Board of Governors Nominees

MIDWEST: Lee Cabell / Andrea Kunz-Williamson / Jessica Mills Kincade

Lee Cabell

LEE CABELL

Ratings: MFF

What do you believe should be the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors? I believe that the main foci of the PSA Board of Governors are:

• Being good stewards of the membership resources.

• Supporting the membership through volunteerism and shared knowledge.

• Setting the standard for ethical character in coaching.

• Planning carefully for the future to sustain the organization for generations of coaches to come.

• Establishing, maintaining, and nurturing professional relationships between PSA and other sport related organizations to expand knowledge and experience offered to members.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years?

Having been an PSA member for 37 years, I have seen the organization grow to serve the needs of more people and many different groups within the skating industry. However, with growth comes challenges. Facing these challenges and turning them into opportunities is something I believe the PSA has a great capacity for. As the industry changes, the PSA must adapt and change as well.

While I cannot predict the future, I can plan and strive to put the organization in a position to stay ahead of change, and in many cases be the catalyst for change. This is still a “pandemic” time and hopefully soon to be “post-pandemic”.

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address?

1. Keep exploring education processes at every level of figure skating, i.e., seminars, clinics, webinars, annual summit, super site, etc.

2. Bridge a gap between sport science theory and practicality of figure skating.

3. Update the questions for the PSA rating exams more frequently with the current issues.

4. Keeping their members updated on the latest IJS.

Do you have any additional ideas or goals that you would like to pursue if elected to the PSA Board?

If elected to the PSA Board of Governors, my vision will be to assist the organization in maintaining and broadening its nationwide and worldwide authority on figure skating. Achieved and sustained through research dissemination, coaching assistance, best practices, and safety and health guidelines, I will be an active participant in advising, overseeing, assisting, leading, supporting, and promoting these and all aspects of the PSA.

As a sport researcher and biomechanist, and ambassador of the PSA, I will continue to work with sport and exercise research scientists and sport and performance coaches to bridge the gap between research outcomes and practical performance coaching. In constant pursuit of excellence in best practices for performance training, I will network to gain and share information with other performance coaches, sport coaches, sports medicine personnel, and athletes for the betterment of the PSA and our profession.

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Andrea Kunz-Williamson

ANDREA KUNZ-WILLIAMSON

Ratings: MFS, MM, MPD, MG

What do you believe should be the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors?

I believe the focus of the PSA Board of Governors is to promote and provide affordable continuing education to its members, strengthen and nurture relations with USFS, ISU, and ISI, and continually search for avenues of future growth and development of the organization.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years?

• Increase their utilization of advanced technology to provide more affordable and accessible educational opportunities for all coaches, grassroots through elite levels.

• Continue to improve the standardization of the ratings process through examiner training, to provide a positive and beneficial experience for the candidate and examiners.

• Promote membership involvement in all areas of the organization, to encourage greater investment in the growth and success of PSA

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address?

1. Affordable and accessible educational opportunities to our members

2. Increasing membership, worldwide recognition of the organization

3. Keeping members updated and current with our ever-changing sport/rules

Do you have any additional ideas or goals that you would like to pursue if elected to the PSA Board?

I would like to further expand the educational opportunities for Skating/Program Directors in our industry.

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Jessica Mills Kincade

JESSICA MILLS KINCADE

Ratings: MFS, CG Ranking: Level III

What do you believe should be the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors?

The BOG is responsible for the management, administration and vision of the organization. They must act in a way that is fiscally responsible and place the best interest of its members in the forefront of every decision. Every member of the BOG should be responsible for contributing to the Board’s function.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years? I would love to see the Moves in the Field hand book with a virtual component. I know there is a MIF app on the market and there are dozens of videos on YouTube of moves and dances. It would be great if there was a place to go that has PSA endorsed videos. Also adding in FS elements and drills in a way that is easier to access than the PSA TV.

I would love to see more of a platform of networking between coaches. How can we help each other out?

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address?

• This is an organization for the coaches by the coaches. Are the coaches being heard? What do they want? I’m not sure all coaches feel like the PSA is benefiting them, how can that perception change?

• Making sure all coaches have the most current information. Rules are so fast changing and there are so many different avenues for athletes within USFS. It can be overwhelming and confusing. Technique and technology are also changing; it is important to make sure all coaches are up to date. Maybe there is a system of passing on information that goes beyond the area email blasts.

• Continue to improve the process of educating and evaluating coaches.

Do you have any additional ideas or goals that you would like to pursue if elected to the PSA Board?

I think the PSA has done a very good job in trying to engage with its members throughout this pandemic. I feel a vision and values statement should be added to the organization’s mission.

Looking at the current BOG, I would be honored to sit among a group of peers I have so much respect for. I would look forward to listening and learning from people who have so much more experience than I do. I would prefer to gather thoughts after spending time listening, before making suggestions on a new path forward.

I do think there can be some kind of follow up on Master-ratings, beyond the credit requirement. Our sport has become so fastchanging and credits may not be enough of a guarantee that Master-rated coaches are worthy of their title.

WEST: Brock Huddleston / Stacie Kuglin / Russ Scott

Brock Huddleston

BROCK HUDDLESTON

Ratings: MG, SM, RFS, RD

What do you believe should be the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors?

The Board of Governors should continue to focus on educating and certifying the current membership base, while actively working to acquire new members who can carry on the legacy of the organization. In light of COVID-19, the Board of Governors should also continue to prioritize helping current members and their athletes transition back to a new “normal” while emphasizing best practices for personal safety and well-being.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years?

• Introduce – The PSA can introduce new outreach programs that will attract potential new membership. In addition, the PSA can introduce a more personalized approach to welcoming and guiding newer members.

• Develop – With the introduction of PSA’s new website and educational platforms, we can continue to develop a more userfriendly and robust online experience for the membership.

• Master – Prior to the pandemic, the PSA had mastered its in-person seminar and annual summit experiences. At a safe and appropriate time, the PSA should offer these events again.

• Enhance – Virtual ratings and other virtual education opportunities have been a huge success, and the PSA should continue to enhance these frameworks and technologies

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address?

1. Partnerships for Best Practices – The PSA should forge relationships with rink owners, managers, and program directors who can share current best practices in order to create excellent programs.

2. Search and Serve – The PSA should search for ways to provide a sense of community and communication for new and potential members, while also continuing to serve its current membership with meaningful educational opportunities.

3. Affordability and Accessibility – The PSA should strive to serve all membership demographics, from newer to veteran coaches, who may teach in locations that vary from underserved communities to skating meccas.

Do you have any additional ideas or goals that you would like to pursue if elected to the PSA Board?

• The revamped Foundations of Coaching Course (FCC) has been very well received. I would like to develop a similar curriculum for program directors called “Foundations of Directing Course (FDC).”

• In addition to this new FDC course, I would like to introduce more on-going education for Program Directors through e-learning platform modules, webinars, seminars, and at Summit.

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Stacie Kuglin

STACIE KUGLIN

Ratings: MM, MG, SF, SFS

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

To promote professionalism in our sport and to help raise the coaching level and ability of each member through continuous education.

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years?

• Continue to offer virtual rating sites throughout the year, which will allow more members to become rated at a more affordable cost.

• Have every committee, with their job description and terms, posted on the PSA website.

• Send out notices through E:Reach when openings are available and how to apply.

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address?

1. Continue to make educational opportunities available and affordable to coaches, through webinars and virtual sites.

2. Promote coaches to get Rated/Ranked. Coaches learn and grow so much through the ratings process, which greatly benefits our athletes and our sport.

3. The PSA is our organization! Members need to be encouraged to get involved through service, whether it’s being a ratings examiner, hosting a clinic/ seminar or being on a committee.

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Russ Scott

RUSS SCOTT

Ratings: MFS, MP, CM Ranking: Level V

What do you believe should be the main focus of the PSA Board of Governors?

Continued growth of membership, improved and added educational opportunities, more benefits for member coaches

What do you believe the PSA can achieve in the next three years?

1. Development of a stronger developmental coaches educational program

2. Improved entry level ratings process

3. Increase of membership through expanded outreach to rink owners, managers and

4. Skating directors

What do you believe are the three most important issues the PSA must address?

1. Education of grass roots coaches

2. Improved relationships with rink management nationwide connecting to coaches of all levels

3. Maintaining financial stability in order to continue providing quality educational opportunities

Do you have any additional ideas or goals that you would like to pursue if elected to the PSA Board?

• Expand mentorship programs

• Create more pathways and assistance for show skaters to transition into the coaching world

• More coordination with LTS USA and LTS USA coaches

• Create rink liaisons across the country to broaden the reach of the PSA