Anne Gerli is honored with the LeeAnn Miele Spirit of
Skating Award. (l-r) Lucy Brennan, Coco Shean (Anne’s daughter),
Gerry Miele, Gerli and Sarah Hughes
More than 100 skaters from the Rockford and Chicagoland areas skated in the Rockford Park District’s spring ice show titled “Extra! Extra! Skate All About It!” on May 2–3 at Carlson Ice Arena in Loves Park, Illinois. The show featured skaters from the Rockford Skating Club, the Park District’s learn- to-skate program, Revolution synchronized skating teams, Chicagoland Ice Theatre and special guests Makala Arn and Ryan Bedard.
(l-r) John Coughlin,
Gerli recipient of LeeAnn Miele Spirit Award
Anne Gerli, a lifetime skater who began judging at the end of World War II, is this year’s recipient of the LeeAnn Miele Spirit of Skating Award.
The award, established in 2001, is given to an individual who contributes to all levels of the sport, has a willing- ness to judge tests and competitions, and works with judges, skaters, parents and coaches in the best interest of fi gure skating.
A member of The Skating Club of New York, Gerli has held numerous positions since her initial appointment as a judge in 1944. She knew and admired LeeAnn Miele, according to Gerli’s daughter, Coco Shean.
“When my mother was developing new ideas, LeeAnn was there to support her, and LeeAnn embodied all the wonderful parts of the sport,” Shean said. “There was a time when judges went to competitions and because the budgets didn’t provide for hotels for judges, we stayed in each other’s homes as we traveled around. The friend- ships and bonds formed around skating are enduring. My mother was truly honored to have been selected for this award, and she was thrilled that Gerry Miele came to present it to her in person.”
“She loves the sport, the exercise, the fun and the cama- raderie of her sport,” Alis McCurdy-Sauers said of Gerli. “Her real pleasure is judging nonqualifying competitions to see the excitement and joy of fi rst-time competitors. She cares about the skaters and is a very fair judge and a welcome communicator to parents, skaters and coaches.”
Caydee Denney, Courtney Hicks, CEO/Founder of Ice Stars For Wounded Warriors Kerry Togneri, ice show directors Chynna Pope and Elin Schran
Champion pairs skaters Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, with sin- gles standout Courtney Hicks, performed in the fi fth annual Ice Stars For Wounded Warriors event on April 25 at the University of Massachu- setts Mullins Center. The show raised $17,000, of which $15,000 goes to Home Base Boston for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and $2,000 that goes to Wounded Warrior Project.
Cambodia’s fi rst fi gure skater to compete
Two years after Cambodia built its fi rst ice rink, the tropical nation is getting ready to send its fi rst fi gure skater to an international competition.
Cambodian rink employee Sen Bunthoeurn, 25, said he will com- pete either at Skate Asia in China in August, or at SM Skate Manila in the Philippines in October.
“When I was young, I saw fi gure skating on TV; I really wanted to learn, but I didn’t know where I could do it,” said Bunthoeurn, who learned to ice skate after applying for a job at Cambodia’s fi rst rink, which opened in 2013.
He got hired after the boss gave all the applicants two weeks to learn ice skating — and he suc- ceeded.
“I saw an announcement in the newspaper that they were look- ing for people to train in skating,” Bunthoeurn said. “I was a coff ee
shop supervisor (at the time). Now I skate six days per week, and I like it.”
Like most Cambo- dians, Bunthoeurn comes from a family of rice farmers. He said when he showed his parents videos of fi gure skaters on You- Tube, they didn’t believe that what they were seeing was real.
“They said it’s just magic,” Bun- thoeurn said.
Bunthoeurn hopes his trips to competitions will be paid for by Cambodian businessman Meng Hieng, who now owns two local ice skating rinks, and also dreams about putting Cambodia’s fi rst hockey team on the ice to com- pete in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
— Julie Masis
Carlette Marie Quinto, former two-term All Year Figure Skating Club junior board president, received her diploma for master of social work from Dr. Lynn Videka, dean and professor, during the New York University (NYU) Silver School of Social Work Class of 2015 convocation held on May 18, 2015, at Lincoln Cen- ter, New York City.
42 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
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