SHARING A LOVE OF SKATING BRINGS GREAT SATISFACTION
By LEXI ROHNER
GLEN AND DIANE GEVING, 58 STARLIGHT ICE DANCE CLUB
FOREST LAKE, MINN. CENTENNIAL DANCE
For Glen
and Diane Geving, skat- ing has been an important part of their 36 years of mar- riage. They’ve even passed down their passion for the sport to their three children and three grandchildren. “Our oldest daughter skates recre-
ationally and our middle daughter com- petes in adult skating. We’ve even per- formed in shows together.” Although Diane gave Glen hockey
skates in their 20s, the couple formally began taking lessons together in their late 30s. They went on to participate in shows and ice dance weekends, cultivat- ing friendships nationwide. Coached by Laurie Cole Benson,
they are working toward their adult silver dance test. “We’ve competed in 11 U.S. Adult Championships and earned medals in four colors, including gold in pre-bronze and pre-silver dance,” said Glen, who hopes to pass the European Waltz test by age 60. “I would not have guessed I’d enjoy
competing,” Diane added. Glen admits he remains humbled by
the sport despite their many accomplish- ments. “Every time I think I’m pretty good,
I do something clumsy like fall beneath Carol Fox doing the Swing Dance,” Glen said.
He added, though, that his gender
has its benefi ts in ice dancing. “I never realized all the women love
a male ice dancer,” Glen said. “We’re worth our weight in gold.” Diane and Glen both serve on their
club board, Diane as president and week- ly social ice dance sessions and clinics coordinator, and Glen manages social ice contracts and schedules. Away from skating, Diane is a reg-
istered nurse and board-certifi ed life coach. Glen holds a degree in wildlife bi- ology and retired early from commercial construction. They do Boundary Waters wilderness camping, agility competitions with their Brittany dogs and ballroom dancing.
30 FEBRUARY 2013 MOLLY JOHNSON, 54, SAN MATEO, CALIF.
KIANOOSH SAMII, 61, SAN FRANCISCO ST. MORITZ ISC PRE-GOLD DANCE
Through
skating, Kianoosh Samii and Molly Johnson have turned back the clock and have had a ball practicing and perform- ing together. They’ve thoroughly enjoyed their 14-year ice dancing partnership, which they view as their biggest skating achievement. Samii came to skating in 1989, push-
ing the reset button on his sedentary life. “Skating was meant to be a tool,” said
Samii, who works in renewable energy and sustainable living. “I had no idea how much fun it would be.” For Johnson, skating eased medical
school stress in 1982 and became integral to her life. “It’s the one thing I do solely for my-
self,” said Johnson, a dermatologist. Recognizing their potential past age
40, they have learned to balance work, family, skating and avoiding injury. “Younger people don’t get that they
can remain young through skating,” John- son said. On the competitive side, Johnson
and Samii have enjoyed much success un- der coaches John Dowding, Jim Sun and Peter Sasmore. Two competitions — the 2005 and 2012 U.S. Adult Championships — stand out for them. In third place entering the fi nal round
of the 2005 event, Samii discovered that he had left his costume back at the hotel. They were set to take the ice in 30 min- utes, which was about the time it would take to drive back to the hotel and re- trieve the costume. Facing slow-moving traffi c, Samii drove on the shoulder of the road to get there and back. The couple stepped on the ice as their names were called, and moments later they emerged with the gold medal. An injury to Johnson in 2012 almost
prevented their qualifi cation, and Samii lost two people close to him within two weeks. “I cannot imagine a better dance
partner and friend than Molly,” Samii said. In support of their club and sport,
they have played various roles. Samii is currently the Adult Skating Committee’s Pacifi c Coast Sectional vice chair, while Johnson volunteers as a medical offi cer.
LAURA AND BESHARA ELMUFDI, 36, 37 SAN JOSE, CALIF. PENINSULA SC
ADULT BRONZE DANCE/LAURA, ADULT BRONZE FS About a decade ago, Laura and Be-
shara Elmufdi found themselves work- ing long hours in the tech world without much of a social outlet to enjoy life. They tried skating and soon after took up ice dancing. It’s time spent together that they
continue to cherish. “We get to hold hands, and yes, it
sounds cheesy,” said Laura, “but it does help us connect. Of course, there are times when one of us causes the other to end up on the ice. We try not to hold it against each other.” While they skate for fun, they have
won medals at the U.S. Adult Champion- ships. “We aren’t training for the Olympics,”
said Laura, who also enjoys knitting and reading. “It’s easy to forget that it is athlet- ic training.” Beshara struggles with perfection-
ism, he admits, while Laura battles nerves. Their connection as a couple, though, allows them to work through those chal- lenges. Also, their coaches Peter Sasmore, Megan Brown, Susan Blaisdell and Cohen Duncan support them along the way. Both have their favorite dances, espe-
cially the Swing Dance. “We’d love to pass our gold tests, but
right now we are enjoying the ride,” Laura said.
Both have also branched out behind
the scenes as singles, pairs and dance test judges. Laura is a former club presi- dent and Beshara is the current club vice president and co-president of the Central California Interclub Association. Laura has chaired many competitions, even a cou- ple with Beshara as chief referee. “We aren’t sure we’ll do that again,”
Beshara said.
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