Colorado Springs Wildfires Threaten Skating Community

US Figure Skating HQ

While the wildfires devastating the Colorado Springs area are thousands of miles away from the skating community here in New York, we can still help the relief efforts! The Red Cross and other relief organizations are now taking donations to help those affected by the wildfires. Go to helpcoloradonow.org to find out how you can help.

As many in the skating world have recently pointed out through tweets and social media, in many ways, the heart of US figure skating is out in Colorado. Our governing body is there, as well as one of the most influential skating clubs in the nation—the Broadmoor SC. Several skaters, coaches and officials have had to evacuate, and others remain under the threat. Please take a moment to think of them and others out west whose lives are directly affected. 

Icenetwork.com is closely following the news on the wildfires. Colorado Springs-based coach and skater Drew Meekins has shared his account there of how the fires are affecting the skating community out west on icenetwork.com. The Denver Post also has up-to-the-minute coverage and photos.

Also, Icenetwork.com has confirmed that USFS headquarters remains safe from the wildfires. It is currently open and operating during business hours. 

Get Excited for Mids!

Registration for the 87th Middle Atlantic Championships is now open! Enter online now for the competition, which will take place September 6-9th, 2012. Skaters will have until August 8th to enter. 

The entry fee includes a DVD of each skater's entire flight, as well as 15 minutes of official practice ice. There will also be a pairs critique with international judges and specialists for those interested. And remember, if you're entering as a Pre-Juvenile-level skater or below, list your home rink on your entry form to take part in the team competition! Also this year, the competition will include test track events at the Pre-Preliminary and Preliminary levels.

I remember my first time competing at Mids. To me, it was a momentous occasion. For the first time in my skating career, I had a real chance of holding my own against some very seasoned competitors in my level. I'd been training hard all summer and I was ready to test out my new programs for the competitive season. It was also my first time ever visiting New York City from upstate New York where I lived, so I was doubly excited. Skating in the big city? Sky Rink was legendary! When I walked in the East Rink for the first time and saw that beautiful view, I knew it was going to be a great competition. 

I remember skating a magically clean long program to get to finals, and a magically clean short program which vaulted me to 2nd place ahead of some very good skaters that I'd never previously been able to best. I was on cloud 9 the whole weekend. My final long program was pretty good, with a few minor bobbles though, and I ended up 5th overall. Even though I didn't win a medal, it was an experience to be proud of, for sure! And I picked up lots of valuable tips and advice from both officials and fellow competitors that I could take with me to better my chances for the upcoming competitive season. 

For higher-level competitive skaters, Mids is a great opportunity to test out your new moves and programs before regionals, and to do so against skaters from a range of regions—skaters who enter Mids come from not just the North Atlantic region but also New England, South Atlantic, Midwestern and beyond. There isn't another non-qualifying competition out there that can promise that much every year! And for skaters at the lower levels, it's a great way to build up confidence and experience in a very fun and welcoming competitive environment. 

Whether it's your first time or your 5th, whether you're a high-level competitor or a recreation skater, this year's Mids is bound to be a wonderful experience. Can't wait to see everyone at this year's competition. Sk8 Gr8!

Do you have a favorite Mids memory? Share it in the comments section!

Year-End Celebrations for SCNY

The skating year came to a close last week with a fantastic exhibition at Sky Rink, followed by a delicious bbq on the Sunset Terrace overlooking the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty!

SCNY had a lot to celebrate this year, including some fantastic finishes from club skaters in regional, sectional, national and international competitions, high-level tests passed, and seniors graduating. Over 120 club members came to Chelsea Piers to join in the fun.

The celebration began with the annual Will Sears Exhibition, featuring the club's International, National and Junior National skaters as well as group numbers from the various rinks affiliated with the club, including Sky Rink, Sport-O-Rama, The Rinx, Wollman and Figure Skating in Harlem.

Afterward, skaters and their families made their way to the terrace, where the club honored its graduating high school seniors and the skaters who passed a gold medal test.

Proud gold medalists gather for a group shot.

The graduating seniors smile for the camera!

SCNY member and Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes came to join in the festivities, posing with club skaters (and possibly future Olympians themselves)!

And now it's time to start thinking about next year! Club registration for the 2012-2013 season is now open (register online), and club officials are meeting in the coming weeks to start plans for the 87th annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships. Stay tuned and happy summer!

SCNY Members Up for Skater of the Year

'Skating' magazine has opened up voting this year for it's Readers' Choice Skater of the Year Award (aka the Michelle Kwan Trophy), and several SCNY members are nominated!

Readers have until July 15th to choose one skater or synchro team that they think had the best competitive year. Eligible skaters include the medalists (USFS members only) from Worlds, Junior Worlds, Synchro Worlds, Synchro Junior World Challenge Cup, and the top five finishers at the senior level from this year's U.S Championships and U.S. Synchro Championships. 

That means U.S. Silver medalists Adam Rippon and Maia Shibutani are up for the award, as are the Skyliners senior team, who placed 5th at this year's Synchro Nationals. 

'Skating' fans and readers have been given readers choice since 1989, when Kristi Yamaguchi received the first Skater of the Year award. Since then, the award has been named after Michelle Kwan, who won it seven times. SCNY member Johnny Weir-Voronov has won twice, in 2008 and 2010.

Voting happens at the U.S. Figure Skating website only and is open until July 15th. The winner will be revealed in August. Let's give our fellow SCNY-ers some support! Click here to vote. 

ISU Makes Grand Prix Series Selections; 3 SCNY Members Chosen

The ISU has made its assignments for the 2013 Grand Prix season—it's 18th season—and three SCNY skaters have been selected to compete.

Three time U.S. Champion Johnny Weir-Voronov was selected to compete at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, November 9th-11th and at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris, November 16th-18th.

2012 U.S. Men's Silver Medalist Adam Rippon was selected for the Cup of China in Shanghai, November 2nd-4th and the NHK Trophy in Miyagi, Japan, November 23rd-25th. 

2011 World Bronze Medalist Maia Shibutani was selected with her dance partner and brother Alex to compete at the Rostelecom Cup and the NHK Trophy. 

The 18th Grand Prix series will consist of six international competitions: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Cup of China, Rostelecom Cup, Trophee Eric Bompard and NHK Trophy. Skaters' results from all competitions are tallied based on a points system, and the top 6 points-scorers from each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final, which will take place in Sochi, December 5th-9th.    

Congrats to all SCNY members who were selected this year. We'll be rooting for you!

Great Skates on YouTube

About once a week these days, I am struck with an urge to root around YouTube for old skating videos. The quality of what I find is not always great—many times it's a low-resolution video from before the advent of HD, or it's a cam-rip of someone filming their television. 

While not necessarily endorsed by the networks that broadcast them, many of the more famous performances are nonetheless available to watch on YouTube, and they are simply fantastic! Old videos from the '50s. New videos from this past year. You can find pretty much anything. 

A few weeks back, I read that legendary coach Christa Fassi had been elected by the PSA to the Figure Skating Coaches Hall of Fame. Thinking about that this week, I was inspired to search for a video of one of her husband's (Carlo Fassi) most famous pupils—Dorothy Hamill—who just so happens to have been an SCNY member. I found several, including a good quality video of her historic 1976 Olympic long program. I've seen it probably a hundred times before (she was one of my idols!), but for me, it never gets old. It's such a solid performance.

That got me thinking about another Olympic gold medalist, also from SCNY: Carol Heiss-Jenkins. I'd grown up hearing about how wonderful she was, but I'd never seen her skate. Sure enough, not even two minutes later, I was watching her 1960 Olympic-winning freeskate. It was interesting to see how large a role footwork and edges played in her program. While jumps took center stage in the '70s, '80s and '90s, the return to an emphasis on edgework in the last decade makes this video even more valuable.

My afternoon of YouTubing wouldn't be complete without digging up a performance by SCNY's third Olympic champion, Sarah Hughes. Her 2002 Olympic long program is just as amazing now ten years later as it was when I watched it live! 

There are hundreds of skating videos on YouTube and around the Web. Have you found any good ones lately? If so, let us know where to find them in the comments section below!

ITNY's Celebrity Skate Benefit Takes the Ice this Week

Ice and theater go together like peanut butter and jelly these days! This relatively new discipline in the skating world is growing fast and fabulous, combining the choicest elements from each of the other disciplines of skating—including freestyle, pairs, dance and synchro—with theatrics to create a highly creative and visually stunning brand of performance. 

Aside from a few "Showcase" (USFS) and "Spotlight" (ISI) performances in my youth, I didn't have the opportunity to try it out. But skating in New York, I'm exposed to some of the best ice theater around.

This city is home to a world class professional Ice Theater troupe, Ice Theatre of New York. It's right here on our doorstep, and this Thursday, May 17th, the troupe is hosting a Spring Fling at Chelsea Piers to raise money for rehearsals and performances for their upcoming season. It's billed as a "glamorous evening of skating, cocktails and light bites," and I have no doubt it will be a wonderful time. Ice Theater will be performing two new ensemble pieces, the Junior Ice Theatre performers will take the ice, followed by a celebrity skate-off that will feature the on-ice talents of 'All My Children' star Rebecca Budig and NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan, among others. Who will be judging the skate-off? Two-time Olympic champion Dick Button! 

Tickets are available for purchase online, or by calling (212) 929-5811. The evening begins with performances at East Rink at 7 p.m., followed by a reception on the Sunset Terrace around 8:15 p.m.

Here's a fantastic video of ITNY's performance at the Moncler Grenoble Fashion Show this winter at Wollman Rink:

Have you ever done any ice theater? Tell us about your experience in the comments section!