Ice Dancing Academy for "under-funded" kids

[JS]

There was a lot of talk recently on this and other skating boards about expenses associated with figure skating, how a lot of talented but “under-funded” kids just don’t have a chance to reach their potentials. Which is all sadly true. :evil:

So it was very refreshing for me to read this little article I was referred to. It is about a couple of Russian and an American coaches who founded an Ice Dancing Academy. They say the main goal is to help kids who are talented but have limited resources. WOW!!! :bow: Have you ever heard of such a thing before??

The fees quoted in the article are indeed unbelievably reasonable. They also say they use Russian methods of ice dance training, including ball room dancing, ballet, etc.

Does anybody know more about this Academy and these coaches?

By the way, here is the link:

http://www.gazette.net/200412/wheaton/news/207135-1.html

[WeBeEducated]

Great idea.
I know of about 4 skaters right now who are very talented in ice dance but are in their latter teens and just cant come up with all the funding the typical coaches and rinks demand.
If some young coaches wanted to develop some winning teams they should cut skaters with talent a break and soon they would have a booming business.

[yogurtslinger]

I think it sounds really neat. I wonder if the Academy will experience long-term success in terms of having a high "graduation rate" of regional/national champions ? The idea of standardized training and a formal structure that encapsulates methods proven over time is appealing.. instead of the more hit or miss phenomenon of a talented pupil wandering from coach to coach hoping for the right match. Having that foundation/security there would really aid development, I think.

[icenut84]

If some young coaches wanted to develop some winning teams they should cut skaters with talent a break and soon they would have a booming business.

I read once that Torvill & Dean's coach did that, when they were younger - at one point, she apparently waived her fees altogether.

I agree it's a great idea. Skating seriously and competing can get so expensive when you get to a high level.

[CanAmSk8ter]

I think it's great to see coaches encouraging students to go into dance earlier. I was chatting with an adult skater the other day who said she had tried dance recently and really enjoyed it but that she had a hard time getting used to partnering and didn't think she was going to continue with it. This woman's a very good skater with a great build for dance, and I thought it was too bad that partnering was scaring her off.

I started dance about ten years ago right out of learn-to-skate, and while it's taken me a long time to progress through tests compared with skaters who start dance when they're higher-level freeskaters (nine months to get my Dutch Waltz testable, for example) partnering has been second-nature to me for years now. I think starting the kids in dance early, whether they're doing freestyle and/or pairs and/or synchro as well, can have tremendous advantages later on.

[waveformula]

Hi everyone -

I was just browsing some google hits for 'ice dance academy' and this thread came up - and almost nothing else! So the academy referenced in the article may well be the only one. They have a website now - http://wisa.us - it's a project of mine as I'm the dad of one of the skaters.

Another little article appeared in the same paper a few days ago - here's the link (http://www.gazette.net/stories/011707/wheanew215207_32347.shtml).

The academy has had a lot of success medaling in local competitions and everyone (ten skaters - four couples and two solos) made it to qualifying junior nationals. Another couple, the oldest (15/16) left the academy for private coaching a few months before nationals and took silver in intermediate.

One of the benefits of training in an academy is training and traveling with so many friends. These kids spend a lot of time together and are all close friends and more supportive than they are competitive. The other non-academy skaters we see at competitions sometimes seem a little lonely!

It was great to read this thread and hear everyone's positive responses to the academy idea!

All the best,
Josh

PS - The link in the first post to original 2004 article is broken, here's the new link (http://gazette.net/gazette_archive/2004/200412/wheaton/news/207135-1.html).

[phoenix]

There is a new foundation in Chicago also w/ similar goals. It's not as established yet, but has several teams & is just starting to work on a full-blown website (I'm the designer 8-) ).

The name is Chicago Ice Dance Foundation; Oleg Epstein is one of the founding coaches. The address will be: http://www.chicagoicedance.org

[Isk8NYC]

I'm not an expert on gymnastics, but wasn't Academy-style training introduced to the US when Nadia Comenichi's coach moved to this country?

I think it's a great idea for figure skating. The major advantage hockey has over us is unity and numbers. Skating clubs aren't always able to get the commitment to pick/choose ice time. By registering in an Academy for an entire season, you're taking care of the ice bill up front. Sharing coaches and lessons builds more unity and (hopefully) reduces the unnecessary friction among skaters. Plus, long blocks of ice time lets the parents drop off and pick up, which keeps them from annoying each other.