November/December 2019 PS Magazine

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

Kathy Casey 1939-2019

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

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NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

COLUMNS 2

Over the Edge

4

President’s Message

6

Ratings

8

SafeSport

| Jimmie Santee | Alex Chang

| Cheryl Faust | U.S. Figure Skating

12

Sport Science

16

Education

34

Best Business Practices

| Heidi Thibert

| Carol Rossignol

FEATURES 14

Salt Lake City Super Site Recap

21

Don Laws Apprenticeship Scholarship Experience

24

2019 PSA Hall of Fame Inductee: Sarah Kawahara

26

Kathy Casey Tribute

30

20/20 PSA Summit Announcement

32

A Family Affair: SP-Teri

37

Tips from Past Conference Presenters: Brian Orser

| Kent McDill | Kent McDill

| Terri Milner Tarquini

| Terri Milner Tarquini

DEPARTMENTS 7 11 20 36 38 40

Professional Development Recognition Board Profile Obituary Professional Skaters Foundation New Members

See page 36 for the new deadline for

PSA Calendar of Events

Professional Skaters Foundation scholarships

Elizabeth Thornton | Editor/Advertising Amanda Taylor | Art Director

Find, Friend, Follow

Issue No 6 |

Kathy Casey at the PSA annual conference in Boston, MA in 2012

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PS MAGAZINE

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OVER THE EDGE Jimmie Santee, MPD, MG PSA OFFICERS President First Vice President Second Vice President Third Vice President Treasurer Past President

Your Value to the Arena I

’ve written about this subject several times over the years but feel it important to bring up again. Having been an LTS instructor, competitive coach, LTS director, club president, competition director, and rink manager, it does give me a unique perspective to the arena environment. Unfortunately, management in many rinks find it difficult to understand the figure skating market and coaches in general. Too often, figure skating coaches feel they are treated as second class citizens. From a management perspective, figure skating programs take too much effort and reap little rewards… we are considered high maintenance.

Rarely do figure skating programs get the ice time required, and the hours we do get are seldom prime-time. Many managers think like this. When hourly rates for ice are $400 an hour, a session would need 20 skaters at $20 to meet the rate.

Many coaches don’t want 20 skaters on a session so the cost per skater goes up.

Managers think, “Should I deal with figure skaters and live and die by the whims of those parents and coaches or make it simple on myself and sell it to hockey?”

A hockey association may buy 80 hours a week of ice. Over the course of a hockey season that can be close to a million dollars. Back when I was an arena manager with a single sheet of ice in the early 2000’s, I sold just over $800,000 a year in hockey ice. That contract was done each summer and I knew the money was in the bank. In all honesty, it wasn’t me selling the ice as much as the hockey association buying it. If they had their way, they would have bought all the ice.

All I had to do was write the agreement which, for all intents and purposes, was a copy and paste process from the previous season. The only real issues I ever had with the hockey group were the messes in the locker rooms.

For an arena to be truly successful however, diverse programming is important. Hockey associations do fail. When the easy money dries up and without a strong figure skating program, including LTS and public sessions, the arena fails. Specifically, when the rinks have private ownership, a lack of diverse programing is a huge problem. Publicly owned facilities don’t always have this issue as they generally have considerable tax breaks and government subsidies and in many instances are required to accommodate all types of user groups.

So how do coaches show their value to a rink manager? Simply, each professional coach contributes to the revenue of a rink at a much greater level than most understand. The convention and visitor’s industry have a formula to measure the economic impact to a community when a group decides to pick their city for an event. The process involves determining what the average person would spend on a trip to their city. Travel, lodging, food, entertainment, and other amenities are considered and, depending on the location, it could add up to hundreds of dollars a day. Using this model, we can determine the impact figure skating coaches have on a facility.

As a basis for this exercise, I’ll make some assumptions. A single coach who teaches figure skating as their main source of income will have between 20 to 30 students. Let’s assume that the coach is a competitive coach with skaters ranging from pre-preliminary to novice. At the juvenile, intermediate, or novice level, a qualifying skater will be on the ice approximately 12 to 15 hours a week.

At $15 a session, that’s $180 to $225 per week, or based on 48 weeks of skating per year, $8,640 to $10,800. For pre-juvenile and below, 6 to 10 hours a week are average, which comes out to $4,320 to $7,200. Assuming an average of 25 skaters, that is revenue between $108,000 and $270,000 annually in ice time alone. Does your arena have a snack bar or pro shop? Vending machines? Competitions and

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PSA BOARD OF GOVERNORS West Mid-West East Members at Large

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

Alex Chang Rebecca Stump Tim Covington Denise Williamson Carol Murphy Christine Fowler-Binder Phillip Mills Michelle Lauerman Andrea Kunz-Williamson Patrick O'Neil Cheryl Faust Janet Tremer Derrick Delmore Tom Zakrajsek Phillip DiGuglielmo Kelley Morris Adair Cheryl Faust Patrick O'Neil Scott McCoy Kirsten Miller Zisholz Kelley Morris Adair Rebecca Stump Tim Covington Jimmie Santee

Teri Hooper Christine Fowler-Binder Rebecca Stump Phillip Mills Debbie Jones Gloria Leous Jordan Mann Heidi Thibert Jamie Lynn Santee Alex Chang Christine Fowler-Binder Carol Murphy Christine Fowler-Binder Kelley Morris Adair Gerry Lane Cheryl Faust Mary Johanson Janet Tremer

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Martha Harding Kimberlie Wheeland Andrea Kunz-Williamson tbd Angela Roesch-Davis tbd Robyn Petroskey Melanie Bolhuis Lisa Bardonaro-Reibly

Area Area Area Area Area Area Area Area

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Francesca Supple Charmin Savoy Sharon Brilliantine Liz Egetoe Lisa Mizonick Don Corbiell Russ Scott Karen Preston

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

THE PROFESSIONAL SKATER Magazine Mission: To bring to our readers the best information from the most knowledgeable sources. To select and generate the information free from the influence of bias.

And to provide needed information quickly, accurately and efficiently.

The views expressed in THE PROFESSIONAL SKATER Magazine and products are not necessarily those of the Professional Skaters Association.

The Professional Skater (USPS 574770) Issue 6, a newsletter of the Professional Skaters Association, Inc., is published bimonthly, six times a year, as the official publication of the PSA, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Tel 507.281.5122, Fax 507.281.5491, Email: office@skatepsa.com © 2017 by Professional Skaters Association, all rights reserved. Subscription price is $19.95 per year, Canadian $29.00 and foreign $45.00/year, U.S. Funds. Second-class Postage Paid at Rochester, MN 55901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Professional Skater, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Printed in the USA.

Best Performance Awards presented at Champs Camp

ice shows? Are you paying a commission? This all adds to the bottom line.

A manager doesn’t generally recognize the average figure skater and what each coach’s business contributes to the bottom line. What they often see is the same 720 hours to hockey at $400, which is $288,000.

Now to the big picture. What are considered prime hours? Prime ice is relative to the region, depending on demographics, school schedules, and economic factors, among others. Overall, an arena should have a 126 hours per week average per surface to be selling, of which a minimum of 50 hours should be prime. For argument’s sake, I will use 6:00pm to midnight on weekdays, and noon to 10:00 pm on weekends as prime. Prime hours are almost exclusively sold at the highest rate possible. Using the $400 rate above, prime ice will bring in revenue of $1,040,000 annually for a single surface.

Based on the goal of maximizing the selling of prime ice at the full rate, multiple surface facilities are the norm.

Per surface, this leaves 76 hours of non-prime ice. Some may be sold at the prime rate, but most will not. This is where a great figure skating program can help the arena make a substantial profit. This is also where I believe $ 400 an hour is irrelevant.

Every skater paying a fee pays towards the expenses of running the rink. This is where it is important to understand the strength and weaknesses of figure skating programs. Not every coach is going to have 25 students. But the total number of figure skaters in a program are relevant. A club with 100 members could conceivably reach $750,000 in revenue. Adding that to the potential of selling prime ice at the going rate, revenue is at almost 1.8 million. Add in public skating, special events, and a Learn to Skate program, 2 million in revenue is attainable. There are examples of this strategy used in other businesses too. Movie Theaters have matinee prices and restaurant/bars offer early bird specials and happy hour prices to increase foot traffic.

A figure skating program also allows a facility manager to reduce energy costs. Ice compressors are running 24/7 all year long. They are cycling on or off all day long, day after day. Hockey ice is cold, taking more energy to maintain. During those non-prime hours, figure skating gives the manager an opportunity to raise the temperature of the ice. In my world, I am raising the temperature of the ice just before midnight and lowering it beginning at 4:30pm the following evening and selling as many single session skaters beginning at 6:00am.

This was my philosophy of management and it worked well for my facility. Diversity of programming is important as well as efficient energy management. If you’re in a facility that is not pro-figure skating, it might be time to do the math yourself and show management your value to the facility.

T

he 2019 winners of the PSA Best Performance Awards were celebrated at Champs Camp in Irvine, California. PSA President Alex Chang presented the winners with their bronze Edi awards, designed by Meghan and Douglas Taylor-Gebler.

The Best Performance Awards are presented each year to one winner in each category of men’s, ladies, pairs, dance, and synchronized skating. Sevlection is based on performance, not placement, and will not necessarily reflect the best technical skater. Elements considered include artistry, originality, emotion, showmanship, theme, and costuming. Award winners are selected by a committee who observes all junior and senior events at the U.S. Championships.

PSA Cyber Monday Sale

DECEMBER 2 *FREE SHIPPING* *Discounted products highlighted on PSA storefront *Free shipping within USA only *While supplies last

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PS MAGAZINE

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Alex Chang, MFS, RM

Gratefulness and Defining Our Contribution to the Sport

BY ALEX CHANG

F

or many of you, this issue will be arriving as you complete your competition season with the close of your Regional/Sectional ‘Challenge.’ As with all ventures, this competition season will be a mixed bag, but ideally we can look for the ‘lesson’ in every moment. The highest of the highs and unexpected lows hopefully provided you with enough fodder and material to teach your skaters life lessons such as the importance of planning, dedication and follow-through, accountability, courage, and fun!

In my last article, I talked about intersectionality versus labels and allowing yourself a judgement-free space to redefine your role and interests. This got me thinking: how do we define our role? What are we good at? Does it even make a difference? And in the end, do we deserve a place at the table of skating and coaching?

Wow, that was a mouthful! Think of it this way—generally, there’s a little voice that says, “Who are you to think you are making a difference and anyone actually cares what you think or say?” It’s a voice that we never truly get rid of, but we can turn down the volume of this negative voice and turn up the volume of our affirmative voice of commitment, decision-making, intention, and gratitude.

When I started thinking about how we define our contribution and therefore our personal value, I think we as skating folk tend to be harsh on ourselves, or more accurately, draconian. We apply not just the gold standard, but the Olympic Gold standard when we evaluate our role, our accomplishments, and ultimately our failures and short-comings. We pre-judge and self-defeat and discount our contributions to the point that we convince ourselves our work has minimal value and people like us don’t really make significant contributions.

To this I say any contribution, whether it’s big or small, is by definition a contribution and should be respected. We can act in small ways, train and perfect small details, support

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with a subtle nod, and build confidence day-after-day within our students. It is the daily repetition of small contributions that create big results. We must also remember it is after all their world, their skating, and their journey, and we are fortunate to be a part of this journey for them. That, for me, is a key realization of gratitude as a coach.

In the end, their work is their work, and we must let our work speak for itself. We should be grateful we have the ability to help, influence, teach, and connect young skaters to the brilliance of skating and the joy of performance.

I hope this reminder to self-acknowledge your abilities will encourage you to continue your own path of professional development and self-fulfillment. The PSA is here to help you reach your growth potential, whether it’s through PSA TV, PS Magazine’s technical tips, seminars, webinars, or Ratings Prep. We are here for you and want to know how best to serve you. Some of you will be starting a new season with renewed plans and goals, and others will be honing a laser focus into the remaining competitions this season.

Either way, the learning never ends and we hope you are able to glean some tips and new ideas from our offerings.

Cheers.

2019 SUPER SITE - BOSTON

Trade your boots for slippers.

Watch and learn at your own convenience!

PSA TV is an on-demand video library of past conferences and seminars presented by the Professional Skaters Association as well as tips from master rated coaches, webinars, and podcasts.

We proudly offer a selection of free content, videos for purchase, or subscribe for only $4.99/month for on-demand access to the full catalog.

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RATINGS Cheryl Faust MFS, MM

If You Can Teach a Lesson, You Can Take a Rating Exam B Y C H E R Y L FA U S T

H

i! I am so honored to be your new Ratings Chair. I started my goal to be a PSA master rated coach when I joined PSA in 1994 and took my first rating in Figures and Free Skating in 1995. I took full advantage of everything PSA offered (seminars, conference, PACE, PEP) and the ability to learn directly from the masters such as Kathy Casey, Janet Champion, Pieter Kollen, Peter Dunfield, and Frank Carroll just to name a few. My mind was blown that these World and Olympic coaches were willing to give their time to explain technique to all coaches for the betterment of skating and I was front row, pen in hand, furiously taking notes. I was in love with the process!

It’s an exciting time in figure skating and the education of coaches is vital to keep athletes successful, injury free, and to guide them to go as far as they can go in their skating path.

PSA is the official coaching accreditation program for U.S. Figure Skating. It is our mission to help you on your journey to continue your education to be the best coach you can be. With that mission in mind, we are utilizing the magazine articles to help with tips for ratings. I know many people can be intimidated by the ratings process but remember—it’s just like teaching a lesson!

Want to see what an oral rating exam is like or need help preparing and studying? Go to the PSA website Ratings page and click on the Ratings Guides—they are now on the website for free! There is also a video example of a mock rating exam.

Want more free stuff? Check out PSA TV video clips for a few free coaching tips or subscribe for full access to the catalog of videos.

Here is a direct question from the Registered Moves in the Field exam to give you a taste of how attainable this is for you: Question: What is the rhythm or count you use when teaching the Waltz 8 Pattern?

Example Answer: I use a count of 6 and relate it to a waltz rhythm the skater might do in dance, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I say the following to my skater: push 2, 3, turn, 4, 5, 6, step down/small pump 2, 3, pass my foot and arms, 4, 5, 6 (this gets the skater around the top of my circle), step

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forward (it’s a mohawk) 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I teach toe-to-heel on the return to limit the amount of movement and rotation the skater has.

Not too tough, right? We do this every day in a lesson, and that’s exactly what the examiners are looking for too. We will be giving you more tips and tricks with each magazine! Stay tuned.

For those of you who don’t know me—please don’t be a stranger! I am always available and am here to help guide you in your ratings journey. I welcome any and all communication and feedback.

NEW RATING REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL DISCIPLINES At the Spring 2019 meeting of the Board of Governors the following requirements were passed for all rating disciplines: • Registered Rating candidates must have completed concussion training.

• Certified Rating candidates must hold a valid First Aid certificate.

• Senior and Master Rating candidates must hold a valid First Aid certificate and CPR certificate.

Rationale: As an organization PSA needs to protect the safety and health of all skaters and participants in the sport.

Effective May 1st, 2020

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

Ratings Chicago IL | September 20-22, 2019

Basic Accreditation (BA) E-learning Academy

Beth Brown Nina Bates Teresa Hedges Scarle Serenity

Gina L. Bianco RG, RPD, CPD Angela Como RM, CG Alexey Crogh RFS, RM, CG Alexis D. Cunningham-Capouellez RPD Michelle Goodnetter SPD Naomi Greelis RG Alyssa Hatfield RC Katherine Jaessing CM, SG Naomi Jehly RM, CG Andria Kelling SM Inna Kuznetsova RM, RC Jamie Lane-Youtsey SD Tara Patterson SPD Hollie Price-Quinn SFS, RM Caitlin Ramsey CG

David Redlin SS Allison Ritt RM Megan Schultz CFS Ferelith Senjem CM Kiana Stadler RFS, RG Dana Tang CM, RD Tiffany Thornton SPD Jennifer Tieche RF Rebecca Vara RG Traci Veltre Milner SM Christine Wenger CS Katherine Womack RFS, RM Nicole Zawojski SM

Congratulations to our newly-minted master coaches!

Alexis Cunningham-Capouellez MG

Tara Patterson MPD

John Mucko MM

Tiffany Thornton MPD

Transfer of Coaching Certification Katie McGovern Nyman SFS (from the U.K.)

RANKINGS Taylor Johnson – Level I Sara Buck-Lalonde – Level I Kaylar Rosenkrans – Level I Ferelith Senjem – Level I Aimee Ricca – Level I

Victoria Pliatsok – Level III Andria Kelling – Level III Brianna Hatch – Level III Cheryl Smith – Level III Melanie Greene – Level III

Amy Guzelf – Level II Sean Rabbitt – Level II Ashley Tike – Level II Richard Swenning – Level II Jennifer Swenning – Level II Rick Reyor – Level II

Angela Johnstad – Level IV Teri Klindworth Hooper – Level IV Shannon Pecca – Level IV Kelly Takemura – Level IV Junichi Takemura – Level IV Fred Palascak – Level IV Melanie Lambert – Level IV Louise Kapeikis – Level IV Paul Kapeikis – Level IV Anna Tarassova – Level IV

Felicia Beck – Level III Stephanie Siswick – Level III Bianca Butler – Level III

David Redlin – Level IV Nathaniel Hess – Level IV Barbara Brown – Level IV Darlene Cain – Level V Kathi Pargee – Level V Jeffrey Crandell – Level V Ben Miller Reisman – Level V Peter Cain – Level VI Denys Petrov – Level VI Denise Myers – Level VII Tammy Gambill – Level VIII Tom Zakrajsek – Level VIII

PS MAGAZINE

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Strengthening the Role of Junior Team Leaders A

s U.S. Figure Skating continues its efforts to strengthen areas supporting athlete safety, many programs and policies are being given a fresh look to ensure a safe, healthy and respectful environment for athletes to perform at their highest level.

Earlier this year, the scope of work and role of U.S. Figure Skating team leaders (those who travel abroad as part of the Team USA delegation) were examined to explore opportunities to improve.

A team leader’s primary role is to ensure that each competition is held according to the rules and regulations of the ISU to provide an even playing field for all athletes and to oversee and supervise Team USA athletes at international competitions. Team leaders also help keep team members focused, engaged and safe at the competition.

Recognizing that minors are the most at-risk group for abuse or misconduct, an application process was established for serving as an Athlete High Performance Development junior team leader. These junior team leaders serve at competitions where the majority of athletes are under 18. Resumes and applications were reviewed by U.S. Figure Skating, and a small group of veteran team leaders and assistant team leaders were selected. (A senior team leader training session was held by video conference in early September.)

Ann Barr, Rick Perez and Lorrie Parker were selected as junior team leaders to collectively attend every junior international competition through the Junior Grand Prix Final. Tiffany Dombeck, Kyoko Ina, Kathleen Krieger and Colin McManus were selected as assistant junior team leaders to assist a junior team leader at one event as part of their training.

In addition to sharing real-life scenarios and best practices, the junior team leaders refreshed their training, receiving presentations and education in these areas: • International security and safety, presented by Nicole Deal, the chief security officer of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee • Roles and responsibilities of the Athlete High Performance staff • ISU Athlete Safeguarding policy and Code of Ethics, presented by Pat St. Peter, ISU Council member and U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Committee chair • U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport policies and procedures • Managing challenging situations • Crisis communication training

Zero-Tolerance Policy Now in Effect

T

he junior team leaders helped shape the zero-tolerance policy on alcohol and illegal substance use, which was implemented this fall. The policy specifically targets International Selection Pool (ISP) athletes under the age of 21 – the legal drinking age in the United States. Athletes under the age of 21 may not consume alcohol or use illegal substances as prohibited

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Italian Junior Grand Prix 7 Team leader Lorrie Parker, Team Physi cian Skip Zabilski, and SafeSport Representative Lorin Sezer

by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) while representing the U.S. abroad.

Violations of this policy will lead to the athlete being sent home at their family’s expense. A violation will be referred to U.S. Figure Skating’s Ethics Committee for further review and handling in accordance with U.S. Figure

Junior Team Leaders with Lorrie Parker, Skip Zabilski, and Lorin Sezer

Skating bylaws, grievance and ethics committee rules.

While the policy was specifically created for junior Team USA athletes, it also applies to senior athletes under the age of 21.

Are you looking for additional PSA credits? Do you have an idea for a seminar or education event in your area?

Good news! If you have an idea for an event or are interested in an endorsement, please contact office@skatepsa.com or visit skatepsa.com for more information.

PS MAGAZINE

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Alysa Liu

2019 U.S. National Champion Featured athletes are not guaranteed to compete.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships return to the Greensboro Coliseum January 20-26, 2020.

See America’s top skaters compete for the title of U.S. champion in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING MADE EASY!

NCSKATE2020.com

[ BOARD PROFILE ]

EX C EL LE NCE O N IC E

Denise Williamson Sometimes y o u wonder how figure skating c o a c h e s have time to breathe, much less serve on the Professional Skaters Association Board of Governors.

Denise Williamson is a skating coach at the Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, North Carolina. She is also Third Vice President of the PSA Board of Governors, having been appointed in May, for the second time.

But there’s more.

“I am a primary and secondary coach to about 20 athletes,” Williamson told PS Magazine. “As a secondary coach, I serve as a choreographer and technique support. I have competitors from the juvenile through to the senior level this year.

“In addition to being a coach, I am an ISU Singles Technical Specialist, and a National U.S. Figure Skating Singles Technical Specialist and Data Operator. The past several years I have been vice-chair of the Singles Education for Technical Panel Committee, and now serve as the vice-chair of singles Domestic Officials Recruitment and Management (DORM) Technical Panel Committee. It seems as if my time is always filled with something skating related.”

That can’t be healthy, can it?

To get away, Williamson spends time with her son, who lives nearby, and her daughter,

who lives in Portland, Ore., which makes “getting to see her challenging.”

“Our son is renovating a 100-year-plus mill house and my husband and I have been busy working on that project with him,” she said. “We have a log cabin in Virginia that I love to go to every chance I can get. It’s my heaven on Earth.”

At home, Williams tends to her flower garden and enjoys the peace that comes from watching birds on their birdfeeder in the yard. She also manages to relax walking her dog Keebler and knitting.

As the newest member of the Board, she has more of a focus on the future than the past, but says the attention to webinar instruction has been constructive over the past couple of years.

As to the future of the PSA? “I hope that every member of the board takes a more active role in the PSA,” she said. “In the few short months since my return to the board, I can already see an improvement in the involvement, but that’s not due to me.

“In addition, improving our delivery of information to be time-sensitive, accurate, and engaging. I think it is necessary that the board taps into the talented members throughout the country and listen to their ideas and then act upon them.

We need to broaden the base of volunteers within the PSA.”

Congratulations to the following on their pursuit of excellence!

all coaches carry liability insurance

all coaches are PSA members

Ames FSC Ames, IA

Elite Skating Academy Inc. Waukesha, WI

Ice Den Chandler Chandler, AZ

Ice Den Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ

The Jones Center Springdale, AR

Kettle Moraine FSC West Bend, WI

Martha’s Vineyard FSC Vineyard Haven, MA

Marquette FSC Marquette, MI

Onyx-Rochester Ice Arena Rocheser Hills, MI

Park City Ice Arena Park City, UT

Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena Pelham, AL

Skate Frederick Ice Sports and More Frederick, MD

Denise stays busy both on the ice and off with her family

Palm Beach Ice Works West Palm Beach, FL

PS MAGAZINE

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SPORT SCIENCE Heidi Thibert, MFS, MM, MC

Eating Disorder Risk in Elite Athletes B Y R A C H A E L F L AT T, U N C C L I N I C A L P S Y C H O L O G Y P H D S T U D E N T

A

s a former elite figure skater, I had the honor of competing internationally for Team USA, culminating in my performances at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Throughout my travels, I fully embraced each culture and had the opportunity to connect with other athletes, coaches, staff, and officials over our shared experiences in the sport. But when it came time for the competition, all attention was centered on the athletes and our performances. The intense focus was not just on technical skills and artistry, but also on the aesthetics of our performances. From our costumes to the way we moved on the ice, we were expected to exude perfection, particularly when it came to our physiques.

From decades of research, we understand that our bodies gravitate toward natural weight setpoints, and our body composition (shape, size, proportions) reflects a host of genetic, physiological, and environmental factors.

Athletes from all over the world also have different natural setpoints for their healthy weight and body composition, depending on their ancestral background and type of sport in which they compete. Interestingly, athletes at the top of any particular sport tend to exhibit similar physiques, whereas physiques vary widely across sports (e.g., compare the bodies of high jumpers versus shot putters). In aesthetic sports like figure skating where there is a judging component, a preference is often given to one type of physique over another, without the consideration that each athlete has a unique body type and can bring different aesthetics to the sport.

Revealing costumes, media attention on an athlete’s “competitive weight,” and comments from coaches, peers, officials, and fans only add to the pressure on an athlete to conform to the stereotypically “ideal” physique for that sport. In fact, I had a judge once tell me that in order to achieve better scores, I needed to drop 20 pounds right before a Grand Prix event despite me being the highest ranked U.S. skater and consistently delivering clean performances. I’ve even been told that my routines would be easier to get through without “that sack of potatoes on my body,” referring to my body going through puberty!

As a result of these types of comments and pressures, many athletes begin to equate weight and body shape with success. Unfortunately, the pressure to achieve the ideal body type combined with other biological, social,

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and psychological risk factors may lead to poor body esteem, disordered eating habits, and in some cases, an eating disorder. Unsurprisingly, elite athletes competing in aesthetic sports like figure skating, gymnastics, and diving have a higher prevalence of eating disorders than athletes competing in other sports (Sundgot-Borgen & Torstveit, 2004; Thompson & Sherman, 2010) and non-athletes (Joy, Kussman, & Nattiv, 2016; Torstveit, Rosenvinge, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2007).

Sports can be an incredibly positive experience, as many athletes have the opportunity to develop lifelong skills and friendships, travel, and build a strong personal identity.

But as more athletes step forward to share their experiences with an eating disorder, their stories highlight the importance of raising awareness, improving education, and changing the sport culture to promote body positivity and health over athletic success at all costs. Moving forward, the global sports community has an opportunity to be the model for celebrating the strength of all bodies and prioritizing both the physical and mental well-being of each athlete. By doing research in the area and serving as an athlete representative on U.S. Figure Skating’s Athlete Advisory and Sports Sciences & Medicine Committees and on the National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, I hope to bring positive changes to the sports community.

To hear Rachael talk about her plans at Carolina go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8hj1tN8uKI References: Joy, E., Kussman, A., & Nattiv, A. (2016). 2016 update on eating disorders in athletes: A comprehensive narrative review with a focus on clinical assessment and management. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(3), 154–162.

Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Torstveit, M. K. (2004). Prevalence of eating disorders in elite athletes is higher than in the general population. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine: Official Journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, 14(1), 25–32.

Thompson, R.A., & Sherman, R.T. (2010). Eating Disorders in Sport. New York, NY: Routledge.

Torstveit, M. K., Rosenvinge, J. H., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2007). Prevalence of eating disorders and the predictive power of risk models in female elite athletes: a controlled study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 18(1), 108–118.

Acknowledgements: • Dr. Cynthia Bulik, The UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

Informational tools: • National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): www.nationaleatingdisorders.org • NEDA’s coach and trainer toolkit: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org • National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders (NCEED): www.nceedus.org/

MAY 21 - JUNE 20, 2020 (1, 2, or 3 week options available)

Participate in our Essay Contest to win up to three weeks of camp!

Camp registration opens January 1st at www.s-sm.org/summer-programs-camps

Olympic and International Guest Coaches Featured at Shattuck-St. Mary’s 2020 Summer Camp Include: Denise Myers, Jeremy Allen, Todd Eldridge, Kim Ryan, and Peter Cain

@ssmfigureskating Shattuck-St. Mary’s Figure Skating Center of Excellence

Shattuck-St. Mary’s School is a co-ed boarding & day school for students in grades 6-12 and post-graduates in Faribault, Minnesota.

We have pioneered the concept of combining excellence in college preparatory academics and intensive figure skating training.

www.s-sm.org

If you want to thrive with unrivaled skating opportunities in every discipline imaginable, then we’d love to welcome you to our community of elite athletes.

DisneyOnIceAuditions.com

PS MAGAZINE

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SEMINAR

Salt Lake City Super Site was a great success!

P H OTOS BY D E B O R A H H I C K E Y

Coaches, judges, and skaters from across the Salt Lake area and beyond came together for a weekend of learning and networking. Presenter and coach Doug Haw along with judge Kelly Davies led attendees through valuable discussion regarding moves in the field teaching tips and techniques, as well as passing standards for each test. Additionally, NQS, the new Excel rule changes, and some mock judging opportunities rounded out the day on Saturday. On Sunday, the athletes joined the coaches for some great on ice technique in jumps, spins and skating skills. While off the ice, the skaters enjoyed some stretching and modern dance with Stephanie Chace Bass and an energizing High Fitness class with Haley Smith. To conclude the day, Jackson Ultima Skates presented to the skaters about proper care of their equipment.

Visit the Calendar of Events at skatepsa.com to see other upcoming live events.

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

Spins with Janet Champion B Y T E R R I M I L N E R TA R Q U I N I W I T H J A N E T C H A M P I O N

A

“center” is defined as the middle, the heart, the part where things go on around it.

So it is with figure skating spins.

“For centering spins, we can learn a lot from the print we make on the ice,” Janet Champion said. “The best print for spin entry edges is half a heart shape. Strong edges are essential for fast and centered spins.”

A child skating star with the Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice starting when she was nine years old, Champion is a widely acknowledged specialist in spins, holds three master ratings, is a frequent presenter at PSA conferences and was inducted into the PSA Hall of Fame in 2012.

Her wealth of skating knowledge comes from coaches Edi Scholdan, Eugene Turner, mentor Eugene Mikeler, and all the many PSA educational opportunities she has attended over the years. When she first started coaching, Champion and Ronnie Robertson, an Olympic silver medalist and spin master, skated together, sharing spin ideas and techniques.

Coaching grassroots to elite athletes since 1968, Champion has been coaching in Colorado since 1987. She has seen new spins born since the IJS system was developed, but spin basics remain the same.

“Centering a spin and creating the force with which to spin fast is the same now as when Ronnie Robertson was the fastest spinner in the world,” Champion said.

TWO-FOOT SPIN At the beginning levels, learning a two-foot spin is a good way for a skater to feel how to press their feet and edges against the ice to make a spin start.

Starting with a toe pivot around the left toe, the skater will press the right foot against the ice like in a one-foot swizzle. When spinning, the skater’s feet should be shoulder width apart and it’s really important that the feet stay on opposite sides of the spinning circles. If you bring your feet too close together, you are going to trip. To start the toe pivot, I like to anchor the left arm in front and let the right arm sweep from the back around in a wide circle into the front while the right foot is pressing against the ice. As the skater starts spinning, their arms will be rounded to the front of the body, which I call “hug a tree.” Pulling the arms all the way in at this point can cause a loss of balance. Let’s

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get the hips and feet spinning before pulling the arms in.

Remember, arms don’t make a skater rotate, but they can make a skater rotate faster when used with correct timing.

Rotating counter-clockwise in the two-foot spin, the left foot is traveling backward on the ball of the foot, which is known as “the sweet spot.” The right foot is traveling forward on the middle of the blade. The skater should be revolving around the spinning circles smoothly and evenly.

ONE FOOT SPIN Continuing when the two-foot spin is fast enough, the skater can pick up the right foot and bring it to the inside of the knee on the left spinning leg. Voila- there’s your first one-foot spin!

From there, I teach the one-foot spin from a forward outside edge starting on a hockey line. The left arm is in front and the right arm is back at the start. Using the hockey line, the skater can learn the half-a-heart shape.

Start on the line, spin on the line.

On the entry edge, the free leg must stay back until the hook of the three-turn. Again, timing is essential. If the free leg is allowed to start swinging to the side before the point of the three-turn, the spin will start too soon (before the hockey line) and travel in little loops, instead of centered circles.

The skater should be on the middle/back of the blade on the entry edge with the body weight leaning into the circle. Ankle flexion and knee bend should increase to create the hook into the three-turn. At the point of the three-turn, the free leg will then swing wide from the back to the side. At this point, the skater is spinning for a moment with the arms and free leg out. I tell the skaters to feel like they are making themselves big before pulling into a smaller position.

When the three-turn hooks and the free leg swings, the skater should relax for a moment to allow the centrifugal force to pull their free leg out, then resist the force by pulling the foot in and gain speed in the process. I like to help skaters feel this by having them hold onto the wall with their left hand. I take their right free foot skate and pull it out to the side. By doing this, I’m the centrifugal force. First, the skater has to keep their hips still and relax their leg so I can pull out on the free foot. Then, I have the

skater resist me, while pulling the free foot to the inside of their skating knee. Relaxation, tension and using the correct muscles against centrifugal force is what makes spins work.

An interesting tip for centering the spin is to have the skater “spot” their head to their right on the hook of the spin. Using a hockey line again, I stand to the right of the skater when they push off to start the spin. As they hook the spin on the line, they should see me standing there and “spot” their head. The spin starts with the head slightly to the right.

To feel this, the skater can also stand on two feet facing a piece of the hockey glass so they can see themselves.

They should turn both feet and hips a quarter-of-a-turn counterclockwise, while continuing to look at themselves in the glass. This is spotting the head.

SCRATCH SPIN The forward scratch spin should not be ignored. Besides being an audience pleaser, learning the forward scratch spin can teach a skater a great deal about how to create and center a spin.

I frequently find, whether starting a spin, changing positions, or changing feet, skaters often focus on hitting a certain position instead of getting themselves spinning first. On the forward scratch spin, the same timing, free leg swing and spotting the head applies to what the skater learned previously. One of the detriments to centering is

muscular tension at the wrong time and/or tightening the wrong muscles. A skater must learn to “relax on the air” giving centrifugal force a chance to pull out on our arms and free leg. Centrifugal force is the thing that makes a skater’s ponytail pull straight out. So, relax a moment before starting to accelerate.

Use the adductor muscles to resist centrifugal force to spin faster. Adduction are those movements of the arms and free leg toward the midline of the body. There are many times in spins when we want to arch our back. The scratch spin is not one of them. As the skater starts the scratch spin, the free leg should take a position at about 2 o’clock, that is, half way between the front and the side of the body.

The hips must be underneath them, not tipped to the back.

The body should be in a piked position, pushing the belly button toward the spine. Then start acceleration by pulling the free foot to the top of the spinning knee. Try not to move the thigh around as you pull the foot in.

Reach the arms in front (you have to grab onto the air).

There is more centrifugal force farther away, so the arms need to reach out before they pull in. Then, finish the foot and arms. So, foot, arms, foot, arms. Note: When the skater pulls the free foot into the knee and presses it down into the crossed ankle position, the foot should be flexed so the boot is parallel to the ice instead of toe pointed downward.

This makes more surface of the free foot to resist centrifugal force on the way down to the crossed-ankle finish position.

BACK SPIN I start the back scratch spin from a back toe pivot.

Anchoring the left arm in front and the skater’s body weight on the left foot, they skate a left back inside edge around the right toe pick (a back inside pivot). The skater presses the left foot against the ice for at least one half circle before shifting over to the right spinning foot, crossing the free foot immediately into the back spin crossed-ankle position.

Another way to get the positioning of this is to start at the wall. Have the skater face the wall, holding with both hands in front. Stand on the left foot with the right toe pick in the ice to the side. At first, pretend to do the pivot so the feet stay still until the body weight is shifted. Turn the hips one quarter of a turn counter clockwise while shifting weight to the ball of the right foot. Do not let go of the wall and as much as possible, keep the head looking straight to the wall as the hips turn. Now the skater is in the back spin position over the right side of the body with the head and shoulders a bit to the right.

When the skate pivots, the feet remain parallel until they cross. Don’t let the pushing foot get ahead of the pivoting toe. The edge pressing against the ice gets the spin started

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whether starting from the pivot or skating a forward inside edge into the back spin. Remember, when we push against the ice, the ice pushes us back.

FORWARD SIT SPIN The forward sit spin starts like the scratch spin with a strong entry edge and wide free leg swing as the toe hooks to start spinning. The skater should reach out with arms as the free leg swings (make yourself big), before drawing arms, free leg and hips into the sit spin position.

It’s not a sit spin until the spinning leg, knee to hip segment, is at least parallel to the ice. The hips can go a little lower but sitting down with hips close to the ice loses the athletic strength of the sit position. Not only does this position look poorly, but there is a greater chance of falling down in the too-low position.

The upper body tips forward bending from the hip joint. The best balance in the sit spin position is when the skater’s shoulders are over their knees. This position is difficult for skaters with a short torso and a long leg segment from the hip to the knee. Try to adjust each skater’s balance to have the shoulders over the skating knee.

It’s easy to spin fast in sit spins because of what I call a “closed” position (arms and legs are pulled into a tight position). The adductor muscles are engaged. For instance, camel spins are not “closed” positions and require different muscular effort than sit spins.

For sit spin exercises, of course I use shoot the ducks and also one leg squats at the wall. This squat will show where weakness lies with each skater. Standing off ice in the doorway of the hockey box, keeping the skating foot flat on the floor to get a good Achilles stretch, bend into the sit spin position one leg squat. Keep the free leg in front during the squats. Start with five squats, but most skaters can do 10 squats on each leg.

FORWARD CAMEL SPIN There really are only two positions which make a camel spin work – the entry edge glide and the spin position.

With the body in an arabesque position, push forward on the half heart shape entry edge. The body must be arched forward on the entry edge as well as in the camel spin itself.

The camel spin becomes difficult when a skater, stands too upright on the entry edge, then has to arch forward as the spin starts. Sometimes less movement works better.

Besides the two (almost the same) glide in and spin positions, a correct knee action is essential. The skater should glide into the camel on a well bent knee. As the toe hooks to start the spin, there is a second knee/ankle bend. I tell skaters when you think you should straighten

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the skating leg, bend it more and keep the skating leg bent for at least half a revolution as the spin starts. High level skaters can save a camel that is rushed at the start by re-bending the skating leg.

How you straighten the spinning leg is important as well. To check this position, I have skaters do the camel position at the wall. First, take a glove and put it on their spinning leg exactly at the bend between the leg and the body. Then simulate the glide in position and the spin position standing at the wall. If the glove drops to the ice, the angle of the leg to body is incorrect and the spin won’t be balanced in this position. If the glove stays, the skater is in the correct position.

Working on spirals will also help camel spins. Pay attention to quality positions in spirals, free leg to the back, following the line of the free hip, free foot pointed and turned out. The body is arched with arms outstretched.

Practice standing still in the position with no wobbling around. Standing still on an edge is one of the most important things to learn in skating.

BACKWARD SIT SPIN For beginners, the back sit is much more difficult to execute than a forward sit. For this reason, I stress the importance of learning how to center and create spinning force in the back scratch spin.

"The edge pressing against the ice gets the

To feel the position of the back sit spin, have the skater practice starting from the pivot shoot the ducks on the right foot in a straight or skating a forward line down the ice and the one leg squats in inside edge into the the hockey doorway.

Have skaters bend back spin. Remember, forward from the hip joint and arch the when we push against body forward, rather than hunching the the ice, the ice pushes body forward. There us back." (BACK SPINS) will be a sharp angle between the body and the skating leg in the sit position with the shoulders lined up over the knees and free leg and arms reaching forward. Try for a counter-balanced position with the hips reaching back and the upper core and arms reaching forward. So, half the weight behind the axis and half the weight ahead of the axis of rotation.

Sometimes the axis is through the skater’s body and sometimes it’s outside the skater’s body, like in sit spins.

If you freeze frame a sit spin from the side, draw a straight vertical line starting at the ball of the skater’s foot, and there’s the balanced position.

As I mentioned before in sit spins, the hips can be too high, too low or correct (parallel to the ice or a bit lower).

Relaxing and sitting down too low is where the athletic strength of the sit position is lost.

A couple of tips for getting balanced in the back sit spin: 1) Keep the head weight to the right throughout the spin, especially at the start. Our body follows our head so the skater needs to stay over the right hip in the back sit.

2) As the skater is bending into the sit position, they should keep the knees a little apart until reaching the full sit position. If the knees come together before bending down all the way, they get stuck at that level and cannot get down lower.

3) Some skaters can do back sit spins with their free leg straight but not many. It helps balance to bend the free leg slightly, turn the free foot out and allow the foot to cross over in front. If you study videos of many good back sit spins, you’ll see that free foot crossed over rather than straight in front.

spin started whether

BACKWARD CAMEL SPIN

position is enhanced and the free leg can be turned out and be higher when the free hip is lifted. You can also see the speed of the spin increase, as well as the beauty, with this position. When skaters do a spiral gliding on a fast and bold curve, the free side is higher than the skating side as they lean in to the circle, with the arms swept back and free arm following the line of the free leg.

When I performed with Holiday on Ice sometimes we would practice together. One of my friends, Otto, who was German, used to tell us, “tight the back” to help our camel spins. It’s so true: Engage the muscles of the back and feel like there is a chain connecting from the back of the head through the back and out to the tip of the free foot.

With camel variations, there will be some positions with the shoulders square and parallel to the ice, but I teach the basic camel as I have described above.

Want more? Check out the Spins category at PSA TV for a selection of in-depth and visual guidance to enhance your knowledge and help your skaters.

In camel spins, I teach the free side lifted, so, not a flat or parallel-to-the-ice shoulder line. The beauty of the camel

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OBITUARY Tom Collins | 1931–2019

Former figure skater and founder of the Champions On Ice Tour, Thomas (Tommy) James Collins passed away at his home in Edina, MN, surrounded by his family on September 1, 2019 of natural causes.

Tom was born in a small Ontario mining town and went on to win the Northern Ontario Novice Men’s Championship. At the age 18 he joined Holiday On Ice as a chorus skater and ultimately became vice president and general manager. Collins also appeared as a skater on Broadway with Sonja Henie and later toured with her in South America.

While skating with Holiday On Ice, he met his wife Jane. Tom moved to the business side of Holiday On Ice in 1969 which was the beginning of what would later be known as Champions on Ice. Collins also branched out into the music industry and promoted musicians of the day like David Bowie and Earth Wind & Fire which evolved into a merchandising business for touring entertainers.

Tom's generosity was well-known though perhaps his greatest attribute was the love he had for his family. His love for life and playful spirit always came out when he was with his grandchildren and holidays were always particularly special.

He is survived by three sons, all of Edina: Michael (Angie Bartness), Mark (Monica Elicerio), & Martin (Alissa); six grandchildren; three nephews and their families; and long-time devoted companion Teri Tucker.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WORLD FIGURE SKATING MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME

Dena Yeagley | 1955-2019

Dena Yeagley, 64, of State College, PA, died of natural causes September 25, 2019 at home.

An accomplished figure skater in her own right, she earned a gold medal in ice dance at just 16 years old. After earning her B.S. in Psychology she became the first Skating Director at Penn State. She built a successful program and for decades local skaters learned to skate through the Ice Pavilion’s group lesson program and skating camps. Her crowning achievement was the creation of Ice Rhythms, the Penn State Ice Show. Under her guidance, the show evolved into a highly polished, professional showcase of the talent developed at Penn State, along with national and world-level guest performers.

Dena was a master rated free skating coach with the Professional Skaters Association and earned the distinction of being a Level IV ranked coach through the accomplishments of her students.

Along with her program director accomplishments, Dena’s legacy lives on in the many lives she touched as a wonderful, dedicated professional who cared deeply about her students and their well-being on and off the ice. Dena served as a mentor and example of professionalism for the many young coaches who started their careers on her staff. Her loss is immeasurable and she will be deeply missed by so many people.

Dena was predeceased by her beloved daughter Abigail, who died in 2003 at the age of 10, from carbon monoxide poisoning. Dena honored Abby’s life and legacy by creating the Abby Yeagley Foundation, to support local figure skaters. Dena also dedicated herself to educating others on the need for CO detectors.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Abby Yeagley Memorial Figure Skating Fund, managed by the Centre Foundation.

SAVE the DATES! The 2020 ISI Conference & Trade Show will take place in two parts of the country.

We believe that this new, condensed conference format will be more accessible to and affordable for our members.

For details, visit skateisi.org/conference

MARCH 23-24 — SPRING

NOV. 2-3 — FALL

Hilton Pasadena 168 S. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena, CA

Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill 5 Blossom St. Boston, MA

Hotel Group Rate: $179/night

Hotel Group Rate: $179/night

On-Ice Education at Pasadena Ice Skating Center 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA (Located within walking distance of the hotel.)

On-Ice Education to be Announced Shortly

Conference Attendee Registration Fee Early Bird: $249 ISI member through Jan. 10 ($349 non-member)

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NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

Conference Attendee Registration Fee Early Bird: $249 ISI member through Aug. 31 ($349 non-member)

Don Laws Apprenticeship Scholarship

By Kent McDill

S

hattuck-St. Mary’s, the private school in Faribault, Minnesota, has one of the premier figure skating facilities in the Midwest, and caters to skaters who are competing at a high level while needing to complete their secondary education.

The SSM Figure Skating Center is staffed by some of the nation’s top figure skating coaches, led by director Tom Hickey, who has coached champions at the U.S. National, International and Junior World levels. It regularly includes guest coaches from around the country and the world to provide unique coaching techniques.

It is fair to call SSM Figure Skating Center a mecca. True believers, in the form of figure skating coaches, come from far and wide to enjoy the coaching intellect and atmosphere and collegiality which SSM offers.

Davenport, Iowa, is one such place from which coaches trek to southern Minnesota. Ferelith Senjem, a figure skating coach at the River’s Edge Ice Arena in Davenport, has gone to SSM as a visiting coach on three separate occasions, bringing her students to enjoy the facilities and to show what is possible for anyone who might

want to attend a private school that offers figure skating excellence.

But in the summer of 2019, Senjem left her students behind. She was awarded a Don Laws Apprenticeship scholarship, which allowed her to spend a week at SSM, shadowing the staff and visiting coaches in order to expand her knowledge of figure skating coaching at the highest level.

Senjem said the difference between being a visiting coach and an apprentice is in the details.

“As a visiting coach, you are allowed to shadow the resident coaches with your students, but if you are not working on a certain skill, you are not allowed to shadow,” Senjen said. “As an apprentice, you are taken under the wing of those coaches, and you are allowed to ask the coach anything you might want, in order to perfect your own coaching skills.”

Senjem attended her apprenticeship at an odd time for her. Her home rink in Davenport suffered severe flooding from rains that seemed to be consistent throughout the month of June. She had just finished six weeks of shuttling students to rinks as far away as Chicago in order to get their training.

Spending a week at Shattuck-St. Mary’s was a welcome respite from the headaches that come from rink concerns, especially when that rink is under water.

There are two appeals to the apprenticeship program at SSM. The first is the opportunity to work so closely with various coaches with decades of success on their resume.

The second is being able to experience the atmosphere that surrounds a coach when they visit SSM. “The philosophy of their camps is to be on time, work hard, have a positive attitude, look professional, plan ahead, and be kind to each other and to the students,” Senjem said, explaining the relationship between coaches at SSM. “They stress giving clear directions, creating an environment that promotes 100 percent effort.

They make sure coaches and students eat, exercise and have fun.”

Visiting coaches may perhaps work to avoid appearing invasive when they attend SSM, trying to fit in, trying to learn as much as possible and show their students as much as possible without violating the skating center rules and guidelines for visiting coaches.

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Don Laws Scholarship

From left: Tom Hickey, Annette Hickey, Mary Jo Bullin, Terry Hausmann, Ferelith Senjem, Surya Bonaly, Peter Biver, Jimmie Santee, Sarah France, Robyn Petroskey, Moira North, Garrett Kling, Sandra Johansson.

Apprentices, on the other hand, are brought in for the express purpose of immersing themselves in the coaching lessons they can learn from observing the staff and guest coaches.

“The week I went, (world and Olympic choreographer) Phillip Mills was the guest coach,” Senjem said. “He taught me how to make our programs smarter, sharper, and how to connect with the audience.

“There are always expert coaches that they bring in from somewhere else. And they are always very generous in promoting their skills.”

While on the ice, Senjem carried a notebook in order to write down key points she gathered from watching the resident and guest coaches work with their highly skilled students.

“I filled notepad after notepad after notepad,” she said, laughing.

She then reads over her notes when she is off the ice to make certain she has the information she gathered in a format that can be easily accessed.

“That’s where it definitely helps to attend camp with your students,” she said. “That way, there is an additional person to take back information to your rink. You have some else to help remember what you worked on.”

Senjem said one of the most powerful lessons she learned in her apprenticeship this summer was the number of safe drills which can be used to teach skills that include an element of potential harm. “Rather than just attempting jump after jump, there are a lot of safe drills we can do, because many of the skills we work on are dangerous,” she said.

The attraction to working at SSM is obvious, but Senjem said there are coaches who would be more likely to benefit from the experience.

“It is a very competitive camp,” she said. “It is very helpful that your students are training to be competitive skates rather than recreational skaters. For example, it would be helpful if your students have achieved an Axel.”

Senjem obviously enjoyed her experience as an apprentice at SSM, and sees it as an extension of her time as a visiting coach.

“Every time I go, I feel refreshed,” she said. “As skating coaches, we tend to work by ourselves. This atmosphere is so cooperative. The other coaches are so encouraging.”

In memory Don Laws, the Trustees of the Professional Skaters Foundation are proud to offer the Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship. Three merit-based apprentice scholarships are available yearly, each intended for the reimbursement of direct expenses incurred for attending the PSA Apprentice Development Program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, MN. Direct expenses include travel to the program site, lodging, and meals. Awards are based on dedication to coaching, sound character and ethical practices. Applicants must hold a registered or higher rating in any discipline. The program focuses on development of coaching skills by allowing the apprentice to shadow master-rated coaches over the course of six days.

Apprentices will have the opportunity to have one-on-one time with each mentor, as well as sit in on lessons.

Applications are due on February 15 of each year. Visit www.skatepsa.com for more information.

— Coach Life —

PHOTOS COUR TESY OF FERELITH SENJEM

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Skate to a brighter future.

Skate to great.

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Get started today, visit LearnToSkateUSA.com

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Kawahara Selected for PSA Hall of Fame B Y K E N T MC D I L L

T

he Professional Skaters Association Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements of storied and successful coaches, most of whom have taken individual and pair skaters to championship levels of figure skating prowess.

Sarah Kawahara is in the PSA Hall of Fame primarily for her skill at getting dozens, sometimes hundreds, of skaters to perform well enough to present a full-blown story, often with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

One of the most renowned and celebrated figure skating choreographers in history, Kawahara is the 2019 inductee into the PSA Hall of Fame.

“It is just amazing,” Kawahara told PS Magazine. “I’m just so tremendously honored. I never dreamed my career would take me here. My only regret is that I cannot share it with my dad (Hideo Kawahara, who passed

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away in 2011), who helped me get here, who was instrumental in training me, coaching me, to make me who I have become.”

Kawahara’s career as a choreographer has been saluted by organizations outside of the realm of figure skating. She won an Emmy Award for the choreography in the television show Scott Hamilton Upside Down in 1996, and was again awarded by the Emmys for her work on the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Filmgoers are very familiar with Kawahara’s work probably without knowing her name. She was the choreographer for the Will Ferrell film Blades of Glory and served the same role for the widely praised biopic I, Tonya. She has just completed work on a Netflix film entitled Spinning Out. But Kawahara’s career started as a

choreographer for individual competitors, and had a long-standing professional relationship with Hamilton, which led to the first Emmy award.

Over the years, she choreographed professional shows that included for Hamilton, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Robin Cousins, Nancy Kerrigan, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, and Oksana Baiul.

Kawahara sees much of her work as one about storytelling, which goes a long way toward understanding how she approaches coaching groups for performance differently than when she has coached individuals for competition.

“When you are working with a group of people, it is a symphony,” she said. “Everybody, each person is responsible for their own instrument, and the proficiency for how they play their instrument adds to the sound, the look, the emotion of the piece. They are skating together in a symphony.

For me, I am the conductor. When I am doing production work, like with Disney or any live production. That is essentially my approach.

“When I work with one person, the demand is the same, except I am working with one person. The play I

am working on is different.”

When prodded to do so, Kawahara found it difficult to select one choreography job as her “crowning glory”, but cited the Winter Olympics task for amusing reasons. For the widely praised Winter Games in Salt Lake City, she choregraphed the opening and closing ceremonies as well as Michelle Kwan’s long and exhibition programs for the games.

“I was able to use all my experiences working with stars and working with major productions, as well as doing camera work for television specials,” she said. “I was able to use all of my experience in all the different mediums rolled into one project.

“For that project, I stripped the community of every possible person who could skate forward,” she said with a laugh. “I came in with all of these grand images, then, after I auditioned about 1,000 people, the most important question I needed an answer to was “Can you stop?”

And she laughed again.

In a huge simplification, there are two kinds of performances for large groups: synchro-choreography in which every skater needs to move in identical form to the next, and the story-telling sort in which every skater is providing unique visual input as part of a large group of skaters.

“There are times when you want their different colors, you want their different talents, and you use the fact that they are different to your advantage,” Kawahara said. “There are times when you want them to be alike, and then it calls upon their classic background and training. They all have the same basis for the most part to harken back to, and then you add imagery which will be new but still call upon their commonality.”

Kawahara is quick to salute the thousands of coaches who worked with the skaters she uses in her productions who created the base of skills upon which she calls when those skaters are hers to work with.

“I have worked with so many generations of beautifully trained

skaters, and I reaped the benefits of their talents and have been able to create stories and pieces of television and movies on many different levels of the art form because of their experiences they bring to the table,” she said.

Over the years, Kawahara has picked up the skills necessary to work closely with video professionals in order to design and present her shows in the best light for video work. She currently works with the Royal Caribbean cruise line to present shows they provide for the massive ships, and those presentations take advantage of the latest in video presentation technology.

“It is really fun for me,” she said. “We can really go to town. We have a very current level of technology with video projects. We have had drones.

It brings production skating into the 21st century.”

Kawahara laughed yet again when discussing the challenges she faces when filming skating performances for movies and television, when there is a personal story attached and the skating is primary to the story of the main characters, as when she worked on Blades of Glory or I, Tonya. She spoke of the challenge of filming the emotion of the skater to create the drama while worrying as well about the proficiency of the skating performance.

“The writer is sitting down and writing a story and thinks ‘wouldn’t it be great if they did this (skating trick)?’, and then that becomes my job,” she said. “I train the actors, and they have different levels of proficiency, depending on the actor, so some can do more than others.

Then I have a double that can really skate, but who can be that person, that character. You have two people portraying the same role performing different skating tasks.

“I had five doubles for Will Ferrell (in Blades of Glory),” she said. “it depends on what trick you need to

have and not everybody can do all the tricks that are written for the story.”

Kawahara makes her home in Los Angles, where she is on the staff of the Ice in Paradise rink when she is not every place else that exists where skating needs to be presented in grand fashion.

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Kathy Casey PHO TO BY PAU L HA R VAT H

By Terri Milner Tarquini

61 t Falls, MT in 19 rt Keyes in Grea be Ro th wi y th Ka

Circa 1993

Kathy on the ice with Frank Carroll

K

athy Casey was 12 years old when she first stepped on the ice and she knew one thing: One day, she wanted to coach.

In the ensuing decades, she built a reputation on toughness and technique, a career built on providing information and support to countless athletes and coaches, and friendships built on love and loyalty.

And a legacy built on all the above.

“I loved Kathy very, very much,” said Frank Carroll, Olympic Coach of the Year and inductee in the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, PSA Coaches Hall of Fame, and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. “She

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“I love what I do. and I consid It’s a great job er myself for tunate.” ~ K at h y Casey

was a strict disciplinarian and she didn’t take any guff from anyone, which sometimes got her in a little trouble, but it also earned her quite a fan base. So many people admired and loved her.”

Casey, who died on September 16, 2019, was a true giant in the sport of figure skating…and as unpretentious as they come.

“When someone is great, they don’t ponder their own significance,” Carroll said. “They just keep going and keep contributing day after day and they keep doing their job. She contributed so much to our sport; she was so respected and so loved.”

From 1962, when she became the assistant coach at

“Jumps are not easy, but they’re not as hard as they sometimes might look either.” ~ Kathy Casey

Presidents of the PSA 1967-1996

2002 Dallas PSA Confer ence 2007 Los Angeles PSA Conference

the Lakewood Winter Club in Tacoma, Washington, through 1990, when she accepted the position as Director of Skating for the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she gave tirelessly to the world of skating.

“She was such an inspiration to her students, as well as other coaches,” said Janet Champion, inductee of the PSA Coaches Hall of Fame. “Her knowledge and giving to all areas of the sport was unending. Skating was her life and she loved it.”

Champion met Casey in the early 1970s when they would run into each other at competitions and, along the way, a lifelong friendship took hold. Casey was who eventually suggested Champion to Carlo Fassi when he was looking for an assistant coach in Colorado Springs.

“She became my very best friend,” Champion said. “And if you were her friend, you knew what it was like to have a real friend. She always stuck up for you and she was just the most fun.”

A smile always at the ready, Casey had a nickname that was not very well-known.

“When she was coaching in Washington, she was known as ‘The Countess of Tacoma,’” Carroll said. “Only her dear friends knew she was called that.”

Casey, Carroll and Champion go way back to when they were all making their bones.

“Kathy, Janet and I would all meet at Pacific Coast when we were all very new coaches—before any of us had champions or any recognition,” Carroll said. “We would get together every year at a very raucous party thrown by John Nicks and the Ice Capades organization and were frequently asked to leave the restaurants we were at; we had roasts of each other and the other patrons didn’t understand our sense of humor. We were all very ambitious, young coaches.

We were trying to beat each other, but we always supported each other and we just really enjoyed each other’s company.

Those were fun, loving, competitive times.”

Casey’s career first caught fire when she coached 14-year-old Jill Sawyer to the gold medal at the 1978 World Junior Championships.

“Jill Sawyer was doing the triple Lutz before it was a thing that lady figure skaters were doing,” Champion said.

“Kathy believed in always increasing her knowledge and information so she could keep her students and the sport moving forward.”

“I could talk for hours about Kathy,” said Scott Davis, Olympian and two-time U.S. national champion. “I have so many memories and stories. She had such a high impact on so many lives. The way she spoke—you could feel her passion. She was high-energy and it was infectious and motivating.”

Davis grew up in Great Falls, Montana, the same town as Casey, where he took lessons from her sister, Myrna. At age 12, he went to Tacoma for one of Casey’s skating camps, eventually moving there and then following her to Colorado Springs and the Broadmoor World Arena.

“Lessons with Kathy were intense,” Scott Davis said. “It was 20 minutes of non-stop information and ‘Do it again.’

She was always on the ice, never at the boards. We spent so much time looking at jump take-offs. We always said that we kind of learned together.”

A wildly popular Casey presentation at seminars and the PSA Conference was her “drawing” classes, in which she meticulously broke down what each jump takeoff should look like when looking at the tracings on the ice.

“She explained how you can tell what went wrong by looking at the print on the ice,” Champion said. “As far as I know, she was the first person to really do that.”

She also believed in breaking jumps down, paying meticulous attention to each movement of the body and how it affected the jump.

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“You have to have the right mindset and technique and, from that, almost anything is possible.” ~ Kathy Casey

2018 EDI Awards Dinner 2002 Dallas PSA Conference

“I recall the very first lesson I ever had with her at the Broadmoor World Arena,” said Damon Allen, World Junior bronze medalist. “I had that ‘aha’ moment and, even though she laughed at how terrible my toe and loop techniques were, I totally understood the technique we worked on that I would use for years to come with my own skating, as well as with my students. Of course, that first lesson ended up leading to countless stand-still double toes and double loops.”

Casey felt it was imperative for the skaters to have a solid understanding of the jump itself, strong foundational skills, a dedicated work ethic, and mental and physical toughness—all of which she showcased herself.

“She was the consummate coach,” Champion said. “She researched and studied and she had such a way of getting the message across. The motivational speech she gave at so many events – she worked so hard on it and it was so good and so passionate.”

“Kathy’s smile and energy were infectious,” Damon said.

“At the beginning of every session, we would put on our favorite jams and Kathy would always be out there rapping her toe picks to the beat.”

Casey had a captivating personality, mixed with a penchant for not mincing words.

“She had a load of one-liners that I tend to use on a regular basis,” Damon said. “Though they were slightly cutting, they got—and still get—the point across.”

Casey’s penchant for telling-it-like-it-is was well-known.

“Kathy had a competitive personality and she had that intensity and focus to help make us the best we could be,” Davis said. “We could not be late and, back when we had figures, we had to have our layout papers at every lesson.

We’d be on clean ice and she’d be the judge. She wrote, ‘Huge, untraced, wobbly mess. You are 15th out of 12.’ I’d think. ‘How can I be 15th out of 12?” Davis laughed.

And what happened when students, as they sometimes are wont to do, don’t listen to their coach?

“I was about 16 when Kathy decided I needed to take some jazz dance classes to bring out more expression,” Davis said. “I was so embarrassed and just hid in the back of the room. Finally, I just decided I wasn’t going to go and I would just drive around in my car for an hour while I was

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supposed to be there. And it worked, until Kathy called the dance studio to see how I was doing and they told her I hadn’t been there in months.”

That didn’t go over well, according to Davis.

“She pulled me into her office and said, unless I shaped up, I was going to be sent back to Great Falls,” said Davis, a director and coach in Calgary. “You always knew where you stood with Kathy and what her expectations were and I didn’t doubt for a second I was going to be sent home if I didn’t get it together.”

Call it bluntness, sometimes with a dose of humor.

“We had entirely different coaching styles—I get very excited and she was much more direct,” Champion said. “I was coaching a little girl at the Broadmoor and she cried during every lesson she had with me—and I didn’t do a thing to make her cry! Her mother, who really wanted to be taking lessons with Kathy anyway, went in to complain to her that I was making her daughter cry. Kathy just said, ‘If she cries in Janet’s lessons, I can’t imagine what she’d do in my lessons.’”

Casey’s resume is a testament to all she gave to the sport: the 2005 U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Science Coach of the Year and a World and Olympic coach to skaters including Scott Davis, Rosalynn Sumners, Nicole Bobek, Scott Hamilton, and Rachael Flatt.

“I’m truly grateful that when the World Arena Ice Hall was built, Kathy steered a group of us to start teaching learn to skate,” said Allen, a coach and choreographer in Colorado Springs. “I started skating with the LTS program, so it only seemed fitting that I would give back and share my love of the sport with new young skaters. I am very grateful for how Kathy made us really learn how to coach and how to organize a lesson. We weren’t allowed to teach higher than preliminary until we had skaters that passed that level. Then we could coach the next level, and so on.

We couldn’t just jump in and coach anyone we wanted; we had to learn the ropes, so to speak. It has formed me into the coach I am today and I am forever grateful.”

President of the PSA from 1989-1994, the association awarded her with the following honors: 1999 Honorary Member and Lifetime Achievement Award, PSA Hall of Fame class of 2008, the 2009 Sonja Henie Award, and the 2018 F. Ritter Shumway Award.

2009 — channeling Son ja Henie

“This is a tough sport and we need to provide the athletes and the coaches with as much support and information as possible.” ~ Kathy Casey “On the ice, she took one of my students, worked with him for 20 minutes and got his triple Lutz on an outside edge,” Carroll continued. “She was absolutely brilliant. Everything she said was without hesitation and she was so knowledgeable and 1987 Hawaii PSA Conference she presented so well. Afterward she 2014 Palm Springs PSA Conference was so proud of herself.”

Well-known for her colorful clothing style, Casey had recently become something “When she won the Sonja Henie Award, of an internet sensation. While working as U.S. Figure she accepted it in a full Sonja Henie skating outfit,” Skating’s Director of Athlete Performance, Enhancement Champion laughed. “We were rooming together and, when and Tracking, the organization started posting to Twitter she told me, I couldn’t believe it. I said, ‘You’re going to her crazy skating- and holiday-themed sweaters she was wear that short skirt?’ And she said, ‘What’s wrong with my wearing every day of December. legs?’ She did it and the crowd went wild.”

“We were at Nationals that year and we were on the Through the years, she traveled far and wide with her escalator together,” Champion said. “As we got off, there "Kathy Casey seminars" to Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, was a little girl at the bottom that said, ‘There’s the sweater Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, Australia, and all over the lady!’ Kathy laughed and laughed at that one.”

U.S. She also gave presentations for the International “She didn’t think about her legacy; she was just doing Skating Union and conducted developmental skating what she did,” Champion said. “She tried to help everyone camps in Finland, Slovenia, and China. and she definitely inspired anyone lucky enough to come in “Kathy instilled in me a sense of adventure when contact with her.” traveling around the world to international competitions,” In a sport where the life lessons stretch out into almost Allen said. “We would always rent a car for a day or just all areas of a skater’s life, Casey’s message lives on in ways venture out in the cities that we traveled to. She would more far-reaching than the confines of an ice arena. always say, ‘What’s the point in just sitting around the hotel “I traveled with Kathy to the wine country in Bordeaux; when you could see the world instead?’” we saw everything in Paris in two days—and I mean every In 2014, Casey was part of what Carroll believes was thing—she was on a mission; to the Bavarian alps and her last large-scale presentation at the PSA Conference in Neuschwanstein Castle,” Allen said. “Well, we only made it Palm Springs. to the front door of the castle because we didn’t leave quite “I was asked to do an on-ice presentation and they told enough time. So this Sunday I am taking my husband, my me I could do anything I wanted—so I told Kathy we were student and her mother to go all the way through the castle going to do it together,” Carroll said. “It was at the beginbecause Kathy would have wanted me to!” ning of her not doing well and she was not very confident.

For sure, a light in figure skating’s rich history has I said, ‘Kathy, you and I have done so many presentations dimmed. Kathy was truly a coaching legend and her all over the place and they told me I can do anything I want passing is a profound loss to the coaching community. and this is what I want to do and I want to do it with you.’”

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Chicago, Illinois May 20-23, 2020

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April 15, 2020

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sessions, President’s Reception, Trade Show

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Ratings Registration Deadline:

March 15, 2020 or until full

30

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

20/20 COACHING VISION

A New Perspective on Coaching The annual international coaching summit (formerly known as conference) is the premier education event offered by PSA. With multiple days of learning and networking through education sessions, an industry trade show, and fun social events, the Summit is the best way to sharpen your coaching techniques. The event has been re-branded because “summit” is more reflective of the collaborative learning environment created by coaches coming together from all over the world to attend the annual event.

As part of the event re-brand, the Summit has a new name, a new feel, and a new vision. PSA is incorporating new changes designed to make the learning experience optimal for attendees. Similar to the conference last year in Palm Springs, all education sessions will take place off-ice at the convention center.

Presenters will incorporate video and more interactive sessions so you can see better, hear better, and document your learning better. PSA is always focused on providing quality education, and having all sessions in the convention center allows for quality audio and visuals, creating a richer experience, and offering the best delivery of information to attendees. The Summit will foster a more intimate environment allowing for ample question and discussion time.

With the PSA Summit, you can focus on your professional coach development. Leave your skates and parka at home! Travel light and bring your coaching into focus with the tools and techniques you learn at the 2020 PSA Summit. See you in Chicago!

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L AUR A L I PE TSK Y

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Don’� believe the �ummit is the place to be? See what attendees at the 2019 event had to say…

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Competitor registration opens December 1, 2019 Final deadline April 1, 2020

PS MAGAZINE

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A Family Affair

By Terri Milner Tarquini

J

oseph Spiteri was both a product and the embodiment of The Greatest Generation.

Known as such because the men and women born in 1900 through the 1930s did not set out to seek fame or recognition, The Greatest Generation believed that whatever they chose to do should be done well.

These are the values that make up the fabric of a man who founded and built a company that is still one of the leading custom boot manufacturers in the U.S. and the world.

“Once my dad became committed to making skates, he believed they should be the best skates they could be,” said son George Spiteri of Joseph, who founded SP-Teri Boots over five decades ago. “He believed in working five, six, seven days a week—whatever it took— to satisfy the customer.”

Joseph had been a cobbler in his native Malta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, before migrating to San Francisco in 1946 as a newly-married 23-year-old. He soon heard of Joe Galdes, also from Malta, who owned a shoe shop and was partners with Louis Harlick.

“He thought he would work there for a little while, get some money in his pocket and move on to other opportunities,” George said of the shop that constructed such offerings as riding boots, ballet slippers, flamenco

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boots, and dance shoes.

But fate intervened in 1947 when some ice dancers who were in need of skates approached Harlick.

Back then, skating boots were really only available in Minnesota, Chicago, and New York and were essentially two layers of leather—basically a riding boot, but cut lower and with laces.

Harlick saw an opportunity in the industry.

In short order, Joseph became the head designer of skates for the company and, Galdes having been previously bought out, a partner of Harlick’s in the 1950s, along with Jack Henderson.

“During this time, they developed one stock boot and one custom boot for figure skaters,” George said, “and they stopped making all other lines of footwear. So, skating was it.”

Those were the years when George was putting in time at what would one day be his future—although he didn’t know it then.

“I wasn’t even a teenager yet and my dad was still with Mr. Harlick,” George said. “I’d go sweep the floors and empty garbage cans for four hours and Mr. Harlick would give me a dollar—which was a big deal back then.”

In 1960, at a time when there was no cure, Harlick

Photo collage: Joseph and Carmen Spiteri pictured with granddaughter Jenise (George's daughter) circa 1999; SP-Teri booths at various trade shows; the Prime Minister of Malta, (second from left) Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, visited the SP-Teri factory show room in 2009 and visited wtih from left to right: George, Joseph Spiteri, and company VP Joseph Falzon.

was diagnosed with cancer. He decided to liquidate his ownership, selling to Henderson and his brother, Bob, thereby giving them 80 percent of the company.

In 1962, Joseph sold his 20 percent to the Hendersons, resulting in what is still Harlick Skate Company, and in August the following year, Joseph started his own business.

“My dad never thought about making skates for Olympic and World skaters; he just knew that there were skaters out there who needed skates,” George said. “And he had a wife and four kids to provide for. My dad had spent 15 years making skating boots, so that’s what he knew how to do—and he knew how to do it well.”

What those humble beginnings ended up growing into was something that always boggled the mind of Joseph, the one-time cobbler from Malta.

“We were making boots for the Santees when they were 10 years old; we didn’t know what they would go on to do, we just knew that there were these two brothers out there who needed skates,” George said. “Paul Wylie, Charlie Tickner, Dorothy Hamill, Nicole Bobek, Christopher Bowman—they were all just kids who needed skates. You don’t know when they’re young that they’re going to go on and become these big names.”

While George’s path to the world of skating manufac-

turing might seem more predictable than that of his father, it actually was not.

“My dad told me throughout high school to go work for the government,” George said. “’You’ll have insurance.

You’ll have vacation time.’ So that’s what I did.”

But it was while working at a naval shipyard as a draftsman in 1969, George had a low draft number and knew the Vietnam War was about to come calling, that he enlisted. When he got out of the service, he went to college, while working at the family skate business, and graduated with an accounting degree in 1978.

“By then, we had moved to a bigger location and we were one of the boot makers for higher level skaters,” George said. “I was running a lot of the business because I understood finances and we were growing and growing—we had 10 to 12 weeks of back logs for orders. It hadn’t been the plan, but I decided to stay with the family business.”

In a facility they have inhabited for the last 30 years, and after more than a half-a-century as a family-owned and operated business, George made the call earlier this year to sell the manufacturing assets of SP-Teri Co. Inc. Now SP-Teri LLC, the manufacturing operations have moved to Tennessee under new president Bill Fauver.

George has been traveling to the new site to aid in the transition and will continue as a consultant for the company.

In addition, the formerly SP-Teri Co. Inc. will be renamed to A & G Skate Shop, run by George and his son, Aaron.

Located in their same location in south San Francisco, they will continue to sell skates and accessories and provide sharpening services.

“I have files going back 15 years of custom boots with patterns and instructions,” George said. “My goal is to aid Bill, who I have known and worked with for a very long time, to have everything he needs and to establish wonderful relationships with the dealers and the coaches.”

Fauver, a five-time national pairs skater, with four silver medals and one bronze medal, and a two-time Olympian, was also a dealer of SP-Teri boots, worked closely with George through the years, and knew a good product when he saw it.

“The number one thing is that the materials used are the highest quality possible and none of that is going to change,” Fauver said. “Each recipe, if you will, for each boot is slightly different, but the materials and craftsmanship is unparalleled. The boots are made from leather, which articulates with the foot and has a natural return to it. While we plan on marketing it in a more expansive way with a new website and expanding into social media, the base of the company is the same and we are carrying on the heritage.”

Part of that heritage, and the success that SP-Teri has continued to enjoy, is grounded in evolution.

“My dad started with two models: a stock boot and a Continued on page 35 PS MAGAZINE

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BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES

Distracted Coaching S U B M I T T E D B Y T H E P S A C O M M I T T E E O N P R O F E S S I O N A L S TA N D A R D S

L

et’s face it—we all live in a world full of distractions. The childhood we had years ago is not the same our athletes have today. It is staggering how proficient young children are with their devices and this comes at a price when trying to keep a skater focused after they have just received several texts, Snapchats, Instagram messages, YouTube videos, tweets, etc. all in a 20-minute ride to the rink after school.

The day can be full of distracting news; they lost their hair tie, they forgot their skating tights, they are starving because the school lunch was horrible, I think I failed a test, my friend didn’t sit with me at lunch, we got stuck behind at the train tracks, and now I will be late for my lesson, etc.

And we all do our very best to get them to leave their problems at the door, put on the athlete-in-training hat and get focused on the task at hand. We use our best “come on you can do it” voice and try to motivate them to move their minds to technical information on the ice. But for some skaters, you can tell by the glaze in their eyes they are still wondering what is for dinner.

Now, think of your day as a parent, spouse, friend, sibling, co-worker, etc. Any of the scenarios above could be your own; you forgot your daughter’s hair ties, forgot her tights, forgot to pack a snack for after school, dealing with a teacher because your son failed a math test, your daughter is in tears because she sat alone at lunch, and you are stuck at the train tracks and will now be late to coach your first lesson. And, now you need to be your very best and coach for four hours. And, you have ten emails and five text messages you need to return before getting on the ice. How distracted are you?

Distracted coaching is not much different than the description of distracted driving. The website Distracted Driving at www.nhtsa.govn has the following description: Distracted driving refers to the act of driving while engaging in other activities which distract the driver’s attention away from the road. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles.

Now change the description to coaching …

Distracted coaching refers to the act of coaching while engaging in other activities which distract the coach’s attention away from the lesson. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the athlete on lesson, other athletes on the session, and the coach.

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention

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from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

Distracted coaching is any activity that diverts attention from a lesson, including talking or texting on your phone while in a lesson, talking to other coaches while coaching a lesson, fiddling with the dartfish, video, music or other technical devices while leaving the athlete unattended.

Consequences Coaches talking or texting on a cell phone while in a lesson creates enormous potential risk for skating accidents and injuries. When using the harness, a video camera, iPad, or a phone for coaching resources, make sure you are in a safe area of the ice and keep an eye on the traffic patterns and skaters doing their programs. Even at competitions, the off-ice warm up, the on-ice warm up and practices, coaches should avoid unnecessary use of their cell phone, especially if charging for that time with an athlete. This time is valuable and should not be spent checking emails, sending texts, checking Facebook, or playing games.

If an accident occurs during a lesson or any of these activities and it becomes a legal entanglement, your cell phone records can be checked to see if you were distracted during that time. Consider putting your phone on Do Not Disturb so you are not tempted to read each text that is chiming in while you are on coaching duty.

Parents are paying for your care, your expertise, and your individual time with their child. When answering personal messages during a lesson, you are neglecting that agreement. While we cannot predict or prevent all accidents, we can change our personal coaching habits to reduce the risks and create a safer environment. Although most people choose to distract themselves every few seconds with social media, television, texting and the pursuit of all-day immediate entertainment, your ability to focus on the longterm result is what will help create that environment.

We can all play a part in creating a safer environment by ending distracted coaching. Ask your skaters, parents and coaches to commit to a focused facility without a distracted setting. Be present and move your mind to the task at hand.

Stay focused with each athlete, one lesson at a time.

SP-Teri Continued from page 33

custom boot,” George said. “Now SP-Teri has 10 models.

We have always developed through the years, while maintaining the quality, and I know that that will continue.”

Fauver, a Level V ranked and master-rated coach, is keenly aware that injuries are becoming more frequent in figure skating and that it needs to be a priority for skate manufacturers to address these concerns.

“We will be stocking the same core quality products, but we are looking at introducing some additional offerings that will still be manufactured using the same equipment and the same materials, but have some additional benefits,” Fauver said. “If we can introduce a product that increases safety and improves performance, it would do so much for the sport.”

Fauver, founder and president of Avanta Skating Boots from 2012-2014, was at a U.S. Figure Skating boot summit about 10 years ago where the major boot companies put their heads together.

“Following the summit, U.S. Figure Skating came out with four recommendations they were looking for in skates,” Fauver said. “A slightly lower heel, more flexibility, lateral support and shock absorption on jump landings.”

Almost a decade later, a unique idea from 2010 might now come to fruition: Fauver holds a patent on the Variable Flexion Resistance Sports Boot.

“The patent is for a boot design that has the first three

N

AT

IONAL D AY

things that U.S. Figure Skating was looking for,” Fauver said. “Additionally, I designed an air bladder for inside a skate that is also covered in the patent and it would address the fourth.”

Fauver likens the air bladder to the air discs inside football helmets—an addition that, when the player is hit, the disc compresses, lengthening the shock absorption process.

“This would eventually be another offering in skating boots,” Fauver said. “I think there is more than an itch for an increasingly well-made, high quality boot that can do even more for the skater.”

As George Spiteri, 70, is helping in the transition, and is eyeing some time to spend more time fishing with his son, go swing dancing and ballroom dancing with his wife, and continue in local community theater, the future of the company his father started 56 years ago is still at the forefront.

“The most important thing, and I do not doubt this, is that I know the new company will maintain the quality and fit of the current models, while developing new models that will continue to move the company, and what it can provide the skating world, forward,” George said.

“It’s still the SP-Teri name; that’s our family name. What that name has meant to skaters through the years—all of that will continue.”

How did you celebrate National Coaches Day?

COACHES C E L E B R AT E COACH

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c t o b e r

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Here are some of the photos that were shared with us of coaches feeling the love!

PS MAGAZINE

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

Officers, Board Members and Trustees

PSF Scholarships

PRESIDENT Patrick O'Neil VICE PRESIDENT Carol Murphy TREASURER Scott McCoy SECRETARY Gerry Lane BOARD MEMBER

By Patrick O’Neil The mission of the Professional Skaters’ Foundation is to assist coaches and performing skaters with educational opportunities or at times when they may find themselves in financial need due to sickness, disability, or age. Several scholarship opportunities have been established and it is the hope of the Foundation Trustees that each of you reading this article will take the time to read about the opportunities and then apply. The deadline for all scholarships will be February 15, 2020.

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

Richard Dwyer Robbie Kaine Wayne Seybold Moira North Curtis McGraw Webster

Skaters' Fund – Donation Levels: • Platinum • Diamond • Gold • Silver • Bronze

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

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

The PS Foundation recently joined the Smile Amazon Program. Amazon donates 0.5% of all eligible purchases to a charity that you designate on the Smile.amazon.com website.

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the PS Foundation every time you shop, with no additional cost to you.

Simply go to smile.amazon. com from your web browser, choose the PS Foundation as your designated charity, and use your existing amazon. com account with all the same settings! We all shop on Amazon today; please consider choosing the PS Foundation as your designated charity and start shopping on smile. amazon.com! Please spread the word to family and friends!

THE DON LAWS APPRENTICE SCHOLARSHIP • Three merit-based scholarships available yearly • Direct expenses incurred for attending the PSA Apprentice Development Program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, MN (travel, lodging, meals) • Awarded based on dedication to coaching, sound character, and ethical practices • Applicant must hold a Registered Rating or higher in any discipline • This scholarship focuses on the development of coaching skills • Apprentice with master-rated coaches and one-to-one time with mentors

THE DAVID SHULMAN LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP • One scholarship available • Winner will be given the opportunity to attend a PSA Board Meeting as an observer • Winner will able to attend the annual PSA Summit, which includes: o Attendance at the PSA Awards Dinner o Participation in a “one-on-one” Q and A with Mr. Shulman or another past leader o Shadow a PSA leader o Receive travel to and from the summit and accommodation for up to three nights • Applicant requirements include: o Full member in good standing with the PSA o Hold a senior rating or higher in any discipline o Continue to stay committed and engaged as a leader in PSA

THE WALTER AND IRENE MUEHLBRONNER SCHOLARSHIP • • • •

Four scholarships available Can be used for Ratings Prep, Seminars, Clinics, or Summit Intended to reimburse associated fees to attend a PSA educational program Eligible candidates must be: o Full member of the PSA for at least one year o Hold a registered rating or higher in any discipline o Proof of liability insurance o Completed their CER’s for the current season

THE SKATERS’ FUND Founded by Coach Charles Fetter in 1998, The Skaters Fund assists all coaches and performing skaters who need financial assistance due to sickness, disability, or problems due to aging. Since its inception, The Skaters Fund has awarded over $248,000 in assistance to over 80 recipients. Charles Fetter passed in August of 2014 following a 12-year battle with cancer. Among his final wishes was that the Skaters Fund become a part of the PS Foundation and continue to provide assistance to coaches and performing skaters in need. Any coaches or performing skaters who find themselves in financial need due to illness, age or disability are welcome to apply for financial assistance.

A Community that Cares

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NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

TIPS

from Past Conference Presenters Excerpts from Brian Orser’s “Music, Turns, Edges and Jumps” 2008 PSA Conference “I was a bit lazy as a skater because I wanted to get from point A to point B without having to work too hard.”

So it began, “speed for free” became his new motto.

For example, instead of doing quick stepping crossovers try the following exercises: Exercise #1: To create power • Forward crossover • Outside to inside change of edge • Forward inside Mohawk and suddenly you have all this speed without having to do a lot of work Find a way to get power. Where does it come from?

How can we take advantage of that?

Exercise #2: To create power • Stand with feet together side by side • Push straight down and put your weight over the left foot • Bend your knees and push (slide) to the left foot (like on a speed skating slide board) • Bend straight down again and slide to the right.

• Next slide and glide forward • Repeat down ice • Big forward inside edges with knee taking a breath (rise and bend) just before the next push. That little “and” before each new push is so important to create power and to reinforce your balance. Carve the ice with each edge.

Exercise #3: Another way to create power • Skate counter-clockwise crossovers bending your knees • Skate on the blade taking it all the way out being careful not to fall off the left foot too soon then push under with a lot of power • Lifting the left foot underneath, skate on the right blade with your weight pressing down into the ice • Now, transfer your weight back from right to left being careful not to lean to the left too soon which will make you ‘fall’ onto your left foot.

• Keep the weight on the right foot, bending the knee, push down into the ice and take advantage of the power you create all the way. Notice how the blade accelerates.

“This is like pushing a child on a swing. Push hard at first, keep pushing and you create that momentum. Once the swing gets going all you have to do is push lightly and it just sort of fuels itself. Same in skating - you create momentum and accelerate, and then you just go with it.”

Exercise #4: • Count 1-2=RFO3, 3=change of edge, 4=RBO counter, and=cross roll • Repeat other direction, 1-2=LFO3, etc.

• Note: on the back counters, if you are on the left foot turn over the left shoulder, if you are on the right foot, turn over the right shoulder • Use nice knee bends keeping it even .You don’t have to push very hard because you change directions and levels.

• The counter will help give you some speed therefore less work, “SPEED FOR FREE”. You will want to save energy for the jump on the end; you won’t want to waste all your energy getting there.

Exercise #5 - Flying Choctaws: An exercise to create rhythm • Counter-clockwise, two forward crossovers • Swing free leg to the front • RFI Mohawk • Followed by two back crossovers Take advantage of the change of direction and the lean. Your body weight going into each step will create momentum as well. You will easily have enough speed to do a single, double or triple Axel at the other end without working too hard. Repeat doing two sets down the ice.

Remember putting the breaks on will change the rhythm and you will want to keep the rhythm going into the Axel on the end. “When you are nervous, creating rhythm will really help calm the nerves. No rhythm, a bit of pressure and you get paralyzed.”

You will also notice on the protocol sheets that if the skating skills are up everything else will be up too, so take advantage of that.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of different exercises you can do. Keep it simple, make it fun, and be creative!

Find this and more at PS MAGAZINE

37

NEW MEMBERS

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NEW MEMBER

SPONSOR

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Emily Adkins Becky Adler Oleg Altukhov Benjamin Anderson Nicolette Barba Alexander Bator Sarah Bayless Emily Bell Tiffany Beranger Karen Ann Blackwell Emily Bowman Lauren Brue Freddy Budde Jessica Cai Rosie Canter Kate Capper Thomas Carey Paige Carl Veronika Cerednicenko Ashley Christ Jillian Christie Paige Conners Nicole Czuhajewski Sashika De Lanerolle Mackenzie Decker Bernadette Deguzman Karla DeLio-Jones Reagan Dickey Reagan Dickey Arianna Doherty Hailli Dorman Jacob Dunk Laurel Elias Sif Ferranti Craig Forsyth James Garbutt Maria Cristina Garcia Nestor Garcia Scarlett Gibbs Andrea Gottfried Kristina Grinder Emma Gunter Madeleine Gustafsson

Victoria Fauver Robb Kameryn Furman Kristin Fraser-Lukanin Madeline Wunder Arleen Barton Robert Moskalyk Geri Tomich Jason Wong BJ Shue-Chapman Beth Silver Pam Leary Hope Baylow Darlene Parent Christine Fowler Binder Svetlana Khodorkovsky Megan Salamon Michael Bramante Audra Leech Anna Kaverzina-Eppers Barbara Kohlman Alana Christie Wixson Smith Ashley Carlson Joelle Forte Alicia Ballard Elizabeth Locker Jan Tremer Jolyn Hecht Jolyn Hecht Melinda Sweezey Holly Harrington Peter Johansson Misha (Mikhail) Ignatiev Sue Lalone Brandon Forsyth Jenna Dispenza James Santee Amanda Aker Craig Bodoh Kendra Meller Ann Marie Filosa Dmytri Ilin Michelle Worthy

Georgia Halmo Erica Hatfield Aubyn Herbison Marci Hotchkiss Chuck Hsiao Mingwen Hsu Annie Hu Gabriella Izzo Amanda Jones Jennifer Karaboyas Inessa Kasumyan Taylor Kennedy Sarah Kim Violeta Kozlovskaja Tanya Kuligowski Emma LaVelle Jean-Simon Legare Taylor Lehner Grace Leonard Amy Lin Tammy Lloyd Claire Lonergan Melissa Love Alexandra Lynch Maren MacGregorHannah Sydney Marksberry Natalie May Bridget McErlane Kelly McNamara Laura Micciulla Hannah Miller Gwyneth Moore Kristin Moro Skylaur Morris Maxim Navmov Keith Newcombe Lane Nicolay Cathy Nyborg Paige Osterwisch Marisol Paiz Maria Pandazis Jessica Pao

Hailey Koenig Angela Aldahwi Karolyn Flaherty Ferelith Senjem Candice Aylor-Morris Kay Barsdell Jason Wong Peter Johansson Amy Payton Brigitte Roquet Oganes Mkrtchian Michelle Gross Daichman Craig Maurizi Michelle McNamara-Gumtow Erika Susman Shorr Erica Miller Kent Johnson Janelle Wall Victoria Greco Lyons Marina Guterres Amy Lloyd Janet Tremer Michelle Tepkasetkul Caitlyn Ramsey Amber Karcher-Ramos

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

Nicole Kappenhagen Deborah Jones Gerry Lane Jackie Pusztay Jeff Nolt Kirsten Miller Zisholz Gwyneth Moore Anika Hansford Christine Fowler Binder Vadim Novmov Sarah France Maureen Schembri Wismayer Terri Terando Dorothi Cassini Rodrigo A. Menendez Geri Tomich Tashe Smith

Welcom e coaches!

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Cory Paul Anthony Ponomarenko Karen Purcell Carlie Quesada Jennafer Reimann Campbell Richardson Gillian Robidas Lora Rody Madalyn Ruff Brittany Sandbulte Kaya Sasaki Samantha Scarpa Emilee Scharf Katrina Schieck Olivia Shapiro Shawnee Smith

Kurt Nichols Serguei Ponomarenko Karolyn Marr Judy Blumberg Jenna Hope Reimann Aurore Michel Amy Vecchio Michelle Harris Bonnie Lynch Shannon Patton Huffman Kananililiaikapela Tanaka Camille Mendez Ashley Carlson Yesenia Gilroy Chrissy Imperiale Kori Ade

Joelle Stephens Emily Stoner Joelle Sunstrom Ema Takahaski Jessica Teaver Carly Tremewan Lisa Ulibarri Miller Kayla Vallier Caitlin Vester Amanda Voelker Helen Weselcouch Alicen Whiting Sherry Wilkinson Kate Williams Margaret Worth Peter Zapalo

Jill Stewart Patti Jones-Logan Tina Greenwaldt David Santee Sharon Maples Cathryn Tremewan Chelsea Winter Susie Kelly Tanya Street-Burgess Roxanne Tyler Melanie Green Tiffany Thornton Maureen Herr Alicia Jordan Laurent Masse Heidi Thibert

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT & CIRCULATION Title of Publication Date of Filing Frequency of Issue Office of Publication and general business of the publisher Editor Owner

3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902 Elizabeth Thornton The Professional Skaters Association, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902

Extent and Nature of Circulation

A. B.

Total number of copies Paid circulation 1. Outside county subscriptions 2. In-county subscriptions 3. Sales through other carriers 4. Other classes mailed through USPS Total paid distribution Free distribution—samples, complimentary & other Total free or nominal rate distribution Total distribution Copies not distributed Total Percent paid Electronic Copy Circulation a. Paid electronic copies b. Total paid print copies + paid electronic c. Total print distribution + paid electronic d. Percent paid (both print & electronic)

C. D. E. F. G. H. I. 16

Help them get a head start on their coaching career, and encourage them to join PSA! For an up-to-date listing of banned and suspended persons, see skatepsa.com

(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

The Professional Skater - PS Magazine #574-770 October 2019 Bi-monthly, 6 issues annually, $19.95 annual subscription rate

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Do you know coaches who are new to the profession?

Average No. copies each issue preceding 12 months

No. copies of single issue published nearest to filing date

5166

4880

5081 0 0 0 5081

4800 0 0 0 4800

0

0

0 5081 85 5166 100%

0 4800 80 4880 100%

0 5081 5081 100%

0 4800 4800 100%

EAWAY GIV Y H O LIDA

2019

Stop by our Facebook page in early December for a chance to win with our

12 Day Holiday Giveaway!

ProfSk8rsAssoc

PS MAGAZINE

39

Please visit www.skatepsa.com for the complete Calendar of Events CALENDAR of E V E N T S

NOVEMBER

Date: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

November 10, 2019 PSA Seminar Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, OH 12 PSA credits October 18, 2019

National Coaches Day

DECEMBER Date: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

December 21-22, 2019 2019 Vail Skating Festival Dobson Arena, Vail, CO 10 PSA credits December 15, 2019

JANUARY Date: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

MARCH Date: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

January 11-12, 2020 PSA Ratings – Registered thru Master Embassy Suites by Hilton, Philadelphia, PA 1 PSA credit per exam taken December 16, 2019

March 1-2, 2020 PSA Ratings – Registered thru Senior City National Arena, Las Vegas, NV 1 PSA credit per exam taken January 3, 2020

Dates: March 2-4, 2020 Event: PSA Ratings Prep Location: City National Arena, Las Vegas, NV Credits: TBD Deadline: January 27, 2020

MAY

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Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

May 18-19, 2020 PSA Ratings – Registered thru Master Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago, IL 1 PSA credit per exam taken March 15, 2020

Dates: Event: Location: Credits: Deadline:

May 20-23, 2020 PSA Summit and Tradeshow Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago, IL 26-28 PSA credits April 15, 2020

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019

Bloomington, MN

Classifieds Skating Director Wanted The Snoqualmie, WA Ice Arena is seeking to hire a full time experienced USFS & PSA professional Skating Director that will forecast, plan, and administer all aspects of our Figure and LTS departments.

The goal is to produce a profitable skating programs that organically grows athletes through proper progression and development, accomplished through proper staffing, coaching, programming (on/off ice) and complete customer satisfaction.

Please contact jamie@snokingice.com if you are interested in the position.

ADVERTISE WITH US!

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

3006 Allegro Park SW Rochester, MN 55902

ACTUAL SIZE 10 FOOT

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A New Perspective on Coaching