September/October 2015

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

2015

www.skatepsa.com

RAFAEL ARUTYUNYAN 2015 Coach of the Year

ggggggggg ggggggggg ggggggggg COLUMNS 4

FEATURES

Over the Edge | Jimmie Santee

6

President’s Message | Angie Riviello

8

20

Ratings | Tom Hickey

10

BY TERRI MILNER TARQUINI

SafeSport | U.S. Figure Skating

14

Sport Science | Heidi Thibert

16

24

Education | Carol Rossignol

30

Legal Ease | David Shulman

32 New Members 34 PSA Calendar of Events Jimmie Santee | Editor Carol Rossignol | Contributing Editor Amanda Taylor | Art Director Elizabeth Thornton | Advertising/Editorial Assistant

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

2015 ~ No 5 #ISSN-574770

2015 PSA Coach of the Year: Rafael Arutyunyan

24

BY KENT MCDILL

27 2015 PSA Nationwide Seminars

9 Ratings Exams Passed

12 In the Trenches

20

Professional Skaters Foundation

27

28 28

What Does Gracie Gold Say?

BY TERRI MILNER TARQUINI

Take note. . .

K EEP U P W ITH T HE PSA...

PSA e-magazine

@ProfSk8rsAssoc

Professional Skaters Association(PSA)

ProfSk8rsAssoc

Over the Edge

PSA OFFICERS President First Vice President Second Vice President Third Vice President Treasurer Past President

JIMMIE SANTEE, MPD, MG

PSA BOARD OF GOVERNORS West Mid-West

The Value of Education of Figure Skating I

wrote in my last editorial, “PSA needs to educate coaches on how to teach those figure skills that we are losing. We need to develop better techniques for the development of our skaters. As a whole PSA needs to get better.”

As we move forward post-Federal Trade Commission, it will be more and more essential for PSA to get better. That goes for our member coaches as well. We need to make ourselves the obvious choice to those who seek the best instruction for their children. The days of being satisfied with what you already know have vanished. You’re in an arena competing for business with 20 other coaches. How do you set yourself apart? The answer is by being better today than you were yesterday. Seeking better ways to teach, coach, motivate, and market yourself. Does it really matter if you are a grassroots or Olympic coach?

Does a beginner skater need less consideration and effort than an Olympian?

Each individual skater needs the maximum from their coach.

PSA will continue to work on developing new foundational teaching techniques and more efficient and cost effective ways to disseminate the information. Teenagers teaching learn to skate programs will stay. However, how we train those young coaches must change. The PSA Foundations of Coaching courses have become increasingly popular but we can’t stop there.

We need to nurture these young coaches. The PSA Apprentice Program needs to expand, allowing these young coaches the opportunity to mentor with experienced coaches. Those of us who have the experience should take those “We need to make young coaches under our wings.

ourselves the obvious choice to those who seek the best instruction for their children. The days of being satisfied with what you already know have vanished."

4

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

Doug Ladret Todd Sand Teri Klindworth Hooper Patrick O'Neil Tim Covington Robyn Petroskey-Poe Don Corbiell Cindy Larson Sullivan Kirsten Miller-Zisholz

PSA

Fixing the De-evolution of Figure Skating

East

Angela Riviello Christine Fowler-Binder Rebecca Stump Alex Chang Carol Murphy Kelley Morris Adair

An extremely important objective will be understanding early childhood development, both socially and physically. We must incorporate into our syllabus the theory of progressive education which focuses on learning by doing, problem solving, critical thinking, each individual’s needs, and most importantly by deciding what skills must be developed for future requirements. Both U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills and the ISI weSKATE program were developed with this in mind. However, many young

Members at Large

Committee on Professional Standards Ratings Chair Seminar Chair ISI Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Rep to PSA U.S. Figure Skating Coaches Executive Director Legal Counsel

Robbie Kaine Tom Hickey Doug Mattis Scott McCoy Ben Miller-Reisman Kelley Morris Adair Jimmie Santee David Shulman

COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Awards Coaches Hall of Fame Education Seminars State Workshops Apprentice Area Representatives Hockey Skating PS Magazine Sport Science Endorsements Executive Executive Nominating Finance Fundraising ISU/ IJS Ethics and Legal Nominating Professional Standards PSA Rep to ISI Ratings Special Olympics

Denise Williamson Kelley Morris Adair Heidi Thibert Doug Mattis Tom Hickey Rebecca Stump Gloria Masterson Leous Paul Paprocki Bob Mock Heidi Thibert Jamie Santee Angela Riviello Kelley Morris Adair Carol Murphy Patrick O’Neil David Santee David Shulman Kelley Morris Adair Robbie Kaine Gerry Lane Tom Hickey Eleanor Fraser-Taylor

PSA AREA REPRESENTATIVES Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 Area 6 Area 7 Area 8 Area 9 Area 10 Area 11 Area 12 Area 13 Area 14 Area 15 Area 16 Area 17

Martha Harding Anne Marie Filosa Lee Cabell Tim Covington Gloria Masterson Leous Kevin Curtis Liz Egetoe Melanie Bolhuis Lisa Bardonaro-Reibly Stacie Kuglin Brigitte Carlson-Roquet Sharon Brilliantine Tracey Seliga-O’Brien Lisa Mizonick Don Corbiell Josselyn Baumgartner John Kauffman

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, 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. 507.281.5122, Fax 507.281.5491, Email: office@skatepsa.com © 2004 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.

ISSN-574770. Second-class Postage Paid at Rochester, MN 55901 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Professional Skater, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Printed in the USA.

coaches don’t understand the technical requirements of each building skill. Quite simply, a one foot glide done at the passing standard will allow the child to progress to forward edges. Proper forward edges will allow the skater to master three-turns, and so on. One skill passed before the skater is ready will degrade the following skills to a point where either bad habits develop slowing progression or stopping it all together. This should be obvious... we have all taken on new students with “bad habits”. Every coach has some flaw in their teaching. Understanding and recognizing those deficiencies allows coaches to grow and improve.

Expand your knowledge by reading. Open your eyes and ears. Share your thoughts and experiences with younger or inexperienced coaches. Attend educational events. As a group, we need to put aside differences and help each other and get back on the right track.

The Joy of Coaching

PS Magazine

TREASURE HUNT! *Gold Winged Blade*

Be the first person to find the gold PSA logo in each issue of PS Magazine and we will send you some treasure! Once you have found the logo in this issue, post where you found it on the PSA Facebook page. Be the first person to find it and we will send you a prize!

For the first time, the careers of America’s top figure skating coaches are documented in a colorful and elegant book. This step-by-step history of the Professional Skaters Association highlights the coaches who have taken skaters from tentative turns to tricky twizzles, from bunny hops to quadruple jumps, and from local rinks to the Olympics. In The Joy of Coaching, prominent coaches remember the master motivators who taught them to skate and encouraged them to teach the next generation.

This inspiring book features the entertaining and emotional stories of hundreds of figure skating coaches, each of them putting a memorable spin on the sport.

PS MAGAZINE

5

President’s Message ANGIE RIVIELLO, MPD, MG

Investment + Education = Achieve More I

nvesting in yourself is one of the greatest things you can do for you and your students. Planning your education and accreditation should be part of your year planning process. Attending education events are great to learn new tips, network and validate and expand your teaching skills.

The Professional Skaters Association offers so many different educational opportunities that fit all budgets and schedules.

Full-Day Seminars Full-day seminars present multiple topics on- and off-ice.

Each year a sport science focus is highlighted. Valuable information for all levels of coaches is presented by PSA master rated coaches. Seminar dates range from August– October at sites across the country, and up to 12 PSA educational credits can be earned.

Half-Day Seminars Half-day seminars provide a discipline-specific agenda giving all levels of coaches pertinent and up-to-date information within the topic presented by master rated coaches. Seminar dates range from August–October at sites across the country, and up to six PSA educational credits can be earned.

Ratings Prep Ratings Prep prepares coaches for the oral ratings exams.

This is a two-day program that features a master rated coaching faculty presenting on- and off-ice topics. Each discipline and level are offered based on interest and registration. You can earn 22-28 credits at one of these events.

Foundations of Coaching Course This is a one-day course that is an introduction to coaching at the entry level. It’s a recommended learning resource for new or beginning coaches of ice skating. The purpose is to build a foundation of resources and tools

Janet Tremer presents a Foundations of Coaching Course at the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida, this past July.

6

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

for the new coach to start his/her business of professional coaching. It involves both on- and off-ice sessions and provides 12 credits.

Apprentice Program Apprenticing offers an opportunity to work under a master rated coach to learn new skills and update current ones. This program provides an opportunity for professionals to improve their teaching skills. Completion of an Apprentice Program earns eight educational credits.

Ratings The official PSA ratings system is for coaches who want to validate their skating skills and teaching experience.

Ratings are an assurance to clubs, rinks, skaters, parents, and the general public that the coach they hire is technically qualified to instruct at the level in which they are rated regardless of background and skating achievement.

More and more coaches are being required to become rated and many are choosing do to so for the benefit.

There are six rating zones spread out through the United States where ratings are available to be taken. One educational credit is earned for each exam taken.

Conference The PSA International Conference and Trade Show is an amazing experience. This is the largest event the PSA hosts.

The 2016 Conference will be held jointly with ISI in Las Vegas, NV. Upwards of 28 credits can be earned.

We strive to provide the highest education to our members and continue to evaluate and evolve all of our educational events. You can check the PSA website for dates and locations as well as the Calendar of Events on page 34.

We hope to see you soon. Happy learning!

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

www.skatepsa.com

Ratings TOM HICKEY, MG, MPD

Are You Doing All You Can Do? W

hat makes a professional coach stand apart from others in his/her field? Of course, they may have the educational credentials and the hands-on experience that makes them well-rounded and widely respected in their field; however, true professionals don’t stop there. In fact, they never stop—especially when it comes to learning. After all, we always want to discover new things, while honing the basics. Any good professional will be on top of and addressing these changes and fundamentals.

Within our sport, continuing professional development is extremely important. We currently take CERs to validate our profession and make ourselves worthy of our craft, so why not show the value of your education through ratings and education. One of the greatest benefits of professional development is the opportunity to get together with other coaches and share “knowledge and stories.” At this past PSA conference held in Minneapolis, I saw countless coaches sharing stories, swapping ideas, brainstorming, and helping each other. The informal learning experience was extremely rewarding to me, as I saw many young professionals seeking knowledge and guidance from one another.

Too often the question I hear is, “why take ratings exams or attend educational gatherings if we don’t have to?” I assume these “self-acclaimed” professionals of our sport believe continuing development is, frankly, a waste of time.

They know all there is to know. In any other professional field, a person needs regular professional development if he/ she wants to stay fresh and excited in the chosen field. After all, if you’re feeling stale and routine, it will be difficult to engage an athlete on a daily basis or a group of recreational skaters on a weekly basis.

It’s your responsibility to continue to grow and develop as a figure skating professional, and it will make you more effective as a coach, as well as more marketable. Saying I just can’t afford professional development is not an excuse.

Be bold and think outside of the box. Here are some simple ways to continue your education: • Check with your employer, such as the rink owner, park district, or FSC on educational benefits • Start a personal fund by saving $3.00 a day for a year; $1095 can earn you several PSA seminars or a national conference. It’s in Las Vegas next year!

• Ask your clients to forgo holiday gifts and collect a fund for your continuing education (PSA gift certificates are a great option!)

• Research PSA Scholarships:

8

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

• The Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship Award • The Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship Not only did I have the privilege of attending the 2015 Master Rated Coaches Commencement ceremony-(new to the national conference), I also had the honor of announcing the following statistics for the rating exams held at the conference: 102 exams taken at an impressive 86% passing average. For all of you who continue your education and accreditation, we salute you! Consider yourselves true professionals.

Fellow PSA Colleagues—I am honored to be appointed to the position of PSA Ratings Chair. I look forward to assisting the Professional Skaters Association in providing quality service and ensuring that our mission statement—“Dedicated to providing continuing education and accreditation to ice skating professionals in a safe and ethical environment”—is upheld and our association continues to be viewed as a leader in the professional athletic industry. –Tom Hickey Rating Examiner Alex Chang interacts with a coach during her rating exam.

Recently Passed

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

t

coachuelastions !

Emeritus ratings have been awarded to the following coaches: Karen Howland-Jones—Emeritus-15: MFF-80, MG-80, MPD-81, SD-92, CC-92, SM-08

BA online Christina Amodeo Kristin Bergerson Kaitlyn DeBardelaben Chelsea Erven Nicole Feehery Zoe Hill Brooke Latchford Sue Lien Matthew Lind Danielle Michaud

Congra

Marcia Roussos—Emeritus-15: MFF-71, MM-01 Stephany Morgan Katie Nyman Joanne Oh Kelly Pankow Jennifer Sanchez Brittney Skarulis Alison Wade Toni Wright Ashley Yates

Thomas McGinnis—Emeritus-15: MFF-71, MP-71, MDFD-71, MPD-75, MG-75, MS-88, MC-94, MM-97

Congratulations to the following candidates who passed a rating exam: PSA Conference | May 17-20,2015 Craig Henderson RFS Sarah Pulido West RFS

RANKING — Samantha Gormley–Level I, Anna Tarassova–Level III, Candi Diaz–Level III, Craig Henderso–Level IV, Alina Ponomarova–Level V, Anna Martynenko–Level V, Sergey Korovin–Level VI Congratulations to the following coaches who successfully passed the Foundations of Coaching Course (FCC) held at the following locations: Blaine, MN | February 22, 2015 Abby Abear Katherine Amys Jessica Chaffee Molly Cyr Amanda Erickson Lucy Fuglestad

Mary Elizabeth Gerebi Madelaine Hugo Krystina Kaas Makayla Krajewski Talia Lerol Tessa Mayer

Kelli McClellan Londa Moen Noelle Nelson Holly Olson Kirsten Olson Molly Olson

Alexarae Sackett Kari Sackett Pamela Sandborg Marti Saurer Mackenzie Shay Helen Streff

Mallory Studer Corin Treat Sarah Varian Megan Viozzi Janelle Wall Kristin Wallin

Holly K. Eisenhour Karen Estermyer Naomi Ghebremichael Haley Gram Heather Grantlin Roberta Harger-Quigley Asumi Hasan

Jillian Jennings-D’Agostino Brenda McConnell Elizabeth Parker-Silver Allison Parrott Slava Petukhova Jacqueline Pusztay-Hobgood Tracy Sandler

Alison Schilf Samantha Schilf Rheanna Soo Joy Thomas Ann-Morton Tice Skylar Toms Dia Toussaint-Mcgaughey

Samantha Vonsiatsky Mary Wagner Erin Weisz Rosemary Wilson Elena Woiciechowska Natalia Yingling Summer Young

Hallie Joseph Bailey Kendall Katherine Koes Patience Lindhardt Elaine Manninen Brooke Martin Kathleen Mcdaniel Jennifer Mcpike Alexandria Melton

Allison Mermelstein Madeline Mudd Tatum Neustadt Jesse Nightingale Grace Slater-Pinnick Korby Pyles Michela Saverino Charmin Savoy Jacqueline Schmidt

Stephanie Siswick Kaitlyn Slagle Erin Sprenger ReBecca Teegarden Darius Wallis Jerry Wheeler Audrey Wolz

Raleigh, NC | April 12, 2015 Beth Addis Elena Betchke Kennedy Briggs Alexes Carroll Elizabeth DeCoudres Cathy Dellinger Angela Eilert

Kansas City, MO | June 24, 2015 Jessica Anderson Deanna Anderson Lauren Ashton Klaranda Behrens Charissa Bender Megan Blair Stephanie Burkett Emily Camacho Debbie Cole

Zoey Davis Keri Ranzenberger-Deschenes Shannon Palumbo Eyster Amy Fankhauser Alexis Fenton Rose Genaris Jonathan Hayward Katherine Heine Kendall Ivey

PS MAGAZINE

9

SAFESPORT

Rude vs. Mean vs. Bullying:

Defining the Differences

BY SIGNE WHITSON, AUTHOR, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT THERAPIST

A

few weeks ago, I had the terrific fortune of getting to present some of the bullying prevention work that I do to a group of children at a local bookstore. As if interacting with smiling, exuberant young people was not gift enough, a reporter also attended the event a wrote a lovely article about my book and the work I do with kids, parents, educators and youth care professionals. All in all, it was dream publicity and since then, has sparked many conversations with people in my town who saw my photo in the newspaper and immediately related to the examples of bullying that were discussed.

I have been brought to tears more than once since the article ran, while listening to parents share their feelings of outrage and helplessness over their kids’ experiences with bullying in school. One gifted but socially awkward middle school student blew me away with his articulate, poised, yet searingly painful accounts of relentless physical and verbal bullying on his school bus. An elementary school-aged girl described how she had to learn to shed her Australian accent within a month of entering U.S. schools because of how she was shunned by her classmates. The commonness of it all routinely astounds me with every new account; the pervasive cruelty makes my jaw drop every time.

It is important for me to begin this article by establishing that without doubt, many of the stories of bullying that are shared with me are horrifying and some are unspeakably cruel. But now, I also want to be honest and share that some of the stories are... well... really not so bad.

Take this story recently shared with me by an acquaintance who read about my professional work: “Signe, I saw your picture in the paper last week.

Congratulations! I didn’t know you worked with bullied students. It’s so important that you do—things have gotten so bad! Last week, my daughter was bullied really badly after school! She was getting off of her bus when this kid from our neighborhood threw a fistful of leaves right in her face! When she got home, she still had leaves in the hood of her coat. It’s just awful! I don’t know what to do about these bullies.”

“Was she very upset when she got home?” I empathized.

10

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

“No. She just brushed the leaves off and told me they were having fun together,” she said.

“Oh,” I answered knowingly, aware that oftentimes kids try to downplay victimization by bullies from their parents, due to the embarrassment and shame they feel. “Did you get the sense she was covering for the boy?”

“No, no. She really seemed to think it was fun. She said that she threw leaves back at him, which I told her NEVER to do again! The nerve of those kids.”

“Those ‘kids,’” I clarified. “Was it just the one boy throwing leaves or were there a bunch of kids all ganging up on her?”

“No, it was just this one boy that lives about a block from us,” she assured me.

“Is he usually mean to her? Has he bothered her after school before?” I asked, eager at this point to figure out what the bullying issue was.

“No. I don’t think so at least. That was the first time she ever said anything about him. It was definitely the first time that I noticed the leaves all over her coat. But it better be the last time! I won’t stand for her being bullied by that kid.

Next time, I am going to make sure the principal knows what is going on after school lets out!”

While I always want to be careful not to minimize anyone’s experience (it’s the social worker in me!) and a part of me suspects that the sharing of this particular story may have been simply this parent’s spontaneous way of making conversation with me in a store aisle, I hear these “alarming” (read: benign) stories often enough to conclude that there is a real need to draw a distinction between behavior that is rude, behavior that is mean and behavior that is characteristic of bullying. I first heard bestselling children’s author, Trudy Ludwig, talk about these distinguishing terms and, finding them so helpful, have gone on to use them as follows: RUDE = Inadvertently saying or doing something that hurts someone else.

A particular relative of mine (whose name it would be rude of me to mention) often looks my curly, red hair up and

down before inquiring in a sweet tone, “Have you ever thought about coloring your hair?” or “I think you look so much more sophisticated when you straighten your hair, Signe.” This doting family member thinks she is helping me. The rest of the people in the room cringe at her boldness and I am left to wonder if being a brunette would suit me. Her comments can sting, but remembering that they come from a place of love—in her mind—helps me to remember what to do with the advice.

From kids, rudeness might look more like burping in someone’s face, jumping ahead in line, bragging about achieving the highest grade or even throwing a crushed up pile of leaves in someone’s face. On their own, any of these behaviors could appear as elements of bullying, but when looked at in context, incidents of rudeness are usually spontaneous, unplanned inconsideration, based on thoughtlessness, poor manners or narcissism, but not meant to actually hurt someone.

MEAN = Purposefully saying or doing something to hurt someone once (or maybe twice).

The main distinction between “rude” and “mean” behavior has to do with intention; while rudeness is often unintentional, mean behavior very much aims to hurt or depreciate someone. Kids are mean to each other when they criticize clothing, appearance, intelligence, coolness or just about anything else they can find to denigrate. Meanness also sounds like words spoken in anger—impulsive cruelty that is often regretted in short order. Very often, mean behavior in kids is motivated by angry feelings and/or the misguided goal of propping themselves up in comparison to the person they are putting down.

Commonly, meanness in kids sounds an awful lot like: • “Are you seriously wearing that sweater again? Didn’t you just wear it, like, last week? Get a life.”

• “You are so fat/ugly/stupid/gay.”

• “I hate you!”

Make no mistake; mean behaviors can wound deeply and adults can make a huge difference in the lives of young people when they hold kids accountable for being mean.

Yet, meanness is different from bullying in important ways that should be understood and differentiated when it comes to intervention.

BULLYING = Intentionally aggressive behavior, repeated over time, that involves an imbalance of power.

Experts agree that bullying entails three key elements: an intent to harm, a power imbalance and repeated acts or threats of aggressive behavior. Kids who bully say or do something intentionally hurtful to others and they keep doing it, with no sense of regret or remorse—even when targets of bullying show or express their hurt or tell the aggressors to stop. Bullying may be physical, verbal, relational or carried out via technology.

• Physical aggression was once the gold standard of

“Kids who bully say or do something intentionally hurtful to others and they keep doing it, with no sense of regret or remorse—even when targets of bullying show or express their hurt or tell the aggressors to stop.” bullying—the “sticks and stones” that made adults in charge stand up and take notice. This kind of bullying includes hitting, punching, kicking, spitting, tripping, hair pulling, slamming a child into a locker and a range of other behaviors that involve physical aggression.

• Verbal aggression is what our parents used to advise us to “just ignore.” We now know that despite the old adage, words and threats can, indeed, hurt and can even cause profound, lasting harm.

• Relational aggression is a form of bullying in which kids use their friendship--or the threat of taking their friendship away--to hurt someone. Social exclusion, shunning, hazing, and rumor spreading are all forms of this pervasive type of bullying that can be especially beguiling and crushing to kids.

• Cyberbullying is a specific form of bullying that involves technology. According to Hinduja and Patchin of the Cyberbullying Research Center, it is the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” Notably, the likelihood of repeated harm is especially high with cyberbullying because electronic

PS MAGAZINE

11

“...if kids and parents improperly classify rudeness and mean behavior as bullying— whether to simply make conversation or to bring attention to their short-term discomfort—we all run the risk of becoming so sick and tired of hearing the word that this actual life-and-death issue among young people loses its urgency as quickly as it rose to prominence.” messages can be accessed by multiple parties, resulting in repeated exposure and repeated harm.

So, why is it so important to make the distinction between rude, mean and bullying? Can’t I just let parents share with me stories about their kids?

Here’s the thing; in our culture of 24/7 news cycles and social media sound bytes, we have a better opportunity than ever before to bring attention to important issues. In the last few years, Americans have collectively paid attention to the issue of bullying like never before; millions of school children have been given a voice, 49 states in the U.S. have passed anti-bullying legislation, and thousands of adults have been trained in important strategies to keep kids safe and dignified in schools and communities. These are significant achievements.

At the same time, however, I have already begun to see that gratuitous references to bullying are creating a bit of a “little boy who cried wolf ” phenomena. In other words, if kids and parents improperly classify rudeness and mean behavior as bullying— whether to simply make conversation or to bring attention to their short-term discomfort—we all run the risk of becoming so sick and tired of hearing the word that this actual life-and-death issue among young people loses its urgency as quickly as it rose to prominence.

In the TRENCHES by

SCOTT BROWN Master-rated coach & IJS Technical Specialist

12

It is important to distinguish between rude, mean and bullying so that teachers, school administrators, police, youth workers, parents and kids all know what to pay attention to and when to intervene. As we have heard too often in the news, a child’s future may depend on a non-jaded adult’s ability to discern between rudeness at the bus stop and life-altering bullying.

Signe Whitson is a licensed social worker, school counselor, author of four books, and internationally-recognized speaker with more than 15 years of experience working with children, teens, and families.

Signe provides down-to-earth, practical advice for navigating the daily challenges of living and working with children, tweens and teens. As a mother of two young daughters, Signe relates to parents on a personal level.

If you would like more information at any time, please e-mail Signe at Signe@SigneWhitson.com, follow her on Twitter @SigneWhitson, read her articles on The Huffington Post or Psychology Today, or “Like” her on Facebook.

Coaches of Significance

Of all the negative things we see posted on social media these days, here is something that could have a positive impact on your coaching.

Reposted from Proactive Coaching:

“Viewing coaching as an opportunity to intentionally teach and hold your athletes to the highest possible standards of effort and behavior is what gives the profession lasting value. If you truly love your athletes and the profession, your standards are higher than victory. Anything you do to improve the character of your athletes will

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

improve your chances for success in every way, including the scoreboard.”

“Purposeful training builds confidence and success. Here are two simple measures to determine the impact of your training sessions: 1) Are you teaching and rehearsing the essential things that are needed to improve overall performance?

2) Can the things you are teaching and the methods you are using enable the players to perform them in competition?”

Like Proactive Coaching on Facebook or follow @Proactivecoach on Twitter. www.proactivecoaching.info

Sport Science HEIDI THIBERT, MFS, MM, MC

BE ICE SAFE!

Beginner Skating Helmet Campaign B Y H E A T H E R WA G N E R R A P P A P O R T

G

liding across the ice, with the cool wind whipping across a skater’s face is an exhilarating feeling. One push propels a skater down the glistening, snowy surface.

Worrying about a head injury is far from a beginner skater’s mind, as many participants are not aware of the possibility of head injury from ice skating. The goals of this articleare: (1) To raise awareness about potential head injury from ice skating and (2) To promote the use of helmets in beginner Learn to Skate classes and public sessions.

Common responses from skating professionals are: “It doesn’t happen that often” or “I’ve never seen it happen at my rink.” However, statistics show that ice skating has one of the highest rates of emergency room visits for traumatic brain injury (TBI).

facilities do not offer helmets for rent, as proper fitting, equipment inspection, and disinfection lies in the hands of the helmet owner, not necessarily the end user. However, people visiting ice skating rinks are not well-informed about the potential risks of the activity before arrival. Once they arrive at the rink, customers are generally unwilling to go home to get a helmet, or go to a store to purchase a helmet. If provided with background knowledge ahead of their visit, guests will have the opportunity to bring safety equipment from home. The choice would lie in the consumer’s hands. Accident data supports the need to make this change. The first step is educating recreational participants through a public awareness campaign.

Purpose and Standards of Helmets

The Facts

Helmets protect the head by reducing the rate at which the skull and the brain are accelerated and decelerated during an impact, effectively acting as a shock absorber between the force of the impact and the brain. By spreading concentrated forces of impact over the protective foam, and thus spreading the force over the wearer’s scalp and skull, a good helmet provides the brain extra time and space needed to reduce injury. Instead of the impact concentrating on one point, it is spread across the wearer’s head. Most helmets are made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam with a hard plastic shell. The shell is designed to slide on rough surfaces and hold the foam together after initial impact. Upon impact, the polystyrene liner of the helmet crushes thereby dissipating energy over a wider area. Similar to a shipping carton, the outer box may dent, but the EPS foam “packing

• Centers for Disease Control (2011) analyzed more than173,000 emergency room visits for concussions and other traumatic brain injuries in sports and recreation in children under age 19 years • More than thirty categories of sports and recreation head injuries were examined. Most sports demonstrated 2-7% annual emergency room visits • Ice skating reported one of the highest instances of emergency room visits for TBI • TBI from Ice Skating are at 11.4% with more than 1,600 cases annually Instituting helmet policies in sports proves to be a divisive and controversial issue. Insurance companies strongly urge skating facilities to post a warning potential of risks at the entrance of the buildings. Further, they recommend

Percent of all ER visits that were TBIs

20% 15% 10% 5% 0

8.1 ng

li yc c i B

14

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

7.2

7.9

o Fo

all tb

nd

P

ou gr y la

7.7

10.6

er

n rai

cc

So

5.9

A

er ll-t

rd oa

Sk

b ate

9.7

y ke

c Ho

15.3 ba

Ho

rse

4.7

ck

st

Gy

a mn

11.4

ics

g

tin

Ic

ka es

peanuts” protect the contents of the box from breaking. Once the foam in a helmet is crushed, it does not recover, therefore a new helmet should be purchased. The sponge pads inside a helmet are for comfort and fit, not for impact protection.

When purchasing a helmet, the person who will be wearing it should be present when making the purchase to insure the helmet fits properly. Helmets have different levels of protection and are rated for levels of impacts and forces. The helmet ratings are determined by its ability to absorb and dissipate the energy of an impact—regardless of the person’s speed. Cycling, skiing, ice hockey, and football have made changes in safety guidelines based on the trends and statistics of head injuries in their sports. The Consumer Products Safety Commission offers guidelines for the type of helmet to wear for different activities. Although a helmet standard does not exist specifically for ice skating, until such standards are written, wearing one of the listed types of helmets may be preferable to wearing no helmet at all. For ice skating, the recommended helmets are: ASTM F1447; Snell B-90A, B-95, N-94.

The story of your life can be a

FAIRY TALE Team up with world-class skaters in a show that warms hearts around the world!

Feld Entertainment ® is seeking male and female skaters for U.S. and International tours of Disney On Ice. It is your opportunity to truly shine.

Please send a skating resume, photos, a current video (3 – 6 min.) and all contact info to: Judy Thomas, Talent Director and Production Coordinator, Feld Entertainment 2001 U.S. Highway 301.

Palmetto, FL 34221 USA

An ice skating rink is a place for children and adults to visit on a regular basis, during their leisure time, to engage in positive, fun exercise. This may not mean becoming an expert skater, but becoming competent on the ice that he/ she can have a positive social experience and “Be Ice Safe.”

In order for this to happen, the participants should learn to skate safely and with the proper technique. Once the skill is learned, he/she will continue to return to the facility with their friends. Having a positive place to go during leisure time provides people with a fun, progressive outlet to relieve stress.

©Disney, ©Disney/Pixar

Positive Effect of Sports Involvement

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

Conclusion and Recommendations Data supports the need to promote ice safety, similar to pool safety and bicycle safety campaigns. Here are the steps: • Formally adopt a helmet standard for ice skating in conjunction with the Consumer Products Safety Commission, ASTM, and Snell • Develop campaign partners in corporations, non-profit organizations, and the State/Local governments • Educate ice-rink industry professionals including coaches and rink management • Include helmet language guidelines in codes of conduct and liability waivers • Enlist the assistance of celebrity ice skaters to bring awareness to the effort • Engage in a media campaign including television, radio, print & social media public service announcements • Offer helmet informational fliers and marketing tables at Learn to Skate and public sessions at local ice rinks Support from professional coaches and rink staff are key to the success of the campaign, as they can spread the Be Ice Safe message around their ice rinks. Reducing the incidents of head injury will improve the overall safety of the sport. As safety improves, more people will participate in the sport of ice skating.

PS MAGAZINE

15

Education CAROL ROSSIGNOL, MD, MS, MG, MPD, MFF

Using Basic Physics to Avoid Injuries B Y C E C I LY M O R R O W

R

ecently the competitive figure skating world has seen many skaters, including elite athletes, sustaining serious injuries, among them back and leg stress fractures.

I believe it has to do with the drift in the last 13 years toward more rotation-based jumping, as opposed to distance-based jumping originally brought in by legendary coach, Gustave Lussi.

The buzz lately on YouTube is over two very young, foreign skaters, one landing a triple Axel, the other, multiple triple loops in sequence. While these young men are obviously capable athletes, at least one point bears questioning: Why are they performing jumps without much height or distance and with little actual flow into or out of the jumps upon landing? If you take away their speed over the ice, for example, as actually occurs in the final triple loop sequence, the jumps push straight up into the air, rapidly spin approximately a foot off the ice, and then land on the take-off spot.

Rotation jumps like this are being performed at every level in skating today. When shown footage of former skaters from the 1970’s, 80’s, and ’90’s performing triple Axels, etc., many skating enthusiasts comment on the terrific lift forward, the distance, height, and follow through of arms and free leg before rotation begins, the “air time” that most skaters used to achieve before rotating.

1962 World Champion Don Jackson, a student of Mr.

Lussi, in an interview for the PBS documentary, Gustave Lussi: The Man Who Changed Skating, said: “Every coach wants to get a nice lift before you rotate. And I think Gus Lussi, because of his technique of jumping and getting your free leg through and then turning into the back spin— that gave that feeling of almost a delay, or a lift and then a rotation. Whereas, sometimes you see skaters that are interested in rotating rather than getting up. And I remember Gus saying, ‘Don, jump, and then turn. Jump, and then turn.’ And that’s what I try to get through to my skaters.”

In the recent past, skaters learned to jump up and out first, to strive for distance and height before rotating; now, many skaters initiate rotation while jumping up, but only travel forward based on the amount of speed they have going into the jump. Take away the forward momentum over the ice from these rotational jumps and you are left with vertical, angularly torqueing hops. The take-off and landings of these rotational jumps are putting much more torqueing (twisting) stress on take-off legs, and torqueing and pounding (gravitational) stress on the back and landing legs than if the jumps were performed at the same height or greater, over a longer distance extending along a straighter trajectory.

Since the late 1920’s, Gustave Lussi and his innumerable champion students revolutionized figure skating with his relentless striving for more distance, more flying in jumps

PATTERNS FROM OVERHEAD

For the Salchow, Lussi recommended a delayedrotation jump entry (against rotation direction)

LFO BxRoL

Rocker LBO

LBI take-off

X

greater distance

rotation RBO landing

rink barrier

16

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

PATTERNS FROM OVERHEAD

RBO edge

and faster rotating spins. Specifically, Mr. Lussi would tell his students in lessons that he was not a fan of rotation jumps like Sonja Henie’s that jumped on a curve. A ski jumper originally, Gus Lussi experienced the thrill and understood the freedom of shooting straight up and out over his skis, pushing and expanding his body to get the height and distance off the jump, that soaring feeling of jumping along straight lines; so, in skating, he borrowed from the more exciting aspects of the speed skaters and distance barrel jumpers like Axel Paulson.

Carlo Fassi, longtime coach of Olympic champions Peggy Fleming, John Curry, Dorothy Hamill, Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton, and Jill Trenary, was a student of Gus Lussi in 1951, and brought all of his students to Lake Placid in the mid 1970’s, including Dorothy Hamill (already a Lussi student), to train with Mr. Lussi for a year. He said: “Gus Lussi really changed the philosophy of skating. During the war, he has a chance to be in America; skating in Europe was stopped practically from 1939 to 1946 practically, and he was able to develop it there (in U.S.). …He completely changed, technically, many things; he invented many things, the flying sit spin, the flying camel and he brought in the triple jumps.

It definitely was a turning point from what skating was before the war, 1936, 37, when he came in 1946, 47, and when the pupil of Gus Lussi, especially Dick Button, came to Europe. It was really a different kind of skating. So, I think his teaching was extremely important. He really had the ability to explain it very simply, the mechanics of the jump. He was able to teach the different component of the jump.”

By the 1950’s Mr. Lussi’s skaters were doing huge double jumps (Dick Button’s Axel spanned an average of 19 feet) as well as the first triple jumps, including the triple Axel in 1956 (Ronnie Robertson). Ultimately, spanning the last half of his life until his death in 1993, Mr. Lussi used his decades of knowledge gained to invent and employ delayed-rotation, a technique focused on gaining the maximum distance and height possible, before rotating, in double and, then, triple jumps. When his students, as skaters and coaches, dominated the world figure skating scene until approximately 2002, there were far fewer injuries than we see today. And, although he disdained quadruple jumps because they limit the number of athletes who can participate in the sport at advanced levels, Mr. Lussi intended to apply the same delayed technique to quads.

“There should always be a delay as you lift off the ice; you could hold that delay until you’re at the peak. …We generally worked on delayed doubles. That was the key.

That’s all part of controlling the rotational force. If you can do delayed doubles then you have a better chance of taking off the ice for a triple without rotating too early, because that will kill you on a triple.” says former U.S. Olympic and

circle entry (for Salchow) with rotation

LFO

LBI

less distance RB landing

rink barrier

world competitor, John Misha Petkevich, arguably one of the biggest jumpers ever. “When you step on an edge, you’re immediately creating angular momentum (rotation) and the whole body wants to turn in the direction of that edge. The faster you go, or the deeper the edge, the faster the body will want to move around. So the first thing is to stop the creation of that inherent angular momentum that the edge wants to exert on the rest of the body…Having the arms go straight out, leg passing straight through, never bent…

You want to get the maximum force with that leg—upward motion, forward motion; if you keep it straight there’s a lot more power behind it.

“My primary coach and I engaged Gus to be a technical advisor with respect to jumps and spins. …Gus Lussi understood the fundamental physics of figure skating, and because he incorporated those physical laws, rotation, speed, force, the motion of mass, all those concepts, incorporated them into his techniques and harnessed physics to accomplish the jumps, his techniques will remain the foundation of figure skating forever. There is no way to get away from it because it’s based on fundamental laws of physics. …And I’ve never run into anyone who understood skating in that way.”

Sadly for skaters and their audiences, upon Mr. Lussi’s death, the older, rotation based jumping began slowly creeping back into the jumps of U.S. skaters. Carlo Fassi

PS MAGAZINE

17

JUMP TRAJECTORY OF DISTANCE & HEIGHT

height

jump trajectory with delay jump trajectory without delay

distance

surface of ice

was concerned about the focus on rotation in triple and quadruple jumps as far back as 1990 when he said: “We’ll have a performance that only few skaters can do, and the majority will not be able to do it; so we’ll have restricted the sport to very few, very young. …We will not have the charisma of a champion like Katarina Witt stay for four years. We’ll have a new champion practically every year because those girls will have a very quick life as a skater— 14, 15, 16, they will reach a peak—and probably before 19 they will be gone, because at that age it is quite difficult for a girl to have that rotation so quickly like the little ones.

So, I think they should start to give more importance to the beauty and to the finish of the skating…”

Even though Mr. Lussi refined his methods to make huge, delayed-rotation triples, invented the crossed-leg rotation position, and had students doing triple jumps for fifty years, nevertheless, with his commanding presence and influence gone, rotation jumps edged back in with the resultant frequent and serious injuries we see today. In the words of two-time Olympic Champion Dick Button speaking several years ago: “I learned everything from Gustave Lussi. He was an influence that was the greatest in the sport. He had taught generations of people how to skate; he continued to teach generations of people. And he had a basic understanding of the way the body worked and the way it worked best in skating. And his technique at jumping and spinning was so great, and so wonderful that I just hate to see a lot of it lost today.”

Fortunately, a movement is afoot now to bring back delayed-rotation jumping and pure, fast spinning as necessary for the longevity, health, and enjoyment of our U.S. figure skaters, and similar to the resurgence of figures as a necessary component to developing the finest level of figure skating. Delayed jumps are actually easier to perform than jumps skated on a curve. Even younger and not strong skaters can do delayed jumps; Mr. Lussi’s method can be used to avoid stress fractures and other injuries in elite skaters. Canadian National competitor Rick

18

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

Boudreau learned the delayed rotation jumps specifically for demonstrating them in the video series, Systematic Figure Skating: The Spin and Jump Techniques of Gustave Lussi.

He said recently: “When you think about it—how else can skating evolve? Delayed jumps make sense.” Boudreau grew up learning to jump on a curve but, after a few days in Lake Placid with me, he was able to master the delayed jumps. Two more weeks of instruction and he landed the delayed triples. The two methods are not so different; in fact, Boudreau was able to switch back and forth at will.

Audiences love the high-flying delayed jumps, because they offer eye-opening athleticism plus beauty, flow.

Mr. Lussi’s delay of rotation allows the skater to travel forward outstretched in mid-air. This delay produces faster rotation in a shorter period of time at the apex of the jump due to the increased angular velocity generated by scissoring from the extended position in to Mr. Lussi’s rotation position.

Using his exact back scratch spin positioning to train the check-out timing, Mr. Lussi taught a skater to suspend the rotation, a second delay, on the end of big, multi-rotation jumps performed at top speed. The unhinging of the leg and opening the arms actually completes the last three quarters of the jump rotation, preparing the skater for a clean landing with increased speed. When the head spots and holds the landing location at three quarters of a rotation to go, he opens the arms, lifting the torso away from the ice, and unhinges the free leg to hold the feet side-by-side in reserve, so, at touchdown, he can pull the arms and body strongly up and back in the direction of travel, and flex then push, expanding both legs to create speed and outflow.

In contrast, a jumper who travels at speed over the ice on a gradual curve to take-off then initiates rotation upon ascent must fight the strong pull down and around of centripetal and gravitational forces from the moment he steps onto even a gently curving take-off, many times leading to revolving around an axis, not quite over one leg, resulting in a myriad of problems on the landing. Misha Petkevich describes the problem with learning jumps on a circle: “Let’s say you

are doing back crossovers counterclockwise, you’re looking [over the right shoulder] because that’s how you do them, now you’re going to get ready to do an Axel, so you have to rotate the entire body in the direction in which the angular momentum is being created [to the left], and now you’ve got to stop it. That’s hard. So Gus said: ‘Let’s do crossovers clockwise, the opposite way that we’re going to create angular momentum on this jump.’“ The idea for the jump approach came to Mr. Lussi from studying speed skating. He elaborates: “A speed skater when you go straight ahead has no pull hardly at all. But when he comes to the roundness of the elbow on the end of it, there’s where his stress comes greatest. Same as we do in the spiral, on a plain lousy spiral, in a circle, in a circle spiral. Why does the body become so heavy on a spiral? That your weight increases three-fold on a good spiral if you have speed. It pushes you down. It pulls your legs; it pulls your whole body down. And if you can weigh it underneath on a glass plate, you can see, if you come on it straight, straight line in a spiral, there’s nothing.

As soon as you start to turn in on it, the force holds us.”

Mr. Lussi further notes that the speed skater who, crossing from the inside lane to the outside, has more difficulty getting into the curve because he is naturally propelled out on a tangent to the end curve, similar to the skater who, taking the jump entry in the opposite direction to the rotation direction, is easily propelled straight forward and up at take-off, the short, quick, expansion of the body projecting the skater farther forward and higher up than from a jump skated on a curve. Relying on timing and accuracy of position rather than strength, the skater jumping in a straight line over a greater distance with height will naturally diffuse the rotational twist on the legs and back as well as relieve the vertical landing pressure on the ankles, knees, legs, and back.

All coaches can quickly introduce Mr. Lussi’s basic technique to their skaters: 1) Teach all levels of skaters to jump on straighter lines, employing a lifting action that produces maximum distance and height, maximum flight forward and upward, before rotation; 2) Teach all levels of skaters to pass the free leg and arms straight through in the direction of flight, expanding the body upon take-off, to counter-act or stop their rotation, single, double, triple, or quad, on the entry edge, take-off, and flight forward into the air; 3) Teach all levels of skaters to reverse, or scissor into rotation isolated at the apex of the jump; 4) Teach all levels of skaters to suspend, or delay, their rotation at the exit of all jumps, in the air, to prepare for a landing action; and, 5) Upon descent and touch-down, teach all levels of skaters to use core muscles to control the body as one unit, in one seamless motion, lifting the torso away from the ice, pulling up and back while flexing and expanding both legs into the direction of flight.

We have included a simple illustration of the concept that taking the jump counter to the eventual rotation direction, followed by a straightened take-off, launches the skater out farther and up higher into the air than a jump entered on a curve.

The human body that jumps—catches air—first, with maximum distance and height, can then isolate the rotation

continued on page 23

Insurance Programs for The Skating Community Phone: 815-725-6527 • Email: francine@chizmarklarson.com www.chizmarklarson.com

How Insurance Products Can Protect The Self Employed As Figure Skating Coaches, we have the privilege of working in an industry we love and are passionate about. Our careers as coaches bring us much joy, we find ourselves fortunate to have this opportunity. However, an area in which our industry is lacking is the absence of an employee benefits package.

What many of us gain in job satisfaction, we lose in the financial security of having employee benefits.

An employee benefits package typically includes: health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance and a retirement plan. These products are important as they provide individuals and their families with financial security and protect against financial hardship. As self-employed individuals, it is up to us to purchase these products and it is important that we understand how these products work and the benefits they provide.

Individual health plans can be purchased through the Health Care Exchange, a Health Care Company or an Insurance Agency. Health Care costs can be extreme and in some cases unmanageable without the protection of a health insurance plan. Some things to consider when purchasing a health plan are: what doctors and hospitals are in your network, what are your outof-pocket costs, what is your annual deductible and what are the monthly premium payments.

Disability Insurance is another important product that can aid in protecting against financial loss. Our careers as coaches require us to be physically active, often times on the ice teaching in skates. If we lose that ability due to illness or injury, whether in the short term or long term there is a possibility our income will be affected. Disability Insurance protects an individual from loss of income due to injury or illness based on a percentage of income and for a specified period of time.

Life Insurance is often times the most difficult insurance product to talk about. However, a life insurance policy tends to provide families the most financial stability and protection against financial hardship in the event of a devastating loss. There are various types of life insurance policies including term life, whole life and universal life. These different types of life insurance products offer various benefits such as income protection, cash reserves and tax free death benefits.

A common area of concern for many figure skating coaches is retirement savings. A type of product that is used for retirement savings and income and that can be individually purchased is called a Fixed Annuity. Fixed Annuities are used to store and build retirement savings, provide safety against market risk and provide either, a steady stream of monthly income, a lump sum distribution or an immediate payout during retirement years depending on the type of annuity purchased.

There are several insurance and financial products in the marketplace that can aid coaches in implementing their own benefits package. As coaches we want to be assured that we safeguard against financial hardship as well as prepare for our financial futures.

— Francine Larson | Chizmark Larson Insurance Agency, PSA Member PS MAGAZINE

19

Professional Skaters Foundation

By Terri Milner Tarquini Over 70 years ago, the Professional Skaters Association was founded on the cornerstone of training quality coaches.

The Professional Skaters Foundation has expanded that goal with two newer scholarships: the Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship and the Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship.

“The Don Laws Scholarship is really for coaches who have had some competitive success, but are having a hard time getting skaters to greater success,” said Jimmie Santee, PSA Executive Director. “His family really supported our idea of keeping his memory- and the work he did in skating- alive. He was so instrumental in improving coaches.”

Coaches often say that it can be difficult to balance the building of a career and clientele, while simultaneously committing the time to stay current on a sport that is constantly changing. The cost of traveling to events and seminars alone can at times be prohibitive.

“Irene and Walter were always such wonderful mentors and huge supporters of PSA,” said Kelley Morris Adair, PSF president. “They wanted to leave money in the foundation for a scholarship that could help coaches go to conference or seminars or other educational opportunities.”

Applicants for either scholarship must hold a registered or higher rating in any discipline, as well as other requirements, which can be found on the PSA website.

The Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship Don Laws, who coached Scott Hamilton to four World titles and Olympic victory, also worked with Patrick Chan, Michael Weiss, Tiffany Chin and Lori Nichol.

20

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

Laws is also one of the coaches who helped develop the IJS judging system.

So it seems a natural fit that the Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship provides the funding and opportunity for scholarship winners to shadow master rated coaches for five days - sitting in on lessons and watching them work, picking their brains and learning from their techniques and philosophies.

“It was life-changing for me,” said Mindi SwallowPriskey, a Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship winner. “If I’d had a day, I don’t think I could have seen how what they were doing really works, but I had a week so I got to see these kids over and over and got to see the technique really develop. It was eye-opening. My perspective totally changed and I came back so motivated to coach.”

When Laws died in December 2014, the family approached the PSA with interest in a scholarship.

Coincidentally, the PSA was looking to develop the next level of scholarship in the form of an apprentice opportunity. This year’s two apprenticeships took place at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota.

“I grew up in a small skating town and never had the opportunity to have a huge connection with the skating community,” said Swallow-Priskey, who shadowed Kori Ade, Rohene Ward, Tom Hickey, Jimmie Santee, Carey Tinkelenberg, and Aidas Reklys. “When you weren’t an elite skater with those connections already established, you can kind of feel out there alone by yourself.”

Coaching for 15 years, Swallow-Priskey attained Master ratings for free skating and program director within the first five years of her coaching career.

Currently the director and a coach at the Mount Clemens Figure Skating Club about an hour outside of Detroit, she has a Level III ranking.

“My hope when I left for Shattuck-St. Mary’s was to have someone to ask questions of and to bridge the gap between what I had accomplished on my own and having those elite connections,” she said. “Once I got there, it was 10,000 times more than I could have ever dreamed of. I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I belonged and that I can talk to all of the coaches after this experience.

It was a huge confirmation of the things I am doing right and also gave me so many ideas to think about and new ways to approach things.”

The Don Laws Apprentice Scholarship had a different layer of meaning to its other recipient, Jacques Gilson, who began coaching 11 years ago at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Maryland, when he was hired by the club’s skating director at the time—the legendary Mr. Don Laws himself.

“I loved that this scholarship was all about being mentored because I love finding out what people did to get where they are,” said Gilson, who worked mainly with Alex Chang and Jere Michael, but also had the opportunity to shadow almost all of the staff at Shattuck-St.

Mary’s. “I thought it was really cool that I was going to be able to bring what I had learned through mentoring back to the rink that he mentored at for so many years.”

Gilson is registered in free skate, group and choreography, is certified in moves in the field and has a Level III ranking.

“I wanted to pick the brains of all the great coaches there—not just about technique, which of course is important—but really how they worked with the skaters by addressing the skater as a whole package,” he said.

“I learned so much about the need for constant evaluation and re-evaluation of goals and assessing where the skater is and the importance of mental training. It’s about managing the athletes in their entirety so I can give them all of the tools so that they can use them.”

Gilson, who has a background in chemistry, was also very excited by looking at jumps from a scientific, quantitative point of view and has been using his newfound knowledge back at the rink that Laws ran.

“I have huge gratitude to the PS Foundation and all of the wonderful coaches I had the opportunity to work with—everyone seemed so genuinely excited to have me learning,” he said. “This is really what a coach desires from PSA and it is what I was given.”

The Walter and Irene Muehlbronner Scholarship Walter and Irene Muehlbronner loved figure skating and they loved each other. The couple was National silver

Scholarship recipient Jacques Gilson looks on as coach Alex Chang works with a student (top) and also learns from Tom Hickey, PSA Ratings Chair and Shattuck St. Mary's Figure Skating Director, (above) during his apprenticeship this past July.

PS MAGAZINE

21

Sandy Fetter, wife of late Skaters' Fund founder Charles Fetter, announces the incorporation of the Skaters' Fund into the Professional Skaters Foundation at the 2015 PSA Conference and Trade Show this past May in Bloomington, MN. She is pictured wtih past president Kelley Morris Adair and current president Angie Riviello.

as Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson. “Just getting it was motivating in itself and made me want to learn as much as possible. I think it is really cool that the PSA makes it a priority to give back to its members.”

Skaters’ Fund and the Building Fund

medalists in pairs and ice dance in 1949 and 1950. The following year they married and joined the Ice Follies for seven years. Walter, who died in 2005, was a past president of PSA and was an enthusiastic supporter of the organization.

“The whole experience of conference is amazing—it always is—but sometimes I drag my feet signing up because I have two little kids and it means being gone for quite a bit of time,” said Jessica Mills Kincade, winner of the Muehlbronner scholarship. “But once you get there, you immediately get inspired. I came back so motivated to teach.”

Mills Kincade, who was in the fashion industry in New York for 10 years after she graduated from college, made a career change to coaching five-and-a-half years ago when she and her husband moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to raise their daughter and son, who are now six and 15 months, respectively.

“Getting the scholarship made me feel that the effort I’d been putting in to educate myself was being rewarded,” said Mills Kincade, who particularly enjoyed the presentations by Kori Ade and Ryan Jahnke, as well

22

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

In addition, the PS Foundation is maintaining the Building Fund, which helps with ongoing maintenance for PSA headquarters, as well as absorbing the Skaters’ Fund into the foundation. The Skaters’ Fund was founded in 1998 by Charles Fetter, the 2012 PSA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, who wanted to help coaches and performing skaters who need financial assistance due to age, illness or disability. Fetter died in August 2014.

“It was Charles Fetters’ last wish,” Morris Adair said.

“He felt we could foster his vision and keep his intent of what it was for—and we hope to keep it growing. As difficult as fundraising is, coaches are generous people and they do give back. It is important to remember the coaches before us that helped us along and it’s important to do the same to keep the integrity of the sport going.”

Donations to either fund can be made through the PSA website, as well as information on the scholarships.

“So the whole package of the entire PS Foundation,” Santee said, “is that we can help get coaches into the sport, we can help them further their education, and we can help them ride into the sunset, so to speak.”

Donations can be made at www.skatepsa.com or mailed to: PSA, 3006 Allegro Park SW, Rochester, MN 55902

EDUCATION continued from page 19 (angular momentum) in the apex of the jump, therefore relieving the torqueing stress on the body at take-off and landing. Like a centered spin, a skater deftly controls the more isolated rotation than if it were spread over the whole distance of the jump like a traveling spin.

Similarly, the human body that jumps with maximum distance and height first, isolating the double, triple, or quadruple rotational force to the air-borne apex segment of the jump will be able to stop that rotation by spotting the landing line, in effect, stopping the head turning in the direction of rotation, opening the arms, and unhinging the crossed leg to hold beside the other in preparation to push out the landing, facilitated by the straighter, much less vertical touch-down and clean back outside edge.

Further, the human body that employs all of the above in jumping, having prepared for a straighter edged, diffused stress landing, can lift away and pull back on the torso as it gently flexes then expands both legs at the touchdown.

The skater who applies all of the above techniques originated by Mr. Lussi for jumping will measurably reduce falling and avoid leg and back stress fractures and many other stress and jumping-related injuries. Misha Petkevich: “It’s a very simple reason why his skaters were so consistent…understanding the rotational forces that are created in skating and learning how to control those. …Once you

Cecily Morrow worked with Gustave Lussi extensively in the latter years of his life. Mr. Lussi authorized Cecily to document his latest methods in the video series Systematic Figure Skating: The Spin and Jump Techniques of Gustave Lussi, of which Volume IV is now available (www.IceCommand. com) and documents his teaching methodology. Cecily conceived of, and was Associate Producer of the PBS documentary Gustave Lussi: The Man Who Changed Skating. Her other video documentaries include Stroking Exercises on Ice: The Dance Training Methods of Natalia Dubova. Cecily has taught Mr. Lussi’s techniques to coaches, judges, and all levels of skaters, including international competitors and Olympic champions. She served for several years on the PSA’s Coaches Training Committee and the advisory board of Skater’s Edge Magazine. She was a founding member and principal skater of the Ice Theatre of New York. She studied at Oxford University and holds a B.A. from Smith College.

ISI Holiday Challenge

ISI Winter Classic

Dec. 4-6 Dr Pepper StarCenter Mc Kinney, TX Entry/test deadline: Oct. 10

Feb. 12-14 RDV Sportspex Ice Den Orlando, FL Entry/test deadline: Dec. 1

skateisi.org/holidaychallenge

ISI Synchronized Championships April 8-10 St. Peters Rec-Plex St. Peters, MO Entry deadline: Feb. 1

skateisi.org/synchro

knew what you were doing, you could take the [delayed] jump off any preparation.”

skateisi.org/winterclassic

ISI World Recreational Team Championships July 25-30 Schwan Super Rink Blaine, MN Entry/test deadline: May 1

skateisi.org/worlds

PS MAGAZINE

23

Rafael with Ashley Wagner at the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships PHOTO BY VICKI LUY

2015 Coach of the Year

RAFAEL ARUTYUNYAN T

he Professional Skaters Association Coach of the Year is looking for a place to work.

Due to a national title for Ashley Wagner and a national silver medal for Adam Rippon, their coach, Rafael Arutyunyan was named PSA Coach of the Year for 2015.

Arutyunyan, a 58-year-old Russian who moved to the United States in 2000, did not even know he was eligible to win the Coach of the Year award.

“I can’t believe I can get it,’’ Arutyunyan said with his usual effusiveness. “Not many Russian coaches get it based on our backgrounds.”

24

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

Arutyunyan moved from Moscow to California, initially setting up shop in Lake Arrowhead. There he coached many renowned skaters, including Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan (with whom he still has a professional relationship) before moving to the East West Ice Palace in Artesia in 2013.

Upon arriving in the United States, Arutyunyan became aware his Russian style of coaching was not going to fly in his new home.

“I am coming from USSR training, and my philosophy and my training on everything according to skating is different here,’’ he said. “In the United States, you rely on

the skaters more with the practice. In Russia, we manage every single task of skating. In the United States, you rely more on the skater, what he wants and what he wishes to do. It became difficult to adjust my own philosophy.”

So how much of the Russian coach remains after 15 years in the United States?

“I cannot now say I am a Russian coach,’’ Arutyunyan said.

“I am more now an international coach. Maybe that is what helped me win this award.

“I have changed myself considerably,’’ he said. “In all ways.

I start more to understand how to work with a skater’s needs. I am a little more teacher, and I suggest now. When I became a coach, the coach tells the skater exactly what you must do. It is different here. I became different.”

Which is not to say he became soft.

“Soft? No, no, no!’’ he said. “A coach cannot get soft. It is not soft. It is about understanding what you do and how you do it.

But coach must be tough. Unfortunately, that is what I said to many coaches and the fathers of those kids sometimes. It is so different to be father and to be coach. A coach must be tough.

But (the question is) do you want to be tough to show yourself as tough, or are you tough because it is necessary?”

Arutyunyan sees the PSA Coach of the Year award as the culmination of his 15 years in the United States.

“I was trying to get to this point the last 14 years, where I had many good skaters who had good performances in national and international competitions,’’ he said. “It took a long time to get there, but I got there.”

Watching Wagner and Rippon perform so well at Nationals in January, Arutyunyan reached fruition of his long career. But he is not yet done with coaching.

“I am always working for a bright future,’’ Arutyunyan said.

“I wish, I wish, I wish, three times I said that, I wish everybody around me to have success. But my success is about who you help out, and who has helped you out. I could name so many names of people who have helped me out a lot.”

With student Nathan Chen, 2014 U.S. Junior Champion

Rafael with his coaching idol, Nobuo Sato.

"A coach must be tough. But (the question is) do you want to be tough to show yourself as tough, or are you tough because it is necessary?”

It was his relationship with Kwan that moved him to Artesia, but now he is in a position where he needs to find a new professional home.

“I love Michelle,’’ he said, more than once. “I think everybody loves Michelle. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like Michelle. But I need to go someplace where I can get more ice time. We don’t have enough ice time here. Now I am looking to get to a place to train where there is more time available.”

Reminded that he is now the PSA Coach of the Year and might be an attractive addition to any facility, Arutyunyan laughed and said, “I would love for you to tell them that.”

Rafael with students Adam Rippon and Ashley Wagner PS MAGAZINE

25

Why gamble with your career?

The odds are in your favor with PSA! PSa & isi joint conference PLANET HOLLYWOOD

June 1-4, 2016

26

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

2015 PSA Nationwide Seminars 2015 Full Day AREA LOCATION 1

Boston, MA

9

Indianapolis, IN

16

Scottsdale, AZ *

11

Park Ridge, IL

13

Denver, CO

DATE September 13, 2015 September 13, 2015 September 13, 2015 September 27, 2015 September 27, 2015

2015 Half Day AREA LOCATION 7 Coral Springs, FL 6

Baltimore, MD

DATE September 13, 2015 October 3, 2015

HALF DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Bloomfield Hills, MI August 29 – Alex Chang, MFS, RM, Ranked Level V, National Technical Specialist Alex is an eight-time U.S. national competitor as well as an international competitor, with regional, sectional, national, collegiate titles and a national novice bronze medal. He has coached and choreographed national, international and world-level figure skaters from the United States and abroad.

He enjoys serving U.S. Figure Skating and is the past chair of the Coaches Committee and served on many other committees. He is a National Technical Specialiast, a past Board Member of U.S. Figure Skating, and has served on the PSA Board of Governors for the past five years. He is the current 3rd Vice President. Alex holds a master free skate rating.

HALF DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Independence, MO – August 30 Patrick O’Neil, MFS, MM, Regional Technical Specialist Patrick graduated from The American University in Washington, D.C. with a B.A in Political Science/ Public Administration and Syracuse University with a Masters in Social Work. For eleven years, he was the Director of Skating for the St. Clair Shores FSC. Patrick passed U.S. Figure Skating gold free skate and dance tests, and has coached skaters from grassroots through national level competition. He is a U.S. Figure Skating Regional Technical Specialist,

There isn’t an elite skater out there who doesn’t owe their first coach a debt of gratitude! In response to last year’s strong positive feedback, this year’s seminar agenda will continue to present interactive concepts, tools, and ideas that, while advantageous to coaches of all levels, target the development and advancement of grassroots and beginner (LTS through Intermediate) level coaches.

Our seminar agenda will include (but is not limited to): • Concepts-In-Action: Presentation of IJS and MIF concepts and exercises as they relate to enhancing skater potential beyond beginner.

• Competitive Advantage 2.0: Extremely popular last year was the inclusion of our presenters’ personal experience with making decisions that make a difference.

• Presenter-Attendee Facetime: Each site will have highly accomplished and expert professionals who will share some personal experiences, anecdotes, and advice.

Sectional Vice Chair of Membership, and on the U.S. Figure Skating Grievance Committee. Patrick also serves as a PSA Governor and Vice Chair of the PSA Professional Standards Committee.

HALF DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Coral Springs, FL – September 13 Janet Champion, MFF, MM, MG, Ranked Level V Janet is PSA master rated in figures, free skating, moves in the field, and group instruction. She has earned a Level V ranking by developing and coaching her students from Learn to Skate classes to medalists in national and international competitions. Janet has been elected to the PSA Board of Governors many times and in 2003 was honored to receive the PSA Lifetime Achievement Award. Janet is a full time coach at the Colorado Springs World Arena and presents at seminars for skaters and coaches around the world. She was instrumental in the development of the revised moves in the field test structure. Janet’s expertise in the area of spin technique is widely acknowledged. She was inducted into the PSA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2012.

FULL DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Scottsdale, AZ – September 13 Phillip Mills, MC, Ranked Level VII Phillip was choreographer for skaters at 18 World Championships and four Olympic Games. He choreographed for national champions

Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Wynne & Druar, Urbanski & Marval, Roca & Adair, Jill Trenary, Courtney Hicks, and Ashley Wagner. He specializes in choreography, footwork, stroking, line and design, musicality and phrasing, as well as facial characterization. He has worked with more than 25 U.S. national champions in singles, pairs, and dance. He has also been faculty for Team USA Camps, U.S. Figure Skating Coaches College and numerous U.S. Figure Skating Judges Schools.

FULL DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Westfield, IN – September 13 Diane Miller, MFF, MM, Ranked Level V Diane is a national and international figure skating coach, holding PSA master ratings in free skating, figures, and moves in the field. She also holds a Level V Ranking. As an athlete Diane was a nine-time national and international competitor and a world team alternate. Diane has been the chair of the Resident Figure Skating Program for the United States Olympic Committee, and has presented at their Elite Coaches Conference as well as the Exercise Physiology Conference for Coaches.

Diane has served as Second Vice President of the PSA, Sport Science Chair, National Education Chair, and is currently on the Coaches Committee for U.S. Figure Skating. Diane presently resides in Phoenix, Arizona where she continues to coach and present at seminars around the country. continued on page 31 PS MAGAZINE

27

What Does Gracie Gold Say? With a blistering triple Lutztriple toe loop combination, Gracie Gold opened a magical, emotional performance in Boston in 2014, taking home the gold medal at the U.S. Championships. It’s a feat she is hoping to repeat in the same city next spring— except this time on a world stage. The state of affairs in ladies figure skating is experiencing challenging times, currently in the longest drought since WWI with no individual medal for a female figure skater at the Winter Games or the World Championships since 2006. Gold is certainly poised to be a possible game changer, having been one place off the podium at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2015 World Championships. With a laser focus on the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships, Gold talks about mental toughness, steady training and learning to embrace what makes her uncomfortable.

What drew you to skating initially?

I was just turning eight years old and my best friend had his birthday party at a newer ice rink in Missouri. We got on the ice and I saw the figure skaters in the middle jumping and spinning and wearing their white ice skates.

I was really competitive and really athletic at that age already—I did dance and tennis and all sorts of sports —so all of my friends were grabbing the boards, but I could stand up and skate around. I just thought, ‘What a cool sport.’ I took a flier home and asked my mom to do learn to skate and that’s where it all started.

Day in, day out—what keeps you motivated?

It’s ingrained in me. It’s what I do. I love skating because I was an athlete

28

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

well before I was a figure skater, but there’s something about the daily grind that I actually love. I love training.

Everyday there’s another little thing that has finally gotten better or another little thing that needs work. Right now, I am very focused on the World Championships in Boston (where she won her U.S. Championship title in 2014) and I feel I am working toward that and I’m going for it. It is a huge light at the end of the tunnel for me.

In August 2013, you decided to part from your long-time coach, Alex Ouriashev. The following month you had a week-long workout with Frank Carroll—just four months before Nationals and you winning the gold medal.

What clicked with him that you decided to put your faith in him?

What I loved most about Frank is how he welcomed us into the fold so easily.

(Gracie’s sister Carly also figure skates.)

It was like we had been there forever.

What I really liked is that Frank is just very confident in his coaching and in me.

There were days when I cried and said, ‘What if I don’t make the Olympics?’ and he just always had no doubt in me.

It was exactly what I needed. He feels that if you work, good things will come and he has absolute faith in that.

Frank is known for being extremely effective at getting skaters out of their own heads so that they can perform when the time comes.

Has there been a method he uses with you that you are aware of?

Consistent training has been very good for me—and that can be hard when you get to the higher levels because there are a lot of demands on your time. But we really look at key points in the program —like that double axel-triple toe in the second half of the program—and we just do it over and over. I like to get in as many repetitions as I can.

That must be another reason why you and Frank are working well together—he is known to be a believer in full program runthroughs, correct?

There is no stopping during a program.

It does not happen. There is no sitting on the ice or very slowly getting up and missing the next element or some of

By Terri Milner Tarquini |

PHOTOS BY VICKI LUY

the choreography. You get up immediately and you go on and you don’t miss anything and you pretend that the error never happened. Period.

The idea behind that approach is that it’s all about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Sometimes it won’t feel perfect, but you still have to do it. Scott Hamilton once said to me that in all of his clean programs, there were maybe only four of them where he really felt in the zone. It can be a challenging method as far as training goes, but it works. Frank uses a little bit of logic with a lot of training.

Scott Brown was ecstatic over your programs at the 2014 Nationals, saying proudly how far you had come since 2011 when you didn’t make it out of Sectionals. What did you do to up your game?

Of course when people asked me if I wanted to go to the Olympics, I said yes, that it was a dream of mine. But when I realized that my level of skating was not up to par, it shocked and shattered me. I had to take a hard look at where I needed to be if I wanted to fulfill my dream. I can say that going into that Nationals (2014), I have never worked harder. I knew I was one of the most well-trained and well-prepared skaters at Nationals, but, on top of that, everything came together and aligned—from practice sessions to skating order. The perfect mix of things all came together at the right moment.

How was your Olympic experience?

I have heard a lot of negative opinions on Sochi, but I had a great time. It was everything I dreamed of. It was so strange because the Olympics weren’t built into a pre-existing city, like Salt Lake City or Beijing. It was total barren land with a city of Olympians. It was just a very surreal experience.

Are you a fan of the IJS system?

Truthfully, it came around when I was in juvenile, so it’s all I’ve ever really known.

It favors a different type of skater than it used to and it is more complex. It changed the sport from what it used to be, but I don’t think the change has been bad. If I had to pick one thing I don’t

With coach Frank Carroll at the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

really agree with, it would be the anonymous judging. The rest of the system is all about being held accountable, so why not that part? But, overall, I think it has made it more interesting and more dynamic and definitely more difficult.

What words of wisdom have really stuck with you?

For me, it really has come down to, “Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

I have a bad habit of needing to be exactly on my pattern. If my crossovers were even just a little bit off, it used to be that I couldn’t get past it and it totally tarnished the jump or spin. Frank calls me out on that: “I don’t think you needed to miss that.”

Trying to have a good off day is something my sports psychologist and I go over a lot. It’s easy to write off a whole day as, “It was a bad day.” Yes, those bad days are going to happen, but you can still get something out of it.

No U.S. woman has won an individual medal at the Olympics or Worlds since 2006. Do you feel added pressure to make it on the podium?

I feel a little pressure. I want to bring an individual medal home for the U.S. and also for myself. We won several in a row and now we are in a dry spell. I know it’s not all up to me, but I’d still like to make

it happen. I came really close at Worlds with the small medal (4th in 2015), but I think I can break the spell. I feel really good about Boston, knock on wood.

What is your favorite move to perform?

The most satisfying thing for me is the triple Lutz. There’s nothing like the thrill of landing a great triple Lutz.

If there was one thing about the sport you could change, what would it be?

For everyone? It would be the anonymous judging that I mentioned.

Selfishly, for me, I’d like one less spin in a long program. (Laughs) I would love that mid-program break from the old system. Swap a spin for a giant spiral, a huge pivot, edgy glides and chasses. I would love that.

Are you currently going to school? What are you plans as far as your education and beyond?

I am going to Santa Monica College. I have recently fallen in love with sports broadcasting and could see myself getting a degree in that, with maybe a minor in public relations.

Do you have a philosophy as far as your skating goes?

Assume good things will happen to those that put the work in. Put faith

2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

in the daily training. Don’t just assume you are going to land a jump; assume you are going to land a really good jump. Frank was flabbergasted when he realized that I didn’t always assume that I was going to land a jump. He said, “What goes on in that head of yours? Why would you ever think it’s not going to go well? You are very consistent.” Before, when I was going into a jump, it always felt like kind of a free for all. I wasn’t very sure of myself.

Frank is trying to rewrite the tracks in my brain. I tend to overthink and overanalyze so he keeps it very simple.

How would you describe your journey in the skating world so far?

Pretty quick with mostly ups and a few downs, but it’s definitely been a great ride. Skating has completely changed my life.

What’s next for you?

First would be winning the U.S. Championships. Then, I will be totally focused on Worlds in Boston. I would like to win and break the curse. I think that’s a real possibility for me. Of course, looking at the longer term, I would love to win the Olympics, but I try to take it one year at a time.

PS MAGAZINE

29

Legal Ease DAVID SHULMAN, MFF, MP

Names and Labels

They Do Matter T

he term Independent Contractor has great impact on the worker bearing the title, the entity providing work for the worker, and government agencies. Business owners know that hiring a person (skating coach) is more than paying a salary, providing some office equipment, and keys to the building. Benefits are provided which add up quickly. Medicare, social security, and state taxes collected for unemployment benefits ...to name a few.

None of the above applies to the new hire, if the entity offering the work takes the person as an independent contractor. When you hire a person to perform a task, at a specific fee, and they control how and when to complete the job, they are not an employee. They worry about funding their retirement, health insurance, and payroll tax (self-employment tax). So why not hire people and make them all independent contractors?

Well, many rinks, public and private, try to do just that. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is very much aware of this issue and advantage to using independent contractors. Thus began the large and detailed regulations presently used by the IRS to determine status of a worker and the hiring of a person to do a specific task.

The contractor is informed of what is to be done, and you agree on a price to be paid for the result.

If you tell the hired person how, when and where the work is to be completed you run the risk having the worker lose the status of independent contractor and be re-cast as an employee. Penalties can be substantial.

Skating coaches are educated or are becoming educated in these matters. When rinks attempt to push coaches into doing jobs clearly done by employees, the risk of an anonymous “whistle blower� letter to the local office of the IRS may start an investigation of employee classification. ** COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I regularly receive letters from PSA members seeking answers to the following questions. These questions illustrate the growing need for PSA coaches to become better informed in managing money while alive, and

30

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

estate planning for transfers at death. Here are some answers to these common questions.

1. Do I need a will....I have no great amounts of cash or property.

Some of the reasons you need a will: you own property which you would like to go to somebody other than the people who would get this property if there is no will; dealing with minor children in need of guardian in case of your death while the children are still minors; a charity donation.

2. How much should a will cost to prepare? My aunt just died and she set me up to inherit a pile of money.

Prices vary, however a general range is $80 to $240. The principal difference being time spent and other questions or documents prepared.

3. Does this require me to prepare other legal papers needed to make up a plan?

A competent attorney will discuss other documents, such as a power of attorney, a health care directive (also called living will), and examine how property is owned (titled) for tax efficient transfer.

Stay tuned. More questions to be answered in coming issues. **Thanks to the office of Smith-Schafer for permission to use some of their forensic writings.

continued from page 27

FULL DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Brighton, MA – September 13 Kori Ade, MFS, RM, Ranked Level VIII Kori is an Olympic coach who teaches in Colorado Springs, CO. Kori was named PSA Developmental Coach of the Year in 2011, and she is well-known for her work with 2014 Olympian Jason Brown. She holds PSA ratings in moves in the field and free skate, and she’s an AFFA and F.A.S.T. Certified Off-ice Trainer. She has a B.S. from Loyola University Chicago in Skeletal Biology. Kori is the creator of TAPS (Total Athlete Performance Seminars) which is intended to develop the “whole” athlete.

FULL DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Centennial, CO – September 27 Doug Ladret ,MFS, MP, Ranked Level V Along with his partner, Christine ”Tuffy” Hough, Ladret won the 1988 Canadian Pair title, competed in five World Championships, two Olympic Games and won a total of five international titles. Professionally, Hough and Ladret performed with Stars on Ice for 4 ½ years and were featured in numerous touring shows,

television specials as well as one feature film.

From 1997 to 2000 Ladret was the Performance Director for Stars on Ice. Since he began coaching in 1993 Ladret has coached and choreographed international champions, national, world and Olympic competitors and has been a guest coach at numerous national and regional seminars across North America. Ladret, who is master rated in pairs and free skate, is the Director of Figure Skating at the Ice Den in Scottsdale, Arizona where he coached the first pair team in history to successfully land a throw quadruple in an ISU international competition.

FULL DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Park Ridge, IL – September 27 Jeff DiGregorio, MFF, MP, National Technical Specialist Jeff DiGregorio is a national, international and world coach. Jeff was voted Developmental Coach of the Year 1997 and 2001 and holds master ratings in figures, free skating and pairs.

He has served on the Board of Directors for U.S. Figure Skating and the Board of Governors for PSA. He had coached many national medalists including Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes.

HALF DAY NATIONWIDE SEMINAR Baltimore, MD – October 3 Jackie Brenner, MFS, MM, MDFD, Ranked Level IV Jackie Brenner has a Level IV ranking, is master rated in free skating, dance, moves in the field, and free dance, and is the Skating Director for the Arctic Edge Ice Arena. She has coached regional champions as well as sectional and junior national medalists, and was the U.S. Figure Skating Coaches Committee Chair from 2006-2011.

Jackie was awarded PSA’s Lifetime Achievement award in 2009, Developmental Coach of the Year award in 2000, and Volunteer of the Year award in 2006. She was a PSA board member from 1996-2013, and has been on the Ethics, Membership, Athlete Advisory, and Parents committees for U.S. Figure Skating.

Register online at

www.skatepsa.com

PRO FESSI ONAL SKATERS ASSOC IATION

EXCELLENCE ON ICE Ames Figure Skating Club

Park City Ice Arena

Apex Center Ice Arena

Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society

Ames, IA

Arvada, CO

Atlanta Ice Forum Skating Academy Duluth, GA

Park City, UT

Ardmore, PA

Pines Ice Arena

Pembroke Pines, FL

Central Iowa FSC

Point Mallard FSC

Crystal Ice House

Sprinker Recreation Center

Ice Den Chandler

Stamford Twin Rinks

Ice Den Scottsdale

World Arena Ice Hall

Urbandale, IA

Crystal Lake, IL Chandler, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ

Wouldn’t you like to count your club or rink among the most progressive in the nation?

Decatur, AL

Tacoma, WA

Stamford, CT

Colorado Springs, CO

Kendall Ice Arena Miami, FL

PS MAGAZINE

31

Welcome coac hes!

New

MEMBERS NEW MEMBER SPONSOR Miles Addison Carolyn-Ann Alba Gabriela Aponte Erica Askelof Carrigan Benoit Megan Blair Kennedy Briggs Victoria Burden Stephanie Burkett Rachel Byrd Ashley Cain Emily Camacho Jennifer Campos Alexes Carroll Michelle Charters Daoyuan Chen Madison Chessare Katrina Chu Cassidy Corbett Amelie Crowe Alissa Czisny Olivia Dahlgren Susan Dakdduk Cynthia Danial Zoey Davis Michelle-Ann Dewinter-Hauser Maureen Dibiaso Angela Eilert Stephany Estermyer Alexis Fenton Elizabeth Fischer Rose Genaris Naomi Ghebremichael Eden Ginn Abigail Glick Jenna Goecke Haley Gram Heather Grantlin Brenna Greco Glen Guevarra Karla Gustafson Paige Halas Asumi Hasan Stacey Hawks Annacaye Hickey John Hillenbrand Daniel Hutchens Kendall Ivey Hallie Joseph Megan Joyce Hailey Kachmarchik

32

NEW MEMBER SPONSOR

Jason Wong Wendy Klika Sean Rabbitt Katherine Koes Deena Bryant Jodie Kristy Michelle McNamara Gumtow Casey Kummer Brielle Francis Maxim Kurdukov Carol Rossignol Kyra Leonard Carol Rossignol James Lewis Paula Bowsman Shelby Little Carol Rossignol Dvora Mackenzie-Margulies Nicole Gaboury Amy Majeske Darlene Cain Elaine Manninen Carol Rossignol Dana Manson Ellen Moon Julie Marasco Carol Rossignol Brooke Martin Lyndon Johnson Lindsey Massoglia Domenica Capachietti Kathleen Mcdaniel Susan Liss Alexandria Melton Teresa Yuengert Rachel Mendelson Beth Brown Monica Montanari Sue Lalone Madeline Mudd Yuka Sato, Jason Dungjen Emily Murphy Michele Dahlgren Jesse Nightingale Tom Huff Katey Nyquist Tracy Doyle Casey O'Brien Carol Rossignol Katherine Pareizs Carrie Brown Laurie Peltola Roberta Bailey Sharon Pineault Burke Carol Rossignol Korby Pyles Carol Rossignol Morgan Reichert Carol Rossignol Chantelle Reider Jill Mintz Lisa Reimann Carol Rossignol Seth Reynolds Carol Rossignol Mary Rubin Phillipp Grout Haley Ruotolo Joanie Glick Michela Saverino Mallory Olson Shaun Schaeffer Carol Rossignol Alison Schilf Carol Rossignol Jacqueline Schmidt Emma Keppeler M.F. Schurman Teoddy Domingo, Randy Winship Hannah Sharrer Vicki Korn Grace Slater-Pinnick Bibi Zillmer-Moritz Erika Smith Carol Rossignol Tara Smith Michelle Wise Rheanna Soo Robin Aprea Erin Sprenger Diana Cheng Jamie Swyers Nicole Gaboury Rebecca Teegarden Carol Rossignol Anavi Tekriwal Carol Rossignol William Thomas Mindi Priskey Lauren Titcher Lindsay Patterson Skylar Toms

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

Cassie Phillipi Joyce Carol Rossignol Heather Piepenburg, Ice World Ursula Wolfer-Horowitz Val Prudsky Brenda Walker Elizabeth Hollett Shackett Hayleigh Weldin Debbie LaLone Megan Gueli Carol Rossignol Lynn Thomas Alberi Ann Hannah Carol Rossignol Vickey Weber Carol Rossignol Carol Rossignol Derrick Delmore Craig Henderson Carol Rossignol Mary Lin Carol Rossignol Amy Schneider Devon Dillon Mindi Priskey Jenny Cherry Catherine Nutter Carol Rossignol Bridgid Lamear Mary Duecker Stacie Stacie Kuglin Jana Reynolds Todd Rubin Stacey Isenberg Carol Rossignol Trisha Hessinger Carol Rossignol Carol Rossignol Suzanne Semanick-Schurman Crystal Mekonis Carol Rossignol Peter Oppegard Cheryl George Smith Carol Rossignol Carol Rossignol Tatiana Payne Carol Rossignol Ritsa Gariti Lilli Erickson Nicole Gaboury Carol Rossignol

NEW MEMBER SPONSOR William Uhrig Alexis Van Vliet Roman Vickers Mary Wagner Darius Wallis Cailey Weaver Erin Weisz Samantha Wells Kate White Victoria Williams Rosemary Wilson Robyn Winke Alexandra Wisnewski Audrey Wolz Andrea Wood Summer Young Jacquelin Zimmerman

Katherine Cherie Farrington Tommy Brannen Carolyn Tonidandel Carol Rossignol Carol Rossignol Kelly Paige Carol Rossignol Jonathan Hayward Megan Gueli Tami Mickle Carol Rossignol Terry Feld Kara Helgemo Carol Rossignol Deborah Cotty-Dever Elena Betchke Andrei Sitiks

Do you know coaches who are new to the profession, or are there skaters (age 16 or older) in your rink who have the potential to be a great coach?

Help them get a head start on their coaching career, and encourage them to join PSA! As their sponsor, you can guide and encourage them to get educated and maintain professional membership with PSA. Visit www.skatepsa.com or contact Elizabeth at ethornton@skatepsa.com to learn more about PSA membership opportunities.

5 Star Rating!

Thank you Jo Ann Schneider Farris at About.com! She gave Champion Skating Harness a 5 STAR RATING! http://figureskating.about.com/od/officetraining/fl/About-Sheila-Thelens-Champion-Skating-Harness.htm Sheila Thelen PRESIDENT – Champion Cords PRESIDENT – Champion Skating Harness EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR –

Grassroots To Champions

She gave Champion Cords a 5 STAR RATING! http://figureskating.about.com/od/skatingtraiiningaids/gr/championcords.htm What 5 STAR RATINGS are you giving your skaters?

Do you teach the same lesson: over & over & over?

What can you do to CHANGE/IMPROVE how you coach?

Champion Cords & Champion Skating Harnesses are Endorsed by Olympic/World/National Coaches Champion Cords & Champion Skating Harnesses are Endorsed by: G2C & iCoachSkating.com Why are YOU not using them?

Make some changes in your coach style!! Become a better coach/teacher.

Champion Cords are endorsed by the PSA! Order yours at www.ChampionCords.com • www.ChampionSkatingHarness.com • www.SkatePSA.com PS MAGAZINE

33

CALENDAR

OF

EVENTS

SEPTEMBER

34

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Contact:

Saturday, September 12 Area 15 The Ice Sheet, 4390 Harrison Blvd, Ogden UT 84403 U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Workshop [8:30 am – 12:30 pm] 4 Pre-Approved credits Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin swehrli@usfigureskating.org 719-635-5200x423 Or Karel Kovar kakovar@co.weber.ut.us 801-721-6251

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

Saturday, September 12 Area 16 Ice Den, 9375 E Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 [480-585-7465] Oral Rating Site [8:00 am to 8:00 pm] 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com July 13, 2015

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

Sunday, September 13 Area 16 Ice Den, 9375 E Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 [480-585-7465] Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Julie Patterson juliep@coyotesice.com and Doug Ladret ladret@mac.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com August 17, 2015

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

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

September 13 Area 2 Skating Club of Boston, 1240 Soldiers Field RD, Brighton, MA 02135 [617-782-5900] Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Becky Stump Rlssk8@gmail.com and Linda Blount LMBSK8TER@aol.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com August 17, 2015

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

Sunday, September 13 Area 7 Florida Panthers Ice Den, 3299 Sportsplex Dr, Coral Springs FL 33065 [954-341-9956] Half-day Nationwide Seminar 6 PSA credits Nancy Mariani MarianiN@floridapanthers.com PSA Office at 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com August 17, 2015

Date: Location: Event: Contact: Credits:

Sunday, September 13 Area 10 Roseville Skating Center ISI District 10 Instructor Seminar [8:30am – 4:30pm] Jane Schaber jschaber@superrink.org 763-717-3891 or Amy Flater aflater@whitebearlake.org 651-429-8571 PSA pre-approved credits tbd

Sunday, September 13 Area 9 The Artic Zone, 16616 Southpark Dr, Westfield, IN 46074 [317-896-2155] Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Serguei Zaitsev svzaitsev@msn.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com August 17, 2015

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015

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

JOB OPENINGS ADVERTISE WITH US! S E P T E M B E R continued Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact:

Saturday, September 19 Area 8 Southgate Civic Center Arena, 14700 Reaume Pkwy, Southgate MI 48195 U.S. Figure Skating “Club Ed Plus” & Coaches Clinic [12:00 – 5:00 pm] 4 Pre-Approved credits Detroit Metro Skating Council Cindy York at cindyyork@comcast.net 734-355-1961

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Contact:

Saturday, September 19 Area 11 Skokie Skatium, 9300 Weber Park Pl, Skokie IL 60077 U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Workshop [2:30 – 7:00 pm] 5 Pre-Approved credits Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin swehrli@usfigureskating.org 719-635-5200x423 Or Kerry Murphy kmmurphy@skokieparks.org 847-674-1510

Date: Location: Event: Credits: Contact:

Sunday, September 20 Area 11 All Seasons Ice Rinks, 31 W 330 N Aurora Rd, Naperville IL 60563 U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Workshop [2:30 – 7:00 pm] 5 Pre-Approved credits Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin swehrli@usfigureskating.org 719-635-5200x423 Or Kerry Murphy kmmurphy@skokieparks.org 847-674-1510

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

Sunday, September 27 Area 11 Oakton Ice Arena, 2800 Oakton St, Park Ridge, IL 60068 [847-692-3359] Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Jordan Mann jordmann@aol.com PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com August 31, 2015

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

Sunday, September 27 Area 13 South Suburban Family Sports, 66901 S Peoria St, Centennial, CO 80112 [303-708-9500] Full-day Nationwide Seminar [8:00am – 5:00pm] 12 PSA credits Gerry Lane gerryl@sspr.org PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com August 31, 2015

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

For more information, go to our website at www.skatepsa.com and click on "Advertise With Us".

Coach Gear NEW! U.S. Open Tee Go casual and comfortable in this soft unisex tee.

Ladies Half-zip Mock Turtleneck

O C TO B E R Date: Location: Event: Credits: Host: Contact: Deadline:

Saturday, October 3 Area 6 Mt. Pleasant Ice Arena, 6101 Hillen Road, Baltimore, MD [443-984-4075] Half-day Nationwide Seminar 6 PSA credits Greg Maddalone gregorymaddalone@verizon.net PSA Office at 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com September 11, 2015

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

Friday, October 30 – Sunday, November 1 Area 7 Hyatt Place Atlanta Airport South, 1899 Sullivan Road, Atlanta GA 30337 (770-994-2997) Master Oral Rating Site [Fri 2:00 pm to Sun 12:00 pm] ** Registered through Master level offered PSA Office 507-281-5122 or byackel@skatepsa.com 1 PSA credit per oral exam taken August 31, 2015

Ladies Vest

Stay warm and stylish in our popular vest.

www.skatepsa.com PS MAGAZINE

35

#NNGITQ 2CTM 59 4QEJGUVGT /0

presented by

supported by

2015 U.S. OPEN COMPETITOR

Rohene Ward

Find videos from the 2015 performance on our YouTube channel: ProfS8rsAssoc