Jimmie Santee is Over the Edge

PS Magazine, November/September 2009 Just a short time ago, US Figure Skating held their annual Champs Camp. Thirty of the 46 attendee's had their boots and blades analyzed focusing on what possible affect poor equipment could have on their performance. In order to protect the innocent, I will not share any names… those doing the checking, the skaters, or the boot or blade manufacturers. The skate technician at the camp looked for bent blades, blades that were not in vertical alignment with the boot, sharpening which covered radius of hollow and edge level, and the use of orthotics. Interesting enough, 11 of the 30 skaters had some sort of bend in at least one blade. Those who do mount blades know that blades can be twisted or bent during the mounting process. As it was explained to me, it only takes one screw put in at an angle to cause this problem. Skaters can bend their blades while skating. It’s not hard to imagine the amount of pressure put on boots and blades when you see th...

PS Magazine, Sept / Oct 2009 You may have seen on ESPN’s show E:60 a scary story regarding the hospitalization of a number of high school hockey players allegedly due to high carbon dioxide levels in the rink from a poorly maintained ice resurfacer. As quoted at ESPN.com, "E:60 conducted its own series of tests at 34 rinks in 14 states. Of the 28 rinks that used propane or natural gas resurfacers, nearly one-third were found to have dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, or ultrafine particles.” Did you know that Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island are the only states to require arenas to monitor the air in their facility and to maintain specific levels? Do you know if your arena is one of the “clean air” buildings? Does your rink have its resurfacer tuned up regularly? To me, while carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are extremely hazardous, the most dangerous safety issue could end up being ammonia. Ammonia is a common refrigerant and with the government ...

PS Magazine, July/Aug 2009 At the governing council in Buffalo, an important step was taken that I believe is the most encouraging news to promote the growth of our sport…the limiting of the number of double jumps and which doubles can be attempted at the Preliminary level, rule 3701. Another rule change (Rule 3691) was passed to decrease the number of jump elements from six to five at the pre-juvenile level. I am excited by these changes quite frankly; we need to get back to basics…we need to prioritize skill and athletic development over winning at the entry levels. The need to win at the Juvenile and Intermediate levels have led to the drop off in numbers at the novice level. Why are we in such a rush to push children out of our sport? As the saying goes, “The race is not always won by the fastest, but the one who runs the longest.” This should just be the beginning. Many of you will recall the Preliminary/Pre-Juvenile survey that was sent to PSA members, with the results published ...

PS Magazine May/June 2009 Why do some coaches and elite skaters feel they have a sense of entitlement? In the April 2009 International Figure Skating Magazine, a reader wrote a letter to the editor saying, “Shame on U.S. Figure Skating for not naming Johnny Weir to the world team….It is just good old skating politics again.” Is that not what we are trying to get a way from? Is it not the point to let the best skater on that day win? Why do so many of us believe that we are owed something for past production? Current coach and former US Pairs Champion, World and Olympic team member Melissa Militano was quoted in the same IFS Magazine in an article penned by Tai Babilonia as saying, I’d like to see a system implemented in which skating associations honor coaches who have reached a certain level of achievement, whether medaling at nationals, Worlds, Olympics or coaching skaters at these levels. We must stay informed of current changes and methods of training, but I find it disrespectful a...

PS Magazine, March/April 2009 It is not a question of whether our sport is skating on thin ice or not… the question is will there be anyone around to save us when we fall through? The U.S. Figure Skating Strategic Planning committee, of which I am a member, has been hard at work, focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing U.S. Figure Skating and the industry in general. My sources also tell me that ISI has been meeting as well. But as we all work to discover an achievable solution to the current issues at hand, they are quite honestly, issues that no one has been able to identify with any certainty. We know the symptoms, but we have not yet discovered the cause or cure. It reminds me of a recent e-mail going around. “Due to the current economic issues - high oil prices, high cost of electricity, plunging stock prices, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off. We regret the inconvenience.” My opinion is that there are three distinct issues tha...

January –February 2009, PS Magazine HAVE YOU EVER OPENED a desk drawer and found some notes or maybe a book that has been long forgotten? Searching in vain for a new place to put it, you stuff it back in the same drawer to once again be found at some moment in time when you say to yourself again, “I might need this.” Well, every time I get to cleaning up my office, I find piles of interesting tidbits that I think will make a good article or maybe a presentation… I move it to a new pile …only to be discovered again the next time I decide to clean up. I am always amazed at the plethora of information that we all have right under our very noses. Case in point: earlier this year, I was reading an article in USA Today about Bill Sands of the US Olympic Training Center, who has been a frequent speaker at PSA Conferences and Seminars. It seems that he was going through some files collected from the Stasi (East German Secret Police) and he found some drawings of a device to improve flexib...

November-December 2008,PS Magazine Going over the minutes from the May Board of Governors meeting in Chicago, I found a gem of an analogy from then PSA Vice President, Christy Krall, “…with so much to know…Coaches now feel like a plate spinner on the Sullivan show.” For those of us that remember the Ed Sullivan show, I can hear the Sabre Dance playing in the background as the tuxedoed circus performer ran from plate to plate, frantically trying to keep the china from hitting the floor. Well, as our industry becomes more competitive in an unstable market, coaches are running from rink to rink, trying to find ice time and students, learn the IJS, and fulfill their Continuing Education Requirement, I can see her point. What we have to remember is that if we are going to keep those plates from crashing to the floor, we must learn to work together; arena’s, coaches, parents, skater’s, clubs, PSA, U.S. Figure Skating, ISI, STAR, and the U.S Olympic Committee. As I have often pointed out, it ...

September-October 2008, PS Magazine Like a true competitor, the beginning of every season starts off full of hope and excitement. Programs are completed, tests passed, and this time every year, skaters across the country are beginning their final preparations for Regionals. This year, sitting in the stands is a single parent staring at her checkbook… 342 miles to Regionals at .58 cents a mile, $14 in tolls, and $417 for 3 nights lodging. Coaching fees of $300, costume and music…lessons, ice time…and maybe there will be something left over for food. Looking up from her checkbook, she watches for the umpteenth time as her daughter gears up for what is going to be another attempt at a double splat. How can she fall and fall and fall, and keep getting up? Because skating is life; we fall, we get up, and we try again. This is why I love skating. In times of adversity, we always get up, wipe the snow from our backside and do it again. Everything I have learned and achieved in life is because...

July-August 2008, PS Magizine Those of you who frequently read my editorials know that I often use quotes to drive home certain points within my column. Recently, while putting some quotes together for the awards dinner at conference, I began to realize that often in current history, Figure Skating has become the target of late night humorists, bloggers, and columnists. Here are examples of three recent quotes: Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, under U.S. indictment for allegedly creating the skating judging scandal at the 2002 Winter Olympics, gave an interview for ESPN’s Outside the Lines. He said “…all that’s being written about me is completely untrue.” Responded Dennis Bolles, of the FBI: “Well, John Gotti said that. Although Gotti never specifically denied rigging figure-skating.” Wrote Janice Hough, a frequent blogger on NYtimes.com, “With the steroids in Major League Baseball, the dog fighting and other arrests in the NFL, the disqualification of so many Tour de France riders, the game-f...

May-June-2008, PS Magizine I can’t stress enough as a former arena manager, the importance of having qualified, well trained skating school and competitive figure skating coaches. Having an untrained professional on staff is like handing over the key to the ice resurfacer (or someone) just because they have a driver’s license. Furthermore, being a good competitive skater did not necessarily guarantee that I would be a good coach. Arguably, arena owners and managers, who are frequently hockey enthusiasts, have difficulty understanding the business of figure skating; they often hire 16 year old skaters or former competitors who have no formal training. The same goes with US Figure Skating Clubs. Club Boards are often filled with parents whose only mission is to look out for the best interest of THEIR child. How many coaches encourage their skaters' parents to join the board? More significantly, these are the people who hire the skating school staff. I hear increasingly how coac...

March-April 2008, PS Magazine If rumors heard at Nationals are correct, the ISU is contemplating the end of compulsory dances at ISU events. Although I could find no written record anywhere, enough people in the know believe that it will happen. When or if it does, will that spell the end of compulsory dances as it did for figures everywhere else in the world? Piece by piece, skating’s identity is slipping away, one discipline at a time. But more importantly, who is deciding all these changes? I can’t imagine it is someone who knows anything about skating and our reliance on tradition. As it did with the elimination of figures, removing compulsory dance will only accelerate the gymnastic aspects of figure skating while destroying the artistry and maturity that sets our sport apart from most. With the possible removal of compulsory dances and the way current rules are written, dancers could easily compete in pairs as well. Sitting at Nationals this year I had to ask Robbie Kaine if I wa...

January-February 2008, PS Magazine Last January, right after Nationals, Chicago Tribune writer Philip Hersch forecast a bleak future for our sport in the United States due to dwindling TV money and ratings, and the lack of recognizable skating superstars. Less than a year later, Hersch wrote in an article published December 5 in various Tribune Co. newspapers that the “Dearth of new talent is what ails ice skating. While the focus is on judging issues, the fact that the U.S. is so dominant while other countries’ programs falter threatens the future of the sport.” Hmm, interesting…first, I had to look up dearth (–noun 1. an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack). So I guess he’s clarifying his statement from last winter, it’s not the lack of talent in the US, but the rest of the world. OK…Maybe someone can help me here...I’m not too clear on the good/bad thing. I thought that the object was to dominate. I’m curious, do you think there were many Soviet sports writers who complained about the...

November-December 2007, PS Magazine Making dinner earlier this fall, (yes, I make dinner) a commercial came on for Planters Peanuts in which the Planters mascot is break dancing. My son, Ryan, say’s to me, “Dad, did you see the broken leg spin” to which I responded 'no'. My wife Jamie chimes in, “Did it count?” “Yes,” Ryan say’s, “he was definitely low enough.” “I don’t think he achieved the 2 full turns,” she says. Ryan replies, “I don’t know Mom…” I put down the meat, turned and gave my wife Jamie “the look”; you know, the one with one eyebrow raised and the head tilted slightly to the right. I was thinking that it might be a little early for her to be drinking…10 minutes later the commercial plays again. “I told you Mom, he made the turns” to which Jamie replies that he didn’t get enough upper body twist to get the core body change. At this point, I am thinking that IJS has made us all just a little too crazy. It has consumed the lives of many and I am not sure that we can r...

September-October 2007, PS Magazine I have to say I am getting quite good at spewing out all of the problems in our sport, but I think it is time for me to put my money where my mouth is. It is time to start talking about how we are going to change… how we are going to improve our image and ourselves! One of the issues that consistently comes up in our lives, and I am frequently questioned about, is what happens when we gain or lose a student. Here is a portion of an e-mail we received at PSA: "… Could you please clarify an ethical situation for me: I was approached by a parent to coach her skater. They are no longer taking lessons from a previous coach. I spoke with her and she says they have an outstanding bill yet to pay. My understanding is that I must wait until this is paid prior to starting lessons. There also seems to be some controversy over some charges. What is my role in all this? Your website says: Prior to acting as a coach the member shall determine the natu...

July-August 2007, PS Magazine The image of the coaching profession must improve. Recently, I was talking with a coach from Southern California. She relayed to me that there are unaffiliated coaches in her area who charge up to $95 per lesson. These coaches have neither teaching credentials nor experience, but just charge what the market will bear; more likely what they can get. This is an issue that hurts us all as coaches. Really, why bother to educate ourselves when others do nothing and charge the same or more? The reality of the matter is that if the skating market declines, only those professional coaches who produce quality skaters will survive. Those who misrepresent themselves will find their business shrinking as parents question their professionalism or their child’s lack of progress and performance. Bob Mock wrote in his March/April 2007 article entitled ‘Is Coaching Figure Skating Still an Honorable Profession’, he states, “…it is our responsibility to approach ever...

March-April 2007, PS Magazine If you were to have read any of the US national articles by Chicago Tribune writer Philip Hersch or USA Today’s Christine Brennan, you might think that the sky is falling on US Figure Skating. Dwindling TV money and ratings, the lack of recognizable skating stars forecast a bleak future for our sport. The fact that we were in Spokane, a small market they wrote, predicted the fall of the empire. I might have actually believed it if I had not had the chance to be in Spokane and observe the record breaking attendance, and what was one of the best skated Nationals of all time. First and foremost, Spokane is a wonderful city whose entire population embraced the event. Being a Chicago guy it took me a few days to get over the over the top friendliness. People were so nice that it was nearly uncomfortable. Not only did the people of Spokane, self-proclaimed “Skate City, USA,” display a “can do” attitude they came to the events in record numbers. Ticket s...

November-December 2006 About this time each year, coaches have returned from Regionals; the culmination of 12 months of blood, sweat and tears. The skilled (parents perspective) or lucky (fellow coaches perspective) coaches are continuing the competitive season, getting ready for Jr. Nationals or for Sectionals, but unfortunately most are planning for next year. Being a Chicago Cub fan, I have always been a huge believer in next year. Each year after Regionals, I would always take a step back, evaluating not only my students’ weaknesses and strengths, but the strengths and weaknesses of my own coaching philosophy and technique. This self evaluation was critical in my improvement as a coach. How many coaches actually go through this process of self evaluation? If you were a believer of the 20-60-20 theory (20% does the work, 20% won’t work, and 60% row with the current) referenced in my first editorial in the July/August issue of PS Magazine, I would say 20 percent or even less. Why wou...

September-October 2006 Recently, one of our interns came across an original copy of a Memorial Service program. This program was for the official USFSA services in memory of our 1961 World team held at the Hotel Roosevelt in New York City, May 6, 1961. Inside that program was a type written, slightly yellowed, but remarkably well preserved copy of the eulogy written by the acting President, Ritter Shumway. I decided to reprint the speech in its entirety, as I felt an overwhelming sense of both sorrow and, more importantly, pride in our sport. Change a line or two and it could have been written for those who fell on 9/11. I grew up skating in Memorial Fund Shows and sold more than my fair share of booster buttons. I heard stories of the crash, the tragedy of losing so many skaters and family, coaches and officials. I sat on the memorial bench out front of the original Broadmoor arena and I've seen our own memorial here at our offices yet, until I read Mr. Shumway's eulogy I just...