out in the free and pulled up nine places [to 11th overall], it still was not easy,” Wylie said. “Tat spring I felt very alone. I had calls from judges saying I should go back to school.” After a great deal of introspection,
Wylie returned to Cape Cod and trained with coaches Evy and Mary Scotvold with more intensity than ever. By that summer, he was consistently hitting triple Axels.
Coaches Tammy Gambill, Christa Fassi and Janet Champion were recognized for their achievements. Fassi and Champion were also inducted into the PSA’s Figure Skating Coaches Hall of Fame.
After placing a controversial second at the 1992 U.S. Championships, Wylie worked with renewed intensity, focusing on his heart rate, doing dozens of back- to-back run-throughs and strengthen- ing his jump and spin techniques. He also visualized what it might be like to achieve success at the Olympics. “Trough visualization, I started to see my triple Axel as something fun,” he explained. “I also realized winning a medal would be a possibility.” Once Wylie was in Albertville he still battled self-doubt, yet managed to overcome it thanks to Evy Scotvold. “I missed both of my triple Axels during the warm-up for the short pro- gram and I could hear the audience say ‘ugh,’” Wylie said. “When I got off the ice, Evy told me my brain had me where it wanted me and said to instead focus on [jump] technique. Tat was all I needed to hear.” For Wylie, good coaching includes the willingness to help and learn from one another, clarity when teaching stu- dents, good energy and humor, plus an ability to stress the importance of role models and maintain an optimistic vi- sion.
“Te coach has to persevere,” he
said. “It’s frustrating, but the coach has to stick by skaters. It’s like being stuck in a ditch and having someone come by and help you.” Nearly 75 round-the-clock semi- nars focused on topics such as the ath- lete’s mindset, physical strength, artistic quality, technical skills and preparedness for high-pressure events. Nearly all of these seminars, held at both the hotel and at Te Skating Club of Boston, were packed.
Krall, a 1964 U.S. Olympian (as
Christine Haigler), covered the eight ba- sic steps of jumping. She explained that there are step, load and explode phases that occur in the takeoff, a first and second gathering and then air position in the air, and then the impact and the follow-through on the landing. “Te execution of jumps is based
upon universal principles,” she said. “Tere are lots of ways to do jumps, and the ability to be calculated and measure significantly changes an athlete’s devel-
opment.”
Camerlengo discussed the impor- tance of selecting music, editing it and matching it to the skater’s requirements, personality and style. “You want to capture the right thing, right moment and pay attention to detail because details always make a difference,” he said.
Casey explained that successful de-
velopment of top-grade skaters involves dedication, discipline, savvy, luck and most important, the desire by the athlete to achieve. “Often parents and coaches are hungrier for success than their kids are,” said Casey, who travels year-round around the U.S. working in tandem with coaches. “Many of them are overex- tended and [are given a lot], so it’s hard to demand too much from them.” According to Casey, coaches today
are faced with many difficult decisions, since skaters, especially at the top, tend to resist being pushed. “Any poison in a rink could ruin a good atmosphere, such as a skater with a bad attitude, [over-involved] parent or friends of a skater who want them to go to the movies,” she said. “Try to keep as many negatives away from your skater as you can.” Meanwhile, each season athletes and their coaches should write a thor- ough list of goals, and then make certain to stick to them throughout the year. “Goal-setting is still a weak link in American skating,” she said. “Goals are very important for the skaters to have.” Sand, an ISU technical specialist,
covered pair spins and death spirals, both of which are important point-getters for competition these days. U.S. pairs, he said, should concentrate primarily on execution, rather than immediately try- ing to obtain high levels. “It’s important to focus on good
quality,” Sand said. “Pairs spend so much time trying to get levels, but you can get points with a high-quality level two spin, for example.”
OTHER PSA AWARD WINNERS
Pieter Kollen Sport Science Award: Kat Arbour, developer of Ice Dynamics® Assess- ments
Jimmy Disbrow Distinguished Official Award: Joe Inman
Gus Lussi Award for male professional: Ryan Bradley
Sonja Henie Award for female profession- al: Christy Krall
F. Ritter Shumway Award for contribu- tions to the sport: Janet Champion
Betty Berens Award for coach who has overcome adversity: Sandy Lamb
Joe Serafine Volunteer of the Year Award: Heidi Thibert
Photograph of the Year Award: Andrea Hoo Chempinski
SKATING 11
PHOTO BY LIZ LEAMY
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PSA
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