SKATERS HONE SKILLS ON THE ICE; YOUNGSTERS GLIDE GRACEFULLY AT SIMI VALLEY COMPETITION.Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer Susan Neumann hits the ice by 6:30 every morning. The 12-year-old Moorpark girl spends an hour practicing her jumps and spins at Simi Valley's Easy Street Ice Arena before heading to school. ``Skating has taught me to work hard. Every day you want to accomplish a little more than the day before,'' said Neumann, who competed in Sunday's Tri-Valley 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. Championships at the Ice Arena. ``I was hoping for a clean program and good spins,'' said Neumann, who earned a medal in her freestyle juvenile girl's division on Sunday. ``I'm happy.'' Sanctioned by 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. Figure Skating Association, the two-day event brought more than 180 figure skaters from around 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, . The weekend event was the last open club competition, giving area skaters a chance to try out their skating routines for USFSA USFSA US Figure Skating Association judges before heading to next month's regional championships in Anaheim. ``For many, this will give them one more chance to skate in a no-pressure situation before the regional competition,'' said Caprise Hewes, president of the Tri-Valley Figure Skating Club A figure skating club is a local organization of figure skaters, often centered around a single ice rink. Typical club activities include arranging practice ice time, hosting test sessions and competitions, and producing an annual ice show in which club skaters may take part. , which includes skaters from Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by and the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . ``My goal is to get the kids and the adults out on the ice one more time,'' Caprise said. The Gaut family drove out from their home in Palm Desert so 11-year-old Jamie could practice her routine before the regional event Nov. 4. ``This is a really competitive sport. There can be a lot of pressure put on these kids,'' said John Gaut, who watched from the bleachers as his daughter performed Sunday. ``It's a very individual sport and the kids learn about discipline. As parents, you have to make sure they're still having fun,'' he said. In addition to events for more advanced skaters, the weekend championships offered a handful of competitions for novices and toddlers who hoped to have some fun and improve their skills. After finishing a freestyle routine in one of her first championship competitions, 8-year-old Danielle Kahle met with her coach, Tiffany Chin. ``This has been a good chance for me to see how my students perform under the pressure of competition,'' said Chin, a national and world championship figure skater who recently began coaching at Simi Valley's Ice Arena. ``Sometimes the kids get scared. Other times they handle it well, like Danielle did,'' said Chin, rewarding Danielle with a smile. After gliding and spinning to a segment from the musical ``Mary Poppins,'' Danielle took a break from the ice to skip rope with her 2-year-old sister, Savannah Savannah, city, United States Savannah, city (1990 pop. 137,560), seat of Chatham co., SE Ga., a port of entry on the Savannah River near its mouth; inc. 1789. , in front of the skating arena. Danielle said she first slipped into a pair of ice skates three years ago when her family took a trip to a local ice rink. ``No one else really liked it. My brothers wanted to play baseball but I liked skating,'' she said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color only in Simi edition) Stephanie Takahashi, 8, glides past the judges Sunday at the Tri-Valley Figure Skating Championships at the Easy Street Ice Arena. (2--Color only in Simi edition) Ashley Phelps of Las Vegas competes Sunday at the figure skating championships in Simi Valley. John McCoy/Daily News |
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