UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 37, Page 5
July 22, 1993
Skating program attracts novices, world champions

     The superstar skaters at the University of Delaware who compete
nationally and internationally are the icing on the cake, or the tip of the
iceberg, of the University's skating program, according to Ron Ludington,
director of the University's Ice Skating Science Development Center and
coordinator of the skating program.
     From small fry to seniors, from wobbly beginners to champions, from
hockey players to dancers, the Delaware ice skating program is designed for
just about everyone, providing opportunities for instruction, coaching,
competition and just plain fun.
     The ice rinks are in constant use with public skating, precision teams
practice, hockey classes and practice, plus community classes with 700
participants and competitive skaters, according to Ludington.
     Delaware also attracts elite skaters who compete nationally and
internationally. They come from all over the country and from abroad to
fine-tune their skating skills under Ludington's coaching.
     With this season's national and international competitions over,
spring and summer are still busy times of the year at the Blue and Gold
rinks as hopeful skaters come to Delaware to audition and become accepted
into Ludington's coaching program.
     The highly-respected program has been in existence for almost six
years and approximately 300 skaters train at the University on a
semi-regular basis during the year, with new skaters entering the program
regularly.
     Of these students, 120 are regional competitors.
     There are skaters of exceptional promise enrolled in the program, 
Ludington said. One example is 13-year-old Jenna Pittman who was runner-up
in the junior ladies category at the nationals.
     Tina and Wayne Lai, who are 14 and 19, respectively, and have been in
the program for approximately six years, are slated to represent Taiwan in
next year's World Championships.
     In the pairs category, Karen Courtland and Todd Reynolds, and Katie
Wood and Joel McKeever have captured awards nationally and internationally.
     Ludington, who has had skaters on the U.S. World Team for 31
consecutive years and has coached Olympic medalists, is in demand as a
coach and has received high honors from his peers.
     In 1990, Ludington was voted   Coach of the Year by the Professional
Skaters Guild of America. Earlier this year, he was elected to the United
States Figure Skating Association Hall of Fame.
     When not coaching on campus, Ludington is on the road giving seminars
on coaching techniques.
     His schedule includes trips to Toronto, Michigan and Western Ontario.
     Another component of the Delaware program, he said, is the sports
science laboratory, which does research in such areas as nutrition and
conditioning, and studies such topics as bone density. For skaters, keeping
up stamina and, at the same time, maintaining a low weight can be a
problem. Therefore, these studies are important to the athletes, Ludington
said.
     "At Delaware, the program is designed for all levels of skaters. In
addition, the skating program encompasses everything that competitive and
precision team skaters need. We do it all, from arranging music for
routines to having costumes made, to providing equipment where skaters can
do workouts," Ludington said.
     Although Ludington is dedicated to coaching and skating, and was a
Olympic Bronze Medalist in 1960, he said he has hung up his skates and
exchanged them for golf clubs and fishing rods.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure