It’s already August and I can’t believe summer is halfway over, YIKES!… and DOUBLE YIKES!!! because I’ll be entering my junior year- THE toughest and hardest and worst year of my entire high school life as everyone warns me. Are my parents being overdramatic and trying to scare me or is this coming school year really doom for me? Well, if true, I’m thinking wouldn’t it make more sense for me to take this last month off and relax and enjoy before my nightmare begins?! I strongly believe. So, I’m going to take a short hiatus from blogging. So I will finish up my summer school assignments, take my SAT US History exam, complete my summer intern project, and of course, continue my training before I leave for National Solo Dance in several weeks. In between all this, I’m hoping to find some time to rest and relax and enjoy???
GLOVES for L❤️VE
It’s now Week 3 of my summer Learn to Skate session. All is well, except one pressing issue that I have struggled with ever since I started teaching two years ago. My students never show up to class with gloves! This week, my ENTIRE class had either forgotten or refused to wear gloves on the ice. I was absolutely shocked and dismayed at this and immediately addressed the issue. Each student denied the fact that they were cold, despite one sheepishly crossing her arms, another shoving his hands into his coat pockets, a third pulling her sleeves over her hands, and a fourth blowing warm breath into his palms when I wasn’t looking. Although they claimed they were not cold, their actions spoke otherwise. I always carry spare gloves in my bag but unfortunately, I did not have enough for all seven students to borrow. It hurt my heart to see these young kids suffering from the cold which prevented them from having an enjoyable learning experience on the ice. Although I remind students and parents to bring gloves every week, there is always someone that forgets. I often feel like a broken record- constantly repeating myself about gloves. After two years of teaching, this issue clearly has not improved; in fact it has gotten worse. No pun intended, but this has gotten out of hand! I am tired of wasting time teaching my kids what to wear when I could be teaching them what they signed up for: learning to skate. Why do kids never show up with gloves??? Is it because they want to look like figure skaters who don’t wear gloves during competition? Or do they feel it is a nuisance to wear? Or do the parents simply just forget? It is time to address this issue of gloves, or lack thereof, once and for all.
Avoid Summer Slump
Everyone looks forward to the summer but have you heard of the summer slump or summer slide? We all know it’s important to keep our child’s mind sharp and staying physically active by encouraging to learn new skills. Besides academic summer programs, have you considered signing up for basic skills skating camp and/or clinics and seminars? Skating is a great way to beat the summer heat!
The summer Learn-to-Skate programs are much more flexible in their fees and schedules given vacation times and other summer activities. There’s also less skaters on the ice so the group classes are not as crowded. In fact, I have only 2 students in my classes this summer and they’re basically getting private lessons for the price of group classes..what a deal!
Summer clinics and seminars are another great way to further improve your skating skills. This year, my skating club is offering a 5-week clinic (Jul 11 - Aug 22) with coach Steven Rice, a national-level coach and 6-time national competitor and a former Star of Ice Capades. The clinic covers jump training incl take-offs, rotations, and landings, and spin training focused on multiple spin variations. Also there will be an info session on the IJS judging system to help skaters and parents better understand how a skater is judged and learn to maximize the most points for a program. For more information, please check out the detailed schedule http://www.gardenstatesc.org/seminars-clinics/. Non-members are welcome.
Summer is a great training time to spend additional time practicing and mastering your skills. There’s much more ice time in summer so take advantage of it.
Stay Heart Healthy
This weekend, my Garden State Skating Club friends and I came out to support the 2nd annual Nicole Heart Foundation 5K Run/Walk. The event is to honor the memory of Nicole Trott who passed away from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect, just days after her 18th birthday and high school graduation in 2011. The Foundation's mission is to foster greater awareness and education of the importance of cardiac screening and prevent future sudden unexpected tragedies from this illness. Proceeds of the event will help fund cardiac screening for high school athletes. These pre-sport heart screenings are not cost effective because athletic sudden cardiac death is a rare event.
I know of an Olympic skater who I had lessons with during my summers in Lake Placid, NY who suffered from sudden cardiac arrest a few years ago. It is Paul Wylie, 1992 Silver Olympic medalist, and he had suddenly collapsed while running and was in coma for two days before he came out of it. A cardiac screening would not have detected the electrical malfunction that caused his heart to stop. Consequently, screening in young athletes remains a controversial issue and a heated debate topic. According to the article, 'Screening Athletes for Heart Disease', in the July 2007 issue of the Heart Journal, it is recommended screenings be done every year (or two years wth new health history) before training for the sport begins. However, there are issues with having required screenings which include false alarms and screenings which have not proven to fully prevent sudden cardiac death (except for a study done in Italy which has shown reduced deaths with screenings). However, pre-screenings should be considered if you have a family history of premature sudden death, personal history of heart disease and experience cardiac symptoms.
STAY HEART HEALTHY & ENJOY A SAFE & STRONG ATHLETIC LIFE!
A Day in the Life of a Figure Skating Judge
Early this year, I applied to be a skating judge because I wanted to become a better and informed skater and also share my skills and knowledge with younger skaters and help them achieve their skating goals. I wanted to improve my technical knowledge by learning how to assess and evaluate and score skaters' programs in competition and test sessions. I felt learning to become a skating judge was another great way to meet and work with knowledgeable and experienced people who share my interest and also allow me to give back to the sport I love so much.
Jason Brown Fundraiser
I want to thank all my supporters for their generous donations to the Jason Brown Fundraiser. The event was held today at the Mennen Arena in Morristown, NJ and it turned out to be a most successful event, raising close to $16,670. Your contribution helped raise money for the NJ Council of Figure Skating Clubs (NJCFSC) Scholarship Fund which provides much needed scholarship awards for all participating NJ figure skating clubs.
Jason Brown is an Olympic medalist, US National Champion, Four Continents medalist, World Junior medalist, Junior Grand Prix Final Champion, and National Junior Champion. It was such a privilege for skaters in New Jersey to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and skate with such an amazing skater in addition to winning great prizes. Skaters attended free skating clinics taught by Jason and an autographed and Q&A session. Some of the prizes included VIP meet & greet, private skating time, competition program critique, selfie photo shoot and lunch for the top ten fundraisers.
Everyone who attended had an awesome time and enjoyed meeting and skating with Jason and learned valuable skating tips. Again, thank you to all my friends and family who contributed to the fundraiser as I'm truly grateful for your help and support.
Sponsored by: NJ Council of Figure Skating Club and Lucas Sports