NEWS
Establishment of the George C. Felton Memorial Dance Test Fee Fund
Establishment of the George C. Felton Memorial Dance Test Fee Fund
When I think about why a fund to offset the cost of dance test fees for the Preliminary through Bronze Patterned Dances was established, one reason rises to the top. For those who knew the late George C. Felton, it was his love of ice dancing that he would wish to share with others that drove the Fund’s creation.
At the age of 76, it became apparent that the potential for a crippling fall was just not worth the joy he experienced when skating in a dance session. So he retired.
With his passing in 2008 at the age of 88, I decided that it was now time to make it possible for others to have the opportunity to experience the joy of ice dancing by establishing the Fund. I wanted to give others the opportunity to learn and perfect skating skills, foundational in patterned dances, with the hope of sharing the joy we experienced. Moreover, both George and I enjoyed working toward passing dance tests that, at the time, had NO lower standard either for an Adult +21 or an Adult 50+ candidate. Though he never passed his last Pre-Gold, he did pass on his love for ice dance to all who knew him.
Things have changed over the years and ice dancers both young and “not so young” now have many more options in the testing arena. This fund is established to help skaters begin their climb up the testing ladder, removing the “cost of testing” barrier that can be experienced by many skaters. It is sincerely hoped that budding dancers will begin to test dance and enjoy that climb to the Gold Dance Test medal.
~ Dr. Jerilyn Felton
For more information and how you can use the Dance Test Fund, please visit: The George C Felton Memorial Dance Test Fund page.
Stars On Ice in Portland!
Don’t forget to use our discount code: RQORSKATECOUNCIL
Link For Tickets HERE
SOFSC: Ice Dance Workshop
APRIL 1, 2022
SHALL WE DANCE?
Oregon Skating Council w/ Southern Oregon FSC Presents:
Five Week Ice Dance Workshop in Medford, Oregon.
More information attached and at https://www.sofsc.org/ .
Klamath Falls Ice Sports - 19th Annual Figure Skating Spectacular Gotta Skate & Ashley Wagner Seminar
www.klamathicesports.org
https://tinyurl.com/ashleywagnerclinic
Bend Ice Performs at BPRD Winter Solstice 2021
Bend Ice Figure Skating Club performed at the BPRD Winter Solstice event and it went very well. You can watch the performance on Bend IFSC’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6nqabPo70E
Judges Appreciation Dinner
A huge THANK YOU and shout out to our judges (and trial judges!) who continually support our skaters and clubs!
We appreciate your dedication and always showing up, especially those early mornings!!! 😊 ☕️
Dr Jerilyn F
Wendy G
Becky P
Kim B
George C
Jennifer H
Jennifer C
Edy H
Carolyn B
Barbara S
Sara K
Bill C
Lisa H
Thank you from Oregon Skating Council!!!
Club Holiday Shows
Support your local figure skating club and catch some holiday vibes:
Bend IFSC Winter Solstice at The Pavilion in Bend - 12/17, 5P
Carousel Sherwood FSC Holiday Show at Sherwood Ice Arena in Sherwood - 12/17, Time TBA
Eugene FSC Celebrate the Season at The Rink Exchange in Eugene - 12/4, 7P / Free with a donation of a new book for kids 6 and under.
Portland ISC Holiday Show at Lloyd Ice Rink - Date & Time TBA
Southern Oregon FSC Holiday Show at The RRRinks in Medford - 12/4, 5P
Winterhawks FSC Nutcracker On Ice at Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton - 12/18, 7P
More details on the calendar and/or visit club websites!
We Lost A Great Man - Don Baldwin
The Portland skating community has a lost a great.
Sending our condolences and love to the Baldwin Family. Don will be greatly missed. Thank you for sharing his legacy with us and keeping our ice community together.
Portland Monthly had a great Q&A with Mr Baldwin this past September. Link here for full article:
Don Baldwin has been the general manager of Lloyd Center’s ice rink since 1998—long before the snazzy 2016 remodel that shrunk the size of the ice. We asked what keeps him gliding.
What has kept you here for 23 years?
The people. We have really nice people here. We’ve set up kind of a community. I tell people, ‘We’re inside a big pink bubble here.’ Because it’s all about the skaters, it’s all about skating. Everybody comes here and they leave their everyday responsibilities behind.
His family has set a GoFundMe for support during their difficult time. Memorial information can also be found here:
Update:
Join us December 28th at 10am to honor and remember Don Baldwin. It will be held at Lloyd Center Ice rink. Party rooms will be open for light refreshments and a commemoration book. There will also be skating performances dedicated to Don.
If you have any photos, memories and any other tidbits that can be included in the book, it would be appreciated.
We will all be wearing red, Dons favorite color.
We ask for no flowers but instead a donation to Don’s family. The go fund me link will be available that day.
Please park in the Halsey street Parking garage (entrance on 9th and also on Halsey street). Those are the only doors that will be open at that time.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1095864171165884/
Dear Serge Onik
Serge, you will be greatly missed. Our hearts are broken to have heard the devastating news. We are so incredibly lucky to have had the honor and pleasure to both know you and learn from you. From the Oregon Skating community and beyond we are sending all our love to you and your family.
@sergeonik forever. 💖
Serge, you will be greatly missed. Our hearts are broken to have heard the devastating news. We are so incredibly lucky to have had the honor and pleasure to both know you and learn from you. From the Oregon Skating community and beyond we are sending all our love to you and your family.
@sergeonik forever. 💖
Flashback Saturday - Remember when Synchro Nationals skated Portland ice?!
Although considered one of the five official disciplines of figure skating, synchronized skating—in which teams of up to 24 skaters perform elaborately choreographed routines, often at breakneck speeds—is the only one not yet represented at the Olympics. It's hard to imagine why. If two people flinging each other around the ice is worthy of medals, shouldn't two dozen skaters doing it at the same time be 12 times as worthy?
(Ale Carda)
Never Heard of Synchronized Skating? Well the U.S. Championships Are Coming to Portland.
You won't see this sport in the Olympics, here’s everything you need to know.
By Matthew Singer | February 20, 2018
At the moment, 14 of America's best figure skaters are in South Korea, competing against the rest of the world on the grandest stage in sports.
Meanwhile, the other 1,600 are going to be in Portland this week, competing against each other in a dilapidated sports arena.
Although considered one of the five official disciplines of figure skating, synchronized skating—in which teams of up to 24 skaters perform elaborately choreographed routines, often at breakneck speeds—is the only one not yet represented at the Olympics. It's hard to imagine why. If two people flinging each other around the ice is worthy of medals, shouldn't two dozen skaters doing it at the same time be 12 times as worthy?
Leslie Graham thinks so. The senior director of synchronized skating for U.S. Figure Skating understands why it's the odd sport out—it's still a fairly new form. Still, how much longer can the Olympic committee deny a spectacle that combines the grace of figure skating with the speed (and occasional bloodshed) of hockey?
Ahead of the U.S. championships happening in our backyard, we spoke to Graham to find out more about what the Olympics have been missing.
WW: Is it fair to say synchronized skating is the black sheep of the ice sports world?
Leslie Graham: It's definitely the youngest sheep. It's a fairly new discipline. Back in 1956, Dr. Richard Porter had this idea to put a bunch of cheerleaders, essentially, on the ice during intermission at a hockey game. So the first "precision team," as it was then called, was named the Hockettes. But we've only had a national championship since 1984, and we've only had a world championship for 18 years.
What's stopping it from becoming an Olympic sport?
I think the newness of it, and the sheer numbers. Teams can have up to 24 skaters on them. That's a lot of people the Olympics would have to accommodate. I think that's one of the biggest obstacles we have to overcome—just the sheer number of athletes who participate in the sport.
So what exactly goes into it?
Obviously, it's a team sport, and what makes it so special is these athletes are skating as one. They have great unity, but they're skating with a lot of speed and a lot of edgework. We say it's actually a combination of all the different disciplines. You have the jumps and spins of singles. You'll see the intricate footwork of an ice dancing team. You'll actually see, in our senior division, the lifts. So it's really a combination of all our different disciplines—just times 16 skaters.
Is synchronized skating popular in other countries?
It's definitely grown in popularity across the world. Russia has won the last two world championships. The Swedes, the Finns, the U.S. and Canada—those are the five countries who have embraced synchronized skating. I do think we're a leader in our discipline due to the sheer number of teams. We have over 620 registered synchronized skating teams in the U.S.
What's the most difficult move in synchronized skating?
I think the group lifts are pretty remarkable. You'll only see them in the senior division because of the risk involved. Think about it—in synchronized skating, if you have 16 people on the ice, that's 32 blades, that's a lot of fingers. It can be a dangerous sport. So those lifts are a pretty unique but exciting piece of a program.
Have you seen anything grisly like that happen during a routine?
Our hope is that everyone skates clean—that means everyone stays on their feet, basically. Unfortunately, things happen. Skaters are trained from a young age how to protect their fingers and hands, and get in a ball and roll away if you have to, so if there is a fall, it's the least disruptive it can be.
Who are the legendary figures in the sport?
The Haydenettes are a senior team out of Lexington, Mass. They are 25-time national champions. They've also won multiple world medals. I'd say they are the leaders in our country for this sport. They compete in the senior division, which is our top division, kind of the cream of the crop. I'd say they are favorites this year just because of their past competitive experiences.
Is there anything close to a Tonya Harding figure in the synchronized skating world?
Because of the nature of the sport, the athletes are part of a team, and the team is greater than the individual.
How important would it be if synchronized skating ever becomes an Olympic sport?
I think if it was to become an Olympic sport, we'd find a lot more skaters would be interested in it, because right now we don't have that opportunity. There's the opportunity if you're a singles skater or ice dancer or pairs skater that you can eventually compete at the top competition in our world. The World Championships are something our teams strive for, but there's not that carrot of the Olympics.
GO: The 2018 U.S. Synchronized Figure Skating Championships are at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 N Winning Way, on Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 22-24. See rosequarter.comfor schedule and ticket prices.
https://www.wweek.com/culture/2018/02/20/never-heard-of-synchronized-skating-the-u-s-championships-are-coming-to-portland/