Hometown and Family:
Tom lives in Bethel, Connecticut with his wife, Lori. He has two children: Shayna and David.
How Tom Began Skating:
Tom began skating as part of a fitness program following physical therapy after knee surgery. He needed something for strength, flexibility and balance. Tom was forty-five years old when he began to skate and he originally started with in-line skating, but ice skating was easier on knees and offered more options.
How Tom Began Ice Dancing:
Tom first took lessons on figure skating basic skills and enjoyed it more than he thought he would. He then took freestyle lessons with his daughter Shayna and learned quite a bit. He can do a loop jump. He was introduced to ice dancing by the wonderful people at the Hickory Hill Figure Skating Club, and became hooked.
Ice Dance Partner and Skating Accomplishments:
Tom skates with Karen Kane, of Rock Tavern, New York. He has passed the Pre-Bronze Test and is working on Bronze Dances. Tom writes, "I am able to do Pre-Silver Dances socially with a brave partner."
Education, Accomplishments, and Hobbies:
Tom holds an MBA, with an undergraduate degree in Optical Engineering. He is presently Director of Business Analysis for a mining and metals company. Tom served as a U.S. Naval Submarine Officer. Tom is a sushi chef in his spare time and occasionally he prepares sushi for his skating club.
Coaches and Training:
Tom skates four times a week. His main ice dance coach is Sue Tuck of Stamford, Connecticut. Tom considers her a great role model. Sue has skated with him through most of his ice dance tests. He has also trained with Natalia Dubova (the coach of ice dancing legends Maya Usova and Alexander Zulin) and with several other American and Russian coaches. Tom skates wherever there's good ice and good friends. His home club ice is at the Harvey School rink in Katonah, New York.
Favorite Ice Dances:
The Willow Waltz is Tom's favorite dance of the dances he can actually skate. Tom says that the Swing Dance was the first one that actually felt like dancing, because of the face-to-face partner position.
He likes watching nearly all of the higher dances, and hopes to continue skating long enough to learn many of them them. He particularly likes the Blues, the Paso Doble, the Starlight Waltz and the Viennese Waltz.
Favorite Skaters and Ice Dancers:
Tom considers Dorothy Hamill and Peggy Fleming among the most beautiful skaters. His favorite ice dancers are Peter Tchernyshev and Naomi Lang.
Competition Experience:
Tom writes: 'I never thought I'd skate, never thought I'd dance, never thought I'd test, and never thought I'd compete. I have skated in several regional and local competitions. My first was a Pro-Am competition with coach Sue Tuck. Most recently, Karen Kane and I placed fifth in Pre-Bronze Dance at the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships. As a first "national" experience, it couldn't possibly have been better.'
Tom Hopes Other Adults Will Consider Ice Dancing:
Tom considers the ice dance community a wonderful community.
He has had some skating related injuries. One injury was from ice conditions and the other injury was from inexperience. Once he hit a hole in the ice while stroking around the end of the rink at full power, and broke the top of his arm where it enters the shoulder. He is now more diligent about inspecting the ice before practicing. Another time he stepped on the back of his blade, fell, and broke a bone in his wrist. That precipitated his transition to special ice dance blades.
Tom does not let injury stop his ice dancing and he hopes he will be able to ice dance for a very long time.
