S. T . A . R .S. TOP S.T.A.R.S. FINISHERS,TRAINERS SHARE INSIGHT by MELISSA VRINER, NATIONAL S.T.A.R.S. PROGRAM COORDINATOR


Tree of the top-scoring S.T.A.R.S. participants in 2015 are members of Team USA. Tey all skate in different disciplines and train in different parts of the country. What they have in common is a well-balanced off-ice training program that features top trainers and strategic planning to help them stay healthy and strong for on-ice performance.


2015 TOP FEMALE ATHLETE VIVIAN LE


Te 2015 U.S. junior ladies champion, Le is a member of the Dallas FSC where she trains at the Dr Pepper StarCenter and Severyn Sports in Plano, Texas. Her coaching team features Aleksey Letov, Olga Gan- icheva, Evgueni Nemirovski, Brent Holdburg, Brent Severyn, Ella Rasin, Tyler Fulton, Renee Wensel and Yavin Frye-Patch. Le participated in her first S.T.A.R.S. combine last summer while attending an international selection pool singles camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “S.T.A.R.S. helped me see what my strengths and


weaknesses are and what I need to improve on,” she said.


Le participates in off-ice conditioning daily with


her coaches. Her goals this year are to improve both interpretation and flexibility. Away from the ice, Le enjoys biking, hiking, zip-lining and making origami. She collects snow globes from her travels.


Vivian’s trainer, Aleksey Letov “We strongly believe that in order to be successful in any sport, we must build well-rounded ath- letes. As a figure skater, it is not enough to rely solely on technique and time on the ice, but it is necessary to develop and strengthen quickness and coordi- nation in the athlete’s back, legs and ankles. We conduct off-ice classes daily, focusing on developing different aspects with each class, which aids in the pre- vention of injury and longevity in the sport.”


Vivian Le rose to the top of the junior ranks with the training and coaching of Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva.


36 FEBRUARY 2016


2015 TOP PAIRS SKATER/FEMALE 15+


GRETCHEN DONLAN Donlan and partner


Nathan Bartholomay represent the Southwest Florida Figure Skating Club. Te senior-level duo trains at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex with coaches Jim Peterson, Amanda Evora and Lyndon Johnston. She also trains with Cindy Caprel for jumps and Matt Eaton for off-ice strength and conditioning. Participating in combines


for the last two years, Donlan learned a lot from her first experi- ence.


“From last year’s testing I


realized that I needed to increase my arm strength, as that was, my weakest component,” she said. She credits Eaton’s rigorous


full-body workouts for her athlet- ic improvement. “Knowing that I can trust


my body’s strength and endur- ance, I have much more confi- dence on the ice,” Donlan said. “It’s incredible how much mental assurance can factor into how we perceive our own fatigue. When your legs are burning halfway through your program with two throws left to go, it’s reassuring to know that my trained muscles truly do have the stability needed to nail them.”


Gretchen’s trainer, Matthew Eaton “We build our athletes daily with a mindset of peaking at the end of the year for all major com- petitions. Off-ice training plays


Pairs skater Gretchen Donlan and her trainer Matthew Eaton have some fun demonstrating an overhead lift.


a vital role in the success of our athletes, and I feel anyone involved in athletics should have some type of program to follow in order to help them reach their full potential. In a sport where getting too bulky is frowned upon, we develop a program that is specific for our figure skaters. We want them to be lean machines — seeing to it they are all as strong as possible but also staying as light and proportionate as possible. One of the biggest things I excel at is allowing our athletes to become uncomfortable during workouts. I am a strong believer that when you are forced to step out of your comfort zone, that you will grow both physically and mentally. Workouts are designed for them to face new obstacles to build their mental drive as well. We program our athletes for success on a daily basis and ensure we give them every tool they need to be successful with their skating careers.”


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