Saturday, March 31, 2012
My Tot Ice Skating Class Was So Much Fun To Teach!
I really do love teaching little kids to skate! Today, all the kids earned their Snowplow Sam 2 badges!
Annabelle Can Do a Double Twist! 3-31-2012
Annabelle's double twist is really coming along! Go Annabelle!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Soliciting In Figure Skating - My Personal Experience
I recently wrote an article about the behind the scenes soliciting situations that go on in figure skating.
I wrote the following statement in the article:
"It has been reported that right here in Colorado Springs that sometimes employees, coaches, and parents at some of the ice arenas have directly suggested to certain skaters that the coach they have chosen is not adequate. THIS IS SOLICITING and is a direct violation of PSA Ethics."
I have been asked if there really was an actual instance that I described the involved an employee at an ice rink in Colorado Springs.
The answer to that question is YES. I know the situation well because I was the coach who was hurt. I was the coach that lost a student because a rink did the soliciting for two coaches who did some team-teaching together at the time.
The situation happened about six years ago, so I think it is safe to tell my story publicly since it is just a memory and no longer an issue.
A boy from my son's homeschool scout troop had begun group lessons at one of the rinks in Colorado Springs. The boy loved to skate, but his mother told me he couldn't afford to skate or take private lessons. She told me that she wished more than anything to give her son the gift of ice skating.
I came up with an idea. I thought he'd make a good figure skating training companion for my children.
The boy showed some natural talent,, but too old for singles, so I offered to teach the boy ice dancing at at discount rate and found him an ice dance partner. We set up a schedule. The boy and his new ice dance partner would skate every day with me and my children. I would teach them all together; everyone would benefit and have fun.
I was really excited. I thought I'd have three young ice dance teams (this boy and the girl I matched him with that was a friend of my daughter Rebekah), Rebekah and Joel, and Annabelle and our close friend Sam.
What I didn't know was that the rink where the boy was taking learn to skate classes had noticed the boy's talent and love of skating. The skating school director had also noticed. She also knew the boy was too old for singles, but had potential as an ice dancer. She also had been told by the mother that the boy could not afford ice time or private lessons.
I did notice, for a moment, that the skating director of that rink was spending a lot of time talking to the boy's mother in the stands. I had a feeling that she may have been asking the mother about lessons for her son, which is common when kids are in learn to skate.
Only a few days after everything was arranged and set, I received a call from the boy's mother.
She told me that the ice arena had given the boy an "offer that they could not possibly refuse." She explained that although my offer to coach her son at a discount rate was a good one, there was no way her family could pass up what the rink had offered. In fact, no one could pass up what the boy had been offered!
Here's what he had been offered by the rink:
I was upset, but I wished the family well. I knew I would eventually get over having a skating student I really wanted to teach being solicited away by an ice rink.
I did take the time to call the rink's skating director. I told her that the boy had only been my private lesson student for a short time, but I would have appreciated being consulted before they had made an offer like this to the boy and his family.
The coaches involved were not only friends of mine, but people I looked up to. I do not think that they were aware that I was already teaching the boy, so I did not file a grievance with PSA, but I knew then and I know now that this is an obvious and blatant example of 3rd party soliciting.
I am writing this story out now because I think that everyone in figure skating should be aware that soliciting does not always happen directly. Outside parties can do the soliciting for figure skating coaches. In this instance, the rink did the soliciting and they did the soliciting in a big way.
I wrote the following statement in the article:
"It has been reported that right here in Colorado Springs that sometimes employees, coaches, and parents at some of the ice arenas have directly suggested to certain skaters that the coach they have chosen is not adequate. THIS IS SOLICITING and is a direct violation of PSA Ethics."
I have been asked if there really was an actual instance that I described the involved an employee at an ice rink in Colorado Springs.
The answer to that question is YES. I know the situation well because I was the coach who was hurt. I was the coach that lost a student because a rink did the soliciting for two coaches who did some team-teaching together at the time.
The situation happened about six years ago, so I think it is safe to tell my story publicly since it is just a memory and no longer an issue.
A boy from my son's homeschool scout troop had begun group lessons at one of the rinks in Colorado Springs. The boy loved to skate, but his mother told me he couldn't afford to skate or take private lessons. She told me that she wished more than anything to give her son the gift of ice skating.
I came up with an idea. I thought he'd make a good figure skating training companion for my children.
The boy showed some natural talent,, but too old for singles, so I offered to teach the boy ice dancing at at discount rate and found him an ice dance partner. We set up a schedule. The boy and his new ice dance partner would skate every day with me and my children. I would teach them all together; everyone would benefit and have fun.
I was really excited. I thought I'd have three young ice dance teams (this boy and the girl I matched him with that was a friend of my daughter Rebekah), Rebekah and Joel, and Annabelle and our close friend Sam.
What I didn't know was that the rink where the boy was taking learn to skate classes had noticed the boy's talent and love of skating. The skating school director had also noticed. She also knew the boy was too old for singles, but had potential as an ice dancer. She also had been told by the mother that the boy could not afford ice time or private lessons.
I did notice, for a moment, that the skating director of that rink was spending a lot of time talking to the boy's mother in the stands. I had a feeling that she may have been asking the mother about lessons for her son, which is common when kids are in learn to skate.
Only a few days after everything was arranged and set, I received a call from the boy's mother.
She told me that the ice arena had given the boy an "offer that they could not possibly refuse." She explained that although my offer to coach her son at a discount rate was a good one, there was no way her family could pass up what the rink had offered. In fact, no one could pass up what the boy had been offered!
Here's what he had been offered by the rink:
- Free ice time on all of the rink's figure skating and public sessions.
- A quiet and private place in the arena for the boy to do his homeschool studies.
- Two of the best ice dance coaches in the rink had offered to give the boy free private lessons and turn him into a competitive ice dancer.
- One of the coaches in the rink offered to pay for the boy's boots and blades so he would have the best possible equipment.
- A part-time job at the rink.
I was upset, but I wished the family well. I knew I would eventually get over having a skating student I really wanted to teach being solicited away by an ice rink.
I did take the time to call the rink's skating director. I told her that the boy had only been my private lesson student for a short time, but I would have appreciated being consulted before they had made an offer like this to the boy and his family.
The coaches involved were not only friends of mine, but people I looked up to. I do not think that they were aware that I was already teaching the boy, so I did not file a grievance with PSA, but I knew then and I know now that this is an obvious and blatant example of 3rd party soliciting.
I am writing this story out now because I think that everyone in figure skating should be aware that soliciting does not always happen directly. Outside parties can do the soliciting for figure skating coaches. In this instance, the rink did the soliciting and they did the soliciting in a big way.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Annabelle and Joel - Step-Up Lift Is IN Their Program! 3-20-2012
I am so excited for Joel and Annabelle! They can now do the step-up lift across the ice! Go kids!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Rebekah Passed Her Silver Dance Test 3-18-2012
Rebekah passed the last of her silver dances today...she passed the Tango by all three judges and now has completed her Silver Dance Test! Go Rebekah!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
My Wonderful Trip To Nationals!
I've been meaning to share about the wonderful trip I took to the 2012 US Figure Skating Championships which took place in San Jose, but since I returned, I just got so busy. I had such a great time that the memories of that wonderful trip have to be documented, so here goes:
How my trip to the 2012 Nationals came about:
Way back in the 1960s, I became friends with Marion Ennis. I used to spend my summers skating in Squaw Valley, California. During the summer of 1968, Marion I became friends. We decided then to be best friends. We were just kids then. Our childhood friendship continued into our teens as we wrote letters to one another. Then, an adult friendship began when Marion and I reunited in college. It's a long, long story, but Marion and I have been best friends for over 40 years now!
When I heard Nationals was in San Jose, something told me that Marion and I needed to go to the event together. She lives within driving distance and there were non-stop planes leaving Denver for San Jose that were reasonably priced.
It didn't take long for us to make our plans.
My dad decides to come too!:
My plane had originally been scheduled to leave on Wednesday, January 25, but I changed my plans and decided to leave on Tuesday, January 24. BUT...on Friday, January 20, my dad called and told me he wanted to go to Nationals too. So...I changed my plans and left on Sunday, January 22, 2012 for San Jose!
I arrived in time to see almost all of the competition. The only events we missed were Novice Pattern Dance and part of Novice men.
My dad and I stayed in the official Marriott competition hotel. When Marion arrived on Wednesday, 1-25, I moved to a different hotel with Marion.
My dad stayed until Friday, January 27. We had such a great time together!
My brother, Billy, had two students competing in Nationals. In fact, they were two sisters! Mariah Bell competed in the junior ladies event and Morgan Bell competed in the senior ladies event. My dad stayed until Friday so he could see Billy's students compete.
It was so much fun to spend time with my dad. One of the highlights we both experienced was when we got to have our photo taken in US Figure Skating Team jackets and got to stand on a podium together. It really looked like we WON Nationals!
We also went out to some really fun places for dinner. I think one of the most fun times we had was dinner at Original Joes with Marion.
Saw non-skating friends too!:
A huge highlight of my trip to San Jose was getting together with friends from my past. There were some friends living in California that I had not seen for twenty (or more years). We got together several times during my trip. Seeing my friend Frank was a dream come true...
I also got to see many, many skating friends from the past and present at the competition. Below is a photo of Marion and I with Juli McKinstry. We met when we both stayed in the "McKinstry House" in our Squaw Valley days...
I was especially delighted to finally meet skating friends that I've met through Facebook and meet several of my About.com readers and fans.
My Trip to San Francisco:
After Nationals was over, Marion and I (and my friend Jessica) took a trip into "The City." We visited the Sunset District where Dan and I used to live. It was so fun to go back there. The highlight was eating Japanese food and walking along the Great Highway beach!
Thoughts:
On Tuesday, January 31, as I walked through the San Jose airport about to board a plane back to Colorado, I realized I left San Jose with over a week of wonderful memories of a great "Nationals." I'm so glad I attended. I'm so glad my dad came and I'm so glad I got to spend a wonderful week with Marion!
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