What to Do? Where to Go?

[Bogie88]

Sometimes this sport is so frustrating!

When we started, we happily went along with a coaching team that gave our kid some great skills, as well as a break on coaching costs. We're not in a big metro area or at one of those super training centers, just a little rural rink in a rural corner of the US.

Now my husband has the ability to relocate anywhere in the US, thanks to his job. Obviously, one of the many factors to take into consideration is skating. This is a rather delicate topic to bring up with the coaches, however, and I don't want to ask them for any suggestions (I have my reasons, just don't want to get into them here.)

Why can't there be some sort of "Consumer Reports" of coaches, rinks and training centers? Sure, there's word of mouth, but I can't go traipsing around the country "trying out" these places--not exactly in the budget! I look at places on the Internet, and they all seem wonderful, so that wasn't a big help.

OK, the question is--how does one go about selecting a new coach long-distance? Some parent here must have done it before! I would appreciate some advice--contact me privately if you prefer. Also, just to make this fun, who/what is your dream coach/rink/training center for your child?

Thanks a lot for any help you can give!

[Mrs Redboots]

I'm afraid the time-honoured way is to tell your present coach/es where you are going, and ask them for recommendations and referrals to a good coach in the new area. There are no guarantees that your kid would get on with such a coach, but it's a starting-point. If you are unwilling to do that, for whatever reason, then I am not sure how you would go about it, other than going down to the rink and asking for an interview with the head coach, to whom you would explain your child's situation and ask for recommendations from him/her. And insist on a trial period on either side - mismatches happen through nobody's fault, and it's silly to get stuck into an unbreakable relationship too soon.

[Dolly]

Here is a link to a SLAM article about a US training centre.
http://www.slam.ca/Slam020305/ska_tra-ap.html

I'm sure there are others but I just happened upon this one.

I'm from Canada and I know there's a good training center in Montreal. Also in BC, Alberta and Ontario there are several others. I don't know of any in the States. I think if my husband could move anywhere and skating is being taken into consideration, I would look at the top skaters in the country, find out who's coaching them, and do some research. Then narrow it down to a couple of choices; arrange a meeting and travel there for a weekend. At the same time, you could check out work, homes, schools, etc. Then I would discuss it with my current coach and give notice on departurue date.

Good luck with a finding a great center and coach for your little one. It makes such a difference when you feel you have the best you can afford and your child is happy.

Now if I could pick a coach for my skater and a training centre I would like Tataiana Tarasova and whatever training centre she likes. I know she's the best and she also seems like a nice woman. (IMO) However, I'm just dreamin'.

[backspin]

If you aren't able to specifically select *the* coach long distance, I'd say your best bet would be to select a city/area that is known for having lots of good coaches and lots of ice. Chicago has both; so does Minneapolis. Take into consideration what discipline your skater is in, & do a little research--you can find out who's sending kids to regionals & nationals at all levels. The more kids coming out of one club/city, the better the programs/coaches probably are. Obviously there are the BIG well known training centers (Detroit, Indy, Colorado Springs--great city, by the way), to consider as well (realizing you'll probably pay big bucks for coaching there).

It might help if you give us a list of cities you're considering--there may well be people on the board who know about them specifically. You have to take in mind things other than skating of course!! Where do *you* want to live?

[Bogie88]

Thanks for your replies. We definitely are NOT considering Texas, the deep south, Florida, Arizona, Pacific Northwest. High on the list is California, New England, DC/Maryland/Virginia area, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio. I love Colorado Springs, but I have concerns about the altitude there--had a killer headache when I visited there a few years ago, but maybe it was a one-time thing.

Like I said, skating is just one aspect of the move decision. Quality of life is most important, as well as access to good education.

[BABYSKATES]

Last year, my family sounded like your family except we knew we wanted to live in Southern California. It didn't matter to anyone else in the family where exactly we settled so I started looking for a great place for my child to skate. I pulled up a list of area rinks on the internet and then I researched the schools near them. When I narrowed my list down, I came to visit the surrounding communities and was knocked off my feet by one great little town. We ended up moving where the schools are top of the country, the coaching is the best there is and the community is friendly and alive.

[Arsenette]

The frustrating thing about picking anyone long distance (or short distance for that matter) is that the scene changes. One day a training center is the best thing in the country and the other day it's a ghost town. Many places lose coaches for one reason or another or worse the rink closes down for financial reasons. Also take into account how much time is alloted for actual figure skating since MANY rinks in my area (South Jersey) worship hockey at the expense of FS. It could be a state of the art facility but NEVER give ice time to figure skaters because they would rather make money off of hockey. :x

[Figureskates]

If there is any interest in synchro, my area in New England is in the middle of it all...

[sk8er1964]

The Detroit area is very figure skating friendly, with top coaches in the area. There are no less than 8 rinks within a 20 minute drive of my house, most of which are open throughout the summer. PM me if you want more info.

[BABYSKATES]

I forgot to mention that we researched and found out who coached where. We came up with a short list of coaches and made appointments with them. When we visited potential areas to live, my daughter took trial lessons with the coaches we were considering. We gave ourselves a couple of months of looking around for a coach before we decided who worked best with our child. We ended up making great choices.

If you are coming to Southern California feel free to PM us if you want specific info about our area. We also have a ton of rinks you can access.

[manleywoman]

Here's a list of cities that have lots of good rinks with good coaches (that way you avoid going to ONE training rink that can become a ghost town if coaches leave, because there are no other rinks around) I personally know the Philly/DE, MD/DC/VA, and Chicago areas very well:

Philadelphia / Wilmington, Delaware area
Maryland / DC / Northern Virginia
Detriot / Ann Arbor
Chicago
Colorado Springs
Los Angeles / Lake Arrowhead
Boston


I hesitate to add Northern New Jersey because of all the upheaval there lately, but that's a possibility?

Anyone else care to add?

[kayskate]

I do not know what your husband does for a living, so I don't know if $ is a concern. You said you are in a rural area. If you move to a metro area be prepared for lessons and ice time to cost a lot more than they do where you live now. Be prepared for bigger crowds and more high level skaters. Where the cost of living is high, the cost of skating is also high. I have lived in rural America as well as a big metro area. The difference is shocking.

Kay

[Candleonwater]

If you decide you want to take a closer look at the DC area, let me know and I can help - I've lived here MOST of my life and I'm constantly looking at different rinks to make sure the rink I have my daughter at is the best one for her.

[Roseline]

Originally posted by manleywoman

Detriot / Ann Arbor


I don't live there (I'm from Ohio), but I really like Ann Arbor. It's a nice college town with a lot of different things going on in it, and 3 (I believe) rinks in the city and quite a few in the nearby area. The club sends a fair amount of skaters to Nationals. The AAFSC website is at http://www.annarborfsc.com

The Detroit Skating Club is the Detroit Skating Club!! One of THE places to go to become a champ. www.dscclub.com

We can't forget the Saint Clair Shores FSC, which is where the Czisny twins, who are absolutely stunning on the ice, train. http://www.scsfsc.org (read about the Czisny girls here: http://www.detnews.com/2003/sports/0301/13/f01-58579.htm )

Let us know what you decide!

edited to add a list of Michigan skaters at Nationals: http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_michigan/michiganians_at_usnats_2003.htm
and at Junior Nationals: http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_michigan/michiganians_at_jrnats_2003.htm

[CanAmSk8ter]

You didn't say what level your child is, but keep in mind that some coaches with several elite-level skaters/teams may not take on skaters below a certain level, without a certain jump, etc. I remember readin somewhere that the first time Naomi Nari Nam approached John Nicks, he wouldn't take her because her axel wasn't consistant.

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by CanAmSk8ter
You didn't say what level your child is, but keep in mind that some coaches with several elite-level skaters/teams may not take on skaters below a certain level, without a certain jump, etc. I remember readin somewhere that the first time Naomi Nari Nam approached John Nicks, he wouldn't take her because her axel wasn't consistant. No, but presumably he could, and did, recommend someone else to her. All the same, it's always a bit of a gamble, as different people learn differently, and what suits one skater may be totally meaningless to another, and vice versa.

[kgl2]

Depending on where you are moving from, the Upper Midwest has reasonably priced housing, quality schools, and, in the major metropolitan areas (Chicago and Mpls), a rink at practically every corner. What's nice in both of these areas, you can skate at various rinks, call local coaches to "try out" (just telling them you are thinking of relocating there) and generally get broad impressions in order to make an informed decision. You'll actually be able to see some of the skaters and the overall quality of the programs, as well as talk to the parents of the skaters who may be able to warn you off any potential problems with clubs and/or coaches. In each of these cities, there are so many rinks and clubs that you should be able to find a good fit (recreational vs. "serious" skating).
More importantly, the cost of living in each of these places are much lower than either coast, so budgeting for skating is easier and ice time coaching are less expensive. And there are excellent seamstresses in every burb to make fabulous outfits.

[BABYSKATES]

Originally posted by CanAmSk8ter
You didn't say what level your child is, but keep in mind that some coaches with several elite-level skaters/teams may not take on skaters below a certain level, without a certain jump, etc. I remember readin somewhere that the first time Naomi Nari Nam approached John Nicks, he wouldn't take her because her axel wasn't consistant.

I'd say go for the coach of your dreams. You might just get exactly who you want!

Speaking from our own experience, not knowing better or following any particular protocol, we called the rink where a great coach worked. Having learned our lesson about how hard it can be to change coaches, we decided to really pick carefully and go for exactly who we wanted from day one. We took tryout lessons with a few coaches. We knew we were interested in this particular coach and since we weren't in a hurry we waited until the timing worked out and my daughter was able to get in. It was a great match, although my daughter was just 9 years old and only tested to preliminary at that time. Not knowing that there was "no way" this coach would accept a skater at that low level, we asked him and he immediately agreed to be my daughter's head coach. He also got my daughter on the schedule of the coach he teams with for his elite skaters. We've been here less than a year and in that time, my child has moved up to the juvenile level. The improvements that have occurred for her as a result of having a great match with a great coach are mind boggling. My daughter is really becoming a wonderful skater and is showing talent even we who are biased by our love for her did not see. My child's love for the sport has increased exponentially, too. All because we didn't know that we weren't supposed to be able to get on with this coach.

Good coaches know what they are looking for. They see things others may not see. If they connect with a skater, they can bring things out in them most people would have never expected. In the case of my child, her low level, young age and inexperience worked in her favor. The coach felt he was getting her at the beginning of her skating career at a time and stage where he could really have a positive impact on her. He just liked her and saw something in her he knew he could work with. My daughter is his youngest, lowest level skater and this top coach treats her as if she is a champion.

I say Go Fo It! It worked for us.

[backspin]

Dropping in to add that I live in Wisconsin (Milwaukee area), and there is NOT a lot of skating here, nor do the rinks support figure skating. At present, between 6 rinks (which are pretty far-flung), there is a total of 1/2 hour of dance ice per week. Extremely talented skaters get to a certain point, & go somewhere else for higher training & more ice time. I go to Chicago for my lessons.

They just broke ground to build a (rumored) 4-surface facility, & have (reportedly) hired a BIG time coach to run the skating program, but there's no telling how that will actually pan out. I'd put Wisconsin closer to the bottom of your list, if skating is a big consideration (assuming you have rather big plans for your skater).

Before any Wisconsinites read this & get mad, you know it's true! We do have some good coaches here, but not much ice time & very little rink support.

[pinkjellybean]

I would take into account the area. Like if it's a heavily populated area how long is it between the rink, school and home and how long do you have to drive back and forth. An area with a couple rinks would be good so you're not limited if you can't find a good coaching match with one club.

I wouldn't settle on a coach before you move, for me it was always important to click with the coach. Someone else mentioned trials and that's really the best way. I would certainly ask for recommendations from current coaches or otehr parents. But don't commit until you've tried out a few coaches and observed the atmosphere at the rink. In some cases a coach might pop out at you, don't hesitate to see if that coach would take on a new student. Before you select or even try a coach out sit down and figure out the criteria you want, like how much do you want them to push your child, what sort of personality and then look for it in the coaches you see.

Recomendations are great but your child needs to be comfortable with the person. The coach with the most stars isn't necessarily the best coach for you. When one of my coaches moved away she really wanted me to skate with a particular coach, this coach is a great techincal coach and eventhough I never got a good vibe from her but I started with her and those were the worst two weeks of my life.

Good luck.

[Michigansk8er]

Definitely consider the Detroit or Ann Arbor area. Lots of good options for both ice and coaching. The Onyx at Rochester Hills is another great rink. Nice area, wonderful ice and great coaching staff. It would get my vote.

[SouthernSk8rMom]

My family (two parents and skater) moved half-way across the country for skating. We were able to do so because we have an only child and my husband, who travels constantly, could live anywhere with an airport. In our case, we moved for a specific coach. It has worked out fine, at least from a skating perspective. Had I been able to choose freely, these are other factors I think I should have considered: relative cost of living (look at state income taxes); climate; willingness of school to accomodate skating; preferably, some friends or family in the area; availability of ice during the hockey season.
I have seen a lot of rinks over the years, and my current favorite is Ice Works in Aston, PA. Four surfaces, great coaches.
Good luck.

[sk8rT]

OK this is a bold move but I'll try a consumer reports for you:

Here are some good coaches:
Southern Cal: You have Scot Williams, Charlene Wong, Christy Ness somewhere around there I think, Frank Carrol
Colorado: Broadmoor FSC--you can't go wrong--plenty of good coaches
Deleware: Jeff DiGregario
New York: Peter Burrows, Tracy Doyle, Tommy Litz, Slavka Kohut
Mass: Mark Mitchell, Peter Johansen
Mich: Ann Arbor FSC
Illinois: Cindy Watson

Hope that helped a little

[sk8rT]

oops forgot:

New Jersey: Craig Maruzi, Wendy Weston
Mass (Cape Cod): Evy and Mary Scotvold

[BABYSKATES]

Originally posted by sk8rT
Southern Cal: You have Scot Williams, Charlene Wong, Christy Ness somewhere around there I think, Frank Carrol


Christy Ness is about 400 miles away from S. Cal in Oakland (N. Cal)

[blades]

8-)

cinsidering that christy ness' husband comes with the "package deal"...i would not recommend her as a "good" coach...

in fact...if i had a kid skating...i'd avoid her (and him)...

[BABYSKATES]

Originally posted by blades
8-)

cinsidering that christy ness' husband comes with the "package deal"...i would not recommend her as a "good" coach...

in fact...if i had a kid skating...i'd avoid her (and him)...

Hmm, Ok, if I were smarter, I'd leave this one alone but I have to say from my firsthand experience, that Christy's husband is not a problem and certainly shouldn't stop anyone from going to Christy for coaching. Christy has an impressive resume and although she is not universally popular like Frank Carroll, she is a good coach. Kristy Yamaguchi is Christy's most successful skater although many top skaters worldwide have trained with Christy.

Andrew Ness was an Olympic team doctor (I can't remember for what nation) and he is a great source of sports medicine knowlege. He is a physician running his own practice up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has no time to be part of a "package deal."

I realize that people are either hot or cold on Christy but her husband shouldn't be dragged into this. I know him and he is a great guy.

[blades]

8-)

yeah...i've met the dude...and i'm not impressed...and neither are many people in edmonton...

i don't mind kristy...but i'm still not a fan...and i've watched her (and announced her in competitons) since she was just a kid...

as for scott and wife charlene and frank carrol...i give then all a "thumbs up"...not to mention denise and sashi kuchiki, roger berry and many other lesser known but excellent coaches in socal...

in northern california you do have charlie tickner and many others to choose from who can provide excellent training and inspiration...

santa rosa ain't such a bad town to skate in either (at "snoopy's rink")

[sk8rT]

You are absolutley right!!! Someone like Christy Ness who coached an amazing skater like Kristi Yamaguchi (actually Kristi wasn't that good--I mean she only won Olympics and Worlds and had 3lutz 3toe, decent 3axel attempts and was one of the most consistent skaters ever--she wasn't that good) isn't a good coach. Yeah I'd stay away---you wouldn't want to end up being as terrible as Kristi Yamaguchi! :roll:

[Bogie88]

I want to thank everyone for the great suggestions--I have received numerous responses, both here and privately, and will now try to match up cost of living, real estate prices, and schools with suggested training centers and coaches. We are going to stay put throughout the summer, since kiddo is making a first attempt at Regionals this season, but will let you know where we land! Thanks again!

Bogie

[backspin]

Bogie, I just discovered a perfect web site for you!!

ALL kinds of info, including a "matching" service (all free!), where it asks you to rate all the important things, & it will give you a big list of the best cities that match your criteria.

Hope that helps! :D

www.bestplaces.net (http://www.bestplaces.net)

[Bogie88]

Backspin,

That was fun! I ended up with a top ten list that pretty much reflected the areas I was most interested in, with Long Island leading the list (don't know about that, though!) Thanks for the tip!

[kgl2]

As a native who who's lived away toooo long, I can tell you Long Island is one of the most beautiful and most expensive places to live in the country. Schools are good, the access to NYC is great, but the taxes are a killer and ice prices a nightmare. Decent housing starts at about 350K.
Also as a native, I can tell you that the general impressions of Nyers as brash and rude may be your impression too. My take is that we are enthusiatic and outgoing, but I know my co-workers here in the midwest don't see me that way. It's a way different culture you will either love or hate. Myself, I can't wait to get back there.
As far as skating, there's nothing that would draw me there. The rinks are few, and high level coaching minimal, unless you plan on commuting long distances. And in NY traffic, that's not an easy feat.
But if you do end up there, I will be so envious!

[sk8rT]

WEST COAST:
L.A. area is very expensive and the schools are bad, so you'd probably need to pay for private schooling. If you have the money, Belaire and Beverly Hills and nice neighborhoods (I used to live there).
Colorado Springs is very bargain basement and you can skate at Broadmoor so that's another nice place. But out there the pace of life is much slower than in other major metropolitan areas and the schools are just so-so.

FOR EAST COAST
If the place you reside is important to you other than just because of skating--I'd say that Westchester County, NY or Fairfield County, CT are your best bets. You can access many good coaches and the schools are excellent. Towns to look in on:
New Canann, CT
Darien, CT
Greenwich, CT
Westport, CT
Weston, CT
Wilton, CT
Rye, NY
Harisson, NY
Purchase, NY
Larchmont, NY
Scarsdale, NY

All of the above towns are very nice places to live and have very high ratings according to the various websites. Most of the houses in many of the towns (especially in Greenwich, Westport and Harrisson) are VERY, VERY expensive---we are talking millions for decent homes. But then again, I did see advertisments for middle market homes in all of these towns. The two with the best school systems seem to be Greenwich and Westport both of which spend around $12000 per student and have highly rated public schools.
GOOD LUCK!!

[BABYSKATES]

Originally posted by sk8rT
WEST COAST:
L.A. area is very expensive and the schools are bad, so you'd probably need to pay for private schooling. If you have the money, Belaire and Beverly Hills and nice neighborhoods (I used to live there).


Hey, we live in the L.A. area and our schools are fantastic! Top of the country in fact. Our little community is adorable. (Bogie88, you guessed right about where we are!) The South Bay/West LA areas have great public schools. Some of the areas in the South Bay are O.K. price wise. Torrance, for example, is somewhat reasonable. Bel Aire and Beverly Hills are outrageous, unreal and the sticker shock could be fatal! 8O It is unfortunately true that California in general has far higher housing prices than most of the nation. That is the biggest drawback of living here. Fortunately, pay checks are bigger in general so that is the trade off. Northern California pays even more than Southern but the rinks are far apart and skating is very low key there. You find a lot of the kids that live up there who are excelling in skating have coaches in LA that they come work with on a somewhat regular basis. N. Cal is quite beautiful, though.

In the South Bay/West LA area there are several rinks: Healthsouth, Torrance (Harbor City), Culver City. Other nearby (within a reasonable driving distance) rinks are Paramount, Lakewood and Palos Verdes. If you feel like driving, within 30-40 minutes of the beach area, you can go to Pickwick, Van Nuys Iceland, Disney Ice, Glacial Gardens, Aliso Viejo, Pasadena, Simi Valley (a little farther out). Rinks, rinks everywhere!

These rinks have a range of great coaches. Off the top of my head (which is very tired today!) Frank Carroll, Ken Congemi, Charlene Wong, Miss Le (famous for coaching Chen Lu), Scott Williams, Tiffany Chin, John Nicks immediately come to mind. There is someone for everyone. Less known but successful coaches include Karen Kwan, Sashi Kuchiki, Tammy Gambil, Johnny Bevan (who coached Ye Bin Mok last season), Peter Oppagard, Nedda Soltani, Richard Ewell, etc. That list doesn't even scratch the surface of the range and depth of coaches here in the LA area.

We are still fairly new to this area. I can tell you that the level of skating is very high in the LA area. Skating is somewhat popular here. Lots of wonderful skaters call the LA area home: Michelle Kwan, Timothy Goebel, Ye Bin Mok, senior pair John Baldwin and Rena Inoue, Evan Lysacek, Amber Corwin, Angela Nikodinov (who is starting to skate again! Yay!), Ekaterina Gordeeva (and her little skater), Ilia Kulik, Scott Hamilton, and more excellent skaters than I could fit in this note. If skating is important to you, don't rule out LA. It has a lot to offer! We love it!

[sk8rT]

Also you could consider Newington, CT and Simsbury, CT--many Russian coaches coach there as well as other American coaches. Charter Oak FSC (Simsbury) has a great facility and the homes in upstate CT aren't bad pricewise--but you'd probably want to live in Fairfield County and make the 1-1.5 hour commute. I have a summer house in Fairfield Country and it's a great place to live. I lived there during part of the school year and the public schools are great--but the housing is very expensive and so is the overall cost of living. Colorado is probably the best bet--great coaches (Broadmoor FSC) and very cheap housing (for very nice homes) in the Colorado Springs area. I have a home also in the Colorado Springs area and it's a nice place to live.

[kittytiedy]

:roll:

[Candleonwater]

I have to say, my daughter did a workshop with Charlene Wong. This was just as my daughters coach was getting ready to take a leave of absence... and my daughter wanted Charlene to be her new coach... granted I'm not moving across the country for a coach, but it was nice to see that click happen so easily/quickly.

[jazzpants]

Originally posted by blades
as for scott and wife charlene and frank carrol...i give then all a "thumbs up"...not to mention denise and sashi kuchiki, roger berry and many other lesser known but excellent coaches in socal...

in northern california you do have charlie tickner and many others to choose from who can provide excellent training and inspiration...

santa rosa ain't such a bad town to skate in either (at "snoopy's rink") Shouldn't that be Scott and EX-WIFE Charlene??? :P (I know. Details...details...)

I can vouch for Charlie Tickner, since I took a few lessons with him!!! He's KEWL!!! 8-) (The only reason he was no longer my secondary coach at the time was that I got a job and he couldn't teach me at that rink!!! The only reason I'm not back taking him again is b/c I could only afford one coach!) :cry:

But if I get a job near a rink where he could teach me, I'll JUMP (pun not intended) at the opportunity to take him again as a secondary coach.

[blades]

8-)

yeah...i missed that one...just never heard about it till now...oh wellski...can't keep up on everyone!!!...

charlie is a character...and really sharp on the skating skills...he was fortunate to work with some excellent coaches during his competitive days...namely, the sahlins, skippy baxter and jimmy grogan...

[Poohsk8s2]

On a personal note: I would stay far away from the Newington rink because Bob Young is the manager there. Regarding Simsbury, although there are many good coaches, IMHO the skating club is a mess. I understand that it's membership is bailing fast. Don't confuse rinks with clubs, they are two separate entities.

The community of Simsbury is lovely. My family thinks highly of the school system and the services the town provides. The area towns of Avon, Canton and Farmington are also exceptional. There is a rink in nearby West Hartford that many skaters use for practice, and the sister rink to Simsbury is in Cromwell and is terrific.

I think if I was in your position the first thing that I would do is to contact the coaches that interest you (via the rink) and ask for resumes. Many will provide one for you as well as references from skaters that have trained with them. Then visit rinks if you can, and talk to the locals... you know rink moms... most will be happy to give you the dish on who's who. Believe it or not, one of the finest and most successful regional coaches at our rink charges the least and quietly goes about producing winners on a consistant basis.

Good luck to you and your skater!

[Jeujeucda]

Though this is slightly off topic..... but what's wrong with Christy Ness and her husband?

Jeujeucda

[nycbumpkin]

i talked to a mom from the midwest who said to avoid the skating director leslie deeson in boise as well as other coaches in boise, but you are not probably plannign on going there anyway

[blades]

8-)

as for christy ness' husband, i've met him...and though i never knew christy personally, i've been around her since she was a kid competing (even announced her at central pacific championships one year)...suffice to say that i really don't care much for the guy...nor do i think much of his input...it's a personal opinion...however, one that is shared by a few people in edmonton where christy taught for some time...

beyond that, i can't say much...i just wouldn't recommend those two...

if fairness...there are those who know them that see things differently than i...

this thread started out asking for knowledgable opinions and suggestions...and i gave mine...

as for boise...seattle ain't that far away...and i've never heard "boo" about that town...got me curious...but you should really know for sure (rather than going on hearsay...) before ya start rumors...

[nycbumpkin]

blades you are right, sorry, esp. since the mom i talked to wasn't even the original source...i think she heard it from another mom? i just remember that she was telling some story about big problems in that town and the name stuck with me because my cousin is named the same thing!...(and it's a guy!!)...

[geldysk8mom]

Originally posted by nycbumpkin
i talked to a mom from the midwest who said to avoid the skating director leslie deeson in boise as well as other coaches in boise, but you are not probably plannign on going there anyway
In your posts of the past, you say how new you are to the scene. How obvious.
My daughter took from Leslie Deason in San Diego before she moved and she still misses her dearly. We have not been able to find a coach that could come close to how good Leslie was with my girl.
I am not the only parent that has had a hard time finding a coach to replace her. One other student has gone through 3 coaches, and Leslie helped her find Evelyn Kramer and Christa Fassi. She is spending a couple weeks with Leslie (as we are) in Boise this summer.
It is a awfully small world for heresay.
My experiences with this wonderful coach are first hand.
Be careful

[Scott]

Simsbury offers an excellent array of coaches, has lots of elite and non elite skaters, a heavy international representation and an excellent facility. The community is great. However, this is a small town and if you like big city climates this would not be the place for you.

Newington is OUT! Unless you want to get involved with the likes of Bob Young.

Boston has some interesting skating venues such as the Skating Club of Boston. But that is an antique as far as a rink goes and is very small. Still they have some good coaches and the environment is definately figure skating.