver Cristen Fraser, Igor Lukanin

1 2 3 4

Rashid Kadyrkaev, Vitaliy Shalin Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Sally Tasca Andrey Kryukov

Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Madison Vinci Franchesca Chiera Katie McBeath Maria Yang

PS MAGAZINE

2015 HONOR ROLL

Senior Men Grant Hochstein Timothy Dolensky Patrick Rupp Jimmy Ma

1 2 3 4

Peter Oppegard Debbie Prachar Antonia Berekhovskaia, Andrei Berekhovski Elaine Zayak

Senior Pairs Marissa Castelli/Mervin Tran Alexandria Shaughnessy/James Morgan

1 2

– Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall

Senior Ice Dancing Danielle Gamelin/Alexander Gamelin Ginna Hoptman/Pavel Filchenkov Elicia Reynolds/Stephen Reynolds

1 2 3

Igor Shpiland – –

Junior Ladies Olivia Serafini Brynne McIsaac Rebecca Peng Brianna Brazee

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan Shirley Hughes Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Jana Brazee

Junior Men Andrew Torgashev Oleksiy Melnyk Tony Lu Ben Jalovick

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Serguei Kouznetsov, Nataliya Tymoshenko Nina Petrenko, Viktor Petrenko Pamela Gregory

Junior Pairs Cinnia Gillett/Masimiliano Fernandez Joy Weinberg/Michael Lueck Alyssa McDougal/Paul Schatz Gabriella Marvaldi/Cody Dolkiewicz

1 2 3 4

Amanda Evora, James Peterson Trudy Oltmanns Lyndon Johnston, James Peterson Isabelle Brasseur, Rocky Marval

Junior Ice Dancing Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons Julia Biechler/Damian Dodge Gigi Becker/Luca Becker

1 2 3 4

Dmitri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Dmitri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Yovanny Durango Dmitri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak

Novice Ladies Alexia Paganini Jin Baseman Haley Beavers Lindsay Rosenberg

1 2 3 4

Michela Boschetto, Gilberto Viadana Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Ronald Ludington Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev

Novice Men William Hubbart Peter Liu Jonah Barrett Andrew Uhrig

1 2 3 4

Laura Amelina, Alexander Vlassov Viktor Pfeifer Lyndon Johnston, James Peterson Serguei Kouznetsov, Nataliya Tymoshenko

Novice Pairs Darbie Burke/Griffin Schwab Sarah Rose/Joseph Goodpaster Alexandra Iovanna/Matthew Rounis Juliette Erickson/Nathan Grundhofer

1 2 3 4

Kaela Pflumm, Cathryn Schwab Amanda Evora, James Peterson Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall Tracy Prussack, Cynthia Van Valkenburg

Novice Ice Dancing Caroline Green/Gordon Green Rebecca Lustig/Zachary Milestone Katherine Grosul/Cameron Colucci Emma Gunter/Caleb Wein

1 2 3 4

Dmitri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak Yovanny Durango, Adrienne Koob-Doddy Slava Uchitel Dmitri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak

Intermediate Ladies Kassandra Carpenter Ting Cui Liza Hayes Lara Annunziata

1 2 3 4

Genevieve Coulombe, Konstantin Kostin Christian Conte, Bobbe Shire Peter Johansson Curtis Chornopyski

MARCH | APRIL 2015

Intermediate Men Tommy-Jo Nyman Jordan Evans Ryan Dunk David Shapiro

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Katie Nyman Jeffrey DiGregorio Christian Conte Philip Dulebohn, Ursula Wolfer

Intermediate Pairs Elli Kopmar/Jonah Barrett Sydney Cooke/Nathaniel Dennler Joanna Hubbert/William Hubbert Jade Esposito/Nathan Rensing

1 2 3 4

Amanda Evora, James Peterson Melanie Lambert, Fred Palascak Laura Amelina, Alexander Vlassov Sheryl Franks

Intermediate Ice Dancing Molly Cesanek/Maxwell Gart

Cherri Chen/Edward Jahoda Allie Rose/Spencer Emerson Kaitlyn Moshang/Cory Fraiman

2 3 4

Mathew Gates, Svetlana Kulikova, Dmitry Palamarchuk Gregory Maddalone, Katrina Shalin Robert Kaine, Michelle Marvin Oleg Fediukov, Ruslan Goncharov, Slava Uchitel

Juvenile Girls Nikolett Albrechtovics Madeleine Weiler Sophia Chouinard Emilia Murdock

1 2 3 4

Tim Covington Sergey Minaev, Suna Murray Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Mary-Lynn Gelderman, Stacie Young-Krinsky

Juvenile Boys Maxwell Gart Joseph Kang Nikita Romanov Ilia Malinin

1 2 3 4

Mathew Gates, Dmitry Palamarchuk Anne Militano Viktor Pfeifer, Irina Romanova Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skornyakov

Juvenile Pairs Paige Ruggeri/Steven Rossi Lindsey Stevenson/Franz-Peter Jerosch Catherine Fleming/Jedidiah Isbell Anastasia Lestina/Benjamin McLemore

1 2 3 4

Roland Burghart, Gary Irving, Olga Orlova Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall Melanie Lambert, Suna Murray, Fred Palascak Crystal Mekonis, Elena Valova

Juvenile Ice Dancing Elizabeth Tkachenko/Alexei Kiliakov Sara Zhao/Howard Zhao Jordan Lin/Morgan Sletten Maria Soldatova/Faddey Soldatov

1 2 3 4

Elena Novak Inese Bucevica, Elaine Zayak Dmytri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Adam Munday Dmitri Ilin, Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak

Senior Ladies Tiana Lee Xinghua Turner Jordan Lee Karen Siedenburg

1 2 3 4

Darin Hosier, Corrie Martin Sarah Devereaux-McCormick, Cindy Solberg Heidi Sullivan Kim Derickson, Lisa Ware

Junior Ladies Gabriella Lee Mikaela Randolph Clare Cook Larissa Rasmussen

1 2 3 4

Sofia Inthalaksa, Ikaika Young Heidi Sullivan Cindy Solberg Angela Rasmussen

Junior Men Joey Millet Ikaika Miyata

1 2

Richard Ewell Arlene McSorley

Novice Ladies Meiryla Findley Courtney Kirschke

1 2

Arlene McSorley Randy Clark

Northwest Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships

2015 HONOR ROLL

MacKenzie Caputo Anna Lank

3 4

Darin Hosier, Corrie Martin Darin Hosier, Corrie Martin

Noelle Rosa Jenny Mao

3 4

Lisa Kriley Jeff Crandell

Novice Men Mathew Graham Micah Lynette Alec Schmitt Dmitri Murphy

1 2 3 4

Amanda Kovar Justin Biringer Brenda Peterson Shannon Damiano

Juvenile Boys Jeffrey Chen Lawrence Winters Ian Ramsey Jonathan Ko

1 2 3 4

Tammy Gambill Amanda Kovar, Karel Kovar Julie Zusman-Lowndes Sherri Krahne-Thomas, Gilley Nicholson

Intermediate Ladies Kayleigh Elliott Cheyenne King Jasmine Cheng Mina Done

1 2 3 4

Randy Clark Randy Clark Christina McPherson, Darin Hosier, Corrie Martin Christina McPherson

Intermediate Men Colin Woodall-Williams

Kendall LeClaire

Juvenile Girls Ellie Kam Hannah Yi MacKenzie Kazandjian Meagan Duncan

1 2 3 4

Ralph Burghart Darin Hosier, Corrie Martin Shannon Damiano, Randy Clark Heidi Sullivan

Senior Ladies Tyler Pierce Katarina Kulgeyko Caroline Zhang Carly Gold

1 2 3 4

Kori Ade, Rohene Ward Igor Samohin Caroline Zhang Frank Carroll

Juvenile Boys Ivan Brown Andrew Lee Kamden Black

1 2 3

Rebecca Safai Lisa Kriley, Pamela Leary, Bernadette Wilson Barbara Murphy

Senior Men Phillip Warren Scott Dyer

1 2

Frank Carroll, Justin Dillon Frank Carroll

Junior Ladies Amy Lin Morgan Flood Elizabeth Nguyen Alexis Gagnon

1 2 3 4

Tammy Gambill Tammy Gambill Tammy Gambill Dawn Piepenbrink-McCosh

Junior Men Paolo Borromeo Spencer Howe Harrison Wong Timothy Boore

1 2 3 4

Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Wendy Olson Frank Caroll, Robert Taylor Alex Chang, Ken Congemi

Novice Ladies Akari Nakahara Jessica Cai Ai Setoyama Donna Yi

1 2 3 4

Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov Frank Caroll, Robert Taylor Alex Chang Tammy Gambill, Justin Dillon

Novice Men Eric Sjoberg Camden Pulkinen Danill Shamis Micah Tang

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan, Nadezda Kanaeva Karen Gesell Tammy Gambill, Justin Dillon Douglas Ladret

Intermediate Ladies Nhi Do Starr Andrews Gia Kokotakis Emma Coppess

1 2 3 4

Douglas Chapman, Dianne DeLeeuw-Chapman Derrick Delmore Alex Chang, Jere Michael Kymberly Tompkins

Intermediate Men Max Lake Paul Yeung Joshua Fendi Mikey Smith

1 2 3 4

Jonathan Cassar Bianca Marro Weissmann, Brianna Weissmann Derrick Delmore, Peter Oppegard Douglas Ladret, Katlynn McNab

Juvenile Girls Jacqueline Lee Chelsea Fujimura Helena Park Kaia Culotta

1 2 3 4

Wendy Olson Nina Fujimura Peter Kongkasem, Naomi Nam Alex Chang, Jere Michael

Central Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Camille Davis Elena Pulkinen Sarah Lyle Kristina Struthwolf

1 2 3 4

Lisa Kriley Karen Gesell Holly Tanner Tiffany Kennard

Junior Ladies Hina Ueno Sarah Feng Megan Wessenberg Daniela Dryden

1 2 3 4

Stewart Sturgeon David Glynn, Sherri Krahne-Thomas Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Lisa Kriley

Novice Ladies Alice Yang Anna Grace Davidson Nina Ouellette Lily Sun

1 2 3 4

Lynn Smith Lisa Kriley Justin Dillon, Diana Miro Justin Dillon, Sherri Krahne-Thomas

Novice Men Kendrick Weston Justin Ly Mitchell Friess Alain Sandraz

1 2 3 4

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

Intermediate Ladies Sierra Venetta Aurelia Perkins Natalie Feng Elizabeth Ding

1 2 3 4

Grete Castaneda Lisa Kriley David Glynn Justin Dillon, David Glynn

Juvenile Girls Isabella Miller Milena Markin

1 2

Evgeniya Chernyshova Peter Oppegard

Southwest Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships

PS MAGAZINE

2015 HONOR ROLL

Juvenile Boys Henry Privett-Mendoza Gerald Hsu Isaac Jun Myles Wong

1 2 3 4

Natasha Adler-DeGuzman, Rudy Galindo Douglas Chapman, Dianne DeLeeuw-Chapman Marina Mikoultchik Robert Taylor

Southwestern Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Ashley Shin Mariah Bell Renee Kono Melin Craze Junior Ladies Vivian Le Elena Taylor Kaitlyn Gaither Lauren Ellison Junior Men Aleksei Krasnozhon Luke West Anthony Boucher Novice Ladies Emily Chan Tamia Ellison Pooja Kalyan Ashlee Raymond Novice Men Benjamin Shou Thomas Schwappach Josiah Curley Justin Wichmann Intermediate Ladies Ashley Lin Kaitlyn Nguyen Akane Eguchi Ashley Garcia Intermediate Men Alan Wong Jun-Hong Chen Ian Smith Jacob DeWolfe Juvenile Girls Audrey Lu Olivia Jaschke Paxton James Jessica Lin Juvenile Boys Alexander Han Daniel Tioumentsev Maxim Zharkov Autin Borjas-Ewell

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Kori Ade, Rohene Ward Megan Faulkner, Elena Prudsky, Val Prudsky Becky Calvin, Tom Zakrajsek

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem Cheryl Pascarelli Kori Ade, Rohene Ward

1 2 3

Darlene Cain, Peter Cain Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin Scott Brown, Cindy Sullivan

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Kori Ade, Rohene Ward Frank Carroll, Scott Brown, Cindy Sullivan Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov

1 2 3 4

Darlene Cain, Peter Cain Mia Hoeksema Boyko Alexiev Megan Faulkner, Elena Prudsky, Val Prudsky

1 2 3 4

Sergey Artemov, Anya Artemova Tom Zakrajsek Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov

1 2 3 4

Alexei Sidorov Shin-Juh Chen, Ryan Jahnke Debra Cole, Thomas Dickson Vonne Combs, Jason Dilworth

1 2 3 4

Olga Ganicheva, Aleksey Letov Shanyn Vallon Richard Callaghan, Todd Eldredge Sergey Artemov, Anya Artemova

1 2 3 4

Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov Anna Tarassova, Tom Zakrajsek Svetlana Serkeli, Andrei Zharkov Julie Kowal

MARCH | APRIL 2015

Upper Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Dana Sivak Kjerstyn Hall Ariana Grymski Joanna Liu

1 2 3 4

Candice Brown-Burek Ted Engelking, Zoe HIll Sandi Delfs, Denise Myers Ann Eidson, Benjamin Miller-Reisman

Junior Ladies Bradie Tennell Paige Rydberg Makala Arn Claire Burner

1 2 3 4

Denise Myers Mary Antensteiner David Santee, Joshua Fischel Scott Brown

Junior Men Tomoki Hiwatashi Richard Kahn Ryan Santee

1 2 3

Osadolo Irowa, Alexander Ouriashev Diana Ronayne David Santee, Joshua Fischel

Novice Ladies Taylor Morris Sarah Nunez Cailey Olono Emma Enebak

1 2 3 4

Carol Kaufmann Valeria Masarsky, Alexander Ouriashev Alexander Ouriashev Lorie Charbonneau

Novice Men Kelvin Li Colton Johnson Derek Wagner Max Belovol

1 2 3 4

Alexander Ouriashev Thomas Amon Denise Myers Nikolay Belovol

Intermediate Ladies Maxine Marie Bautista Diana Zhu Carly Leonard Paige Zolnierek

1 2 3 4

Alexander Ouriashev Ann Eidson, Benjamin Miller-Reisman Mary Antensteiner Susan Liss, Courtney O'Connor-Bartlett

Intermediate Men Ryan Bedard Joonsoo Kim Alex Wellman David Kaufmann

1 2 3 4

Mimi Bedard, Alexander Ouriashev Amy Blades, Tanya Street-Burgess Madalyn Brook Lidia Masliukova, Kristina Orlova

Juvenile Girls Wren Warne-Jacobsen Grace Ying Angelina Huang Rachel Men

1 2 3 4

Ann Eidson, Debbie Warne-Jacobson Ann Eidson, Benjamin Miller-Reisman Kelsey Himmel, Alexander Ouriashev Aidas Reklys

Juvenile Boys Daniel Turchin Jonathan Yang Victor Shi Trevor Bucek

1 2 3 4

Alexander Vedenin Melissa Jasperson Sandi Delfs, Denise Myers Marina Gromova, Yevgeny Martynov

1 2 3 4

Stephanie Miller Svetlana Khodorkovsky, Annette Schaefer Rashid Kadyrkaev, Janet Wene Scott Omlor

Eastern Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships Senior Ladies Kacie Kotnik Alexie Mieskoski Christina Cleveland Isabelle Daskas

2015 HONOR ROLL

Senior Men Ryan Hartley Alexander Newman

1 2

Richard Hartley, Robert Mauti Julianne Berlin

Junior Ladies Natalie Motley Livvy Shilling Vivian Chen Isabella Falsetti

1 2 3 4

Andrey Kryukov, Suzanne Semanick-Schurman Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Mary Williamson Svetlana Khodorkovsky, Annette Schaefer Linda Johns

Novice Ladies Chloe Roslin Cristina Rackley Michelle Chen Sarah Liberatore

1 2 3 4

Zuzanna Parchem, Jodie Balogh Tasich Carol Heiss-Jenkins, Roberta Santora-Mitchell Lindsey Weber, Vickey Weber Lisa Kirby, Theresa McKendry

Novice Men Ivan Mokhov Eric Hartley Jason Cohn Alex Magnuson

1 2 3 4

Andrey Mokhov, Oksana Yakusheva Heidi Hartley, Richard Hartley Deborah Dodge-Howe Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas, Mary Williamson

Intermediate Ladies Maggie MacKinnon Tori Bennett Jenna Shi Molly Davies

1 2 3 4

Lisa Kirby, Theresa McKendry Molly German, Jacqueline Redenshek-Henry Lisa Kirby, Theresa McKendry Heidi Masse, Laurent Masse

Intermediate Men Luke Ferrante Sasha Lunin Samuel Parks Nathan Chapple

1 2 3 4

Editha Dotson-Bowser Alexander Lunin, Alena Lunin Andrey Mokhov, Oksana Yakusheva Sherry Marvin

Juvenile Girls Brigid Carlson Frances Rossiter Cienna Baka Sara-Kate Giles

1 2 3 4

Lindsey Weber, Vickey Weber Heidi Masse, Laurent Masse Valerie Marcoux-Pavlas Editha Dotson-Bowser

Juvenile Boys Chase Finster Levon Davis Evan Whitlow Albert Tedjo

1 2 3 4

Jessica Mills-Kincade, Samantha Mohr Heidi Hartley, Richard Hartley Kelley Morris-Adair, Heidi Whitlow Rachel Bauld-Lee

New England Regional Figure Skating Championships

Novice Ladies Emmy Ma Jin Baseman Gabriella Izzo Sonja Hilmer

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Stephen Carriere, Sergei Minaev, Suna Murray Serhii Vaypan

Intermediate Ladies Kassandra Carpentier

Iris Zhao

Liza Hayes Dayoon Chang

3 4

Genevieve Coulombe, Dmitri Kazalyga, Kostantin Kostin Amy D'Entremont-Allen, Konstantin Kostin, Kristen Weir Peter Johansson.Mark Mitchell Sergey Minaev, Suna Murray

Intermediate Men Maxim Naumov Franz-Peter Jerosch Seungil (Rick) Lee Stefan Wasshuber

1 2 3 4

Vadim Naumov, Vladimir Petrenko, Evgenia Shishkova Lynda Hathaway, Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Suna Murray Sheryl Franks, Konstantin Kostin

Juvenile Girls Brooke Barrett Jamiesen Cyr Madeleine Weiler Sydney Cooke

1 2 3 4

Martha Harding, Suna Murray Ronna Gladstone, Matthew Lind, Sergei Minaev Sergey Minaev, Suna Murray Felita Carr, Stephanie Cooke, Alexei Komarov

Juvenile Boys Brendt Wang Philip Baker Maxwell Gart Jedidiah Isbell

1 2 3 4

Kostantin Kostin Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Mathew Gates, Dmytry Palamarchuk Suna Murray

Senior Ladies Katie McBeath Lyra Katzman Jordan Bauth Helen Serafini

1 2 3 4

Sally Tasca Roman Serov, Ann Zadorozhniuk Suzanne Bauth, Lenel van den Berg Steven Rice, Roman Serov

Junior Ladies Olivia Serafini Brianna Brazee Selin Kang Nadine Wang

1 2 3 4

Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan Jana Brazee Carig Maurizi Elaine Zayak

Junior Men Sean Conlon Christopher Aaron Singletary

1 2

Roman Serov, Ann Zadorozhniuk Oleg Makarov

North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships

Senior Ladies Heidi Munger Morgan Sewall Emily McNally Isabella Dow

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Jann Hull, Mathew Lind Dmytry Palamarchuk Suna Murray

Junior Ladies Rebecca Peng Taylor-Rae Rocco Isabelle Dost Giorgina Giampaolo

Novice Ladies Paige Conners Alexia Paganini Kelly Koons Annalisa McGuinness

1 2 3 4

Steven Rice, Roman Serov Michela Boschetto, Gilberto Viadana Michela Boschetto, Gilberto Viadana Alexandra Potcheikina

1 2 3 4

Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell Matthew Lind, Bobby Martin, Suna Murray

Novice Men Yamato Rowe Corey Phillips Noah Krupnick

1 2 3

Igor Krokavec Matthew Mackall Deborah Milne Davis

Junior Men Bennett Gottlieb Daniel Kuyoth

1 2

Matthew Lind, Suna Murray Nancy Rossi, Brad Vigorito

Intermediate Ladies Audrey Shin Chelsea Mischuk Ilana Sherman Ayaka Hoshida

1 2 3 4

Craig Maurizi Roland Burghart, Jeffrey DiGregorio Igor Krokavec, Craig Maurizi Kelby Riley, Elaine Zayak PS MAGAZINE

2015 HONOR ROLL

Intermediate Men Steven Rossi Noah Jaffe

1 2

Roland Burghart, Olga Orlova Steven Rice, Roman Serov

Juvenile Girls Nikolett Albrechtovics Emilia Murdock Ashley Le Laura Jacobson

1 2 3 4

Tim Covington Mary Lynn Gtelderman, Stacie Young-Krinsky Roland Burghart Steven Rice, Roman Serov

Juvenile Boys Eliot Jang Nicholas Bausenwein Konrad Marut Matthew Kennedy

1 2 3 4

Steven Rice, Elaine Zayak Lynn-Claudia Massone Igor Krokavec Elizabeth Hollett-Shackett, Marcia Walkney

Senior Ladies Madison Vinci Jessica Hu Maria Yang Kristine Levitina

1 2 3 4

Rashid Kadyrkaev, Vitali Shalin Shirley Hughes Andrey Kryukov Irina Delgado, Maxim Frossin

Junior Ladies Brynne McIsaac Carly Berrios Alice Qiao Brianna Laxson

1 2 3 4

Shirley Hughes Rashid Kadyrkaev Barbara Wagner Andrey Kryukov

Novice Ladies Lindsay Rosenberg Haley Beavers Morgan Leighow Ashley Young

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Ron Ludington Lisa Plumeri Andrey Kryukov

Novice Men Jonah Barrett William Hubbart Peter Liu Andrew Uhrig

1 2 3 4

Lyndon Johnston, James Peterson Laura Amelina, Alex Vlassov Viktor Pfeifer Serguei Kouznetsov, Nataliya Tymoshenko

Intermediate Ladies Hannah Jo Ting Cui Lara Annunziata Joanna Hubbart

1 2 3 4

Pam Gregory Christian Conte, Bobbe Shire Curtis Chornopyski Laura Amelina, Alex Vlassov

Intermediate Men Tommy-Jo Nyman Ryan Dunk Jordan Evans Eric Prober

1 2 3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Katie Nyman Christian Conte Jeff DiGregorio John Zimmerman, Silvia Zimmerman

Juvenile Girls Sophia Chouinard Erin Coleman

1 2

Alexa Binder Moriah Oliveira

3 4

Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev Jeremy Barrett, John Zimmerman, Silvia Zimmerman John Zmimmerman, Silvia Zimmerman Maxim Frossin, Rimma Orlova

Juvenile Boys Joseph Kang Ilia Malinin Zachary Yaninek Nikita Romanov

1 2 3 4

Pam Gregory Tatyana Malinina Richard Swenning Irina Romanova

Kiss N Cry

South Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships

MARCH | APRIL 2015

photos by Vicki Luy

PROFESSION AL SKATERS ASSOCIATION

PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships Presented by the Professional Skaters Association, the 2015 U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships will take place at the Bloomington Ice Garden, Bloomington, MN, on Saturday, May 23 and will feature one event comprised of men’s, ladies, pairs, dance, and group. This competition will be judged based on skaters' “total performance” with an eye to costuming, presentation, music selection, choreography, style, and technique. The competition is open to all performing and teaching professionals who are U.S. citizens or are permanent residents. The scoring will use a 10 point scale with open judging and live judging comments after each program. Medals will be presented to the top four skaters along with cash prizes.

A HISTORY OF THE U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS The U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships was sponsored by the Professional Skaters Guild of America, the precursor of the PSA. The first event was held in Philadelphia, PA, February 21-22, 1981 and featured some of the top skaters of the time—reigning World Professional Champion Scott Cramer, Stacey Smith & John Summers, and Sheryl Franks & Michael Botticelli. The top three finishers represented the U.S. at the World Professional Championships in Jaca, Spain. The U.S. Open Professional Figure Skating Championships was first shown on ESPN in 1988 and continued on until 1995 on CBS, USA, and TBS. In 1995 when the ISU introduced the ISU Champions Series—which would later change its name to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating—it was a severe blow to the long established pro competitions like the U.S. Open, the World Professional Ice Skating Championships, and a popular skating event from Candid Productions, The World Professional Championships. Around the millennium, Nielsen ratings for professional skating competitions

were declining and the TV networks were shifting towards a time-buy model. Prior to this model being introduced, producers would shop the rights to their programs with most production expenses being picked up by the network. There was little risk for the producers as they got paid whether the network could sell the advertising or not. With the time-buy model, the producers would purchase the air time, pay for the production, and sell the ad space; they assumed all the risk and made less revenue. The U.S. Open did not have a television contract in 1996 but with their partner, Sports Marketing Marque Group, was broadcast on UPN in 1997 and the last U.S. Open on NBC in 1998.

Tentative competitors: Rohene Ward Jonathan Cassar Ryan Jahnke Colleen Okolski

For more information and entry forms, visit www.skatepsa.com

Ice Show Celebration! June 22nd – 24th, 2015

Las Vegas, Nevada

Ice Capades is having their 75th Reunion and would like to invite any and all ice show alumni to join in the celebration! Ice Follies, Holiday On Ice, Disney On Ice, any ice show is welcomed.

‘Escape to Las Vegas’ and have fun! Visit this link for all celebration details

www.icecapadesreunion2015.com EMAIL:

icecapadesreunion2015@gmail.com

FACEBOOK GROUP:

MARCH | APRIL 2015

ICE CAPADES Reunion 2015

Who wants to be SHOW

PRODUCTION DESIGN

CONCEPTS RE SUME S R H I NE S TO NE S

Packaging

L ightin g

PROGRAMS

MUSIC EDITING COS TUME D ES IGN

HAIR

AND

MAKE UP

STYLING

RIGGING AND FLYING

A U D I T I O N VI D E OS

Head Shots

Po si t i v i t y

FUN!

KELLY CORCORAN SMITH kellysk8smith@mac.com 303.906.6506

Head Coach, University of Denver Collegiate Skating Team | Master of Choreography, Showtime on Ice | Assistant Choreographer, Ice Theatre of the Rockies 4 Time USFS Gold Medalist | University of Denver B.S./B.A.,Music and Marketing | PSA, ISI, and ProSkaters member

MAY 26-28 • DOUBLETREE BY HILTON BOSTON NORTH SHORE

BEANTOWN BECKONS! It’s back to Boston for the 2015 ISI Ice Arena Conference & Trade Show! We last made Boston our conference destination in 2006, and it has since been the location of three ISI World Recreational Team Championships. This time we will gather in the Boston North Shore area, a short drive from historic downtown Boston and Logan International Airport. All four iAIM certification tracks will once again be offered, including the popular Certified Skating Director course. This year’s

event will also feature a specially priced one-day opportunity for coaches, which includes on-ice training and education plus trade show admission. On-ice and rink sessions will be held at FMC Cronin Ice Rink in Revere, Mass., with Frank Carroll as our featured guest presenter. Preceding the conference and trade show will be the ISI Conference Championships, May 22-24, at Nashoba Valley Olympia in Boxborough. See you in Boston!

2015 HIGHLIGHTS: • •

•

On- and off-ice sessions with Frank Carroll PSA ratings May 26 & 28 Full conference earns 16 PSA credits; Wednesday-only educational session for $99 earns 7 credits iAIM Skating Director Certification

• • • • • • •

Judge & referee sessions Teaching, training & choreography tips weSKATE Instructor Certification Breakfast roundtables Arena programming Social & networking opportunities and much more!

skateisi.org/conference Photo credits: Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau

PS MAGAZINE

PART

1970-1989

g n i g d u J

pivot of change by Bruce Poodles

Photos courtesy of the World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame

MARCH | APRIL 2015

opularly known as the “Me” generation, twenty-first century historians portrayed the 1970’s as the “pivot of change” decade; pun not intended. The ISU continued to focus on eliminating bloc judging by continuing to aggressively discipline judges; 43 were suspended between 1970 and 1979, including an entire association in 1978 (Wright, 1992). In the United States, the Philadelphia Area Championships experimented with professional judges in 1973. At the request of the Competition Chairman and Chief Referee, the Professional Skaters Guild of America formed a panel of three “pro judges” to unofficially judge the Novice Ladies event. The idea was reported as the brainchild of Arthur Bourke and Tom McGinnis (Muehlbronner, 1973). Interestingly, both the “real” and “professional” judges agreed to the placements by majority only. Continuing a trend to minimize the importance of figures in favor of the more television friendly, expressive and athletic free skating, the USFSA followed the ISU by reducing the factoring ratio between figures and free skating, from 60%40% to 50%-50%. When Sonia Bianchetti was first appointed to the ISU Figure Skating Technical Committee in 1967, she made it her mission to eliminate compulsory figures (Bianchetti-Garbato, 2004). While Sonia admitted that it would

take years, she was focused on this goal. A common opinion of the day is best illustrated from a discussion with former Ice Capades Director, Bob Turk. In an interview published in SKATING, Turk said, “When I see a skater I want to see a performer who will thrill me... Anyone with any brains at all can learn to do reasonably good figures if he keeps at it long enough. So what! Personally, I don’t think going around in a constricted, little circle is very exciting. Having good figures is an aid to good free style, not an end in itself (Brown, 1970).” Following the 1971 European and World Championships, a great debate took place at the thirty-fourth ISU congress regarding the Ladies events that were won by Trixi Schuba, the Austrian champion. Arguably the greatest compulsory figure skater in history, many credit the continuing war on figures to her skill and the fact that the great free skaters couldn’t catch her once she won the figures. The congress in June 1971 made some of the most momentous changes in figure skating. Over 200 proposals for changes were considered (Shoemaker, 1971). One was a new rule forbidding judges to consult previously prepared notes during the competition. The number of compulsory figures to be skated was reduced from six to three, and most prominently, the short program was adopted. With the acceptance of the short program, the ratio between figures and the free skate portion of the competitions was once again adjusted; 40% for figures, 20% for the short, and 40% for the long. As the 1972 Olympics were looming, the delegates voted the short program to be introduced for the 1973 season. While the ISU had already adopted the short program for the 1973 season, Trixi Schubas’ free skate at the Olympics drew boos from the crowd and her seventh place in the free skate is the worst free skate finish for an Olympic champion that still stands today. More incredibly, she defended her World Championship PS MAGAZINE

title, winning the figures by over 130 points and placing ninth in the free skate. The 1973 season debuted the short program and the reduction to three figures with the hope to decrease the weight of figures. It did little to appease its critics. Dennis Bird, figure skating correspondent for The Times of London and archivist for the National Ice Skating Association of Great Britain, wrote an article called, The Judging Problem.1 He wrote that one notable skater received a 5.6 in spite of missing three of the six elements. As for the ratio of 40%-20%-40%, Bird’s review of the scores revealed that the percentages comparatively between skaters varied greatly from the ratio. The following congress added a seventh element, a change foot spin, to the short and an attempt was made to further reduce the figure ratio to 30% which failed. Of the 43 judges suspended by the ISU in the 70s, 27 were disciplined by 1975. In the January 1975 issue of SKATING, Bird quoted John Hennessy, sports editor of “The Times,” who covered the 1974 World Championships and was troubled by the general criticism regarding the judging. Hennessy wrote, “The criticism falls into several categories—that the judges mark on reputation rather than performance, that they are prejudiced in favor of their compatriots, that there is collusion in order to frustrate a dangerous opponent, that they are too old and out of touch.” Bird’s reaction to the quote was that any fan of skating would not be surprised by that. However, he believed at least two aspects of judging should be studied more closely; the individual marks and the best way to fairly calculate the results. As for the individual scores, judges applied too little differential between the technical and artistic mark. Additionally, judges tend to mark figures no higher than 5.0 for even the very best. One example he cited was Swiss skater, Karin Iten, who won the compulsory figure portion at Worlds in 1974, with nothing higher than a 4.4. Placing 17th in the long, Karin, remarked Bird, “is generally known that she is a much better skater of figures than free—yet her lowest free mark was 4.9!” By all appearances, judges tended to mark figures on a 0 to 5.0 scale, while using the entire 6.0 scale for the free skating portion. So what was to be done about judges, Bird asked? There was a great divide in quality of the judges based on the standards of skating within their own country. Bird pointed out that judges from countries with poor skating usually have difficulties in keeping up with developments in a highly complex sport. This is even truer today as many judges from the smaller countries have few opportunities to judge in a more complex scoring system. A suggestion he made was to require judges to take either written or oral exams but he also believed this would never happen. A previous attempt by the French to introduce a test for new judges had been rejected by the ISU. The issue of “national bias and collusion” is unsolvable, a conclusion Bird made that most would agree with today. Unfortunately, most of the procedures brought forth by the ISU work after that fact. The procedure to suspend judges was a 1

RICHARD L. HAPGOOD wrote an article cited in Part I of this series also called “ The Judging P roblem.” Skating Magazine May 1925

MARCH | APRIL 2015

cumulative process of penalties over a period of time described by Ben Wright as noted, advice, criticism, warning, demotion or suspension. Still used in part today it is in fact reactionary. An interesting note of the time was the 1974 rule adopted by the ISU that stated, “A judge’s eyesight and hearing must be of satisfactory standard.” The second issue of calculating results had been debated and adjusted often since the first competition in the 1890’s. Calculating the winner by the sum of all points gives too much power to a national-biased judge while the majority (ordinal) principle was favorable. A statistician would tell you this method is the fairest to the skater. However, it is not favorable when influenced by bloc judging. To minimize that threat, the Finnish system as described earlier would eliminate the high and low mark. A variation of the Finnish system that was suggested by Howard Bass in 1974 was to remove the top 2 and bottom 2 marks of a nine judge panel, leaving the 5 remaining to decide the majority. The 1975 congress voted and passed a new ratio between figures, short and free skate of 30% - 20% – 50%. Ten years ago, compulsory figures were worth 60%, 50% by 1968, 40% in 1972 and finally, a mere 30% (Bird D. L., 1978). A second proposal by Sonia Bianchetti was in regards to the way the short program would be judged (Bianchetti-Garbato, 2004). The congress adopted the rule that spelled out the specific deductions to be made for “failures and omissions in the required elements.” The congress also agreed, in principle, that judges would be required to attend judging schools in order to be appointed or promoted, or to retain their appointment. In regards to the judging of an event, a rule was enacted which required the referee to communicate to the panel what the range of scores for the first skater was and to what was the median mark. The purpose of this rule was to eliminate the judges of discussion what the first mark would be prior to the competition. By the mid-seventies, bloc judging and national bias was in the forefront of the ISU’s attempt to improve its image. Throughout the Cold War, Eastern Bloc countries promoted judges who could be manipulated or predisposed to national bias. The ISU had finally had enough; as disciplining one judge at a time did nothing to reduce nationalistic judging, the ISU suspended ALL judges from the former Soviet Union for one entire year (Hines, The Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating, 2011).2 In fact, at the European Championships in 1976, a Czechoslovakian judge who had voted along national lines in the short, switched his vote in favor of John Curry, allowing him to beat Vladimir Kovalev of the Soviet Union. The judge was not to get another international competition for five years (Brennan, Inside Edge, 1996). The scoring system was once again the focus of a major change. At the Congress of 1977, the ISU approved a three year trial of a new method for calculating the results. The Hungarian system developed in 1971 by Pal Jaros to calculate the scores of each segment of the competition independently, then factored 2 The proposal to ban all Soviet Judges f rom ISU events was proposed by Sonia Bianchetti (Bianchetti-Garbato, 2004)

and totaled for placement (Wright, 1992). Elemer Tertak of Hungary had presented the idea to Sonia Bianchetti in 1976, who was intrigued by the system (Bianchetti-Garbato, 2004). Bianchetti simplified the system and it was this version that was adopted. In the new system, each result would be figured by adding up the factored results of each portion with the lowest total placing first. This system would allow separate panels of judges for each portion which would in theory decrease the possibility of “Bloc” judging. The reality of the system however was to diminish the leads that could be achieved in figures. The pool of figures that were drawn from for each competition was also reduced from three groups of three, to two groups of three. It was at the 1980 Olympic Games where one of the more public controversies of “vote trading” happened. Coach Carlo Fassi was alleged to have worked a deal with the Eastern Bloc judges: Fassi’s student Robin Cousins over East German Jan Hoffman and East German Annette Poetzsch over Frank Carroll’s Linda Fratianne (Brennan, Edge of Glory -The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating’s Olympic Gold Medal, 1998). While Fassi specifically denied the allegation, they had a heated and loud argument in the Olympic arena shortly after the scores were announced. At the congress following the Lake Placid Games, the Hungarian system was officially adopted for all ISU events for the 1981 season (Wright, 1992). The USFSA, however, did not adopt the new system ( Jackson, 1980), and at the Canadian Championships the following year, there was controversy over

the new marking system that gave Orser the title over the defending champion Brian Pockar, who won both the figure and short program (Loeser, 1981). At Europeans, Jean-Christophe Simond had a large lead after the figure portion but as writer Howard Bass wrote in SKATING, “Not that the extent of a lead mattered any more with the new scoring system in operation... Few seemed to favor the method, but we were saddled with it.” Simond was not able to hold onto the lead, losing to Igor Bobrin (Bass, 1981). No longer would the greatest “figure” skaters be able to win a competition by achieving an unsurmountable lead. During this time Sonia Bianchetti noted in her book Cracked Ice, an interesting change in the judging. In 1975 the past it was noticed that skaters who excelled in figures were having their free skate marks inflated. Now those who excelled in free skating were experiencing overstated compulsory marks. The 1980-81 season also saw the last figure skater to hold the office of President of the ISU. President Jacques Favart of France, died in September following surgery at age 60. He had been president for 13 years, working diligently to improve the judging in figure skating. He was replaced by Olaf Poulsen of Norway, a speed skater who began a 34 year reign of speed skaters that include the current president Octavio Cinquanta. At the following congress in 1983, several significant changes were made to the rules of figure skating. One was the adoption of the “Zayak Rule.” Elaine Zayak had won the previous World Championships landing six triples: two Salchows and four toe loops (Hines, Figure Skating, A History, 2006). The new rule would limit each triple to one attempt with the exception of one that had to be completed in combination. Another rule to be adopted was a change to the draw of the starting order for the free skate segment. Specifically, the draw would be the combined result of both the figure and short program placement, instead of just the short program ordinal. Also, the congress made its first attempt of many to limit the number of entries allowed for the World Championships by limiting the number of skaters to skate the free skate to 15. At the 1984 congress it was again changed to 20 skaters. As for the beleaguered compulsory figures, the ISU reduced

PS MAGAZINE

the number of repetitions from three times on each foot to two, a total of four tracings per figure skated (Wright, 1992). Also in 1983, two judges were suspended by the ISU from an incident at the Junior World Championships in which a Russian and Hungarian dance judge were suspended for a period of three years each. The charge was a “violation of the basic principle of good sportsmanship, having attempted to influence Philadelphia area championships – 1973 | photo by David Leonardi other judges in an effort to obtain their support for skaters” (Wright, 1992). The Hungarian judge appealed to the new ISU Appeals Commission, 30% for the short, and 50% for the long. Another rule change who reduced the sanction to one year. was what is now known as the Katerina Witt rule. Known for her flamboyantly theatrical costumes, the new rule defined what a Not much changed in the ensuing years except in 1986 when suitable costume would be and instituted a penalty of up to a two the congress rewrote the definition of judging. It stated that the tenths of a point for a violation to be deducted from the artistic scale of marks were to determine quality of a performance and mark (Wright, 1992). at the same time, compare the value of the program to the other competitors. Additionally, a rule was passed banning officials Ben Wright summed it up best; “There was thus a lot to from making “adverse” public statements regarding events that be ‘digested’ by all concerned as a result of the changes, but the they officiated. die was cast and the sport, in singles skating at least, was to be changed forever.” Finally, in 1988, the ISU congress voted in several sport altering rules. The most controversial was the elimination of figures from ISU competitions starting with the 1990 season. The decision was a vote of 27-4 in favor with the United States, BIBLIOGRAPHY Canada, Britain, and New Zealand opposed (The Associated Bass, H. (1981, May). Ice Abroad - Europeans. Skating. Press, 1998). Bianchetti-Garbato, S. (2004). Cracked Ice - Figure Skating’s Inner World. Milano: Dr. Hugh Graham, president of the USFSA at the time, Libreia dello Sport. was quoted in the New York Times saying that abolishing Bird, D. L. (1975, January). THE Judging Problem. Skating. Bird, D. L. (1978, January). Ice Abroad. Skating. figures would reduce skaters’ expenses by at least half. While Brennan, C. (1996). Inside Edge. New York: Scribner. his delegation had been instructed by its board to vote against Brennan, C. (1998). Edge of Glory -The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating’s abolition, ‘’my personal feeling is that it is a good step.’’ In Olympic Gold Medal. New York: Scribner. hindsight, that was not the result. With the elimination of figures Brown, R. (1970, April). Mr. Wonderful. Skating. and the entire focus on free skating, it has brought on a period of Hamilton, S. (1999). Landing It: My Life On and Off the Ice. New York: Kensington. specialization in coaching with teams of coaches now the norm. Hines, J. R. (2006). Figure Skating, A History. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press and the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame. Expenses have increased and many experts have concluded that Hines, J. R. (2011). The Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham: Scarecrow skating skills have declined. Scott Hamilton wrote years later, Press. Inc. “What I see out there today are a lot of pure jumpers, many Jackson, R. L. (1980, December). The 1980 Board of Directors Meeting - Report. who have not learned to skate. And while this new generation Skating. of skaters should certainly feel proud of their technical Loeser, F. (1981, June). 1981 Canadian Championships. Skating. Muehlbronner, W. (1973, June). Judging Experiment. Skating. achievements, it’s sad that they’ll never develop their edge skills Shoemaker, J. R. (1971, November). ISU Congress. Skating. in a more grounded and patient way…” (Hamilton, 1999) Smith, B. (2014, February 22). Beverley Smith A f igure skating insider. Retrieved Until the removal in 1990, the number of figures to be October 21, 2014, from More on the Women’s Controversy: http://bevsmithwrites. wordpress.com/2014/02/22/more-on-the-womens-controversy/ skated was reduced to two. The short program was overhauled The Associated Press. (1998, June 9). No More Figures In Figure Skating. The New and renamed the original program. Forty seconds were added to York Times. the length of the program and the number of elements raised to Wright, B. T. (1992). Skating Around the World: International Skating Union, The One eight. The factors were changed once more to 20% for figures, Hundreth Anniversary History 1892-1992. Davos Platz, Switzerland: Beat Hasler.

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CANDIDATES FOR

PSA Board of Governors The Board of Governors of the PSA consists of an Executive Committee, six elected Governors, and three members-at-large who are selected by the president. Of the six elected governors, two are elected in alternating years for a term of three years. One candidate from both the Midwest and the East presented on this page will be elected with voting to take place March 1–April 1.

MIDWEST

EAST

Jennifer Heurlin-Brenne: Ratings: SM, SFS, RG, Hockey I Ranking: Level III Three areas I believe that the PSA needs to focus on are: judging standards and offer seminars to address it, continue to focus on education across the nation, and looking at ways to improve the PSA’s importance to coaches of all levels. I was an elite athlete and now I coach at a small club in Michigan. I believe I can offer a unique perspective through the competitive and coaching experiences I have had in all disciplines of figure skating (Pairs, Dance, Singles and Synchronized Skating) at all different levels from elite to recreational.

Patrick O’Neil:

Ratings: MFS, MM

I believe the main focus for PSA should be on affordable education for coaches and the continued exploration of ways to raise the membership numbers. I believe PSA can work collectively with both U.S. Figure Skating and the ISI to increase awareness of our educational opportunities and what benefits PSA has to offer. I believe the organization can continue to be at the forefront of offering educational opportunities to coaches at all levels and in all disciplines. I have served PSA as a PSA Examiner, PSA Vice Chair of the Professional Standards Committee and a Past PSA Board Member. I serve on several U.S. Figure Skating committees coordinating efforts with PSA’s mission and strategies.

Cindy Sullivan: Ratings: MFS, MF Ranking: Level V I believe the main focus for a PSA Board of Governor is to serve its membership in all capacity of the sport. It is important that PSA creates opportunities to strengthen the coaching community through education, communication and teamwork. I feel it is important to grow our sport in all disciplines and continue an openness to listen to PSA members. I am interested in finding solutions to coaching challenges and I believe PSA can benefit and support their members with the continual evolution of change that affects coaches. The board directs business of PSA, establishes policies and procedures, approves contracts for civic, educational, and social programs of the organization; fosters growth and development of PSA.

Tim Covington: Ratings: MFS, MM, RC Ranking: Level II I am passionate about continuing education for all coaches from grassroots to the elite level. The PSA provides excellent opportunities to hone and share one’s coaching skills and we need to find new ways to sell these great opportunities to the coaching community. I truly believe that the PSA is poised to become one of the best sports/ coaching organizations in the world. The sport of figure skating needs to thrive, and PSA educational opportunities are key to that growth. We need to continue to define what it means to work and behave ethically in an environment of “right to work” and “restraint of trade laws”, ultimately providing guidelines to maintain a nurturing, principled, respected, and happy work environment for all our professionals.

Kevin Curtis: Ratings: MFS I believe the PSA Board of Governors role is to facilitate the growth and progression of the sport of figure skating by educating and arming skaters and skating professionals with exceptional knowledge, thereby raising the standards of teaching. The PSA has done a fantastic job of showing its current members and potential members interest in their pursuit of expanding their education and achieving ratings. I personally experienced this energy and I would love to continue being a part of that experience for other new PSA coaches. I would like to see PSA cultivate new relationships with many individual coaches, as well as other groups involved in the skating community, bringing cohesiveness to skating. I serve PSA as a ratings examiner, a PSA presenter, an IJS technical specialist and am currently PSA Area 6 Representative.

Angela Roesch-Davis Ratings: MG, MPD, CFS, CM, Hockey I, Hockey II I believe the organization can create dynamic programming to encourage new coaches to be a bigger part of the organization and also create more educational programming opportunities. I believe it is important to continue growth in membership and utilize of a wider group of members for presentations and seminars to enhance the organizations reach and have more diversity. I believe it is important that the PSA Board of Governors serve as a voice for the membership. PS MAGAZINE

What Would Scott Brown Do? Back in the day, it was called footwork and it often progressed as quickly as possible down the ice with a few mohawks and three-turns thrown in. Now, it is called a step sequence and it has features of difficulty—rotational direction, body movement, clusters— and often uses all of the turns in a skater’s arsenal. Scott Brown has made it his business and specialty to get the most out of a skater and a step sequence. A World and Olympic choreographer, coach and motivator, Brown has worked with athletes from 20 different countries, including Olympic medalists Michelle Kwan and Gracie Gold, U.S. Figure Skating Championship medalists Emily Hughes and Agnes Zawadzki, and European medalist Alexander Abt. In his professional skating career, he appeared with Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Viktor Petrenko, Oksana Biaul, Elizabeth Manley, and Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. With shows that he has choreographed, directed and skated in spanning the globe, Brown was nominated for the PSA/U.S. Figure Skating Choreographer of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In a system where the step sequence is every bit as important as the jumps and spins, What Would Scott Brown Do?

There is a great picture of you cheering alongside an ecstatic Gracie Gold and a serious-looking—and probably point-calculating—Frank Carroll at the U.S. Championships last January. Can you put into words your feelings at that moment? My thoughts were that dreams really do come true. My history with Gracie Gold started in 2011 and that year she didn’t make it out of Sectionals. But, in four years, she went on to win Nationals and make the Olympic team. Usually in four years you don’t have that extraordinary journey with a skater. And those four years were tough —she changed coaches and there were

MARCH | APRIL 2015

By Terri Milner Tarquini

some difficult times—but she had a great short and a great long. There was a moment in the last minute of her program (at the Championships)… I’m standing off to the side of Frank and I’m pounding on the barrier and he’s standing there completely stoic. He probably thought I was crazy.

What are your thoughts looking back at the 2014 Winter Olympics? Of course being at the Olympics is a wonderful experience. I was so proud of Gracie—not only her performances but how she handled herself—and there was all kinds of great skating, but there was no Olympic spirit per se. It was clearly Russia versus the world and there was no celebration of humanity. I had Alexander Abt (from Russia who placed 5th) at the 2002 Winter Olympics (in Salt Lake City). It was just a few months after 9/11 and it was just an amazing life experience to be a part of. Skating fans tend to be a sophisticated bunch and very respectful—they clap for everyone. But at Sochi they were so unbelievably loud and obnoxious—it was very distracting. And when Meryl (Davis) and Charlie (White) won the gold—which was an extraordinary moment—there was just a very, very quiet clap; there wasn’t that cometogether moment. The Olympics are not just about winning. They’re about taking part and solidarity, but sadly that didn’t exist there. What do you value most about working with your skaters? The ability to make a difference. My job is to help each athlete be their best and help them to be a champion. I have to teach discipline, passion and how to train with commitment. I always give 100 percent and I try to do it with integrity. I wish more people in this industry respected their role as a coach. I think sometimes coaches can forget the impact they can have on not only an athlete, but a young person. Obviously, the technical aspect of footwork—now known as the step sequence— has changed astronomically from the 6.0

system. As a step sequence specialist, as well as a technical specialist for singles skating, what do you think of the IJS system? Overall, I like a lot of it. I like the measurable aspect. At times it can get a little too complicated and sometimes there are too many changes. I think, as far as the step sequence goes, we have a really good handle on the features of difficulty and, for now, they’re doing a good job of leaving it alone. Regarding IJS in general, the past year was probably one of the most difficult. This will be our tenth U.S. Championships using IJS and you would think we’d have a little more cohesive way to roll out the changes. I do think that the step sequence can often be the most miscalled element —and it is a very difficult element to call. For example, to get the level four, the calling of the body feature is up to the controller, which is giving a lot of power to one person. Carolina Kostner had a level three in her short program and Adelina Sotnikova had a level four and the event had a Russian controller so you figure it out. How do you keep up with the changes as the rules have evolved? (Laughs) With great difficulty. But that’s also why I am so involved. In addition to being a technical specialist for singles, I’m also an educator for the training and certification of technical panel officials and I spend a lot of time on the ISU website and the U.S. Figure Skating website. You have to be aware and have discussions with peers and go to competitions. You have to always be willing to learn and, to keep up on it; it’s really a full-time job. June, July, August, September–it really takes four months to get a handle on what’s going on so we’re ready for the season. How do you go about getting your skaters to attain the higher-level points in their step sequences? Every step sequence you choreograph as a level 4; whether it gets called that way or not is another conversation. The features have to be very easy to identify for the technical panel. It’s a balance of the requirements and the creative—going back and forth

to the music and the movements to it. It is the longest skating element in a program. Even with the transition, a jump takes a few seconds. And it’s probably 10 to 15 seconds for a spin. But a wonderfully executed step sequence can take about 45 seconds. There is the opportunity to make a real impact there.

You talked about the step sequence being choreographed to the music. There are detractors who stills say that programs under the current system don’t skate to the music. What would be your response? I’d say that’s a cop-out. You can still see wonderful programs. Carolina Kostner —both her programs were amazing. Denis Ten—his long was amazing. What’s difficult is that it takes a lot of time to not only teach jumps and spins but to teach step sequences. It takes a lot of time to put something really creative together. Do you have an idea of where elements will be in a program—dictated by the music— before you begin? Absolutely. When I send the music off to be edited, I have most of it laid out it my head. I usually look for the step sequence first and start on that first with the skater because it takes the most time. If I have a week with an athlete, we can layer it daily and by Friday we can have something amazing. How important is it to teach all of the various turns properly at all levels? Do you have any advice for this?

Well, not doing figures already makes it difficult. I personally don’t feel the athletes get what they need from moves in the field. Admittedly, I don’t teach moves in the field but I work with kids who have passed their senior moves and don’t know a bracket from a counter and a rocker. There’s a disconnect there. There’s not that fundamental understanding of how it’s done. I have a system of developmental exercises that I have the skaters do for 10 to 15 minutes of each session that helps them with their skating and movement. Coaches all do it different ways, but everyone needs to come up with something that teaches the athletes a deeper understanding of the actual turns.

What is your favorite skating element to watch when it is performed really well? Of course a truly great step sequence. Past that, call me old fashioned, but a classic layback spin with no features. Just a simple, elegant position that’s rotated for a gazillion times. If there was one thing you could change about the sport, what would it be? Just one? (Laughs) I actually have a couple. First, I think we need to put more resources into the developing levels, especially novice and junior, if we want to have great success at the senior level. Also, I wish people would respect coaching as a profession and have integrity and educate themselves so they can do the best by their athletes.

I’d also like it if all of the people in the secondary roles were valued. Of course there’s a main coach, but then there are all sorts of other people —off-ice trainers, sports psychologists, music editors, dress designers and, of course, choreographers. There are so many people involved in an athlete’s development and I think it is important to share success and honor those contributions.

If you hadn’t been a skating coach what would you have done? Something in design. Or an architect. Something creative. Do you have an overall coaching philosophy or mission statement? Three main, simple things: pay attention to details, make a difference and be on time. Then I’d also add: be yourself, educate yourself, collaborate, learn, build and nurture relationships and be organized. What do you think is important for coaches to impart to their skaters? First, to coach and compete with a vision of excellence every, single day. Second, help the athletes enjoy the sport and have passion for it. It’s important we make them feel good. Our job is to build their confidence. Third, teach basic skating really well. How would you describe your journey in the skating world so far? Extraordinary. For me, it’s really that simple. I’m so grateful for all of the wonderful experiences. Of course it’s great having a skater in the Olympics but there are so many other milestones along the way that happen. It’s amazing to be a part of a profession that I am so passionate about and that I enjoy so much and where I am able to make a difference in someone’s life.

PS MAGAZINE

Legal Ease DAVID SHULMAN

At last...something useful Employment Agreements This is the time of year when many public facility rinks offer or renew contracts with new or already employed coaches. Judging by the emails and calls I have received, employee status versus independent contractor status is being tightly squeezed. The majority of professionals teaching skating in facilities across the country are referred to as independent contractors. The coaches are specifically excluded by the terms of the agreement from being referred to as employee. Such designation allows the hiring entity, be it rink, public or municipal, private club, shopping center, or development corporation, to exclude the coach from participating in vacation with pay, health and retirement benefits, injury protection when on the job, unemployment benefits, tax withholding, etc. Until recently, the line was clear when dividing employment status. That clear line gets blurred by heaping upon the coach required services to be performed by the coach for the facility. The duties required may mean performing chores around the property or other jobs. It could include: acting as a teacher for learn to skate, following rules on time and length of classes, length and charges to be made for private lessons, limiting the number â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you travel outside and charges made for group lessons, and prohibiting a coach from teaching at any the USA for seven other of the rinks in an area where the coach may currently teach. All of these (consecutive) days items give control to the facility and exert or less, your trip will control upon the coach. The level of control exerted upon the coach may move the coach from being an independent be considered all contractor into the status of employee. for business even if As an employee, the coach may have protecting her/him from being fired. non-business activity rights Rights to receive insurance benefits may took place. You can now belong to the coach, and can also include participation in employee retirement programs, child care, and on and on. deduct all of your You get the idea. travel costs.â&#x20AC;? Here is the answer to those coaches

MARCH | APRIL 2015

requesting my comment on enforceability of a contract with restrictive provisions. Restrictive contract is any contract which attempts to prohibit that coach from teaching at any rink other than the one now offering a contract. Restrictive clauses preventing a coach from teaching at different facilities is, in most states, strictly construed. A court deciding the issue of whether to enforce such a provision generally rules in favor of the employee. Such a clause in an employment contract is considered against public policy thus not enforced. Attempt to exert this control may also convert the contract to an employment agreement or offer for employment instead of hiring an independent contractor. No matter what, I suggest you retain local counsel and confront that issue. Such a clause should be removed from your contract. Taxes Tax season is upon us. Many unpleasant things in life may be avoided, but not death and taxes. The Internal Revenue Service does offer some relief. How does a 50% deduction for food consumed at your favorite restaurant, in the name of business, sound? And note that when determining the amount of the deduction, everything counts: all food consumed, drinks, tax and tip. Business trips qualify for the 50% deductibility, and no need to be entertaining any existing or potential parent/skater/coach/etc., when on business travel. Foreign business travel? If you travel outside the USA for seven (consecutive) days or less, your trip will be considered all for business even if non-business activity took place. You can deduct all of your travel costs. There are a few rules to follow when claiming these deductions. Records of what you spent, where and when, must be kept. A simple memo note in your electronic calendar as to date, who was present, and a word or two on what was discussed, is satisfactory documentation. For simply good business practice, keep good records. Read and understand what you are asked to sign prior to signing. And always, when hiring a lawyer, be sure she/he represents you.

Are You Looking For A Great Skating Opportunity? Come Join the World’s Greatest Skaters! Feld Entertainment® is looking for Male and Female Skaters for its U.S. and International Tours of Disney On Ice. For more information, please send a skating resume, photos and current video (3 – 6 minutes), and all contact information to: Judy Thomas Talent Director and Production Coordinator Feld Entertainment. 1313 17th Street. East Palmetto, FL 34221 USA Phone (941) 721-1234 • Fax (941) 349-4280 • Email jthomas@feldinc.com

Ok, is anyone using their Champion Cords? What kind of results are you getting?

Sheila Thelen PRESIDENT – Champion Cords EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR –

Grassroots To Champions

YOU!

“Earlier this week I gave a lesson to a very talented and athletic It was like magic. Every jump from then on she skater on one of my coaching trips. We measured the air time could feel her feet and she was able to create the Professional Coaches on one of her huge axels at 0.53 seconds (that's BIG). However, proper position at impact on every single jump! she was having a hard time lifting the free knee prior to It even worked for double flip which she was having problems landing to help slow the rotation and prepare for the exit. with. We tried everything to get the pre-landing h-position. I I relate this story only as a coaching tip and as an example explained it ten different ways. I showed her video of herself. of how simple tools that build awareness (like Champion Nothing worked. Cords) can be more effective than any explanations we might The problem was simply that she could not feel her legs give our skaters.” or feet in the air. Usually when a skater is having difficulty – Trevor Laak, President of iCoachSkating.com - in an email to feeling a part of their body, I'll pull out the Champion Cords as ALL of his subscribers/members a way to get them just to feel something. Anything.

Keep the emails coming! Sheila@ThelenInc.com Champion Cords can be used for: Singles, Doubles, Triples, MIF, Spirals, Spins, Basic Skills Champion Cords can be purchased online at the PSA Store www.skatepsa.com

www.ChampionCords.com

PS MAGAZINE

New

MEMBERS NEW MEMBER SPONSOR Daniel Arsenault Andrea Auer Briana Bajic Shannon Battistelli Julie Bellomy Katie Bence Jessica Clark Elizabeth Cohen Hannah Cole Heather Cronemiller Nicole Cuillo Kristin Daly Bonnie Decarlo Heather Dennen Tracey Deren Cherish Fong Bonita Freitas Claire Godfrey Lisa Goodwin Bradford Griffies Sofia Hennessey Michael Hoban John Incha Coreen Kachermeyer Kaela Kapeikis Anna Kuljian Allyson Kuznia Emily Langley Catharine League Melissa Lee Kelly Lenkevich Valerie Levine Annie Luong Gretchen Majerus David McDuffie Hanna McNabb Marisa Molz Veronica Musser Caroline Nickerson Kelly Nix Taryn Olson Julie Ploeckelman Sarah Poretsky Joann Potrzuski-Cassidy Kimberly Rodrigues Monica Sarabia Paulette Schirmer Chelsea Schlecht Katherine Shepherd Allison Shiffer Karen Shilo Mary Virginia Shook Madison Sievers Brittney Skarulis Alina Sokolianski Erica Strausbaugh Siobhan Sullivan Esther Urffer Kelly Wagner Kristin Wallin Kayla Weltmer Neil Wilson Kathryn Wolstenholme Ashley Yates Matt Zamecnik

Gerry Lane Carolyn Quinn Mallory Wetherington Joelle Forte Jeff Marshall Robin L. Wagner Amy Beiderwieden Laura Kelliher Jennifer Anderson-Sanchez Cassie Joyce Jonathan Hayward Melissa Siesto Craig Henderson Jeff Marshall Cheri Neset Laura Holsing Jayne Throckmorton Amy Bifulk Ziad Khedr Carol Rossignol Joanie Glick Anne Marie Filosa Peter Biver Brittany Smith Louise Kapeikis Melanie Bolhuis Jason Dilworth Lisa Hudoba Langley Leslie Chabot Rebecca Stump Bernadette Tynan Stephanie Chernick Toni Miller Lori Stuart Jill Mintz Tara La Ferriere Karen Gooley Jill Mintz Nicole Gaboury Kathy Janik Susan Ecklund Brittyni Marr Cathryn Schwab Jeanne Governale-Cousineau Brad Vigorito Rebecca Dever Sigrid Dahlberg Jennifer McMahon Diane Miller Rachel Nevares Rebecca Stump Jessica Mills-Kincade Shirley Hughes Cathryn Schwab Anna Martynenko Janice Wallace Marina Khaltourina Forrest McKinnon Robin L. Wagner Barb Yackel Danielle David Kathy Casey, Lorna Brown Laura Kelliher Francine Larson Elisa Nash

MARCH | APRIL 2015

Welcome coaches!

Do you know coaches who are new to the profession, or are there skaters (age 16 or older) in your rink who have the potential to be a great coach? Help them get a head start on their coaching career, and encourage them to join PSA! As their sponsor, you can guide and encourage them to get educated and maintain professional membership with PSA. Visit www.skatepsa.com or contact Elizabeth at ethornton@skatepsa.com to learn more about PSA membership opportunities.

NOTICE is hereby given that Andrew Hayes of North Carolina has been banned from membership effective the 30th day of December 2014 for a period of five years.

PS MAGAZINE

CALENDAR

EVENTS

MARCH Date: Location: Event: Host: Credits:

Friday, March 6 Area 13 South Suburban Family Sports, Centennial, CO ISI District 12 Seminar Debbie Lane debbie.lane82@gmail.com 8 Pre-approved PSA credits

Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline:

March 8-9 Area 16 Fiesta Rancho Hotel/Casino, 2400 North Rancho Drive, North Las Vegas, NV 89130 Oral Rating Site at Ratings Prep Training PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams January 7, 2015

Date: Location: Event: Contact: Host: Credits: Deadline:

March 9--11 Area 16 Fiesta Rancho Ice Arena & Hotel, 2400 North Rancho Drive, North Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, NV 89130 [Room rate $25 plus tax] Ratings Prep Training [Mon 1-6pm, Tue 8am-6pm, Wed 8am-12:30pm] PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com Paula Trujillo Fargo360@cox.net 28 PSA credits February 9, 2015

APRIL Date: Location: Event: Host: Contact: Credits: Deadline:

Sunday, April 12 Area 7 Raleigh Iceplex, 2601 Raleigh Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27604 Foundations of Coaching Course (FCC) – a professional development course for coaches [8:00 am to 5:00 pm] Beth Campbell jimgodwin1@mac.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com 12 PSA credits March 23, 2015

M AY

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Contact:

May 18-20 Area 9 Hyatt Regency Columbus, 350 N High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 U.S. Figure Skating NARCE – Skating Director Course 14 Pre-approved credits Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin 719-635-5200 ext. 423 swehrli@usfigureskating.org

Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline:

May 18-20 Area 10 Radisson Blu Hotel- Minneapolis, 2100 Killebrew Dr, Bloomington, MN 55425 Oral Rating Site at 2015 PSA Conference PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams: March 16, 2015

Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadlines:

May 20-23 Area 10 Radisson Blu Hotel- Minneapolis, 2100 Killebrew Dr, Bloomington, MN 55425 and Bloomington Ice Garden, 3600 W 98th St, Bloomington, MN 55431 2015 PSA International Conference & Trade Show PSA Office at office@skatepsa.com or 507-281-5122 28 - 30 PSA credits Early Bird Deadline: January 20, 2015 • Advanced: April 21, 2015

MARCH | APRIL 2015

Please vis www.ska it tep for the co sa.com mpl Calendar ete of Events

M A Y continued Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits: Deadline:

May 26 & 28 Area 2 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston North Shore, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 0923 978-777-2500 Oral Rating Site at 2015 ISI Conference & Trade Show PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken Oral Rating Exams: March 16, 2015

JOB OPENINGS The Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club located in Ann Arbor, Michigan is looking for elite freestyle figure skating coaches. Successful applicants should have a history of building on past successes of taking skaters to “the next level.” Please respond with a resume. Bonnie Shay – bshay@umich.edu

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Show off your membership and education with PSA apparel!

NEW! Ladies & Men's Softshell Jacket 3-layer softshell jacket in ladies teal or men's navy blue with metallic silver embroidered PSA logo

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

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

Ladies Vest Stay warm and stylish in our popular vest. Available in black too!

Ladies Rhinestone Tee

The ultimate coffee table book The Joy of Coaching is a delightful, hardcover, 9x12" keepsake of stories and memories of inspiring coaches who helped shape the PSA and this sport we love.

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Dazzle them at the rink with this fun tee

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#NNGITQ 2CTM 59 4QEJGUVGT /0

PSA is proud to announce

U.S. Figure Skating, and the Professional Skaters Association as its coaching arm, is one of three national governing bodies which has garnered recognition from the U.S. Olympic Committee for coaches' education by addressing the 40 national standards within our curriculum. The USOC CNS curriculum is established to recognize and track NGB coaching education programs. The CNS curriculum is viewed as part of a dynamic education program to develop the knowledge, skills, and values that are associated with effective and appropriate coaching and the contents are used to ensure preparation of coaches who can, in turn, ensure the success, enjoyment, safety, and positive skill development of all athletes. It is intended to show how coaching education fits into the USOC High Performance Process, outlining the importance of coaches and the investment the NGBs make in their coaching staff through creating ongoing professional development opportunities for coaches. It is also intended to better outline a performance pipeline for coaches, identifying baseline/foundational elements all coaches should know/have and courses they should take to achieve the next performance level.

The Professional Skaters Association

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Complies with National Standardsâ&#x20AC;?