rinkside
Change comes to Figure Skating in Harlem
For nearly a decade, Figure Skating in Har-
lem, a nonprofi t organization providing oppor- tunity, education and empowerment for girls in underserved New York City communities, held its annual gala at Central Park’s Wollman Rink, where guests could skate under the stars with past and present U.S. competitors. This year, FSH founder and executive direc-
tor Sharon Cohen is taking it off ice. The 10th an- nual gala will be held on April 13 in an elegant event space on New York’s Park Avenue. Ballroom dancing is on the menu: Meryl Davis and Maks Chmerkovskiy, winners of Season 18’s “Dancing with the Stars,” will perform. “It’s the gala’s 10th anniversary and we de-
cided, let’s shake it up,” Cohen said, adding that skating videos, including FSH student perfor- mances, will be shown. “Meryl and Maks will dance, and we’re hoping to get Kristi Yamaguchi and Evan Lysacek on the fl oor as well.” Yamaguchi won DWTS Season 6, while Ly-
sacek was runner-up in Season 10. This year’s gala honors Lysacek; feminist pio-
neer Gloria Steinem; and Nicole Feld, Alana Feld, and Juliette Feld of Feld Entertainment, owners of Disney on Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and many other productions. As always, funds raised go toward expand-
ing FSH’s programs, which serve hundreds of at- risk girls in New York City. “This year, we have doubled the size of our
summer camp,” Cohen said of the program held at City Ice Pavilion in Long Island City, New York. “The girls come for four full days, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and a wide range of academics are off ered.
State Games of America registration under way
Registration for fi gure
skating is now open at the State Games of America website,
www.sga2015.com/figure-ska ting.
The 2015 State Games of “We’ve also started our STEM program,
(which stands for) science-technology-engineer- ing-math,” she continued. “The goal is to get more girls excited about careers in science and technol- ogy.”
Cohen, a former skating competitor and
fi lmmaker who founded FSH in 1997, has a fi ve- year strategic plan that includes expanding the FSH model to other cities. “The board is looking at launching a pilot
program within the next two years,” she said. “We’re considering Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and Miami, as well as smaller cities like Providence, Rhode Island.”
— Lynn Rutherford
Skate Great members help open Canalside In 1825, the Erie Canal Harbor was constructed at the
western end of the Erie Canal in the small town of Buff alo, New York. In a few short years, Buff alo was transformed into the largest inland port in the nation and became a thriving metropolis, earning the name “Gateway to the West.”
Almost 200 years later, the canal has yet again be-
come an important landmark of the city, but in addition to harboring ships, a portion of the canal has been trans- formed and frozen over to create “Canalside,” a venue for curling, pond hockey, broomball, ice biking (on-ice bikes designed and manufactured right in Buff alo) and, most importantly, ice skating! In December, Canalside, located in the city’s central
corridor, celebrated its grand opening and welcomed more than 400 people to set foot on the very canal that ushered in Buff alo’s golden years. The New York-area’s Skate Great was honored to
participate in the opening ceremonies, which included a demonstration of ice programs, a tree-lighting, fi reworks and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by open skating for the community. Skate Great will provide a learn-to-skate and fi gure
skating program at this, its fi fth rink in the Buff alo area. “We are proud to be a part of celebrating Buff alo’s
rich history as we skate into the future,” Skate Great Direc- tor Jessica Lauria said.
America (SGA) will be held in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, July 28 through August 2. Fig- ure skating will take place at the Ralston Arena and the Moylan Iceplex in Omaha. The SGA is the largest
Olympic-style sports festival in the nation, with 20,000 athletes expected to compete in more than 60 sports and recreational events with multiple age divi- sions and skill levels. Individuals or teams eligi-
ble to compete in the 2015 State Games of America include gold, silver or bronze medal winners at a participating state games competition in 2013 or 2014 (summer and winter). Medalists from 2015 winter games and summer events that occur prior to July 1, 2015, are also eligible. The state organization sponsor- ing the competition must be a member of the National Con- gress of State Games. The Nebraska Sports Coun-
cil (NSC) will organize and over- see the event. The NSC’s Corn- husker State Games recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and is one of the largest State Games events in the nation. “We’re looking forward to
welcoming some of the top am- ateur athletes from across the country, and we’re confi dent they’ll have a great experience competing at the 2015 SGA in Lincoln,” said Dave Mlnarik, ex- ecutive director of the Nebraska Sports Council. “The attractions and recreation opportunities in the area also make the 2015 SGA a great family vacation des- tination.”
SKATING 43
ADAM TAYLOR/ABC
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