SKATERS BRANCH OUT AT PROGRAM COMPONENTS CAMP by SARAH ARNOLD
Baleigh Costelle, of the Lansing Skating Club, left the sixth annual Pro-
gram Components Camp in Geneva, Illinois, feeling invigorated and inspired about her skating. “Te dances were a lot of fun,” Costelle said. “I learned how to expand my
areas of movement and to use different heights in my skating to add depth and interest to my programs.” Costelle was one of 184 athletes, 54 coaches and 25 faculty members who
1) Team New York City is eager to participate in its performance and execution class with Tanith White.
2) Athletes from Team Tucson are all smiles before a dynamic warm-up class.
3) Team Baltimore has fun with an off-ice dance exer- cise in the artistry in motion class with instructor Paula Wagener.
4) Team Chicago performs in the exhibition to “All That Jazz.”
5) Team Chicago and Team New Jersey practice basic stroking together in Tanith White and Ben Agosto’s introduction-to-partner class.
participated in the road-trip-themed camp, held April 15–18 at the Fox Valley Ice Arena. Athletes were divided into teams, which were named after cities or states, such as Team Baltimore, Team Chicago, Team New Jersey and Team Tucson.
A coaches’ track and a parents’ track also were offered. Te knowledge the skaters gained on and off the ice opened their eyes to
a new sense of awareness to body movement and expression as they embark on the 2016–17 campaign. Olympic and World ice dance medalists Tanith White and Ben Agosto
conducted an introduction-to-partner skating class that fit the camp’s objectives perfectly. “At first we were just trying not to trip each other, but eventually we got
pretty good at what Tanith and Ben were teaching us,” Maria Wojciechowski said. “It was really fun to skate with a new partner,” Lauren Miller added. “It’s
always a little awkward for the first lap or two, but then we got the right rhythm and it was really awesome. It reminded me of starting out fresh with a partner when I began ice dancing.” Other on-ice classes included turns and edge quality, performance and
execution, step sequences and choreography. “One of my favorite activities was the energy ball exercise with Stephanee
Grosscup,” Olivia Phillips, from Georgetown, Massachusetts, said. “We worked on hitting certain poses with lots of enthusiasm.” Each instructor offered something different that the skaters were able to take with them to practice at their home rinks. Back by popular demand, Adam Blake led Ice Cold Combos, an off-ice
class for athletes incorporating the use of artistry and musicality through cho- reographed dance movements. Other off-ice classes taught athletes how to better connect with their
program music, how to prevent injuries with proper warm-up and cooldown techniques, and how to understand how their technical element and program components scores are calculated by participating in an international judging system (IJS) math workshop. Coaches learned from U.S. Figure Skating officials about the IJS, design-
ing a program, how to prepare for a critique, and building relationships with officials. Parents appreciated the in-depth discussion about program compo- nents, how to work with coaches, sports science information, the importance of SafeSport and a question-and-answer session with White and Agosto. Te camp opened with an athlete video and a keynote speech by 2016
U.S. ice dance pewter medalists Anastasia Cannuscio and Colin McManus. Tey emphasized the value of hard work, pushing boundaries and staying com- mitted to one’s craft even during the tough times. Te athletes concluded the camp with an exhibition, which allowed every
group to perform and show their parents the new skills they learned through choreographed group numbers. “Te camp provided me the opportunity to set new daily goals and meet
new friends,” Elliana Peal, from the Skokie Valley Skating Club, said. “I want to go again next year.”
SKATING 45
PHOTOS BY SARAH ARNOLD
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