September2008

By Deanna Wright

Over this summer, Olympic and World Competitor Karen Preston, who now coaches at the Canadian Ice Academy in Mississauga, Ontario, set up an inter camp summer challenge for all the skaters. She was inspired by a quote from Tiger Woods (www.twlc.org) who said:

“Tiger learned from his parents that family and education come first; anything is possible if you work hard and making a difference in other people’s lives is worth much more than winning golf tournaments. … At home and at school Tiger learned the values of integrity, honesty, discipline, responsibility and fun, and these values have helped him achieve his dreams.”

Karen set up a challenge where skaters were responsible for charting their progress based on the number of clean run throughs they had of their (long) program. The point total would go down if certain elements were not completed cleanly. “We are encouraging the skaters to monitor their own progress through the honour system and we are hoping to instill integrity and honesty in each athlete as they are their own judge”, said Karen. Skaters could see more visually where they had trouble areas and could work with their coaches to find ways through these challenges.

One of the measures of success was a 100% pass rate at the centralized test day in July!

So, why am I sharing this information with you? Because skating, like golf is about life lessons. This is the time of year for setting goals for yourself in your skating. What challenges can you set for yourself and what challenges can you put in place to measure your progress and success. If you apply the values of integrity, honesty, discipline, responsibility and fun, what dreams will you make come true while developing consistent training skills?

I encourage all of you to set up a challenge for yourself, for coaches to set up a challenge for their students and for clubs to set up a challenge for those who wish to participate! Then, please let us know about your success, so we can share it with our skating community!

My wish is that you have the best skating season ever!

Dress Wright On Ice Expert Skate Fitting By Skaters For Skaters

Check out our Expert team:

Watch our homepage for the YouTube address for our "Wright Fit" skate fitting DVD!

1. Try on your skates and make sure they still fit – before the first day of lessons!! You may need to head out your nearest skating specialty store for some new equipment!

2. Make sure a professional skate sharpener sharpens your skates! Over the summer months, changes in temperature and humidity can leave blades rusted. So start the season with a fresh sharpening!

3.Check your skate bag to make sure you have:

Skates
Skates guards (for walking but not for storing your skates!)
Blade covers
Skate towel to dry your skates well before putting on your blade covers.
Tights
Gloves
Extra pair of laces
A list with important phone numbers on it just in case!

4. Work hard and have fun

Get the "JUMP" on the season

For the best selection in new skating and dance dresses, shop early!

Looking for used skates instead of new? Check out the Skate Exchange box on our home page!

Good Luck, Skate Hard - 'til next time!

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September 2008 Edition