CI N D Y B O RT Z-G O ULD by LOIS ELFMAN
indy Bortz-Gould’s life is pretty sim- ple. For the 1986 U.S. junior ladies champion and 1987 World Junior champion, it’s all about family and skating.
Bortz-Gould, 44, lives in Simi Valley, Califor- nia, and teaches at Iceoplex Simi Valley, about five miles from her house, which allows her to go back and forth throughout the day. She’s been coaching for 24 years, and as time goes on, she finds more things to love about the sport. “I love the kids; I love teaching,” said Bortz-
Gould, who in 2006 was inducted into the South- ern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. “I don’t care if they’re marching or (elite competitors). It’s so great to teach somebody something that you love and know how to do and watch them even just lift up one foot. I think it’s amazing. “Believe it or not, I love the adults as well.
I never ever dreamt I would teach adults. Ten I started with one adult who really wanted to com- pete. I was like, ‘OK, I’ll try this.’ We’ve been to adult nationals so many years now. It’s really fun.” In addition to teaching learn-to-skate, com-
petitive-track skaters, showcase competitors and adults, Bortz-Gould instructs mommy-and-me classes that she said are great experiences. “I do everything,” she said. “I even have some students that just come for exercise. I have such a mixture of what I teach and what I love.” Married for 22 years, Bortz-Gould and hus-
band Steve are the parents of Brandon, 20, and Jar- ed, 15. Neither boy got into skating, although their mother wanted that to happen. Brandon skated a little bit when he was a child, taught by his moth- er’s former rival Tisha Walker. Jared expressed some interest, but never pursued the sport. Both boys played baseball, and Jared is on the
junior varsity at Westlake High School. “Instead of being a skating mom, I’m kind of like a baseball mom, which is probably a good thing,” Bortz-Gould said. “Tey have their thing and I have mine.” Brandon’s passion for the sport has continued after high school. He attended umpiring school in Florida, and umpires local baseball games with an eye toward possibly pursuing it as a career. He also has a job working security and is considering a ca- reer in law enforcement. “I love, love, love being a mom,” Bortz-Gould
said. “Maybe not so much at the teen years. I’m kidding.” Her skating background definitely helped raising two high-energy boys while coaching. She said skating gave her an appreciation for structure and organization, which facilitates multitasking. “It’s a big job to be a part of your kids’ lives and teach full time,” she said. “I try not to miss any baseball games, but on occasion I have no choice.” Among Bortz-Gould’s coaching colleagues at
Iceoplex is Danielle Kahle, her former student with whom she traveled the competitive circuit back in the day. Te two even appeared in the TLC series “Ice Diaries.” During that time, Kahle also worked with Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi. “She’s an incredible talent, incredible girl,”
Bortz-Gould said of Kahle. Although Bortz-Gould tries to keep most of
her skating travels local, she does attend the U.S. Adult Championships with her skaters almost ev- ery year. Her adult skaters have had considerable
success, one winning a gold ladies event and plac- ing at the masters level. “It’s a whole new world I never knew about,”
Bortz-Gould said. “It’s really incredible. I can’t tell you how much they love it, which is really neat.” Despite seeing the enthusiasm and passion of adult competitors, Bortz-Gould does not envision her own return to the ice. When Brandon was a toddler, she got herself back into shape to do the American Open. While she had a great time, her performance level wasn’t there. “It was impossible to be a mom and I was teaching a lot at the time and training,” she re- called. “I was a major fail, but I tried and it was fun.”
Bortz-Gould’s started most of her competitive
skaters from their first steps on the ice. One recent- ly competed in novice ladies at regionals. “I love everything about teaching skating,”
Bortz-Gould said. “I’m not only looking for the competitive skater. I love anyone who wants to learn. I think it’s amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy going to regionals and doing all that. I have a few students that I took to regionals.” As for her own skating days, Bortz-Gould’s
memories are kind of vague. She hasn’t watched her U.S. Championships program on YouTube in years, but she remembers falling on her first jump and missing her second jump at the 1986 U.S. Championships, before pulling herself together and going full out for the win. She doesn’t remember a lot about the World
Junior Championships, but does recall competing at the Prize of Moscow News competition in Rus- sia, which she won. Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were among the pairs competitors. She still has a poster from the event that featured her along with the eventual two-time Olympic cham- pions. Her trophies are in the attic, but her medals are framed and on display in a home office. Skating wasn’t always a total pleasure growing
up. Her mother was strict and demanding. Want- ing to be a typical teenager, Bortz-Gould rebelled and then stopped competing after the 1989 U.S. Championships. Now a mom herself, she under- stands her mother only had the best intentions, and they’re very close. Last fall, she and Steve joined Bortz-Gould’s
parents and aunt and uncle on a two-week Euro- pean cruise that visited Venice, Florence, Rome and Monaco, which she calls the trip of a lifetime. Brandon held down the home front, taking care of Jared and getting him to school every day. Tey even came home to a clean house, which duly im- pressed her. For Bortz-Gould, as for many former skat-
ers, Facebook has become a major gathering space, where she connects with familiar faces such as Hol- ly Cook and Erik Larson. Reflective of skating’s lifelong connections, one of her students even had lessons with veteran coach Mark Mitchell during a trip to Boston. She spent New Year’s Eve at her rink volun- teering for a community event. Low-income fami- lies were invited to come in, skate, have something to eat and receive gifts. Bortz-Gould loved tying skates and giving a great time to others. It was the perfect scenario. “I love everything about skating,” said Bortz-
Gould, whose current favorite skater is Yuzuru Ha- nyu. “I love watching it. I love teaching it. I love the
Cindy Bortz wins the U.S. junior ladies title in Union- dale, New York, in 1986.
Cindy Bortz-Gould regularly attends the U.S. Adult Championships. One of her students is Denise Pendleton.
kids. I love music. I think I love it more as an adult than I did even skating. When I was a child, you just did it, but now as an adult you can really love it. “As a kid, you go, you do,” she continued.
“You go to bed at 7:30. You get up at 4:30. I think I had a lot of talent when I was young, so I just kind of did it. But I love it now more because I can really enjoy it. I love seeing everybody progress.”
SKATING 9
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