This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
SKATING FOR THE MIND, BODY AND SOUL By LEXI ROHNER


TEMPLE CITY, CALIF., LOS ANGELES FSC ADULT SILVER FREE SKATE/ INTERMEDIATE SOLO FREE DANCE


JOAN BYS, 45 as


After seven years a


competitive


adult skater, Joan Bys realized her anxiety increased with each competition. The problem intrigued her, putting her on a path to solve what was the root of her self-consciousness. Bys, a supervising parole agent, has


30 years of competitive stage dance expe- rience. Her performing background only added to her confusion. “My fi rst few [fi gure skating] compe-


titions were pure joy,” Bys said. “I fi gured I could handle it.” But slowly she began to feel that ev-


ery fall, mistake and less-than-stellar per- formance was being mocked, allowing her subconscious to develop a pattern that mandated perfection. Bys turned to Cal Sutliff , author of Skating Out Of Your Mind, who told her that being nervous is not a bad thing; it’s normal and necessary. “The problem occurs when pressure


builds to the point of unbearable,” said Sutliff , a management trainer and person- al coach. Bys compared her mental training as


a skater to her years as a dancer. In gen- eral, she theorized, adults stop “playing.” Children aren’t always attuned to adult behavior, and performing may not regis- ter as pressure to a child. “Adults have 100 percent of the re-


sponsibility, and thus the worry,” she said. “I began to see how maturity could be a competitive hindrance.” Through written affi rmations and daily


reminders, Bys emphasized what she loved about competing and de-emphasized her fears. Sutliff taught her controlled breath- ing exercises that lowered her blood pres- sure and reduced her heart rate. Bys’ 2011 goal was


“calm knees


during performance,” which she said she achieved 100 percent in competition and 50 percent in testing. Once she realized the source of her


anxiety, most of the pressure was elimi- nated. “I


still get nervous,” she said. “But


thanks to the work I’ve done with Cal, I can maintain perspective and enjoy the challenges.”


48 JANUARY 2013


PRISCILLA HEATON, 46 LOS ANGELES


MASTERS NOVICE FREE SKATE


cilla Heaton fell in love


competi-


tive fi gure skating. But as an adult, she struggled with


At age 9, Pris- with


her


weight to the point of morbid obesity. At 230 pounds, she took her then 5-year-old children skating and injured herself while demonstrating a sit spin for her son. Heaton immediately committed to


major lifestyle changes. “The more I skat- ed, the more I realized how much I missed it, said Heaton, who has returned to skat- ing after 20 years. “When my children started skating, I had to also.” Skating frequently, Heaton reconnect- ed with her childhood coach, Gary Visconti. The weight came off and her courage and daring increased. But pain in her knees forced her to cut back her hours on the ice. “Now I go into withdrawals if I can’t


skate every other day,” she said. “I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the camara- derie and support from skating.” She also had no idea that at age 46,


she’d be fi t and performing three-minute programs with double jumps. She’s also proud of her resolve. In a “the show must go on” moment


at the 2011 National Showcase, Heaton’s name was called while she frantically searched for a screwdriver to secure her loose blade. She performed two reskates with only one screw in the heel of her blade. After earning the silver medal, she promptly retired the 20-year-old skates. Heaton said she is most proud of her


fi rst adult competition, which took place in 2011. With her husband and children, Phoebe and Hudson, cheering her on, she took the ice for the fi rst time in 25 years. She was overcome with emotion as her children watched her receive two gold medals. “I’m very proud of my recent ac- complishments,” she said. “It’s exciting to feel this adventurous again!” A stay-at-home mother, Heaton now


contends with balancing skating and life. Her creative drive extends to her online store, “Priscilla Styles,” that features elabo- rate gift cards and “digis” (electronic rubber stamp images). She developed Crafters Digital Art Center (priscillastyles.ning.com), which boasts 8,000 online members.


ALL YEAR FSC


COYOTES SKATING CLUB OF ARIZONA MASTERS SILVER DANCE


From wheels to blades, Charles Aybar


found each an easy fi t. But after visiting The Ice Den in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2011, he knew his roller skating days were over. Aybar grew up in New York City


where he was fi gure skating under coach Bruce Mapes – until a roller rink opened across the street in the late 1970s. The timing couldn’t have been any better, as Aybar, an artistic skater, fell right into the roller disco craze. The spotlight landed squarely on the


young Aybar, now a professional pilot and aerospace executive. In a four-year period, he appeared in more than 50 television shows, commercials and magazines and was a favorite at national seminars. Post stardom, Aybar operated several


roller skating rinks in the New York area and coached for eight years. “I was having a blast and really loved promoting skating via a variety of programs,” he said. Up until 2011, Aybar said he never


considered returning to the ice. But now the goal-driven fi gure skater spends sev- eral hours each week training. In an eight- month period, he completed a record 21 U.S. Figure Skating dance tests. Now the master’s level adult skater has his sights set on earning a double gold medal in free dance and pattern dance by the 2013 U.S. Adult Championships. Coached by Veronica Wargo and Don


Baldwin, Aybar appreciates the support in keeping his goals alive. “I have come full circle, now that I am


back on the ice,” he said. “There are no bar- riers and I’d love to see more adults stay fi t by taking up the sport.”


CHARLES AYBAR, 55 SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68