Roger Estey spent most of his teenage and college years figure skating and ice dancing. Then along came life off ice – a job, marriage, kids… Those long hours at the rink receded deep into his past.

Thirty years later, though, circumstances brought him back.

“When I walked back into the rink it felt like home,” he says. “The smells … the dampness of the air … the echo sounds. It felt really good.”

TBSA ice dance coach Marta Nilsen, left, poses with her Gold medalist ice dance student, Roger Estey.

 

So good, in fact, that he has returned to skating and is trying to spread the word about the joys of ice dancing.

At 61, Estey recently became a gold medalist in ice dance after a 30-year break. Tampa Bay Skating Academy ice dance coach Marta Nilsen helped him pass the four Gold dances: The Viennese Waltz, the Argentine Tango, the Quickstep, and the Westminster Waltz. The accomplishment, which began about two years ago and culminated in March, is a first for both of them.

“He’s my first dance gold medal student,” Nilsen says. “I hadn’t partnered anyone that far. It was a lot of fun and good exercise.”

For Estey, it all began in Massachusetts in the early 60s. Having skated on a pond as a child, he took his first figure skating lesson when he was 13 years old. 

Back then, figure skaters were expected to learn the basic dance steps and patterns, he says. A tall teen, he was asked to take some of the girls through several of the dance tests. That’s when he met his training and competition partner, Cindy Wright.

“Cindy and I had a very short, low-level competitive career,” he says. “Things were very different then. There were very few competitions. It’s not like how it is now where there are lots of competitions to enter.”

By high school, ice dancing had become his passion.

Roger Estey dances with Coach Nilsen. Estey recently passed his Gold medal ice dances.

“Ice dance was much more fun and rewarding,” he says. “Back then it was a social event. We did it almost every night of the week for two to three hours, and then we’d go out for coffee afterward. It was a ball. It was one of those things that rinks did then. When I came back, it was gone.”

Estey graduated from college and completed the Pre-Gold dance tests in 1973. The levels for dance are Preliminary, Pre-Bonze, Bronze, Pre-Silver, Silver, Pre-Gold and Gold.

After college, he began coaching. But his time on the ice was eventually replaced with spending time with his family – his wife, Margaret, and three stepchildren. Over the years, he worked mostly in real estate until one day, about three years ago, Margaret passed away suddenly.

“That kind of left me at a loss of what to do with my life,” he says. “We had a very close relationship. We were life partners and business partners.”

It was a visit to see family that brought him back to the ice.

“My grandson, Jordan, and I took a road trip and wound up at an ice rink in Phoenix,” he says. “All of those sensations we rink rats know in our bones started to come back.”

But after taking such a long break from the ice, Estey had to get back in shape. 

“My brain told me everything I needed to know, but my body said, ‘no, not today,'” he says, recalling those first days back.

Estey passed two of the four Gold dances — the Viennese Waltz and the Argentine Tango — in early 2013. His journey to the gold, though, hit a roadblock in May.

“I was practicing in preparation for the test and I crashed,” he says. “Next thing I knew I was flying through the air and landed on my elbow. That put everything off for a while.”

There were some moments after that, too, when Estey thought about whether his goal to get Gold was a good idea. These were fleeting thoughts. He started practicing again in November and passed the Quickstep in February and the Westminster Waltz in March.

“Personally, it’s a big deal that I did it,” he says. “To have come back after being away and then after the injury, it’s meaningful. Not everybody can do that. It’s mental but it’s also very physical and cardiovascular. You have to up your game to test. I’m no Charlie White (Olympic Champion Ice Dancer), but you want to be at the level where the judges say, ‘Hey, he can do this.'”

And do it he did. Even though he could have tested on the masters track, which is for ages 50 and older, he passed his Gold tests on the adult track.

“At least I was with the 21-year-olds instead of the 65-year-olds,” he says.

Nilsen, who has coached for over 20 years, says she would like to keep on dancing with Estey, testing up through the international dances.

“After you get up to the Gold level, it’s a blast to skate,” she says. “But it’s hard to find a guy to dance with.”

Estey says he and Nilsen are a good match on the ice. 

“We really skate well together,” he says.

Estey hopes to bring “ice dance socials” back to this area to get more skaters enjoying the sport.

“Ice dancing gives you really good edges, power, flow and rhythm,” he says. “It’s something adults can do their whole lives.”

And Estey is living proof.

For competitive pair skaters William and JoJo Hubbart, every win along the way is a point in the journey, including this year’s fourth place win at nationals. 

Capturing the pewter medal in intermediate pairs at the 2014

Pair skaters William and JoJo Hubbart compete in January at the 2014 nationals in Boston.

U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in Boston last month was a tremendous accomplishment and a moment to remember. 

But the sibling pair team’s journey continues on … with hopes and dreams to represent the U.S. at a future Winter Olympics.  

“It’s a long shot but it’d be nice to go to Seoul in four years,” William, 16, says, as he sits next to JoJo one recent day at Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar. It’s here they train between four to six hours a day, six days a week.

William and JoJo, at right, enjoy their moment on the podium after winning the pewter medal in intermediate pairs in January.

JoJo, 15, acknowledges it’s a long shot and takes a more “wait-and-see” attitude, adding that they’re just taking it one day at a time right now.

Clearly, though, the teenagers are working toward turning Olympic dreams into reality. This was their third trip to nationals, the most prestigious event of the U.S. competitive figure skating season. And it’s the third time they’ve brought home a medal.  

In 2012, as a first-time juvenile pair team, they won the bronze medal at junior nationals, which was the equivalent of nationals for juvenile and intermediate competitors. 

The sibling pair team won the gold medal in juvenile pairs in 2013.

Last year, William and JoJo competed at the juvenile level again and took top honors, winning the gold medal by a landslide. They also got to compete with the higher-level skaters because the national competition was changed to include senior, junior, novice, intermediate and juvenile skaters. 

This recent season the pair team moved up to the intermediate level. They also competed at the national competition at an exciting and celebrated time–the Olympics. Figure skaters who won the top spots at the senior levels this year had the chance to represent the U.S. on the world stage. 

“I was really nervous this year,” JoJo says. “It seemed bigger because of the Olympic year.”

William and JoJo had some setbacks in their short program that put them in fifth place but they went on to skate a clean long program to place fourth overall. 

The Hubbarts take the top spot at the 2014 Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships in November.

William also competed in intermediate singles at nationals, finishing in ninth place. 

Their stellar pair performance at the Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships in November earned them a ticket to the national event. They won the gold, becoming the 2014 Eastern Sectional Intermediate Pair Champions at the annual competition in Ashburn, VA. 

A seven-time national competitor, William also won the silver medal at sectionals in intermediate mens singles, securing

William wins the gold at regionals in October.

another trip to nationals in the single category. A gold medal single’s performance at regionals in October landed him at sectionals.

With the new pair level, new elements, and the additional pressure of an Olympic year, the Hubbarts still bounced back to keep their medal streak intact. 

“I’m really proud of how we did,” William says. “It’s about perseverance.”

And it takes a lot of perseverance to get to the Olympics, the world’s foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating.

Fortunately, their coach, Alex Vlassov, who recently was interviewed by Gayle Sierens of Channel 8 News, believes the teenagers have what it takes to go all the way. 

“They’re competitors. They like to be better every time that they compete. That’s the best you can ask,” he says when asked why he thinks they have a shot at the Olympics one day.

William and JoJo with their coaches Alex Vlassov and Laura Amelina in the kiss and cry at the 2013 nationals.

Vlassov, who coaches the sibling pair team along with his wife, Laura Amelina, should know. Representing Russia, he and his pair partner won fourth place at the Innsbruck, Austria, 1976 Winter Olympics. 

“I can share experience. I can say what it means–how to be in front of a crowd, how to present yourself, what to learn and how to avoid some mistakes,” he adds during the television interview.

Back in TBSA’s snack bar, William and JoJo share what it was like in their lesson they just finished with Vlassov, who had them practicing a press lift. The pair skating move has William and JoJo facing different directions as William lifts JoJo in the air, both of them fully extending their arms. 

“It’s kinda scary,” JoJo says. “You just have to push through it and each time it gets a little better.”

William says the lifts are all about trust. “I trust myself and I trust her. As long as she does her job right and I do my job right nothing’s going to go wrong.” 

“And we trust Alex on what we can do,” JoJo concludes.

They both also share stories about how at nationals in January, they got a chance to see and meet some of the future Olympians. Both met Jason Brown, the 19-year-old who helped the U.S. Olympic Team win the bronze medal in Sochi.

“I got to meet him and talk to him and tell him good luck before he went into his short program (at nationals),” William says. “He doesn’t think of you as his fans. He thinks of you as his friends. He’ll remember me next time. He’s a very social guy.”

JoJo with Jason Brown, the  2014 U.S. Olympic Team Bronze Medalist, and 2014 U.S. Silver Medalist.

JoJo also has a Jason Brown story: “He was warming up to do his short program and one of my friends saw him. We just went right up to him. She’s actually not very shy at all so she just started talking to him. He’s really sweet and he’s not one of those people who says, ‘Ok, get the picture, now go.’” 

JoJo also got a picture with ice dancer Meryl Davis, who along with Charlie White brought down the house with their gold medal free dance performance at the Sochi Olympics Feb. 17, 2014. 

“I saw Meryl Davis when I was eating breakfast at the hotel,”

JoJo poses with Olympic Champion Ice Dancer Meryl Davis.

JoJo says. Meeting the higher-level figure skaters is inspiring and makes you work harder, she adds. 

For this upcoming competition season, the siblings may move up to the next pair level, which is novice. If so, they’d like to at least medal at next year’s national competition.

“Hopefully, we’ll be trying a triple throw and a triple side-by-side jump and maybe a double twist,” William says. All the while keeping their sights set on that “long shot” goal further down the road. 

“We’re definitely looking for Seoul,” William says.

During the holiday season, charity and goodwill often take the spotlight–even on the ice. 

The 4th annual Charity Hockey Tournament starts Friday, Nov. 29, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013, at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy (TBSA) in Oldsmar. The event, sponsored by Goals for a Cause, will raise money for

Former Lightning player and current center for the Philadelphia Flyers, Vinny Lecavalier, center, poses with “Goals for a Cause” founders Frank Daly, left, and Neil Armstrong.

children with cancer and for underprivileged young athletes.

Goals for a Cause is a charitable organization that aims to provide support to area nonprofits by combining fundraising, volunteer efforts … and hockey. 

Last year, the charity hockey tournament raised $6,600 to help feed the hungry through Feeding America Tampa Bay. This year, the money raised will go to the Vinny Lecavalier Foundation and the Tony Rolon Hockey Scholarship Fund.  

“Every year we continue to build,” says Scott McCance, an event organizer. “We want to do more than we did last year.” 

TBSA is one of several sponsors of the event. Other sponsors include Jack Willie’s Bar Grill & Tiki restaurant, Creative Water Concepts, Inc., Lee Roy Selmon’s, FAST of Florida, Inc., Can-Ice, Stahl & Associates Insurance, LegalJourney Law Firm, and 2nd Time Sports. 

Among other outreach projects, the Vinny Lecavalier Foundation, or Vinny 40 Foundation, provides support for children and families affected by cancer through the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Center located at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. 

Each year in the U.S., there are about 13,400 children who are diagnosed with cancer.

“We are so fortunate that ‘Goals for a Cause’ chose to support Vinny and his foundation,” says Genevieve Bale, executive director for the foundation. “Knowing that people continue to support him although he no longer wears the Lightning uniform speaks volumes about the impact he continues to have on the children and families battling with pediatric cancer.”

After playing 14 seasons with the Lightning team, Lecavalier recently made a switch to the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2007, he gave $3 million to the hospital for the pediatric center. 

McCance says most of the money raised will go to the Vinny 40 Foundation. But some of it will also go to the Tony Rolon Fund, which provides financial assistance for underprivileged children so they can purchase hockey equipment and ice time. 

These hockey players will help raise money Nov. 29, to Dec. 1, 2013, at the Charity Hockey Tournament held at TBSA in Oldsmar.

To help raise funds, there will be a silent auction and a raffle. Items include a pair of Vinny Lecavalier autographed, game-used skates; a 2012-13 Tampa Bay Lightning team-signed helmet; a 2013 Vinny Lecavalier autographed jersey; a Vinny Lecavalier autographed and game-used CCM RBZ stick; a Bauer helmet with 23 autographs, including Vinny’s, Marty St. Louis’, Stamkos’ and 20 others; a Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks, autographed jersey; and a Jean Beliveau, #4 Montreal Canadians former captain, autographed jersey.

The idea to pitch in to help those in need in the community began when the four founders–Neil Armstrong, Frank Daly, Norm Dann and Rich Stack–were moved to do what they could in 2010 to raise money to benefit the Kocab/Curtis Memorial Fund in honor of slain Tampa police officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis. 

The first charity hockey tournament raised $4,500 for the Tampa Police Officers’ memorial fund. The second year, they raised $5,500 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. All of the charity events have been held at TBSA. 

So help keep the giving going and come on out to TBSA in Oldsmar this weekend to enjoy some holiday hockey fun. 

As any figure skater will tell you, there’s a lot of science behind the jumps.

But for Tampa Bay Skating Academy figure skater Elizabeth Corn, it’s the subject of science that had her jumping … for joy.

The 14-year-old recently found out she was a finalist in the 2013

Elizabeth Corn holds the trophy she received for her science project on nanoparticles.

Broadcom MASTERS national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) competition – a distinction that earned her an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C., last month, and a meeting with President Obama. 

The night she learned she was one of 30 finalists out of 300 semi-finalists to make the trip, she relied on some of those figure skating skills. 

“I was jumping around the entire night,” Elizabeth says. “I couldn’t believe it! It’s not like you get to go to Washington D.C., for the first time and meet the president and shake his hand. It was really cool!”

Skating since she was about 7 years old, Elizabeth applied the discipline she learned from her sport to her science project, titled, “The Effects of Nanoparticle Size on the Antibacterial Effects of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) on E. Coli Bacteria.”

She visited Washington D.C., from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, 2013, to showcase her project at the National Geographic Society, where she and the other finalists shared their knowledge with a panel of world-renowned scientists and engineers. 

Elizabeth stands in front of the board outlining her science experiment.

Prior to that, Elizabeth’s project won first place in the microbiology category, and Best of Fair, at the Hillsborough County Regional STEM Fair. Her project also won first place at the State of Florida Science and Engineering Fair. 

Elizabeth’s interest in scientific research comes from having family members who have been affected by cancer. Because nanoparticles are used in the treatment of cancer, Elizabeth became interested in how the extremely small particles can help aid in the treatment of the disease. 

Through her experiment, she was able to show that the smaller the nanoparticle, the higher percentage of effective treatment for cancer. 

“I found that if you decreased the size of the nanoparticle, the treatment could be increased by 35 percent,” she explains.

Elizabeth designed her own experiments to prove her hypothesis, but finding a laboratory to conduct her research wasn’t easy. She finally got an offer to work in the research laboratory at Illinois State University. She says she learned so much. She’s grateful she had the chance to work with Dr. R. K. Jayaswal, professor of microbiology and director of biotechnology, molecular and cellular biology at the university. 

Elizabeth was among thousands of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from all around the country who participated in the science and engineering competition. When she made the 300 semi-finalist cut, she never imagined she would become a finalist.

“I always thought I had a good project but when I looked at all the others, I didn’t think I’d make it,” she says. “But my mom kept telling me, ‘there’s always a chance.'”

The Tampa resident also had a chance in Washington D.C., to spend more time with the president than expected. 

She and the other finalists visited the White House the day before the government shutdown on Oct. 1. She says staff members were telling President Obama he only had five minutes to spend with them because he had a speech to give. But he spent about 20 minutes with them and took them on a tour of the Oval office. 

“He really took a lot of time out to talk to us,” she says, adding the finalists even got to take a picture with the president. 

The third annual Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars) competition seeks to inspire middle school students to put their science and engineering ideas and passions into action. And Elizabeth, who is now in ninth grade at Berkeley Preparatory School but completed her project when she was in eighth grade at Davidsen Middle School, plans to do just that. She wants to be a medical researcher when she grows up. 

But Elizabeth also has some ambitious skating goals, too. A USFS

Elizabeth on the ice at Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

(United States Figure Skating) juvenile-level skater and an ISI (Ice Skating Institute) Freestyle 6-level skater, she wants to continue to hone her skills on the ice. 

“I want to compete in figure skating until I’m a senior,” she says. “It would be so cool to land a double axel, even if it’s two or three years from now. It would be really awesome.”

Elizabeth says she loves the feeling she gets when she lands a hard jump. 

“It’s amazing,” she says. “It’s such a relief. You feel like you’ll never be able to do it and then it happens.”

Elizabeth with Coach Jim.

Jim Millns, Elizabeth’s figure skating coach for about seven years, admires how she pursues her passions on and off the ice. 

“Elizabeth is one of the kids who has always been fun to work with, always pleasant, and takes everything in stride.” 

At the ISI World Team Championships this year, Claudia Cannatella, 15, couldn’t help letting her excitement spill over.

The 11-member Tampa Bay Skating Academy Countryside team would bring home a first place trophy, the Board of Directors award, for the highest score among teams with 15 or fewer skaters – a “great accomplishment,” says Coach Bill Coyle.

But it was when Claudia spotted 2011 US National Figure Skating

The team from Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Countryside Mall brings home a first place victory.

Champion Ryan Bradley that the excitement bubbled over.

“I was a little star struck,” Claudia explains. “I just started screaming, ‘I love you! I love you!’ I asked him if he would marry me. He didn’t answer so I still have to find out.”

Claudia Cannatella

She may get a chance to find out at next year’s ISI championships in Boston, where Coach Bill has high hopes for another great finish. 

This year, the Ice Skating Institute (ISI) world championships were held in Anaheim, California, July 22 – 29. The TBSA Countryside team came in 13th overall out of 89 rinks. The event drew more than 2,000 competitors worldwide. Each team member competes individually. If they place in the top five, they receive a team point depending on what place they get. The points are then added up and a team score is given. 

Winning the Board of Directors award for the highest score out of about 30 teams with fewer skaters felt great, says Coach Bill.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” he says. “We’re one of the smallest

Coach Bill

rinks in the country and we continue to excel and bring home trophies. This was a huge competition. For these kids, it’s like going to nationals.”

ISI competitions differ from US Figure Skating (USFSA) events in a variety of ways. Both are great opportunities for skaters to enhance their skills. But ISI is a recreational figure skating program, whereas USFSA is the route to regionals, sectionals, nationals and the Olympic Games.

“Next year, I think we’re going to have a bigger team,” Coach Bill says. “We’ll definitely try to shoot for higher placement overall.”

Although the TBSA Countryside skaters had lots of fun on and off the ice at this year’s championships, there was a lot of hustling from rink to rink to compete. Several rinks in California hosted the world event. 

Morgan Gamble

“We did pretty good as a whole and I did pretty good myself,” says Morgan Gamble, 15, who competed in seven events. Morgan earned four first place finishes, one second, one third, and one fourth.

“I really enjoy showing people how much I’ve achieved and proving to myself I can perform in front of people and not just Coach Bill,” says Morgan, who has made the trip to the world championships five times. 

Morgan has filled up five hats with pins from all over the world. She trades pins with friends she meets at the ISI world events.

Allyssa Savaglio, 15, who competed in 11 events and also has been to the championships five times, says she likes the diversity in the types of events. For example, participants can skate an artistic program, a couples program, or do an interpretive program, to name just a few. 

Out of the 11 events she participated in, Allyssa earned three first place finishes, two seconds, one third, three fourths, and two fifth places.

Allyssa Savaglio

“It’s a lot of fun because each event is so different,” she says. “You can be strong in one event and weak in another, so you can work on that one for next time.”

Next time brings lots of promise for TBSA Countryside skaters, who are working hard with the Boston competition in mind. And who knows, maybe then Claudia will receive Bradley’s answer to her marriage proposal. “He heard her, too,” Allyssa says, as a witness. “He was laughing.”

                                                —-

Below are the TBSA Countryside skaters’ placements at the ISI world event:

Brianna Bella: 1 first, 2 seconds, 1 third.

Allie Burch: 1 first, 2 fourths, 6 thirds, 1 sixth.

Claudia Cannatella: 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fifth.

Ashley Cinotti: 1 first, 2 thirds, 1 fifth, 3 sixths.

Alexis Cinotti: 1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fifth.

Guilanna Lombardo: 1 first, 2 seconds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth.

Tyler Ouzts: 3 firsts, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 sixth.

Julia Savaglio: 2 firsts, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 3 sixths.

Erin Tibbits: 2 firsts, 1 third, 1 fourth.

When Nick Mininno made the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning Mite Travel Team recently it’s as if the 7-year-old scored two goals in one.

He not only gets to become a member of the team, but he also gets to train at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar – the new official home of the Tampa Jr. Lightning Hockey Club.

At left, Nick Mininno, 7, and his dad, Jim.

“I like this place,” says Jim Mininno, Nick’s dad. “I checked out a few other area rinks, and I like the people here, and I like the rink. For one, it has two full-size rinks, compared to the other area rinks, so there’s more opportunity here for kids to get ice time.”

Just like his dad, Nick enjoys playing hockey at TBSA, too.

“We get to have fun and shoot on goalies,” he says, smiling.

The Mininnos aren’t the only ones excited about the Jr. Lightning organization moving to TBSA.

“We’ve seen positive results since it was announced (last month),” says the Jr. Lightning’s Vice President Julie Garr. “People are excited. We’ve had more kids try out. It’s very obvious for the parents what to do next because everybody is working together.”

Boys and girls ranging in ages from 8 to 18 can try out to be a part of the Jr. Lightning club, one of Tampa’s top youth hockey organizations.

For more than 20 years, the club operated out of Clearwater Ice Arena, which only has one sheet of ice.

Garr says there were several reasons that prompted the organization to move the youth hockey program to TBSA, which has two full-size rinks.

“They have dual-ice, which a program like ours needs,” she says. “They also have built up their in-house program in the last year, which was very appealing to us. And there is a mutual respect with management. So far, it’s been easy going.”

While the Jr. Lightning organization will continue to be self-governered, the partnership with TBSA is a team effort designed to encourage and prepare youth hockey players as they advance from the learn-to-skate programs and the instructional and recreational hockey programs to the A and AA travel teams.

TBSA Hockey Director Al Nicoll stands with some of the boys who tried out recently and made the Jr. Lightning Mite Travel Team.

Al Nicoll, TBSA’s hockey director, is pleased the Jr. Lightning club has joined forces with the rink.

“They’re getting involved in our in-house program, coaching clinics and mentoring programs, so we can do better training to get the kids ready to play travel hockey,” he says.

As Nick continues to play hockey throughout his childhood, he may not remember the day he made the Mite travel team. But he definitely remembers the day about 2 1/2 years ago when his interest in hockey was first piqued.

“My dad turned on the TV and he started watching it,” he says. “He use to play when he was my age so I got interested in it.”

There’s little doubt hockey will continue to be a bond he and his dad will share for years to come – at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

For the Tampa Bay Skating Club’s junior synchro skaters, there’s only one thing that beats doing your personal best – and that’s doing it in unison. 

After a series of setbacks and injuries at sectionals, the Florida Sunsations put themselves back together and did what they had hoped to do at nationals recently: skate their best.

The junior Florida Sunsations synchro team.

“I just really wanted us to have a clean skate and be proud that we skated our best,” senior member Laura Verkyk says. “After we got off the ice we were all in tears. We really acted like we got first place.”

The team finished in last place out of 12 teams from across the nation, but performing well was their No. 1 goal.

“Even though we got last place, the place wasn’t important,” senior Allyson Klovekorn says. “We beat our scores from sectionals and we skated a clean long program.”

One of the commentators for the 2013 US Synchronized Skating Championships in Plymouth, Michigan, said the 12-member synchro team from Oldsmar, FL, had the most important thing going for them during their long program:

“They should feel very proud of this performance to come out and really just hit each element,” said commentator Becky Search, 2007 World synchronized skating silver medalist. “They look like they were having so much fun, which when it comes down to it is the most important thing.”

For Laura, 18, part of what made it so fun was the support of the audience.

The Sunsations perform at the 2013 US Synchronized Skating Championships.

“The best part was the feeling of being out there on the ice and hearing our name being cheered from the fans and everybody clapping to our music,” she said. “We’ve never had that before. It was such an accomplishment. It was very overwhelming.”

(See the video of their long program performance at nationals as they skate to the music Material Girl by Madonna and Sparkling Diamonds by Moulin Rouge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c1tba7Elg0)

Two years ago the team started participating in the more competitive US Figure Skating events, which have strict rules and guidelines for performance and allows teams to compete at sectionals and nationals. Prior to that, they only competed in Ice Skating Institute (ISI) events, which are geared toward recreational skating. 

Rachel Duckworth, who co-coaches the junior Sunsations along with Nicole West, says she never doubted the team would compete at nationals this year.

Coach Rachel Duckworth

“I would tell them, ‘We’re gonna make it to nationals,’ and they would say, ‘No, there’s no way,’ and I would say, ‘Yeah, we really are,'” Duckworth said.

The top four teams at sectionals go to nationals. But because there weren’t any junior synchro teams competing from the western division, the Sunsations just had to participate at sectionals to get a ticket to nationals.

“We’ve never had a synchro team get to nationals before so to get there was exciting,” she added.

After skating their personal best at the March 1, 2013, national championships, the Sunsations came back home to compete again. It was as though that ‘first place’ feeling stayed with them because this time performing their best won them the top spot locally.

Coach Nicole West

At the March 23, 2013, ISI Spring Fling competition at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy they captured first place out of four other teams.

While they ended their synchro season on a high note, their road to nationals was a bumpy ride fraught with setbacks. At the 2013 Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships in February in Lake Placid, NY, the team endured one injury after another.

“They stole the show when they ended up with four people in the hospital,” Duckworth said.

Intermediate member Carla Brunini and junior members Alisa Goldstein, Alisha Sarley, and Tori Kerr were all taken to the local hospital for a variety of injuries.

Carla had an asthma attack. Alisa fell during the competition and someone accidentally ran over her finger. She received several stitches but went on to compete at nationals. Alisha injured her knee and wasn’t able to compete at nationals. And Tori injured her foot but was able to skate at the national championships.

Tori slipped and injured her foot on the icy walk to the Lake Placid Olympic Center to perform. She went on the ice to compete anyway.

“Rachel carried me off the ice,” Tori said. “I couldn’t walk anymore.” Other than that, though, she said, “It was a lot of fun.”

Just having the opportunity to go to sectionals and then nationals was an exciting experience for the team.

“Especially since I’m a senior it means so much to me,” Allyson said. “I always wanted to go watch nationals. I never imagined skating at nationals. So it was great to get to go my last year.” 

At left, Allyson Klovekorn, and Laura Verkyk

Allyson, who also competes as a single skater, says being on the ice with other team members is more fun then skating alone.

“It’s not as stressful. The pressures not all on me,” she said. “It’s me and all of my team. So I can have more fun out there.”
 
And, synchro skaters know, there’s something about skating with others that tends to bring out the best in a skater.

“I didn’t like competing solo,” said Laura, whose been on the team for four years. “When I started skating synchro, skating just became so fun for me. I progressed so much. They encouraged me. When I am with my team I want to do it for them.” 

And that’s exactly what the junior Florida Sunsations synchro team members did for each other this season – saved the best for last. 

Team members wait to hear their scores at nationals. Allyson Klovekorn, Olivia Naab, Alisa Goldstein, Sarah Bowman, Caroline Tuxhorn, Ali Stipe, Mariah Salas, Laura Verkyk, Tori Kerr, Brittany Rossow, BrookeLyn McGauley, and Sarah Fuller, who filled in for injured Alisha Sarley.

Norm Beaudin helps customers in the pro shop recently. He’s retiring, but he will stay on for about a month to sharpen skates and help with the transition.

So it should come as no surprise that former National Hockey League player Norm Beaudin knows the time is right to retire as the owner of Beaudin’s Hockey Zone, located inside the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar. 

“I’ve known Norm for 14 years,” Flaskay says. “I got him into the pro shop business by working with him to establish a business that he developed quite successfully.”

In fact, Flaskay says, Norm’s ability to take a shot at success goes beyond hockey.

“Norm loves all sports, including golf,” Flaskay says. “He’s quite adept at hitting a golf slap shot that looks just like a hockey slap shot – he was, after all, an NHL player.” 

The former pro hockey player has earned his spot in hockey history. To read more about his career, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Beaudin

Norm’s retirement marks the end of an era at TBSA. So we sat down with him to find out, among other things, what’s next for him and his wife, Linda.

Q: What prompted the decision to retire?

Norm: Naturally, we’re getting older…and we weren’t feeling well so we decided to leave the business. I’ll be 72 in November. It’s time to retire. 

Q: What are you going to do now?

Norm:  I’m going to feel my way around active retirement. (He laughs.) In about a month, we’re visiting my daughter in Canada and celebrating our 50th anniversary on August 3 in Vancouver. (They hope all four of their kids, David, Nadine, Gregory and Carrie Lynn, will be there to celebrate with them.) It’s good timing because I can relax and not wonder how the store is doing. I also want to get back in better shape than I am so being retired maybe I’ll have more time to do that.

Q: What led you to move into the pro shop business?

Norm: I was the hockey director at TBSA in 2001. I went on vacation but got sick and ended up staying home. Nick called and asked, “How would you like to run the pro shop?” It was a little shock to me because I’d never been in retail, only in hockey. But then we expanded to Ellenton and CIA (Clearwater Ice Arena) and at one time I had three shops going. (His son, David, also helped run the shops.)

Q: What’s your hockey background?

Norm played right wing.  His playing career ran from 1967 to 1976.

Norm: I played for 15 years professionally. I played in the minor leagues, the National Hockey League, the World Hockey Association, for the Winnipeg Jets. I also played for the Minnesota North Stars and the St. Louis Blues. I played in the American Hockey League. And I went to Switzerland for three years as a player and coach where I had to learn German.

Q: Have you met any great hockey players?

Norm: I played with Bobby Hull. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the greatest player to play the game. Having the chance to play with Bobby was a dream and an honor. 

Q: How did you end up in hockey?

Norm: I was born on a farm in Montmartre, Saskatchewan in Canada. Before you could walk you had skates on. Our first instinct is to go on the pond and go skating. There were 13 kids in my family so we had a hockey team. But I’m the only one who pursued a career in hockey.

Q: Are you going to stay connected to the sport?

Norm: Oh yeah. I’ll continue to play in the ’50’s and over’ league.

Q: Anything you’d like to say before you retire?

Norm: Linda and I would like to thank all the customers who supported us through hockey. We’ve tried to give good service because service is the key. I know this will continue.