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NEWS & NOTESFirst-Ever ISI Northeast Championships a ‘Roaring Success!’
Overall Team Champion — Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team (of Western Pennsylvania)
Our first-ever ISI Northeast Championships, held in the picturesque Steel City of Pittsburgh in May, will go down in the ISI archives as a triumphant event. The high level of camaraderie among skaters and coaches and the enthusiasm of the host club, Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team (of Western Pennsylvania), and rink volunteers truly made this a memorable competition!
Sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and AHN, the two-day event at the Alpha Ice Complex featured almost 200 athletes from 19 rink teams from eight states (Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania).
Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team was the Overall Team Champion with 730 points, followed by The Skating Club of Johnstown, Johnstown, Pa., in 2nd place, with 707.5 points, and Lou & Gib Reese Ice Arena, Newark, Ohio, in 3rd place.
A creative display case at the rink featured ISI Recreational Ice Skating magazine promotion of Northeast Champs. Kudos to Ice & Blades!
“The Northeast Championships was a great, well-run competition that transcended into a wonderful celebration of the sport of figure skating!” said Ice & Blades Skating Director Bob Mock. “The event was an exciting mix of every level of competition, team events and big fun!
“The stands at Alpha Ice Complex were packed with excited skating fans cheering for competitors. Our Ice & Blades team president, Joyce DiToppa, and her group of volunteers prepared for months to make the event run seamlessly all weekend.
“The ISI staff did a terrific job of running the competition from beginning to end. It was great to meet everyone and work side by side with the ISI experts … Flip the Penguin made his appearance on and off the ice, keeping the competitors of the Northeast Championships entertained between events. At the end of the day, everyone agreed that the first-ever national Northeast Championships in Pittsburgh was a roaring success!”
“We are still excited and highly motivated post-competition, and the kids are still a buzz about the event,” added DiToppa. “They now have the competition bug, adding more events to their traditional repertoire.”
“This was one of the best-run events I have ever skated or coached at,” said coach Krista Jeschke of North Park Ice Rink in Allison Park, Pa. “I thought the judging was very fair, the girls and boys were supportive of each other, and the parents were friendly. I was proud to be a judge and coach of ISI.”
Oldest Skaters
Rebecca Langford, 68, Skating Club of Greater Youngstown, Youngstown, Ohio; Terry McConnell, 62, The Skating Club of Johnstown, Johnstown, Pa.
Youngest Skaters
Evah Capouellez, 2, The Skating Club of Johnstown; Nia Smith, 3, City of Bowie Ice Arena, Bowie, Md.; Layman Knox, 5, The Skating Club of Johnstown
Most Events
Chloe Capouellez, The Skating Club of Johnstown, 16 events; Jennifer Martino, Gilmour Academy, Gates Mills, Ohio, 14 events; Sofia Melani, Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team, 13 events; Madison Fellabaum, Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team, 12 events; Milena Kostich, Ice & Blades Figures Skating Team, 12 events; Heather Smarick, Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team, 12 events
Largest Skating Teams
Ice & Blades Figure Skating Team, 48 skaters; The Skating Club of Johnstown, 37 skaters; Herbert Wells Ice Rink, 16 skaters; North Park Ice Rink, 16 skaters
Teams from Farthest Distance
RDV Sportsplex Ice Den, Orlando, Fla., 970 miles; Huntsville Ice Sports Center, Huntsville, Ala., 672 miles
(Photos below were either submitted or taken by ISI staff. Stay tuned for professional photos to be posted shortly.)
Established in 1959, the Ice Sports Industry (ISI) — creator of America’s first learn-to-skate curriculum — is an international trade association encompassing all aspects of the ice sports industry. Our goal is to promote ice skating as a participant sport and recreational activity for everyone — all ages and abilities. For more information, visit skateisi.org.
