Skiing Is Easy For Figure Skaters

The first time I went skiing, I was twenty years old. I signed up for a set of group lessons at The Broadmoor Ski School.

The instructor showed us a bit about how to maneuver around on skis, and then told us a bit about how to get off and on the ski lift. She told the class to wait for her when we got to the top. I didn't hear those words....

When I got to the top of the mountain, I immediately skied down without any instruction! It was so much fun. All my years of ice skating immediately crossed over into skiing! There was "nothing to it!"

Joel, Rebekah, and Annabelle learned how to ice and roller skate as soon as they could walk, but they also learned how to ski at about the same time. Every weekend, we took a day trip to the mountains to play in the snow and ski.

Our family likes both cross-country skiing and downhill skiing.

Today, we ended our Thanksgiving break with a wonderful day at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. We all "skated" in cross-country skate skis (except Dan who used snowshoes).

The best part was we stayed together and had a lot of fun enjoying the outdoors. When we go downhill skiing, Rebekah and Joel always take off since they ski faster than me and Annabelle and Dan does a snowshoe hike. This was really special today! What a nice way to end the Thanksgiving weekend!

• Sports That Figure Skaters Might Be Good At
  

Annabelle and Joel - Press Lift 11-25-2011

I took this video with the new Sk8Sports App for iPhone. I think the video looks pretty good, but so does the press lift!

By the way, Kent Johnson,m of Sk8Sports told me that Annabelle and Joel are the first pair team to record a video using the App! How cool is that?!

Wanted: A Pair or Ice Dance Partner For Rebekah

Rebekah and Joel have skated together since they were little. At first, they did both pairs and ice dance together, but Joel has skated pairs with Annabelle the past three seasons.

We've hoped to find a pair partner for Rebekah.

Rebekah and Joel continued to ice dance together, and Joel and Rebekah did complete together this past season ice dancing but now, Rebekah is interested in finding a new partner for either pairs or ice dance.

About Rebekah Schneider-Farris:

• Age 15
• Birthdate: 4-16-1996
• 5 feet tall
• 85 pounds
• Hazel eyes
• Broadmoor Skating Club
• Coaches: Dalilah Sappenfield and Laureano Ibarra and Ryan Jahnke
• Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Would like to compete in Novice or Junior Pairs and/or Novice or Junior Dance
• Tests passed: Senior moves in the field test, Intermediate free skating test, Novice free dance test, Two Silver dances, Novice pair test
• Hazel eyes
• Brown hair
• Contact info: joannfarris@yahoo.com

• Rebekah's Ice Partner Search Page

November 2011 Skating Competition Memories

Annabelle and Joel qualified for Junior Nationals 2012! They will compete in Lansing, Michigan on December 13. Both kids are very excited that they've added so much content to their pair skating during the past year. Last year, they didn't do overhead extended lifts...this year, they are doing both a press lift and a fully extended loop lift. They also had single throws last year. This year, they are doing two double throws. The kids both love pair skating and that is what counts!

Rebekah and Joel did a beautiful job at sectionals, and are the first alternates for Nationals in novice dance.

Frustration: What should we do about ice dance coaching?

My first frustration post on this blog is going to be about the current ice dance coach situation at the Colorado Springs World Arena.

To sum things up, the former main dance coaches at the rink are no longer there. The rink did not renew their contracts. Most of the other ice dancers at the rink followed those coaches to other rinks. Their decisions must of paid off, since all those skaters made nationals or junior nationals. All the ice dancers that stayed at the World Arena did not qualify.

Two weeks ago, before the kids were scheduled to compete in sectionals, it was announced that a new ice dance coach had arrived that would build up the World Arena's ice dance program again.

Now that sectionals is over, yesterday, I texted that new ice dance coach about giving Annabelle and Joel stroking lessons to help with their pair skating before Junior Nationals, but guess what? At this time, she is not available to coach when my kids skate, which is in the mornings. She only teaches in the afternoons.

So...all this time, we've waited and waited on the ice dance coach that the World Arena promised, but now, my children can't take lessons from that person at all since she is not available when they skate and train. In my opinion, the World Arena needs to hire someone that is available when all skaters want lessons, not just for some.

The World Arena's clients were told she would be building up an ice dance program; how can she build up a program if she is not willing to coach when customers that are already ice dancing want lessons?

Also, if my kids decide to compete in ice dancing next season, the World Arena is now requiring that they take lessons from someone on their resident staff who is a designated ice dance coach to earn scholarship ice time and maintain resident status. This new ice dance coach is really the only choice, but if she is not available, how can they train under these guidelines?

Maybe the rink really just wants us to quit ice dancing?

• Can the Colorado Springs World Arena rebuild their ice dancing program?
  

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Skating!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Most ice skating rinks are closed on Thanksgiving Day. My kids are glad, since they usually get up every morning quite early to get to the rink. They've done that for over six years. When they were little, we got up every morning to go skating, but we went to a mall rink.

We just returned from sectionals. It was a busy week. Rebekah and Joel competed in ice dancing and Annabelle and Joel competed in pair skating.

Annabelle and Joel will be competing in the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in a little over two weeks and Rebekah is hoping to take an important skating test, so we will be back on the ice tomorrow, the day after Thanksgiving.

I am hoping this blog will share the ups and downs of the life of a very busy figure skating family.

Earlier this morning, I put together a short article on why I am thankful for skating.

• Are you thankful for ice skating?

Enjoy and Happy Skating!