BOOK CHRONICLES LIFE OF COACHING GREAT DON LAWS rinkside
As one of the most respected coaches in fi gure skating, Don Laws
has worked with some of the most famous names in the sport. This iconic Olympic coach, after almost 60 years in the profession, has no interest in stopping anytime soon. His life experience has been captured in a soon-to-be-released book
by Beverly Ann Menke, with a foreword by Scott Hamilton. Titled Don Laws: The Life of an Olympic Figure Skating Coach, the book is already pop- ular on pre-order from
Amazon.com and
barnesandnoble.com. “There was no one thing that moved me to do this book,” Laws
said. “It’s the story of my life from the beginning, when I used to take the bus to the rink. All my experiences have been life lessons.” Part of Laws’ skating history was being in Philadelphia to say
good-bye to the 1961 U.S. World Team. His fi rst-hand experience as the fi gure skating world recovered and rebuilt was but one of those lessons. “This book is intended to be a library book,” he said. “I hope it will
help skaters or coaches who may be questioning their contribution to the sport.” This humorous and enlightening biography not only includes
personal interviews with many of his former pupils, but also goes be- hind the scenes of the international judging system and touches upon
IGLOO SPECIAL OLYMPICS SKATERS PROGRAM RECEIVES HIGH PRAISE
The Igloo Special Olympics
Skaters competed in May at the Skating Club of Southern New Jersey’s annual Spring Invita- tional. Seven of the athletes —
Brianna Rae Chidzik, Darryl Tyler, Donovan Dix, Dominic Eberly, Ryan Corkery, Danielle Rizzo and Kristina Zanghi — participated in a skills competition, while one athlete, Aadita Arulalan, per- formed her freestyle program to “Rock Around the Clock.” High school freshman and
the break between Laws and his star pupil, two-time World champion Patrick Chan.
When asked what he considered to be the guiding philosophy of his own life, Laws said, “I have always kept in mind the words of Shakespeare: ‘This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.’” Menke said, “I have known Don
Laws for many years and always admired him. Accept- ing the task was something I did with great pleasure and enthusiasm.” Filled with mystifying stories as well as humorous ones, the book
is a reminder that being one’s best can really pay off ! Don Laws is a man who devoted his entire life to the sport and is loved by so many people in the skating community. Menke’s website
http://beverlymenke.com/ will contain much be- hind-the-scenes information as the release date nears.
— Barbi Smith
GORECKI MASTERS THE AXEL
Alexeia Gorecki showcased her
jumping prowess last spring at the Northern Blast Skating Competition in Woodridge, Ill. The event included a few just-for-
fun categories such as Super Spiral, Spin Like a Top and the Axel Master. Gorecki, 11, entered the Axel Master event and won by doing 63 consecutive Axels. Rules stated that there could be no tap toe and no pause longer than fi ve sec- onds between each jump.
junior pairs skater Audrey Gold- berg formed the group and re- cruited several of her skating friends to coach the Special Olympics athletes. The coaches worked with the athletes one hour a week from September through May.
Pictured are many of the coaches and all of the athletes who compose the Igloo Special Olympic Skaters program. (l-r) Gabriella Marvaldi, helper; Audrey Goldberg, coach/ organizer; Juliana May, coach; Ryan Corkery, athlete; Kristina Zanghi, athlete; Danielle Rizzo, athlete; Darryl Tyler, athlete; Aadita Arulalan, athlete; Brianna Rae Chidzik, athlete; Dominic Eberly, athlete; Belinda Chan, coach; Olivia Smart, coach; Donovan Dix, athlete.
“Each Special Olympics athlete had his or her own coach,” Goldberg said. “The individual-
ized attention, encouragement and enthusiasm from the coaches enabled the athletes to learn new skills and gain confi dence on the ice. Not only have the athletes learned a great deal, but the coaches have as well. Many of the teenaged coaches have expressed a new appreciation for their own health and strength. They have also acquired teaching skills and exhibited patience, persistence and focus with their special-needs students.” Rocky Marval, skating director and general manager of The Igloo at Mount Laurel in Mount
Laurel, N.J., made ice time available to the group, Goldberg said. He gave each athlete public skating passes and allowed them to use the rental skates free of charge. The Skating Club of Southern New Jersey included Special Olympics events in their annual
competition this year for the fi rst time and waived entry fees for the Special Olympics athletes. The referee for the Spring Invitational, John O’Connor, said he would like to see more com- petitions include Special Olympics events. “The athletes have loved coming to The Igloo each week and are looking forward to return-
ing again in September, at which time they will begin working toward competing at the New Jersey Special Olympics Winter Games to be held in February 2013,” Goldberg said.
36 OCTOBER 2012
NEW GM NAMED FOR PASADENA CENTER
Randy Winship has been named gen-
eral manager of the new Pasadena Ice Skating Center. He worked as the center’s skating
director from 2003 to 2006. Winship will handle the day-to-day operations as well as formulate and implement objectives, policies and plans for the rink. Winship comes to Pasadena from the
Ice Skating Institute in Dallas, where he has served as the national director of skat- ing programs and events since 2006. “The new Pasadena Ice Skating Cen-
ter is a great asset to the community, and I defi nitely believe it now has the potential to reach even greater heights in terms of programming, participation and revenue,” Winship said.
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