necticut, and when they wanted to try ice dance, their freestyle coach, Kathy Bird, suggested they work with Kelley and Stroukoff. Tey made the trip to New Jersey several times a week for about a year and a half. “You knew right away they were good,”
Stroukoff said. “Tey’re both wonderful showmen and they work hard. We taught them through their juvenile silver medal at nationals and then they moved on to Colorado. “[At nationals this year] we got to watch them win their championship. It was very exciting.” Other former students include 2006 U.S.
novice ice dance champions Cathy and Chris Reed, who worked with Kelley and Stroukoff for several years at the start of their ice dancing career. After competing in the U.S., the Reeds represented their mother’s homeland of Japan at two Olympic Winter Games, and their younger sister, Allison, was a 2010 Olympic competitor for Georgia and recently represented Israel. “It was very cool to watch the Olympics and
realize that five of the skaters started with us at Mennen,” Kelley said. Kelley and Stroukoff prefer working with
grassroots skaters who mostly compete locally. Tey also work with solo dancers, which requires a bit of travel. “We’re better off doing, as a friend of ours
calls it, ‘the step-step glide,’ and get them out of group [lessons] and get them started and instill a love of the sport in them,” Kelley said. “Obviously, if that many of our kids did well
enough to be in the Olympics, one of the things we can do is create a spark in them that makes them want to get better and makes them want to understand the process of improvement,” Strou- koff said. Tey work separately, but share some students
1976 Olympic ice dancers Susie Kel- ley and Andrew Stroukoff display their grace and skill.
Left, Stroukoff rides his bicycle to Washington, D.C., while
Kelley enjoys a skydiving adventure.
as well as team teach with other coaches. Tey also fill in for each other. Te expression on kids’ faces when they master new skills keeps them inspired. Te enthusiasm of adult skaters also reminds them daily of the joy of skating. “All of these things still are rewarding for us,
as much as they were 38 years ago,” Stroukoff said. Each has interests away from the rink. Kel-
ley is an avid gardener and Stroukoff is passion- ate about cycling. Since 2001, he has ridden more than 4,000 miles a year. Tis past summer he did a weeklong ride in the Adirondacks, climbing White Face Mountain one day. “Before I turned 60, I decided I was going to
ride from Maine to Florida, so I did that,” he said. “I’ve done several cross-state rides — ridden across North Carolina, ridden across Oregon.” He likens skating to bike riding, saying they
share a freedom of movement. Kelley said her en- joyment nurturing plants goes to a similar motiva- tion she feels nurturing her students. Tey enjoyed watch the Olympics from Rio
this past summer — marveling at the gymnasts, cyclists and sprinters. Heightening the experience is the connection they feel with the athletes. “It’s like belonging to a club,” Stroukoff said. “It’s a pretty good club to belong to.”
SKATING 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
