‘TOSSIES’ ADD MORE FUN TO THE SKATING EXPERIENCE
By Lexi Rohner
BEANIE BABY BAZOOKA One of fi gure skating’s pop-
ular traditions involves audi- ence members throwing “toss- ies” onto the ice in appreciation of a skater’s performance. This ritual is alive and well at the U.S. Adult Championships. “Tossies are a symbol of
the support we all give each other as part of the adult fi g- ure skating community,” Lauren Day said. “At my fi rst U.S. Adult Championships, I was shocked to have 12 tossies thrown on the ice for me, mostly from people I had never even met in person. It was the most wonderful feeling!” Day and her husband, Steve Goldstein, decided to get creative in the way
they delivered tossies to the ice in support of their friends. Instead of the tradi- tional method of throwing the small packaged gifts from just off the ice, Goldstein invented the Beanie Baby Bazooka. The Bazooka shoots the tossie like a missile from a tube-style launcher. Distance and accuracy are dramatically improved. “Everyone loved it,” Goldstein said. “The whomp sound made people turn
around and giggle.” Wanting to participate in his wife’s skating life, this contraption was the per-
fect project for him. It also turned out to be a magnet, off ering a fun distraction for the reluctant husbands, boyfriends and partners in the audience. Largely well received, the Beanie Baby Bazooka had to be limited at one point
when a few people loaded objects other than plush toys (a handful of small rub- ber duckies and a Rice Krispies Treat whose wrapper came off created problems). Now, the Beanie Baby Bazooka has a strictly enforced “plush-toys-only” rule. Standard tossies include hair ties, blade-wiping towels and gloves, among
other items. With the advent of the Beanie Baby Bazooka, Day and Goldstein fi nd their
tossie selections dictated as “shooties” instead of tossies. “For the Bazooka, we wanted something that would look cool being shot
through the air, so we bought a bunch of plush stars and tied custom-printed rib- bon onto them to make shooting stars,” Day said.
PERSONALIZED SPECIALTIES Michael Cruz, Terryl Allen and the late
Paula Smart are among the most avid tossie creators. “At my fi rst adult nationals in 2004, I was
touched by fellow skaters’ thoughtfulness,” Cruz said. “I was inspired to create remem- brances for future competition experiences.” Producing towels, CD cases, garment bags
and soakers imprinted with skaters’ names and competition logos, Cruz endeavors to share diff erent, useful and easily transported-home items. Allen fi rst created tossies for the 2006 ISU
International Adult Competition in Oberstdorf, Germany.
42 AUG./SEPT. 2012 “Medals were packable,” said Allen, who
initially used stock designs. She included cards printed with the
words: “For your passion to skate and your courage to compete.” Now in her seventh year, Allen’s designs
bear this phrase, along with symbols of skat- ing spirit and fi gure loop tracings. Smart was a tireless advocate for adult
skating. For the inaugural 2005 ISU Interna- tional Adult Competition, she embroidered patches for all 120 competitors. Scarves and backpacks followed in 2006 and 2007 for com- petitors and offi cials. “That was her forte,” Cruz said. “Paula
spent countless hours making her coveted tossies.” Other Oberstdorf tossies express inter-
national fl air, including Aussie boomerangs, chocolate, Swiss stuff ed St. Bernards (with bar- rels), yodeling marmots and German cows.
WENDY BEARS The Wendy Bear, created by Wendy Bauer, is a highly
sought-after tossie. Bauer’s daughter participated in synchronized skat-
ing in the late 1990s, and Bauer volunteered to make Beanie Baby sweaters for a team fundraiser. Using left- over yarn, Bauer was later inspired to make sweaters as tossies for her friends. “I think the fi rst ones had to be from 1999,” Bauer
said. “I only made a few that fi rst year, because I didn’t want to spend too much for Beanie Babies.” Finding a less costly source for bears online, Bauer
has since made many Wendy Bears. Bauer has considered selling Wendy Bears for char-
ity and is modest about the popularity of her creations as part of the tradition of tossies at the U.S. Adult Champi- onships. “I have heard people I don’t know wanting to get
one,” Bauer said. “I wish everyone who wanted one could get one, but I just don’t have time to make that many.” Using a variety of bears and a few other animals,
Bauer requires the stuff ed animal to be large enough to accommodate the letters and year on each sweater.
“I doubt I will
ever create any other tossie be- sides the sweat- ers,” Bauer said. “I love making them. They’re a perfect warm-weather knitting project, when you don’t want a big heavy sweater on your lap.”
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