Faculty Bios   Audrey K. Weisiger 2-Time US Olympic Team Coach Audrey Weisiger was the 1999 PSA and USFSA Coach of the Year. She has her PSA World Coach Ranking and is Master Rated in Figures and Freestyle. She has been asked to be the presenter at several PSA conferences, including the Keynote Speaker for the PSA Conferences in 2000 and 2003; and Canadian Coaches Conferences in 2005 and 2006. Weisiger has held positions on the Board of Directors of the PSA and various USFSA and USOC committees. A member of the USOC Developing Young Champions committee, she has organized and directed numerous Grassroots to Champions seminars. In 1999, the USFSA and the PSA recognized Weisiger as Coach of the Year, the highest award in our industry. Some of her former students include Michael Weiss (3 time U.S. Men's Champion, 2 time U.S. Olympic Team, 2 time World Bronze Medalist), Timothy Goebel (2002 Olympic Bronze Medalist), Lisa Kwon (National Novice and Intermediate Ladies Champion), and Christine Lee (World competitor). She is currently coaching Senior Men's competitor Tommy Steenberg (Estonia Junior Grand Prix Gold Medalist) and Anthony Dang (North American Challenge competitor). Audrey has coached at the Fairfax Ice Arena in Virginia since 1973. Before that, she herself was a USFSA Gold Medalist in Figures and Freestyle and a U.S. National Bronze Medalist at the Novice and Junior Levels. Sheila Thelen Ms. Thelen is the Executive Director of Grassroots to Champions. She holds a Professional Skaters Assocation Master Rating, and from 1998-2008 was the Skating Director at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center located in Stillwater, Minnesota. Ms. Thelen is the Designer and President of Champion Cords (Endorsed by the Professional Skaters Association International) for teaching skaters: alignment, position, muscle memory, awareness and technique. Nick Perna Nick Perna is a PSA Master-rated coach who is a jumping pole expert. Perna is a former pairs skater who has carved out a niche in the sport with his unique training device — which has earned him the moniker, “The Fishing Pole Guy” — with two-time men’s national champion Michael Weiss and Olympic Champion Sarah Hughes among the users of his harness. "Kids that wear it say they feel like a fish, a dog or a puppet,” Perna said. “I’ve been doing it for 15 years. I used to grab the backs of little kids’ sweatshirts and pull it over their heads when they’d do their axels — holding them by the scruff of their necks, so to speak. But with that, they couldn’t really skate into jumps.” Perna stumbled onto an ad in a skating magazine for the Pro Motion Hand-Held Harness invented by a Canadian named Jan Glerup. “I was his first customer,” Perna said. “It fit exactly what I was trying to do.” Nick was a World Coach at the 2001 World Championships with Christine Lee. Caroline Silby, PhD. Caroline Silby, Ph.D., M.Ed holds a Doctorate and Master Degree of Sports Psychology from the University of Virginia. Her specialty is performance enhancement with adolescent athletes and she's worked with Olympic Champions in gymnastics and figure skating. As an elite athlete, Dr. Silby was a member of the National Figure Skating Team. She later served on the U.S. Figure Skating Association Board of Directors and Athlete Advisory Council. Dr. Silby was appointed to the US Olympic Committee Athlete Advisory Council, Collegiate Sports Council and Finance Committee. Currently, she assists the Women's Sports Foundation as a member of their Advisory Council and is a faculty member of both the USA Gymnastics and the US Figure Skating Association training camps. Dr. Silby's first book titled Games Girls Play is published by St. Martin's Press. She resides in Washington, D.C. and has an active national practice. Chris Conte Chris Conte is a PSA rated coach and choreographer based in Fairfax, VA. He will demonstrate/speak on how Dartfish technology can speed the learning process. Conte is choreographer to International & National level skaters in Pairs & Freestyle, and has worked with skaters including Tim Goebel, Sasha Cohen and Emily Hughes. He was a Principal Skater with Ice Capades and Disney on Ice, and also has performed with professional ensemble companies including The Next Ice Age and Ice Theatre of New York. Conte also gave a technology presentation at the 2001 PSA World Conference on Creative Music Editing, and is a Certified Instructor of Therapeutic Pilates. Pasquale Camerlengo World and Olympic coach and choregrapher, World and Olympic competitor, available for all levels of instruction including on and off-ice training, choreography and style, and technical instruction. Camerlengo also does choreography for synchronized skating. Darin Hosier USFSA Gold Medalist in Figures and Freestyle, USFSA National Medalist, PSA Freestyle Certified - Level V Pole Harness, Off Ice Harness, and Dartfish Software-equipped, Seattle Ice Theater Ensemble Member INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, Junior National and Adult National Coach Mr. Hosier trained for ten years with Olympic Coach Audrey Weisiger, Master Rated Coach Kenneth Class, and U.S. World competitor Juli McKinstry. He graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. degree in Communication. "I believe figure skating teaches life lessons such as time allocation, goal setting, and discipline. I believe in a positive approach to learning which requires a respectful attitude from my students. I believe it takes a team approach to produce quality skaters and parents play an integral supportive role in a non-coaching capacity." Kat Arbor Kat Arbour, MS, MPT, CSCS, NASM-PES is a licensed physical therapist, exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer, and owner/operator of Ice Dynamics (www.icedynamics.net). Arbour won the 2006 "Doc" Counsilman Award for innovative sports science awarded by the US Olympic Committee. She authored the Ice Dynamics training manual, Strength Conditioning and Injury Prevention Guide. Arbour works one-on-one with many nationally and internationally ranked top level competitors specifically doing off-ice conditioning (University of Delaware Training Center). She is available for group seminars or private fitness assessments for individualized training programs. Arbour passed senior tests in Figures, Freestyle and Dance and holds PSA Senior Ratings in Moves and Freestyle and a Master Rating in Sports Medicine. She is a current member of the USFS Sports Medicine Committee and works with the Team USA Training Camps. She contributes frequently to SKATING Magazine’s Fitness column. Arbour is currently working on her PhD in Biomechanics/Movement Science at the University of Delaware. Shantell Autry Shantell Autry is a G2C technical coach and expert choreographer for over 10 years. Shantell is a double gold medallist and holds a PSA rating in Freeskating. She trained at the Broadmoor World Arena for 13 years under Carlo & Christa Fassi, Kathy Casey, Richard Callahan, Christy Krall and Diane Miller. As assistant to the Director, Shantell enjoyed doing choreography for Broadmoor Skating Club convention shows and Christmas Pops on Ice. She has also choreographed shows performed at the Rockefeller Center as well as theatrical productions at the Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts and the British Embassy in Washington D.C. Spending 7 years in Fairfax, VA and most recently 10 years in Colorado Springs at the World Arena, Shantell has coached all levels from beginner through senior including regional, sectional and National competitors. She believes in helping each student reach their fullest potential as athletes and more importantly as human beings by incorporating life skills into daily training with an organized training plan, mental training, goal setting and a strong work ethic. Trevor Laak Trevor Laak coaches in Madison, WI and specializes in on-ice jump technique. He works almost exclusively as a consultant to other skating coaches by providing pole harness, video analysis, and regular lesson services to them and their skaters. His own research focuses on quantifying minimum athletic requirements for figure skaters. Laak has a graduate research degree from the prestigious University of Wisconsin in Madison. He holds 6 patents and he has provided technical consulting for several Fortune 500 companies. Matthew Blair Davis Matthew Blair Davis, MS, CSCS, RKC, USAW, HFI, NASM-PES/CES/CPT is the President of Functional Revolution Fitness, Inc. www.FunctionalRevolution.com and specializes in Off-Ice Training for Strength and Power, Corrective Exercise, and Hard-Style Kettlebell Training in the Washington DC metro area. Matt has a BS and MS from Florida State University and he is an IDEA Master Level Trainer, the highest distinction in the fitness industry. Matt is an NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, USA Weightlifting Federation Sport Performance Coach, NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor. He has participated in the grueling 3-day Russian Kettlebell Challenge, where he was trained by the great Russian Instructor, Pavel Tsatsouline. Matt is a subject-matter expert/author for www.PTonthenet.com, where some of the greatest fitness professionals in the world share their works. Matt has been an award-winning Fitness Director for Sport & Health Clubs (2002) and Regional Director of Personal Training for Gold's Gym in Northern Virginia (2003-2005). He has been a special guest trainer for the Washington Post On-line and authored the "Train Reaction" fitness Q&A column for the Washington Post Express from April 2006-June 2007. Matt is the off-ice strength coach of senior men, Parker Pennington and Tommy Steenberg. You may E-mail him at Matt@FunctionalRevolution.com or call him at 703-785-8414. Kori Ade Kori merges her background in skeletal biology and biomechanics with her passion for performance and dance to develop athletes with the "complete package". She holds a B.S. from Loyola University Chicago in Skeletal Biology, and as a Hip Hop Dancer/Choreographer, has worked for music industry and corporate clients including McDonalds, Sears, and Seventeen Magazine. Kori holds PSA ratings in Moves in the Field and Freestyle, is a AFFA and F.A.S.T. Certified Off-ice Trainer, and is a National and International Coach and Choreographer. She is on the coaching staff at Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, CA. and is the founder of CitySkate Outreach which works with kids in need and the CitySkate Junior Staff Program designed to transition skaters into coaches. Kori is creator of TAPS (Total Athlete Performance Seminars) aimed at the development of the "whole" athlete, and host of "Inside the Skating Circle" at www.skatingcircle.com Michelle Leigh Ms. Leigh has coached at 3 Olympic games: Albertville (1992), Nagano (1998), and Salt Lake City (2002), and 14 World Championships. Specializing in: Dartfish, Jump Analysis & Progression, IJS, Parent Sessions, and Mental Training. Ms. Leigh Coached: Canadian Champion, World Champion, and Olympic Silver Medalist Elvis Stojko; two-time World Bronze Medalist Takeshi Honda (JPN); six-time Canadian Champion Jennifer Robinson; and multiple other National & World Athletes. "Michelle has the ability to keep things positive no matter what is going on around. Her energy and attitude is what makes the difference when working with her and she keeps things in perspective. Laughing, joking... but the work that needs to be completed gets done. The positive energy she puts into the task is what is seen in the final product." Elvis Stojko, 3-time World Champion, 2-time Olympic Silver Medalist Tommy Steenberg Tommy has been trained under the tutelage of Audrey Weisiger for over 10 years and has been a coach at Fairfax Ice Arena for the past 4 years. He specializes in jump technique and choreography, and he is currently in the Honors Program at George Mason pursuing degrees in dance and business. Pasquale Camerlengo (Olympic Coach, Choreographer, and Competitor), Jeffrey Buttle (2008 World Champion), Chris Conte (PSA rated coach and choreographer), Vladimir Djouloukhadze (Kirov Ballet Master), and Debbie Street (Dance Company Instructor) are some of the choreographers he has worked with in the past few years. Tommy's competitive accomplishments include 2008 Senior Eastern Sectional Champion, 2008 Jr. World Team Member, 3 time Junior Grand Prix Gold Medalist, and Junior Grand Prix Finalist. He has medaled at Nationals in the Intermediate, Novice, and Junior level, and placed in the top 10 in Senior at Nationals in 2008 and 2009. He was the 2006 recipient of the "Champion in Life Award" alongside Emily Hughes, and a member of the 2006 State Farm/USFS Scholastic Honors Team for balancing success in school and skating. Douglas Webster Mr. Webster worked as a Choreographer with Stars On Ice, Disney On Ice, Holiday On Ice, and The Ice Theatre of New York, and is now joining the G2C Staff! Mr. Webster has coached at the National and World Professional Level and choreographed for individuals such as: World Champion Lu Chen, World Pro Champs Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, and the amazing Lucinda Ruh - the World's fastest and most innovative spinner. He has performed alongside Olympic Champions: Scott Hamilton, John Curry, Dorothy Hamill, Oksana Baiul, Brian Boitano, Sarah Hughes, Katerina Witt, Torvill and Dean, and many other skating champions. Other highlights include choreographing for the Sun Valley Summer Skating Show, the 9/11 benefit Stars, Stripes, and Skates at Madison Square Gardens, and the A and E television special Winter Solstice On Ice. Mr. Webster would be the perfect addition to your G2C Seminar experience! Doug Mattis Mr. Mattis is joining the G2C Staff to teach skaters Choreography, Style, and Presentation. As an amateur skater, Mr. Mattis won the US National Junior Men's Champion, he was a five-time member of the U.S. International Team, and a Olympic Festival Bronze Medalist. As a professional, he was the U.S. Open Challenge Cup Champion, the U.S. Open Championship Silver Medalist, the American Open Champion, and appeared in skating shows and TV specials for over a decade. Mr. Mattis now works as a professional writer for entertainment production, having worked with Universal Studios and Disney. He has an Associate's Degree in Business (2007) and a Bachelor's in Business Administration (University of Phoenix, October 2010). He lives in Las Vegas. In addition, Mr. Mattis is the Director of Publicity for G2C's Young Artist Showcase. Mr. Mattis will give your skaters the tools they need to present "Like a Champion".   Grassroots to Champions | www.g2c.us | Figure Skating Seminars | sk8Thelen@aol.com | 651.257.1004 What are G2C Seminars? | Calendar of Seminars | Faculty Bios | Coaches Mentoring Service Seminar Fees | Sponsor Links | Testimonials | Retail Store | G2C in the News | Contact Us Site design by Taylor Interactive