The Necessity of Change

The Necessity of Change

Originally published Sep/Oct 2016 PS Magazine


“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” -  John F. Kennedy



If you were to do a Google search of the oldest companies of Fortune 500, only 13 of the businesses have been around for more than 150 years. The longevity of these businesses is a testament to their continuous adaptation to economic conditions, innovation, and the demand for their services or products. 


One of those companies is Macy’s. Rowland Macy had failed several times until he opened R.H. Macy’s in New York City in 1858. Over the next 158 years, Macy’s grew, contracted, merged, acquired competitors, filed bankruptcy, and yet is still as relevant today as it was in 1858.

Change is inevitable. So are challenges and opportunities.


At about that same time Macy’s was established, skating had become one of the most popular forms of winter recreation. Millions of Americans skated and skating was proclaimed by one magazine as the “National Winter Sport”. Demand created opportunities and with opportunities came challenges. One man, Jackson Haines, took skating from winter recreation to one of the greatest winter sports. Having unfulfilled dreams of skating in the U.S., Haines left for Europe. As an innovator, Haines in 1865 developed the two-plate all metal blade by forging the skate blade to the toe and heel plates. The blade was attached directly to Haines' boots, which added stability and allowed him to do more athletic leaps and jumps. He was credited with being the first to have toe picks, skate to music, and inventor of the sit spin. Haines is generally known as the father of modern figure skating.

With the popularity of skating exploding, more changes were necessary. In 1914, George Browne of The Skating Club of Boston organized the first International Figure Skating Championships. The competition was promoted by the International Skating Union of America with the specific intent of promoting Haines’ International Style and to standardize rules and events. A direct result of that effort was the creation of The United States Figure Skating Association in 1921.

Over the next 50 years, skating adapted and changed to fit the needs of the community. In 1959, at the request of the Illinois Recreation Association, Michael Kirby and several Chicago area rink operators met to discuss the difficulties of maintaining a rink and of attracting and retaining customers. There were several issues that were consistent. On public sessions, patrons skated in circles and quickly became bored. There was no national learn to skate program, making it difficult for skaters to progress to the club level should they choose to. The meeting led to the creation of the Ice Skating Institute of America. By 1964, the ISIA Alpha-Beta-Gamma Recreational Skater Program launched.

In response USFSA authorized Robert Ogilve, a PSGA professional, to write the book, Basic Ice Skating Skills, which was published for the USFSA in 1968, to coincide with the launch of the new Basic Skills program.

Since then, both organizations’ learn to skate programs grew and adapted, often mimicking each other’s best attributes. Today, while users of each program point out the differences of each program, the reality is that much of what is voiced is inaccurate. These two programs have the same goal – promote skating as a healthy and fun lifetime activity. Additionally, U.S. Figure Skating has the duty as the national governing body to produce Olympic and World Champions. But that is less of 1% of its members. The largest demographic of U.S. Figure Skating are their Learn to Skate USA members.

Now finally, onto the point… it’s time. It’s time to find a way to have one national learn to skate program. It’s time to bring together the LTS/Recreational competitions to allow every skater in the U.S. to participate in any and all competitions in whatever capacity they wish. We need give skaters one simple path to either the qualifying or recreational competitions. Great skating directors and coaches will still be great regardless of the program. We have been wasting money for too long duplicating services, especially when together we can give a better and more affordable experience to our skaters. Both competitive and recreational skaters can have the opportunities to participate in one organization, thereby saving money and increasing opportunities. History has shown us that when there is a need, someone will stand up, lead and forge a new direction. It’s time for the presidents of U.S. Figure Skating, ISI, and PSA to re-envision the future just as Jackson Haines, George Browne, Michael Kirby, and so many did before.