2016 PROGRESSIVE SKATE AMERICA


Skate America returns to Lake Placid


U.S. Figure Skating announced the selec-


tion of Lake Placid, New York, as the host city for 2017 Skate America. Competition is sched- uled for Nov. 24–26, 2017, and will be held at the historic 1980 Herb Brooks Arena. “U.S. Figure Skating looks forward to re-


turning to Lake Placid for this prestigious in- ternational competition,” U.S. Figure Skating President Sam Auxier said. “Te community has a rich history in figure skating and we are excited to celebrate part of the Olympic season in Lake Placid.”


Lake Placid, which hosted the inaugural


Rebecca Lichtman, 7, who skates at Twin Rinks in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, gets an autograph from World silver medalist and Skate America champion Ashley Wagner.


Wagner speaks at FOFS Breakfast


For much of her senior career, Ashley Wag-


ner has been saddled with “Te Drought,” a term the media coined regarding the U.S. ladies’ inability to medal at a World Championships since Kimmie Meissner earned the gold in 2006. As she was introduced to more than 110


people attending the 2016 Friends of Figure Skating (FOFS) Breakfast, Wagner smiled and looked up at the screen that featured a frozen video image of her holding the 2016 World sil- ver medal in Boston. “Tat right there,” she said with a big grin,


“that’s why I kept skating all these years. Win- ning that medal at Worlds just proves you should never give up.” Wagner acknowledged the many familiar


faces she’s seen over the years; some had traveled to Boston for the 2016 World Championships. “So many of you have been with me along


this journey,” she said. “You have no idea how much all of us, especially me, appreciate your heartfelt support.” Wagner, the gold medalist at Skate Ameri-


ca, was joined by her new training mate, Mariah Bell, who earned silver at the event. Pairs teams Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier (who won silver), Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea, and Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran also mingled with fans at the breakfast, signing autographs and posing for photos. Te men and ice dance teams were unable to attend due to the competi- tion’s schedule. Te breakfast also featured an inside look


into U.S. Figure Skating’s new brand and image campaign, “Get Up.” U.S. Figure Skating Chief Marketing Officer Ramsey Baker gave a presen- tation that walked the Friends through the cam- paign, which launched at Skate America, from impetus to execution. Attendees were receptive to the campaign and appreciated the positive message that transcends figure skating. — Barb Reichert


16 DECEMBER 2016


‘It’s really cool’ Timothy Dolensky, a 24-year-old from


Kennesaw, Georgia, had a pretty good summer. Riding the momentum of his Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada last year, the 2012 U.S. junior silver medalist graced the cover of SKATING magazine’s “Show Me Healthy” issue in October after being invited to compete at his first Skate America in August. “It’s a pretty special roller coaster,” Dolen-


sky said. “To be honest I thought I’d have to be a lot farther in my career to make it on the cover of SKATING, but I’m really appreciative of these opportunities and experiences. Being a skater requires you to live a healthy lifestyle, so it’s second nature to me. For U.S. Figure Skating to showcase that we’re athletes, not just looking pretty all the time, and for me to be a part of that — it’s really cool.”


— Mimi McKinnis


Skate America in 1979, has put on the event four times (1979, 1981–82, 2009). Te state of New York has hosted Skate America six times. U.S. Figure Skating will work with the Olympic Re- gional Development Authority (ORDA) to plan the event. “Over the last several years, bringing Skate


America back to Lake Placid has been a focus of this organization,” ORDA Chairman Pat Barrett said. “Te Lake Placid community takes extreme pride in its figure skating history and through Skate America, as well as other competitions, it’s our opportunity to showcase it.” Skate America, traditionally the first of six


stops on the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, will be the sixth and final competition of the 2017 Grand Prix Series. Tickets will be on sale the week of Dec.


15. Visit www.2017skateamerica.com for more information.


‘Level 4 Look’ teaches skaters beauty, makeup tricks


Tarah Kayne is entertaining skating fans


in a new way — through her recently launched YouTube channel Level 4 Look, which provides beauty tutorials for skaters. When watching makeup and style YouTube channels, Kayne no- ticed that nothing catered specifically to those in performance sports.


JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING


PHOTO BY BARB REICHERT


JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING


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