G2C News   May 15, 2008 Behind the scenes of figure skating Audrey Weisiger - from Grassroots to Champions   By Lois Elfman, special to icenetwork.com   Audrey Weisiger's home base for most of her coaching career, the Fairfax (Va.) Ice Arena, is not a fancy training center. The arena, which is owned and operated by Henry Weisiger, Audrey's husband and a former hockey player, and his family, is primarily a recreational ice rink known for group lessons and public sessions. Amazingly, quite a few high profile skaters have emerged from this low-key rink, most of whom began training with Weisiger at the beginning of their careers. Among them are 1998 U.S. novice ladies champion Elizabeth Kwon and former U.S. men's champion Michael Weiss, who Weisiger coached for 18 years, during which time he went to two Olympic Winter Games and won two world bronze medals. "We do, I think, a very thorough job of developing skaters," says Weisiger, who seeks to share her approach through her Grassroots to Champions seminars (www.grassrootstochampions.com). "I tell young, developing coaches that they are the foundation with which a skater's career is set. If they are a good grassroots-level coach, then they can develop into a great, elite, championship-level coach, because they are going to lay the proper basics and the proper mindset for that athlete. The athlete doesn't have any limits, and, therefore, the coach shouldn't have any limits on himself or herself. "Hopefully I'm a role model for young coaches that are working in some rink that doesn't have a lot of competitive skating," she adds. "You can make it happen. You just have to have a long-range vision of what you want to see at the end of that skater's career and even at the end of your coaching career." Weisiger says that when she first saw a nine-year-old Weiss she declared she would make him into a great skater. Fellow coaches would roll their eyes, but she shut them all up, as Weiss became the U.S. and world junior champion, a three-time U.S. champion, a two-time Olympian and a two-time world bronze medalist. What she teaches young coaches in her seminars is if you teach a kid a really solid, sound double toe loop, then that skater will likely be able to land triples and quads later on. "You just have to make sure that you are thorough in their preparation, so if they do have the desire and the athleticism, they will be able to do a quad toe," she says. One of Weisiger's proudest accomplishments is seeing former students succeed as coaches. She speaks enthusiastically about Darin Hosier, coach of U.S. lady Chrissy Hughes, who won two Junior Grand Prix events last fall and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final. Weisiger feels for young female coaches with children and expresses undying gratitude to her husband, parents and in-laws for helping her out when daughter Kelly, now 23 and a third grade teacher, was growing up. "When Michael Weiss made the '98 Olympic team, we were in Philadelphia. Kelly had a clarinet concert that next morning," Weisiger recalls. "As soon as Mike got his medal, I hopped in the car and drove home to Fairfax. I went to Kelly's clarinet concert and then got back in the car and drove back to Philadelphia for the Olympic team meeting. "It can be done. I'm not saying it was easy, but it can be done." In addition to skaters who regularly train at the Fairfax Ice Arena, such as Tommy Steenberg and Parker Pennington, other skaters come to work with Weisiger, utilize the Dartfish program or work on the jump pole. Weisiger also takes her Grassroots to Champions seminars to other venues. Some young coaches turn to her for mentoring, which she happily accepts. She has curtailed some of her traveling to competitions but accompanied Steenberg to the 2008 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. There are definite perks to international travel. "I love hanging out with my friends. The skating world is its own strange little world," she says. There are also young skaters for whom she provides some input, in addition to their full-time coaches. "Even unknowns that you may never see, we've given them a little bit more foundation and their coaches a little bit more information to help that skater meet their potential," she notes. "When I say 'Grassroots to Champions,' in my book a champion is someone who is fulfilling their potential. That can mean a gold medal, but it doesn't have to. "Sports are supposed to teach more than just that particular sporting skill. We're supposed to teach these kids life skills that can translate into success further on in their lives. I have a lot of former students that are successful in other fields, and I'm very proud of that, because I think they learned how to become champions in life." Copyright © 2008 Ice Network, LLC   May 1, 2009 G2C Honors Karen Sue Landrian, 2009 Champions In Life Recipient by Sheila Thelen What is your saga as a coach? Where did you teach, and for what time frame? Oh my gosh, I started teaching about 28 years ago at the Santa Monica Ice Capades Chalet then I moved back to San Diego where I taught for a couple of years before moving to Orange County and teaching at the Costa Mesa rink. After that we moved to Florida where I taught in West Palm Beach, Coral Springs and Pompano Beach. Most recently I've taught in Gurnee, Illinois where I was mostly a secondary coach and absolutely loved working in teams with other coaches, where I could also serve as a mentor. I really liked being able to mentor younger coaches and bring some insight to them with my years of experience in just about any situation. Please share with us your background as a competitive skater. I started skating when I was 3 yrs. old and was Wanda Guntert's first student when she moved to San Diego. I stayed with her as my primary coach for my entire competitive career. I was 4 when I entered my first USFSA competition (unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to compete in ISI). I was 8 yrs. old when I first competed in Juvenile Girls at Southwest Pacific Regionals. The following year I qualified for Pacific Coast in Intermediate. I started skating pairs with Tim Petersen. One of the best years was when I won Junior Ladies, Novice Pairs and Tim won Novice Men at Regionals. We had a very busy Sectionals! Our best finish was 4th in Pairs at the 1980 Nationals. By this time we were also training with Mr. Nicks and Roger Bass. It was a very exciting and crazy time trying to keep up with singles and pairs! At minimum, I qualified to Sectionals in either singles or pairs every year since my Intermediate trip to Sectionals and spent a few years on the International team. Tim and I both managed to complete all of our Gold tests (figure, freeskate and pairs) including our Canadian gold tests in both singles and pairs during this time! Please tell us about your family. I have a wonderful husband, Juan who was born in Havana, Cuba - he is definitely a crazy Cuban! He is a Director with Medscape (a subsidiary of WebMD). We have been together for 28 years. We have a son, Curtis who lives in San Diego. For many years he coached hockey and figure skating. Recently he's been working in the restaurant business as a manager of a café and chef. His true passion and dream is to open his own restaurant. Our daughter, Amanda just finished her Junior year in college at Northern Illinois University where she is a biochemistry major with a minor in Spanish. She plans on applying to medical school next year. She was one of 25 students out of 1200 chosen to participate on the Mortar Board Senior Honor Society and was recently named president of the organization. What are your most recent endeavors for your community? For the past 7 years I have been the ministry leader & liaison between our church and an organization called PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter). PADS provides shelter for the homeless from October 1 - May 1 of every year in Lake County here in northern Illinois. I coordinate the procurement of food supplies every month allowing us to provide a dinner, breakfast and bag lunch to those who stay in the shelter. I also manage all volunteer schedules, prepare meals, serve and spend time in fellowship with the men at the shelter. I'm also a chapter President for the Food Rescue organization. We rescue food that would otherwise be thrown out and get it delivered to food pantries, shelters and other places that could use it in our area. Some of the organizations that we collect food from are Panera Bread, Starbucks, Einstein Bros., Little Caesar's Pizza and many others. My pet project is to start my own community kitchen loosely modeled after One World Everybody Eats and SAME Cafe. This would provide an environment that serves healthy food with little to no cost to anyone who comes in to eat. The atmosphere is that of a community so that everyone eats with everyone else and join in great conversation. Business people and those in need come together at one place. Those who can pay for their meal do and those that can't afford to pay can sign up to work in the kitchen or help with clean-up. My BIG dream is to go beyond the cafe and include living space to those who need it and want to work for it along with classrooms that could provide them with lifeskill training, GED courses, counseling, etc. How can people get involved and be of support? There are many opportunities to help the homeless. Those interested in volunteering at the local level can connect with a local shelter and volunteer to help. Shelters are in constant need of volunteers (except for Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas where there are usually an over abundance of volunteers). You can check with your local churches to see if they serve within their community and connect that way. If you're interested in helping with the Food Rescue program you can visit www.foodrescue.net to see if there is a chapter already in your area that you could help with pick-up and delivery of food items. As far as my own project, if you are interested in supporting it either financially or if you have some other service (legal, construction, etc.) that you would like to offer you can email me personally at sk8proksl@aol.com. Most importantly, next time you come across a homeless person don't look the other way. If they're begging for money, offer to buy them a meal (I do this all the time, most of the time they truly appreciate the food, and yes prepare to be turned down once in a while. I rarely just give them money). Anytime I go downtown I carry McDonald gift cards that I hand out. I saw a person walking around Chicago during this past winter with a huge garbage bag full of fleece blankets that she was passing out! Be creative and try to notice what they may need. The most important thing you can do is share a hello and smile with them, after all they are fellow humans. What message do you have for the skaters, coaches and parents that are part of the G2C program? Take advantage of every opportunity to participate in a G2C program. This is one of the most outstanding coaching staffs I've ever seen. The fact that these top level coaches are willingly sharing their "secrets" with all that participate is an amazing gift. I was fortunate to grow up in a rink where Wanda Guntert and Janet Champion taught. While each of them had their own students they created one of the most positive and subsequently, competitive atmospheres of any rink I've ever been in. They taught their students to push each other and at the same time be supportive and respectful of each individual accomplishment. I've always gotten the same feeling from Audrey and her team. That's something special. It is possible to be highly competitive but still be compassionate towards other skaters and coaches and the G2C team brings that to the table. Also, "play their games" - parents and coaches, it may look like your skater is just playing around but if they're playing the games they learn at G2C those are invaluable. Your skater can actually take a few minutes and think they're playing and goofing around not realizing that they're building skills that will enhance their skating ability. April 1, 2009 Interview with Kate Charbonneau, Canadian Junior Ladies National Champion Lorie Wallace-Charbonneau, Coach Kiri Baga, US Novice Ladies National Champion by Sheila Thelen Q: You had an amazing season. Please share the journey you took with both girls. A: Coach Lorie Wallace-Charbonneau We did have a great season. I mean it when I say we, because Kiri and Kate are best friends as well as training partners. I have been Kate's Head Coach her entire skating career, since she is my daughter. Kate has worked with other Coaches, but I have made all of the final decisions some better than others! Kiri came to me four years ago as a pre-juvenile skater. She lived 3 hours away at the time and her mother drove her down to Bloomington for lessons a couple of times a week. Kiri advanced very quickly and things just "clicked. Last year the family moved so Kiri is now able to have lessons and skate 6 days a week. Both girls are extremely hard workers on and off the ice. They skate 3 hours a day and do at least one hour of off-ice as well. We have an excellent program which includes ballet, modern dance, Pilates class, off-ice jumps and strength training (Kate not Kiri as Kiri is naturally stronger). The girls both work with a private Pilates instructor on a Cadillac Reformer machine two days per week. They both competed at US Junior Nationals as Intermediate skaters. Kiri made the final round at 11 years old and Kate was the pewter medalist at 12 years old. As a Canadian citizen, it was always Kate's dream to compete for Canada. This past year she was able to make her dream come true. Last season Kiri did not make it out of The Upper Great Lakes Regionals, but with our usual positive attitude we were able to turn the experience into a learning opportunity and she was even stronger this season. Q: What is your background? What prepared you for 2 National Championships in a one week period? A: Coach Lorie Wallace-Charbonneau I am a gold medalist in freestyle in Canada and an Internationally certified coach. I am Master rated in freestyle by the PSA. I skated with the Ice Follies for one year, but I refuse to say which decade! I did coach National competitors in Canada, but moved to the US before I could see them reach their full potential. I have had other skaters compete at US Junior Nationals but this was my first trip as a Coach to "big" Nationals. It was a truly amazing experience. Kate won the Junior Ladies Champion title Thursday night and on Friday at 6 am I was on a plane back to Minneapolis and then Kiri and I were in Cleveland Saturday afternoon and she was US Champion Tuesday afternoon! I would have to say to date that was my best week ever as a Coach! Q: How do you balance your life, coaching, and parenting? A: Coach Lorie Wallace-Charbonneau Balance? I don't think there is such a thing, but I think realizing this has helped me cope with our fast paced life. Besides Kate 15, I have a 13 year old daughter Jessica and an 11 year old son Luke, both hockey players. My husband Dan still plays hockey twice a week and also is the assistant coach of a high school team as well as an assistant coach with both of our kids' teams. Our family is sometimes in 5 different rinks in one day! It helps that we LOVE what we do. I have always loved figure skating and have made some of my best friendships through the sport. Kate and I do have a very good relationship because I leave my coaching at the rink. I try to remember that my most important job is to help raise a happy well adjusted adult, who can go on to have a great life with or without figure skating. At home we embrace all the other aspects of her life. We have taught her that her value as our daughter is not based on what jumps she can land or what place she ends up. I have pushed her on the ice to work hard and to believe in dreams and then don't whine but just make them happen. When she was younger and did not skate well in competitions she was the one who would be very upset. I always made sure to take her out for that special lunch or dinner to celebrate the effort and remind her that if she was going to be a senior lady with all her triples there were going to be bumps along the way! We still celebrate the effort. The results are no guarantee, even with all the talent in the world. As the mother it is my job to make sure Kate is ready to handle all the good and bad performances in life, not just in skating. Q: What was the best part of the winning Canadians? What are your plans for next season? A: Kate Charbonneau, 2009 Canadian Junior Ladies National Champion The highlights for me at Canadians were getting my medal and watching all the senior skaters perform. My plans for next season are to get two new programs, work on the new choreography, and get new dresses. I will be doing my first JGP event in the fall. Q: You had a big injury this year, how did you overcome it? Do you have any advice for other skaters facing this challenge? A: Kate Charbonneau, 2009 Canadian Junior Ladies National Champion To overcome my injury I worked with a physical therapist. I was off the ice for 10 weeks so I went to my Grandparents cabin on Lake Winnipeg to have some nice time off. It was good to be out of the rink, but I trained off-ice every day to keep in good shape. My advice to other skaters would be to listen to your body. Sometimes all you need is some time off, before you let your injury become permanent. Stay in training mode with the same goals as if you were at the rink every day, it makes coming back a lot easier. Q: What's it like, having your Mom be your MOM & COACH? A: Kate Charbonneau, 2009 Canadian Junior Ladies National Champion My Mom is my Coach and it's a tough job making it work a lot of the time. We are both pretty stubborn and like to be right, but we make a good team. Most of the time I try to just listen to what she is telling me to do without thinking that it is my Mom bossing me around. She is obviously a great Coach who has my best interest in mind. The advice I would give other skaters in the same situation is to remember your parents really do want what is best for you because they think you are great! Q: How Many G2C Seminars have you been to? A: Kate Charbonneau, 2009 Canadian Junior Ladies National Champion I have been to four G2C seminars, soon to be five. I have also been to Virginia a few times to work with Audrey and her team. The best part to me is learning new skills and adopting new ways of thinking. Meeting all the other great skaters in G2C is great too. Q: If you had one wish, what would it be? A: Kate Charbonneau, 2009 Canadian Junior Ladies National Champion My wish is to be on the 2010 Canadian Olympic team. It has been my goal since I was seven. I feel that with a lot of hard work I could make it a reality. Q: When did you first start skating? A: Kiri Baga, 2009 US Novice Ladies National Champion I skated for the first time when I was about two years old. At that point I was just looking for a good time. As I grew up I realized just how amazing it was while watching my older sister Courtney skate around the ice. Crying whenever I wasn't allowed to go and watch her, my mom signed me up for lessons with the Duluth Figure Skating Club. Q: How Many G2C's Seminars have you done? What is your favorite part? A: Kiri Baga, 2009 US Novice Ladies National Champion I started doing G2C seminars when I was nine in Duluth when Audrey came to visit us. Actually she was the replacement for another coach that couldn't make it. Since then I've done several of the seminars and the benefits have been huge. Her seminars are always so fun and I always learn so much. I have been to many seminars but I always learn new things. They have a great team of people that constantly have new and helpful ways of learning technique. Q: What does it mean to you to be the 2009 G2C Champions In Life recipient? A: Kiri Baga, 2009 US Novice Ladies National Champion Receiving this award was a true honor. As an elite skater it can be easy to forget about everything outside of skating, but you shouldn't let this take over yourself as a person and a student. I would advise serious skaters to be thankful for everything they have, in skating, and out. I also would tell them to do their best as a student at all times, no matter how important skating is to them. Q: If you had one wish, what would it be? A: Kiri Baga, 2009 US Novice Ladies National Champion If I could have one wish it would be to have skating in my life forever. January 19, 2009 Grassroots to Champions President Audrey Weisiger receives Top Video Award from iCoachskating.com Audrey Weisiger, who was the USFS and PSA 1999 Coach of the Year, said she was honored to be rated Number One with such an elite group of coaches and hopes that all the iCoachSkating members continue to log in for more information and continue to provide useful feedback. "I just love the whole process of coaching, whether it is a flying camel, triple loop or forward outside three turn. It is very rewarding to help others accomplish their goals." Weisiger said. "I am very proud of the G2C Coaches who were also top 5 Award Winners. It's always an honor to work with Nick Perna, Chris Conte, and Sheila Thelen." Weisiger proudly stated. Grassroots to Champions, whose major sponsor is Riedell Skates, is scheduled to do 20+ seminars around the country starting February 9, 2009. Weisiger said "I look forward to meeting the iCoachSkating members, skaters, parents and coaches at seminars and sharing teaching tips with them." January 14, 2009 Interview with Becky Bereswill, 2009 JGP Champion (and G2C Alumni) & Megan Faulkner, Coach by Sheila Thelen How does being the champion of the JGP finals affect your outlook going into nationals? B: (Becky's Answer) My overall experience at the JGP/GP was very inspiring. I learned a lot as a junior competing alongside the world's best seniors. In the past few weeks of training, I have taken this inspiration with me, but have put the excitement of the Final behind me so that I can have a clear and confident outlook going into Nationals. M: (Megan's Answer)I think being on the podium at any competition always gives you a confidence in your training, that it pays to work hard. So we will just continue with the same outlook going into Nationals -- work hard and see what happens! Any changes from the two programs, obviously the Junior to Senior Long Program will have a spiral sequence, but anything else we can look for? B: Other than the spirals, we have not made any significant changes. Our main focus has been converting the junior length programs, musically and choreographically, to the longer senior programs. M: Just making sure that we are keeping up with the levels in the programs and changing the short fly spin to a sit instead of a camel. How is the triple axel going? Do you have plans to perform it at US Nationals? B: Lately, we have put the triple axel on hold to focus more on increasing my speed and improving my spins. I look forward to working on it after nationals again. M: We have had so many things to work on that the triple axel has been put on a backburner. Occasionally we will do it on the jump belt but we haven't really worked on it. December 2008 G2C Alums and their coaches aim for Junior Nationals Ryan Otto is heading to Lake Placid in Dec. for Junior Nationals and is coached by Janel Wamboldt in Gurnee, IL. Left to Right: Rebecca Pozen, Rosie Carrion, Mamie Kenar, Lorie Figueroa, Nicole Otto, Ryan Otto, Ashley Hess, Janel Wamboldt. Everyone pictured uses the G2C methods and works with Nick and Chris regularly.    G2C alum Ana Draovitch and coach Chris Conte celebrate her medal winning performance at South Atlantics. Ana will be competing at Junior Nationals in Juvenile Ladies in December.   Colton Johnson, a G2C alum will be competing at Junior Nationals in Juvenile Men. He won the bronze medal at his regional and is coached by Thomas Amon in Minneapolis, MN.    Amanda Hofmann 2009 Intermediate Ladies NWP Regional Champion, coached by G2C staff coach Darin Hosier, looks ahead to Junior Nationals 2008.      This photo from Regionals shows: 1st place Selena Zhao (Darin Hosier and Corrie Martin) 2nd place Jacqueline Martin (Tina McPherson, Becci Safai (choreographer), Darin Hosier) 3rd place Ariel Yu (Tina McPherson, Becci Safai (choreographer), Darin Hosier) 4th place Tiana Lee (Darin Hosier and Corrie Martin). Skaters will be competing in Junior Nationals in December. Oct 28, 2008 G2C Alums Tommy Steenberg and Molly Oberstar win trophies at Karl Shafer Vienna Cup Audrey Weisiger, Tommy Steenberg, Molly Oberstar, Ann Eidson    G2C Alumni Tommy Steenberg and Molly Oberstar display the trophies they won at the 2008 Karl Shafer Vienna Cup International. This was the first Senior International event for both skaters. Tommy is coached by Audrey Weisiger, and Molly trains in St. Paul, MN with Ann Eidson. Both skaters will be competing in their US Sectional Championships next week. Oct 14, 2008 Champion Cords: Helping skaters achieve their best   A few weeks ago, I came across this website and video called Champion Cords. Watching it, I was kind of reminded me of when I complain to my coach, "My body won't go that way!" or "I can't get my leg in that position!" or how about this one, an oldie and a classic for me, "I can't do it on that side. Let's move on." I wonder if Sheila Thelen (see right), inventor of Champion Cords, heard these comments from other students, which led to her creation. [more...] Oct 10, 2008 What makes a champion? It starts at the grassroot.   Ever wonder why some skaters become superstars and some don't? The folks at Grassroots to Champions (G2C) believe that they can arm skaters and their coaches with the best advice to help them become champions. Founded in 2003 by World and Olympic skating coach Audrey Weisiger (see right), the G2C seminars focus on the "total package." To these seminars, Audrey brings in her favorites, including, Nick Perna, a specialist in “Pole/Safety Harness Usage,” Chris Conte, a specialist in “Dartfish” (a technical computer feedback and analysis system), Ross Lansel, a specialist in “Jumps and Choreography,” and Sheila Thelen, the “Champion Cord” specialist. [more...] July 20, 2008 G2C skaters shine at Liberty Open       Novice ladies Kiri Baga and Ashley Brickman share a hug after the final round at Liberty Open where Ashley placed sixth and Kiri placed first out of twenty skaters from around the nation. Kiri, who lives in Prior Lake Minnesota and is coached by Lori Wallace Charbonneau has been attending G2C seminars since she was nine. Ashley, who trains in Fairfax Virginia under Audrey Weisiger and was just 3 points out of third place, was competing in Liberty for the first time. "I had fun," she said. Both skaters got back to work today at Fairfax Ice Arena in Virginia. June 8, 2008 A Rink is an Oval - Skating is a Path 2008 Champion In Life recipient Brittany Perna offers her perspective on skating at her club banquet By Brittany Perna Take this pill... it's new on the market... they call it Skating. It helps build strong muscles, strong bones, and an even stronger character. This pill may lead to increased levels of perseverance, dedication, friendship, and personal responsibility. However, side effects may include broken bones, torn ligaments, sprains, pulls, headache, nausea, frustration, annoyance, 45-minute long fits of rage, and excessive tear production. Skating should not be taken if you lack intrinsic drive, a strong work ethic, a resilient personality, or have the inability to hit seven jumping passes, three spins, and a footwork sequence in under four minutes. Skating should come with a warning label. My sister and I have skated since before we can consciously remember and I am sure that not even my parents knew what we were getting into when they put us on the ice for the first time. Skating has become more than just a sport to me. It is a lifestyle. We sacrifice Saturday afternoons with school friends to go to conditioning or dance classes. We take 27 pound backpacks filled with homework to Regionals so that we don't fall behind at school, all the while trying to focus on skating our best to try and garner one of those illustrious podium positions which will take us on to Sectionals. Skaters are simply a different breed of athlete. Skaters blend the art of dance with the athleticism of gymnastics and more. We are truly fearless. There is no team in skating. It is YOU who picks yourself up after that disastrous fall into the boards, it is YOU who finishes the program after missing the first four jumps. No matter how much we want to quit - we keep going. We keep going because we know that although a rink is an oval, skating is a path, and that even when the path gets foggy, and the road gets unclear, it leads us somewhere. Somewhere may not be Nationals, somewhere may not be a JGP, and somewhere may not be the Olympics, but rather somewhere is a place of acceptance and appreciation, where we see just how remarkable the feats that we have accomplished really are, and what amazing friends we have made along the way. In the end, medals are only “matter” in the scientific sense of the word - they aren’t what really “matter.” If I had to choose between either having more medals or having more friends, I would definitely pick friends, and although skating has brought me my fair share of medals, it has brought me even more true friends… whom I will miss in indescribable proportions next year. They say that hindsight is 20-20 and looking back on over 14 years of skating, I can say with complete confidence, that even if I had known the symptoms and side effects of Skating beforehand, I still would have sat down and taken my medicine.   March 01, 2008 Flatt captures gold in ladies final at World Junior Championships in Bulgaria Consistent performance earns Flatt first-place finish Congratulations to G2C alumna Rachael Flatt and her coach Tom Zakrajsek on her victory at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Sofia Bulgaria. Rachael, who attended a seminar in 2003, won gold with two solid performances in a strong field that was dominated by the US.   Flatt was the only American to not make any mistakes, her only big mistake was when she jumped off from the wrong edge on her second Lutz. Her six other triple jumps, and the double Axel were nearly perfect. Her interpretation of the "Romantic Rhapsody" by Mathieu got average component scores of 6.3. Flatt also had the highest speed of the three American skaters. The newly crowned champion commented: "I am excited to be here and I skated very well. I really wanted to do all my jumps, and really skate my heart out. So, I did achieve my goal. For next season, I hope to include the triple Axel in my program. My Lutz is a bit inconsistent, but we are working on jumping off from the right edge. I will make my international senior debut next season." February 29, 2007 Steenberg places 6th in the short and 9th overall at World Junior Championships in Bulgaria       Tommy Steenberg, finished sixth in the Men's Short Program. Seven of his elements were good, including a combination of a triple Lutz and triple toe loop.   "I am happy with my performance today," said Steenberg. "I am happy with my combination and that I could stay focused the whole time." November 17, 2007 2008 Eastern Sectionals Senior Men Tommy Steenberg prevails in intense competition By Liz Leamy, special to icenetwork.com The South Atlantic skaters prevailed once again in the 2008 Eastern Sectionals senior men's free skate today, and claimed the top four spots in this intensive, technically and artistically proficient competition. Tommy Steenberg (SC of Northern Virginia) won the gold; Parker Pennington (Washington FSC) the silver; Derrick Delmore (Washington FSC) the bronze; Shaun Rogers (University of Delaware FSC) rounded out the final four senior men who claimed coveted U.S. Championships invitations. [more...] October 19, 2007 Tommy Steenberg wins his first South Atlantic Senior Men's title Viktor Pfeifer(Bronze), Tommy Steenberg(Gold), Shaun Rogers (Silver), Traighe Rouse take the podium at the 2008 South Atlantic Championships   October 13, 2007 Parker Pennington wins free program performance at Finlandia Cup By Jyrki Pirkkalainen Colorado Springs skater Parker Pennington won the free skate, landing six triples. But he was not able to make up the 12 points that separated him and Verner after the short program, so he could only climb up to second overall with 185.08 points. Pennington said he was totally focused on skating his own very best. "It was great, it went so smooth. This was my best performance since my very first senior season", he commented. His goal for this season is to land the quad and do well at U.S. nationals. Parker Pennington took the men's silver at the Finlandia Trophy. October 1, 2007 Chrissy Hughes Continues to Impress By TOMMY STEENBERG Seventeen-year-old Chrissy Hughes of Issaquah, Washington continues to amaze onlookers with her competitive spirit and excitement for skating just eight months after her standing ovation at the US Figure Skating Championships. Hughes earned herself a spot on the Junior Grand Prix Circuit for the first time, and she seized the opportunity by winning her event, JGP Romania, which took place from September 6 through September 9. Emphasizing her personal performance over placements, an excited Hughes exclaimed weeks later, “I still cannot believe that I won my first Junior Grand Prix event. Since I skated last in the freeskate, I knew the standings after my skate would be my final result. It was very exciting to see my name pop up on the Jumbo-Tron screen behind the number one!” This victory deems truly impressive because of the nagging foot injury Hughes overcame in order to make her performances possible. She explained, “I had about two months to prepare for my JGP after I returned to the ice in early July. I knew I was under a time crunch, so I never took a session or a lesson for granted.” Perhaps this instance helps define the incredible assertiveness and belief with which this teenager carries herself. Hughes stands out as being particularly easy to watch even though an audience usually finds themselves a bit nervous while watching what are often high-pressure skating events. Describing her comfort zone while competing, she put in plain words, “I love the feeling of being on the ice while everyone else is watching me. However, I do get very nervous. I think I am just used to the nerves because they come to me at every competition.” Darin Hosier, her coach of over four years, stands beside the rising athlete during daily practice and through competitions. His feelings about Chrissy’s victory over a large group of international ladies were easily summed up, as he simply remarked, “In one word—thrilled.” Hosier took Hughes on as a pupil when she was just a second year intermediate lady, demonstrating the impressive ability of forming and creating champions. He informed, “I have an eclectic clientele with students ranging in age (4 to 65) and abilities (tots through Senior).” With such a diversity of students, he has one common goal and enjoyment that he claims motivates him most—“Bringing their goals to fruition.” Hughes has also had many years of experience with her choreographer, Corrie Martin, who has worked with her for over seven years. Hughes demonstrates perspective in describing her goals as, “similar to those going into Romania,” as she looks forward to her next competition, JGP Bulgaria. She then elaborated in sharing, “I hope to skate two strong programs that will help me place high enough so that I advance onto the JGP Final. I am also focusing on landing my triple loop in my long program and earning a level 4 on my combination spins.” Of course skating is not the only experience that Hughes gains from competition to competition. She sincerely stated, “I am so glad that I had the chance to meet other skaters from across the country.” Although figure skating can often be a very individual sport, it appears as though Chrissy Hughes has already discovered the complete meaning of being a part of Team USA. May 3, 2007 USOC Awards 2006 Coaches of the Year By USOC.Staff // U.S. Olympic Committee G2C specialty coach Kat Arbour won the "Doc" Counsilman Award for innovative sports science awarded by the US Olympic Committee. The “Doc” Counsilman award recognizes a coach who has created innovative ways to use sports science. Arbour is a rated figure skating coach through the Professional Skaters Association (PSA), a licensed physical therapist, a certified personal trainer and off-ice strength and conditioning coach, and a current PhD candidate in biomechanics and movement science. She is able to bring a level of knowledge to working with figure skaters which few coaches possess. Currently, Arbour is using sports science in her coaching to help skaters acquire the ability to skate their programs at their best, identify injuries early to minimize the interruption to training, and to educate skaters parents and other coaches. Although Arbour is not the head coach of any athletes, the number of elite athletes with whom she works with including Kimmie Meissner speaks volumes for her ability as a coach and her expertise in off-ice conditioning and injury prevention. [more...] January 24, 2007 Hughes wows 'em at skating nationals By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELL SEATTLE P-I REPORTER Chrissy Hughes of Issaquah skated a storybook performance in the long program Tuesday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, taking fourth place for an overall sixth-place finish in the junior ladies competition. Hughes, who was eighth after Sunday night's short program, hit all four of her planned triple jumps and performed a clean program to pull up in the standings. Her efforts will likely qualify her for international competition at the junior level, coach Darin Hosier said. "This is a personal best for her. She has never skated two clean routines -- short and long programs -- back-to-back at this elite level," Hosier said. "She just put it all together -- a very storybook night for the hometown girl. The crowd went wild." Hughes, 16, who trains at Highland Ice Arena in Shoreline, was the local favorite at the Spokane Arena -- the only competitor from Washington state in the highly competitive junior ladies level. It was her first trip to nationals as a junior skater. Hosier said Hughes outperformed skaters "she has never beaten before." Mirai Nagasu, 13, from Arcadia, Calif., who led after the short program, won the championship with a first-place long program over the heavily favored Caroline Zhang, 13, of Los Angeles, who finished second.   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