During the 2014 Olympic Figure Skating Opening Ceremonies, on February 7, 2014, ten different countries will compete against one another in the first phase of the first ever Olympic Figure Skating Team Trophy Event. Each country's team will consist of one male skater, one female skater, one pairs team, and one ice dance team.
The skaters competing in the Olympic Team Trophy Figure Skating competition must also be skaters who have been chosen by their countries to compete in the individual Olympic figure skating events. The United States won the 2013 World Figure Skating Team Trophy. I wonder if the USA might be the first Olympic Figure Skating Team Trophy Champions in 2014? Also, the new Olympic figure skating event means a skater could leave the Olympics with two Olympic Gold Medals! How cool is that?!
Olympic Figure Skating Team Trophy Event Will Be Introduced in Sochi, Russia in 2014 - Getty Images
I began my "skating life" at a tiny ice arena in southern California in the mid-1960s. Tarzana's Valley Ice Skating Center was owned and operated by a man named Ron Priestly who had been a British ice show star. When patrons entered his rink, they would see an interesting display that showed off badges and rewards that skaters could earn from a fairly new organization called the ISIA, Ice Skating Institute of America.
Over two decades later, when I was the Skating Director at the famous Iceland Paramount rink owned by Frank Zamboni, the founder of the legendary Zamboni ice resurfacing machine, I attended an ISIA nationwide conference in Las Vegas. There, I heard, Michael Booker, who was a leader in the ice skating industry, give a tribute to Ron Priestly. It was then that I understood that the "rink tests" that were given to me and other young ice skaters in the 1960s at Valley Ice Skating Center were a significant part of ice skating history. The badges in Valley Ice Skating Center's display were the original Alpha, Beta, and Gamma ISIA test badges.
Recently, Ice Skating Institute's Executive Director, Peter Martell, took the time to chat with me about the organization's history. ISI, Ice Skating Institute, is sometimes thought of as "the other skating organization," but, in my opinion, it should not be thought of in that way. The ISI works hard to make skating available to everyone and is committed to educating ice rink managers and coaches.
Lynnellen, Billy, and Jo Ann Schneider Began Skating in an Ice Skating Institute Program in the 1960s - Schneider Family Personal Photos
At the 1984 Winter Olympics, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean made history when they stunned the world with their Bolero free dance that earned nine perfect 6.0 scores. Recently, the figure skating legends captivated audiences again when they performed the Bolero program on the British reality television show "Dancing on Ice." Although it has been nearly thirty years since they won Olympic gold, their dancing and skating has not changed!
Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill: Dancing on Ice 2013 - Getty Images
Ice dancing clothes are beautiful, elaborate, and original since the dresses and skirts female ice dancers wear on the ice, especially during competitions and tests, are longer than most ice skating dresses. Male ice dancers are sometimes seen in tuxes or suits at competition time.
Dressing for ice dancing can be fun, and some ice dance competitors say that part of the fun of ice dancing is the costumes!
Ice Dancing Clothes - Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
