Eric Stinehart Reaches his FS10 Goal

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■Skater

by c4cadmin-risonline - Dec 3, 2015Read more

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Eric Stinehart, holding his FS 1- certification, is flanked by Centennial Ice Rink Skating Director Vickie Tassone, left, and Margy Bennet, ISI referee.

by Eileen Viglione

“Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you only have one life and one chance to do the things you want to.” – Unknown

It’s not surprising that ISI’s latest FS 10 skater, Eric Stinehart from Centennial Ice Rink in Wilmette, Ill., chose this quote as his personal favorite. From the time he was just a young tyke, Eric had a vision — passing all of his ISI skating tests. He achieved FS 10 at ISI Worlds in Chicago this summer.

“I started off in ISI 13 years ago as a toddler, and I knew from the beginning that I wanted to pass all of my tests,” says the 17-year-old high school senior. “It was almost like a rite of passage for me, because FS 10 had always been that achievement I always wanted. For me, passing FS 10 solidified me as someone who is passionate and committed to the sport of figure skating, at both the competitive and recreational level. It also felt good to have these credentials to teach my group and private lesson students, who are usually in the tot through Delta level range.”

Looking back, Eric probably owes his mom and brother a big thank you for introducing him to the ice. When he was 4, his brother went on a skating and hockey event with his class and Eric didn’t want to miss out on the fun. His mom took him skating and he loved it instantly.

Soon he was taking lessons and rose steadily through the levels until he achieved FS 7 at age 10. A that point, he decided to focus on competing in USFS because he was beginning to reach pre-Juvenile and Juvenile levels, in which he could compete at Regionals. He went on to compete at Nationals four times, twice as a Juvenile, once as an Intermediate (earning a silver medal) and once as a Novice.

“As I progressed through junior year of high school competing at the Junior level,

I began to get more involved as a skating instructor at Centennial,” he says. “With our great ISI program at Centennial, I saw all of my students excitedly move through the beginning ISI levels, and that made me miss ISI and passing the levels.”

Over the next several months, Eric decided to work toward higher levels and ended up passing FS 8 and 9 on the same day, and then FS 10 at ISI Worlds.

He trains for 2 ½ hours daily, six days a week at Centennial Ice Rink and Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion in Buffalo Grove, Ill. His main coach is Denise Myers and in preparation for the FS 10 test he received additional coaching from Vickie Tassone, Centennial’s skating director.

ISI Value

While Eric loves virtually every aspect of skating, he particularly relishes performing a clean program in front of an excited crowd, describing it as one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.

“I love when the music pushes me to skate with expression and even helps me land my jumps,” he says. “My senior long program is four minutes, 40 seconds now, so it’s truly a journey to get through it!”

Eric says that he enjoys ISI’s testing and recreational competitive programs because everyone involved is supportive of each other. “The coaches are always very encouraging and kind to their students and the kids seem genuinely happy to be skating. The different types of events at ISI competitions are always fun to see, and the atmosphere is supportive.”

He advises other skaters striving to reach the FS 10 level to stay committed. “If you unwaveringly set this goal for yourself and have a solid technical base, you can definitely achieve this,” he says. “If you start to lean toward the competitive USFS track in skating as I did, don’t forget to come back to ISI, the program that you started skating in, because it really is worth it. Most importanly, have fun!”

Eric hopes to make it to the 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Senior Mens. He plans to compete at the collegiate level next year and continue to teach skating and possibly become certified to judge.

In addition to skating, Eric is the principal viola of his high schools’ symphony orchestra and calls himself an “avid musician.” He’s excited to travel with the group to Italy in the spring to perform American and Italian music.

Skating Accomplishments

Four-Time National Competitor
Silver Medalist, Intermediate, 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Eric Stinehart with his two first place medals (in Platinum and Jumps & Spins) at ISI World Recreational Team Championships.
Gold Medalist, Senior Man, 2016 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships
2015 U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team
Memorial Fund and Cathy Clarry Memorial Merit Award