Phone: (302) 831-4686
FAX: (302) 831-2812
E-mail address:
ud-fsc@udel.edu
Membership Renewal
It's that time of year again when the annual membership
application is mailed to club members. Please be sure to
return your membership application before the September 15
deadline. If you do not receive your membership renewal packet
in August, please call the club office at (302) 831-4686 and
leave your name, address, and phone number.
UDFSC Board Elections
Congratulations to the board members you elected this
spring:
Ron Ludington elected to
World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
Ron Ludington, Director of the Training Center Program, World
and Olympic figure skating coach, former Olympian and honorary
member of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, has
been named to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. He is the
only U.S. selection to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
this year and one of only two worldwide. See the press
releases on our UDFSC home page at
www.udel.edu/udfsc.
Regional Qualifying
Application Signing
Officers from the UDFSC will be available in the Rust Arena on
the following dates to sign regional qualifying applications.
You may also turn in your membership renewal at these
times.
Sunday, Sept. 12 from 5-6:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 13 from 6-8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 4-6:00 p.m.
Upcoming Test Sessions
The following test sessions are scheduled. If you plan to
test, be sure to get your application in by the deadlines
listed below, as these sessions will surely be busy.
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on the date below.
| Day | Test Date | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Tue. | Aug. 31, 1999 | App. due 08/13/99 |
| Fri. | Nov. 26, 1999 | App. due 11/12/99 |
| Nov. 26 session is from 8- noon only. | ||
| Mon. | Jan. 17, 2000 | App. due 01/07/00 |
| Fri. | Apr. 28, 2000 | App. due 04/14/00 |
| Fri. | June 30, 2000 | App. due 06/23/00 |
| Thr. | July 27, 2000 | App. due 07/14/00 |
| Tue. | Aug. 29. 2000 | App. due 08/18/00 |
Judges' School
If you are interested in attending judges' school, the UDFSC
may be able to offer some financial assistance. Write to us
at ud-fsc@udel.edu or leave a note in the club lockbox in the
Rust Ice Arena.
Information on judging is available at the USFSA web site at www.usfsa.org.
Scholastic Honors
Team
The following UDFSC student-athlete figure skaters are members
of the 1999 USFSA Scholastic Honors Team as announced in the
March 1999 issue of Skating magazine. Please join us in
congratulating them.
The deadline for applications for the 2000 Scholastic Honors Team is September 24. Skaters, who are juniors or seniors in high school, have a minimum GPA of 3.4 (or 93% out of 100%), and who have competed at the Novice level or above in a USFSA qualifying competition within the last two years are eligible to apply. Applications are available through the USFSA (719) 635-5200 or by contacting the Club (302) 831-4686. Please indicate that you want a 2000 Scholastic Honors Team application.
Governing Council
The annual USFSA Governing Council meeting was held May 14 and
15, 1999, in Houston, Texas. Our club was well represented at
this important annual meeting by six members of the board of
directors. Notes from this meeting are available on the USFSA
home page at www.usfsa.org and decisions and rule changes will
be reflected in the 2000 Rulebook.
UDFSC Judges Appointment
The UDFSC is proud to announce that club and board member
Dianne Nichols has received her bronze dance appointment.
Club Ice
This summer the club is hosting two sessions in the Rust Ice
Arena.
The sessions above are available on following Sundays:
The cost to UDFSC members is $9.00 per session or you may purchase a ticket for $70.00, which makes the cost $7.00 per session.
Newsletter
Comments
Feel free to send comments regarding this newsletter or ideas
for future articles to ud-fsc@udel.edu
or leave a message at (302) 831-4686.
1998-99 Annual
Report
From the President, Alice Rakowski
The University of Delaware Figure Skating Club recently completed its 25th year as a USFSA member club. With over 450 members, the Club is one of the largest in the nation and continues to enjoy a national and worldwide reputation.
We had strong representation at National competitions in 1998- 99. The UDFSC sent 31 skaters to the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships, 8 skaters to the Junior Olympic Championships, 4 teams to the U.S. Precision National Figure Skating Championships and 11 skaters to the Adult National Championships. We were delighted to have two of our members, Laura Handy and Paul Binnebose, represent the U.S. at the World and Junior World Figure Skating Championships.
Again in 1998-99, we were able to provide gifts to our National qualifiers. A total of $10,120 was given to skaters who qualified for the U.S. National, Junior Olympic and U.S. Precision National Figure Skating Championships in the form of monetary gifts and warm-up outfits/jackets (the Club paid a portion of the cost for warm-up outfits).
As in previous years, the Club provided gifts to the Ice Skating Science Development Center. The Club contributed $1,000 towards the acquisition of a new music system in the Gold Arena and $1,500 towards a new Stairmaster for the Weight Training area in the Fred Rust Arena. We enjoy an excellent relationship with the University of Delaware and hope to continue to partner with the University of Delaware in looking for opportunities to enhance the training of our skaters.
In 1998-99, the Club continued to look for opportunities to strengthen our relationship with the USFSA. Currently, three Board members participate on USFSA Committees:
We sent our full complement of six delegates to the 1999 USFSA Governing Council, which is a superb opportunity to network with other Clubs and USFSA officials. In support of the USFSA Program Development Committee, the UDFSC agreed to host the International Theater on Ice Competition, held on July 10, 1999.
A Club is only as strong as its volunteers are and the UDFSC is fortunate to have a dedicated and conscientious Board of Directors who contribute greatly to the smooth operation of the Club. A figure skating club requires attention every day of the year, and our Board members exercise their responsibilities with care and diligence. All of our Board members sacrifice much personal time, including personal vacation time, to help operate the Club. We will greatly miss Mike Cunningham, Janice Rudden and Roland Saxton, who have chosen to retire from the Board; but we eagerly anticipate working with our newly elected Board members: Lee Brogley, Jon Manon and Sandy Shacklady-White.
Each year brings new challenges for our Club. In the coming year, we would like to focus on increasing participation from all of our membership. We will continue to seek prospective judges through our Trial Judges Assistance program. We hope to see increased athlete participation in Club activities, such as volunteering for competitions and test sessions. Finally, we hope to maintain the energy and/or re-energize the many elements that make up our Club.
Membership
Membership is the biggest and one of the most important activities of the Figure Skating Club. All club-related activities hinge on membership and our liaison with the USFSA. The University of Delaware is one of the largest Figure Skating Clubs with over approximately 470 current members. This year the UDFSC accomplished automating our membership list. This has simplified many of the procedural activities needed for membership support.
Testing
Coordinating testing is a big activity of the UD Figure Skating Club. We'd like to thank the parent and skater volunteers who helped make our test sessions run so smoothly. A total of nine test sessions were held this past year with 526 tests skated and 427 passes (81%). The tests included 1 Figure test, 10 pairs tests, 171 moves tests, 74 freestyle tests, and 283 dance tests. We processed 401 trial judge sheets.
Club Ice
Attendance at club ice has soared this year. We had 78% more skaters this year than last year. Because of the number of skaters, we established a "Right of Way" protocol that is available during any club ice session on Sunday between 5:00- 6:30 p.m.
Precision
Precision Team Skating has been renamed to Synchronized Team Skating per the recent USFSA Governing Council meeting. Four UDFSC precision teams qualified for Nationals, which was held in Tampa, Florida. This was the first year for UD skaters to compete in the Collegiate Division at Nationals. In addition to UD's academic programs, students are beginning to choose the University of Delaware because of our precision skating programs.