My history in Figure Skating
What makes life interesting and rewarding is following one’s curiosity and passion. Passion is such a big desire to learn and to do something that one makes space for this activity in daily living. (Sometimes that means pushing other things aside, which brings its own joys and sorrows.) Besides working with mothers and babies, and playing music, figure skating is my passion.
My Russian coach, Yelena Sergeeva, says that balance and coordination can be taught. I am actually learning, at past 50, to jump and to spin!! I passed my first USFSA test in May 2004 (pre-bronze moves), passed pre-bronze freestyle in 2005 and passed Bronze Moves in December 2010. In 2011, I started learning ice dance, and have passed all 3 dances at preliminary level: Dutch Waltz, Rhythm Blues and Canasta Tango. My goal is to have a program to music and to compete. I figure I will get to be 70 anyway, whether I skate or not. I might as well keep learning; if I have 20 years of skating experience at 70, that will be awesome!
For information about figure skating, see www.usfigureskating.org
I am blessed by the presence of an up and coming skater, Adam Rippon, who landed on the podium in his first Senior Nationals (2005) after a harrowing week of injury, being off the ice, giving his coach more grey hairs, and worrying all of us who care about him. Skating with him is another wonderful part of my life on ice; I am learning about all the work and dedication that goes into pursuing a dream. I love being around people that have passion! In 2008, Adam won the Junior Grand Prix Final, Junior Nationals and Junior Worlds. He defended his Junior World Title in 2009. He will always be famous for a new move, the Rippon Lutz, a triple jump done with both hands overhead. His hard work continues as he seeks to win on the Senior level. In 2012, he won the Men’s Senior Nationals silver medal. He is the first skater to win the Junior World Championship Men twice. Good luck Adam! check out his website: www.figureskatersonline.com/adamrippon/index.html
I was working on Bronze moves with Alexey Beletsky. Alexey has represented Israel in Ice Dance at the World Championships and at the Olympics, and built on the foundation given to me by Yelena. Alexey left in late 2008 to return to the Ukraine and has set me up with a new coach, Chuen-Gun Lee, the first ice dancer to compete for South Korea at the Olympic Games (2002). CG is total joy and light in my life and I am having the most fun skating ever. I passed the Adult Bronze moves and have started work on the Silver moves; I have passed all the Preliminary Dances, 2 of the next, Pre-Bronze level and will be testing the 3rd dance to complete the Pre-Bronze level in May 2014. I love being reminded that change, while painful, brings new gifts.
UPDATE: After 16 years, and passing 7 dance tests, my knees asked me to stop skating. To everything there is a season. Now I am a big fan, enjoying the skating of Papadakis and Cizeron, Virtue and Moir, the Shibutanis, Adam Rippon, and Yuzuru Hanyu.
