EVEN IN SUNNY SOUTHLAND, OLYMPICS-LOVING KIDS ARE BECOMING ICE, ICE BABIES.Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer EVERY FOUR years a minor miracle happens: A good number of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, kids, raised basking in year-round warm sunshine on beaches and sports fields, decide to come into the cold and learn how to ice skate. Credit the Winter Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. , which showcase figure skating figure skating Sport in which ice skaters, singly or in pairs, perform various jumps, spins, and footwork. The figure skate blade has a special serrated toe pick, or toe rake, at the front. and hockey and allow children to envision themselves standing on blades on a medal platform someday. Sasha Cohen
Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen (born October 26 1984) is an American figure skater. She is the 2006 U.S. National Champion, 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and 2006 Olympic silver medalist. and Emily Hughes Emily Hughes (born January 26, 1989) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 U.S. National silver medalist. She is the younger sister of Sarah Hughes, who won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. make it look so appealingly easy, but their graceful moves conceal the intense passion they required to make it to Turin, Italy. Local skating coaches, already seeing an enrollment spike attributed to this year's Olympics, say competitive skating requires commitment on the part of the skater and the parents who pay for the lessons and equipment, provide transportation and cheer at games or competitions. Susie Richardson, a veteran professional figure skating coach at Ice Station Valencia, says a skater's natural talent may be evident in early group skating classes, and it becomes more apparent in private training. ``You see them out there,'' said Richardson, who broke into the profession at 17 when she was spotted by an Ice Capades The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Ice Capades was founded in 1940 in Hershey, Pennsylvania by John H. talent scout talent scout n. An agent who goes in search of talented people for acting, sports, or business. talent scout Noun . ``They're the kind of kid you can't get off the ice. It's the love of the sport that keeps them in there because it's not an easy sport. It's very, very competitive, very isolated sometimes because at the top you spend a lot of time on the ice by yourself, and it's very repetitious rep·e·ti·tious adj. Filled with repetition, especially needless or tedious repetition. rep  e·ti .
``I think today's world wants instant gratification, and this is not instant. You definitely have to work for it.'' In a year when Michelle Kwan Michelle Wing Kwan (關穎珊) (born 7 July 1980) is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. is retiring from Olympic competitions at age 25, newcomers are reminded that figure skating favors youth. The appropriate age to start instruction is largely up to the parents' patience and the child's drive and ability, but, says Richardson, ``If a (competitive skater) isn't landing an axel Axel: see Absalon. by the time they're 9 or 10, then they're a little late.'' Larry Bruyere, director of hockey operations at Ice Station Valencia, says the lockout lockout, intentional closing up of a company, factory, or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working during a strike or labor dispute. The term lockout that kept the National Hockey League National Hockey League (NHL) Organization of professional North American ice-hockey teams. The league was formed in 1917 by five Canadian teams; the first U.S. team, the Boston Bruins, was added in 1924. It today consists of 30 teams in two conferences and six divisions. off the ice last season cut into new enrollments in his programs because most Southern California kids take up an interest in it from watching the Kings in person or on TV. ``I've been in this business for over 20 years, and we're always looking forward to those Olympic (enrollment) spikes, because without them I'm not sure what would happen to our industry.'' He said hockey has become a year-round activity, with weekly games on the road or against other in-house teams. The time demands, he says, are a major issue, especially for kids with varied sports interests. ``For those people who want to keep up with the Joneses talent-wise and move from an in-house team to a B team to an A team to a double-A team, they need to stay on the ice. There's no substitute for ice time. ``And one thing we don't have here is a pond for the kids to go skate on after school, so they have to really make the family commitment to get to the rink and get the private lessons, or get the stick times, or get the practices under their belt to be competitive.'' Bruyere said that means going to the rink three to four times a week, maybe more. There are opportunities for girls in hockey, but there is a lot more travel required for games against other all-girl teams. Richardson says time is a ``huge subject'' for figure skaters' families as well. ``The recreational skater skates once or twice a week in their lesson, maybe gives it 15 minutes before or after during a public session. The competitive skater skates at 8 or 9 years old probably 10 hours a week,'' she said. ``They skate early in the morning before they go to school, and then after school they come back on the ice.'' Then there are the ballet and hip-hop dance lessons that help skaters move to the music, and maybe gymnastics for flexibility. At Pickwick Ice Center in Burbank last Friday, a group of parents watched their young boys learning the fundamentals. Relative newcomers to the sport, it's too soon to tell whether there are future stars among them. The parents said they sought an after-school activity the boys could do together, but each family had its own motive for choosing skating. Miles Coolidge of Silver Lake has signed up for lessons himself on Friday afternoons after 7-year-old Owen's class ends. The father-son interest in skating ``has a lot more to do with my being from Montreal,'' Miles admitted. Carol Brogdon-Tent said it was her husband's idea that their son Charlie, 8, get into skating because Dad grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., where figure skating and ice hockey ice hockey: see hockey, ice. ice hockey Game played on an ice rink by two teams of six players on skates. The object is to drive a puck (a small, hard rubber disk) into the opponents' goal with a hockey stick, thus scoring one point. are popular sports. She said the new skill has come in handy Verb 1. come in handy - be useful for a certain purpose be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" when they visit family there. ``It's sort of a cool thing that the L.A. cousin can skate, too,'' she said. For now, Charlie is learning the basics of moving on the ice, but he sees himself playing hockey someday. His favorite thing to do on the rink? ``Go fast,'' he says without hesitation. Kim Badger of Valley Village says 8-year-old Nate's great-grandfather was Sherwin Badger Sherwin Campbell Badger (August 29, 1901 – April 8, 1972) was an American figure skater who competed in singles and pairs. He earned the men's titles at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships from 1920 through 1924. , who with Beatrix Loughran Beatrix S. Loughran (born June 30, 1900 in New York City - died December 7, 1975) is an American figure skater. She is the only American to win three Olympic medals in figure skating (1924, 1928, 1932). She is a six-time National champion (1925-1927 in singles, 1930-1932 in pairs). captured the silver medal in pairs skating for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. at the 1932 Lake Placid Lake Placid, village (1990 pop. 2,485), Essex co., NE N.Y.; settled 1850, inc. 1900. In the Adirondack Mts. at an altitude of 1,800 ft (549 m), the village surrounds Mirror Lake. It is a famous resort and sports center. Games. ``In the back of your mind ... there's just a curiosity if there's a (familial) talent,'' Badger said. It takes more than good genes, though, to make a skating star. Catarina Lindgren, a 1984 Swedish Olympian who choreographed the touring ``Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics'' show with her husband, Tom Dickson This article is about the figure skater. For the founder of the Blendtec corporation, see Will It Blend?. Tom Dickson is an American figure skater who currently works as a coach and choreographer. During his eligible career, he won the U.S. , has been watching their 8-year-old twins on the ice to see whether they have inherited their parents' gift. ``My daughter is not at all interested in skating. She wants to do volleyball,'' she said. Their son has been more inclined toward skating since watching the Turin Games. ``We've taken them skating like once a week. But I've noticed there's no point in bringing your kids to the rink if you do it more because you want them to rather than the kids being interested in it. ``If you want to do it just for fun, it's one thing. But if you're going to spend the money - it's not the cheapest sport - then I think you really need to have someone who wants to stick with it and has a real love for training.'' The cost is not just in time but in money. A half-hour group session is priced between $12 and $15. Private lessons could run parents $80 to $90 per hour. Once a child says she wants to skate, Lindgren recommends holding her to a commitment of, say, a 10-week session of classes. One painful or embarrassing fall in the first outing could prompt a student to give up, but that's a snap judgment a judgment formed on the instant without deliberation. See also: Snap , not a reasoned decision. Richardson, 55, still feels that passion she discovered as a child. While she has a second career as a hairstylist, she maintains a ballet studio in her home to keep in top form for the ice. ``There's never enough, because you wake up eating it, drinking it, sleeping it,'' she said. ``You're just never good enough. It kind of beats you up. But it's good. It's your love, you know?'' Valerie Kuklenski, (818) 713-3750 valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Walker Garcia, 6, of Palmdale practices his hockey at Ice Station Valencia. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News (2 -- 3 -- color) To be most competitive, figure skaters must start young, and at the Pickwick Ice Center in Burbank, Jamila Barranda, 9, of Van Nuys, above, works on her routine for an upcoming competition. Right: Shayanne Casapao, 7, of Burbank helps Barranda do the splits during practice at the Pickwick Ice Center. Having fun and thriving on repetition is key to sticking with the training. John Lazar/Staff Photographer (4 -- 5 -- color) Above: If it's a beginning skating class, there will be collisions, and the key is getting right back up and trying again. Left: Michael Marquez, 12, of Valencia; Ethan Gomes, 6, of Saugus; Wyatt Garcia, 9, of Palmdale; and Tanner Crow, 12, of Van Nuys test their puck-handling skills during an ice hockey clinic at Ice Station Valencia. John Lazar/Staff Photographer Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News Box: Where to find lessons - V.K. |
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