Congratulations Claudia Brown! Claudia is our new, and only double gold medalist in the Blue Ridge Figure Skating Club (and any northeast PA figure skating club).  Claudia recently passed both her senior moves in the field and senior freestyle test.  This accomplishment comes from years of practice, many tests and patience with all of the learning skaters around her as she progressed.  Our club is so proud of you for achieving this.

We also have several other tests passed in recent months.
Congratulations to all our skaters as they work to achieve success and make their way up he testing ladder with USFSA
Adult Bronze move: Sydney Smith
Novice moves: Lexi Zabroski, Maria Humen
Pre-Juv Moves: Jenna Baljunas, Lily Bronson, Catherine Ziegler
Preliminary Move: Deanna Alston
Preliminary Free Skate: Lexi Zabroski, Lily Bronson
Pre Bronze Dance Test: Lily Bronson
Preliminary Dance Test: Maria Humen

Maria Humen - tests passed - Preliminary partner dance - Dutch waltz, rhythm and blues
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Congratulations to Sydney Smith for earning her Bachelors degree from the University of Scranton in May 2017.  Sydney works with the Learn to Skate Program and has been a figure skater with the club longer than most of us can remember.  Trying to think of the one thing that defines Sydney is difficult. She loves life to the fullest and tries everything; horseback riding, dance, crossfit, figure skating.  I am sure I am missing a dozen of her other hobbies. Congratulations Sydney!  Thanks for your kind heart and sweet disposition.  Best wishes for your future!

It's been a really successful year for our club.  As the club year started and our core membership signed up we gained new members and associates from nearby clubs.  Associate members continue to have the privileges most clubs offer to associate members, including privileges to shows, homes test sessions, skates at games, and almost all other opportunities afforded to our full members.   
We hosted a show in December, not only highlighting each skater's freestyle program but allowing each skater to select a holiday song to choreograph themselves with little assistance from their coach.  This was a great opportunity to see our skaters personality come through!
Our skaters passed a multitude of tests in moves in the field and freestyle.  Moving up through the test system is the primary way a figure skater demonstrates competency and accomplishment in our sport.  We couldn't be prouder of our skating members!
The bridge program has new skaters showing promise and interest and we look forward to their return in the new year. 
A big thank you to our home rink for continuing to offer us the much needed time to develop the programs for a strong figure skating program. 
Looking forward to a prosperous 2018!

A big thanks to Coach Carmina for encouraging our skaters to enter in one of the most competitive events available to them. Carmina always reminds us our competition is not local. This event allowed us to see skaters in our designated region and compete against them. What a great experience and opportunity to advance for those at qualifying levels. This is what competitive figure skaters skate for. A culmination of a year's worth of hard work! Below are some of the pictures of our club members and Carmina's students. Anyone with more pics please send them over blueridgefsc@gmail.com

I have a little bias but we all knew we had a great internal resource amongst us.  Congratulations to Michael Humen who has been named as a National Network Provided by USFSA Sports Sciences and Medicine Committee!! 

A theme we can't seem to get away from...As our skaters branch out and skate at other locations we are seeing Ice Etiquette policies.  Some rinks and clubs post their policies and enforce them, others may not have policies at all.   Below are some great guidelines which apply everywhere found on the website from the Ice House in Hackensack.  
As a seasoned skater, try to teach our newer skaters in the club these guidelines, if you are a seasoned skater, you can't go wrong following these guidelines!  Happy skating! 
Courtesy
First and foremost is courtesy. It is essential to respect the rights of other skaters and be constantly aware of who is around you. If you seem to be surrounded by skaters of significantly greater or lesser skills, be especially careful! Strive to avoid collisions!
"On Program" and "In Lesson" Get Priority
The skater who is "on program" (whose music is playing) has the right of way at all times, and other skaters are expected to give them free maneuvering room. Second in priority are those skaters who are currently in lessons with their pro. Always yield to these skaters as well. Be on time for your sessions, especially after a resurface. Use every minute of your ice time to the maximum. Say, "excuse me", if you can see that another skater does not see you coming. Say "I’m sorry" when you accidentally get in someone else’s way, especially if they had the right of way.
Lutz Corners
Because of the nature of the Lutz jump, it is most commonly performed in the 10:00 and 4:00 corners of the rink (except for clockwise jumpers). These corners are informally called the "Lutz Corners", and can usually be identified by the unusually large concentration of divots in the ice. Strive to avoid long-term practice of activities in these corners, and try to be especially aware of your surroundings when you are in them. Remember that the approach to a Lutz is long and blind. The skater doing the Lutz is not likely to see you.
Dangerous Singles Moves
When you are practicing elements like camel spins and back spirals be especially aware of the danger your exposed blade poses to other skaters. Recognize that once you’ve started the element it will be hard for you to see those around you. Take a good look at your expected "space" before you start the element, and abort it if it looks like you could cause a problem. Practice spins in the center of the rink and jumps at either far end to avoid problems.
Falls and Injuries
If you should fall, get up quickly. Remember that the other skaters will have a much harder time seeing you when you are down low on the ice. Don’t stay there any longer than you have to. While falling, remember to keep your fingers away from your blades. And learn to fall properly so that you can protect your head as much as possible. Learn to keep "loose" when you fall and this will help you to avoid breaking things.
If you see someone else that has fallen and may be injured, don’t just drag him or her off without being certain that doing so won’t hurt him or her further. If you suspect that someone else is seriously hurt, the best thing to do is, 1) have someone stand "guard" over them to make sure that the other skaters avoid collisions with them, and 2) get a qualified person (EMT) to come and help them. A blanket or warm up jacket/sweatshirt laid over them might help to keep them warmer while waiting for qualified help to arrive.

Predictability
As you skate more, you’ll get to the point where you’ll recognize that a practice session has a certain "rhythm" to it. People tend to do pretty "expectable" or "predictable" things, and you can usually guess where somebody else is going, based on what they’re doing when you see them (the normal approaches to each jump or spin are pretty recognizable). If you’re a "wrong way" skater (clockwise jumper) be aware that other skaters will probably guess wrong about your intentions pretty often. If you have clockwise jumpers in your rink, try to recognize them and adjust your expectations accordingly. Try not to skate or behave in a way that would surprise other skaters. If you’re standing near the boards, don’t enter the flow of skaters without checking to make sure you’re not going to get into someone else’s way. Pay special attention when skating away from the boards. Always look in both directions.
Don’t Stand Around

Refrain from standing around and visiting on the ice. This wastes expensive ice time and presents additional hazards for other skaters to avoid. If you must chat or stop to rest, please do it off the ice; go to the penalty boxes, or the boards. Stay moving – standing around means someone has to maneuver around you, which can cause an accident.
No Littering
Please do not litter or leave anything on the ice. Be sure to keep track of your used tissues, tissue boxes, and guards. Items left on the ice may severely damage the Zamboni, and it is inconsiderate to others to leave used tissues along the boards.

It hasn't been easy, but some of our skaters have successfully found ice to continue practicing their skills to prepare their programs for regionals. We found the answer the in summer camps. Far and wide, one skater attended camp in Colorado Springs and several others at the University of Delaware High Performance Skating Center. Fortunately, it sounds like our local rinks will be back up soon and we can get back to work locally. Some of these skaters are getting homesick!!

Welcome to all our new members this year.  The club has several new members.  As our home rink is down we look to continue using ice at other venues.  Coal St. is down until Mid July, Binghamton will offer ice twice a week beginning July 18th.  Steel Ice in Bethlehem also offers ice every weekday.  Don't get discouraged!  With several competitions coming up it's important to practice where you can!
Congratulations to new member Maria Humen for passing Pre-Juv Freestyle and Juv moves on her quest to compete at regionals at the Juv. level.  We wish you luck Maria.

Great job on our latest skater to pass Junior Moves in the Field!!