Chesapeake Synchronized Skating

September 2009 | Past Issues

Volume 1, Number 1

 

www.chesapeakesynchro.com

 

 

 

Coach: Lauren Neidig

laurenmbn@gmail.com

 

 

Manager:

Rochelle Mendelsohn

Rochelle@strategiescorp.net

 

 

Treasurer: Julie Kocur

jekocur@gmail.com

 

Assistant Treasurer: Meg Grasso

mbaldwin@gbcrs.org

 

 

Competition Dates:

(Not all websites have been updated with 2010 season info, but keep checking because they will be updated in the next few months.)

 

Thanksgiving Classic

Plymouth, MA

Nov. 14-15, 2009

http://www.pilgrimskatingclub.com/thanksgiving.html

 

Colonial Classic

Lowell, MA

January 9-11, 2010

http://www.colonialclassic.org

 

Easterns

Lowell, MA

January 28-30, 2010

http://www.colonialfsc.com

 

Connecticut Classic

Middletown, CT

February 13-14, 2010

http://www.teamesprit.com/CSSC/

 

 

Iceworld Holiday Show:

 

TBA (Probably January 2-3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fundraising Chairs:

 

Admirals: Dawn Zulauf

Dawn.jff@gmail.com

 

Sailors: Michaela Lintz

Mkl6t6@gmail.com

 

Skipjacks: Brenda Peggs

Cal3000400@verizon.net

 

Topsails: Julia Toothe

jatoothe@comcast.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIF Test Dates:

 

Iceworld:

·  November 7, 2009

·  March 13, 2010  

·  June 12, 2010

 

 

University of Delaware:

·  September 21

 

 

Columbia:

·  November 13th, 2009

·  January 15th, 2010

·  Febuary 26th, 2010

·  April, 30th 2010

·  June, 11th 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the latest way to keep up to date on all the Chesapeake Synchronized Skating (CSS) News! Each month the newsletter will be posted on the website and will have information about the club as well as individual team updates.

September Schedules:

Beginning September 6th the practice schedule will be as follows:

Admirals: 10-11am off-ice & 11-11:50am on ice 

Sailors: 4:30-6:15pm off-ice & 6:15-7:45pm on ice

Skipjacks: 2:45-3:15pm on ice & 3:15-4:30pm off-ice

Topsails: 2:45-3:15pm on ice & 3:15-4pm off-ice

 

Uniform and Dress Update:

Julia Kotlyarker has been diligently working with several different dressmakers and with Coach Lauren to finalize dress designs for all of the teams. She has measured the skaters from the Admiral and Sailor teams. If you are on one of those teams and have not been measured, please contact her at julia_kotlyarker@yahoo.com to schedule a time. Skaters on the Skipjacks are in the process of being measured and the Topsails will be measured at the end of September.

Practice uniform shirts have been ordered for all the teams except Topsails. Their order will be going in shortly. If you need more practice shirts, please let Julie Kocur know so that it may be included on the Topsail order.

 

Next Parent Meeting:

Admirals: September 13, 2009 at 12pm

Sailors: September 13, 2009 at 5pm

Skipjacks: September 13, 2009 at 3pm

Topsails: September 13, 2009 at 3pm

Fundraising Updates:

●  October 24th will be our CSS Halloween themed skate fundraiser. We will need parent/skater volunteers from each team to help plan and execute this event. The first planning meeting will take place on September 13th at IceWorld at 4pm. Please contact Julie Kocur at jekocur@gmail.com if you are able to make the meeting and/or are interested in being on this committee.

●  The August car wash was cancelled due to weather and there are no dates available in September, so this event will not be rescheduled. Thanks to all who helped to organize this, we’ll try again next year.

●  The chocolate bar fundraiser is going very well. Please turn in money collected to either your team fundraising chair or to Julie Kocur. If you need more candy bars please let them know as well. Fundraising team chairs are: Admirals- Dawn Zulauf  Sailors- Michaela Lintz  Skipjacks- Brenda Peggs  Topsails- Julie Toothe

Team Sponsorship Levels:

Dawn Zulauf has been working hard to formalize sponsorship for the team so that we can solicit business donations in return for advertising. Once that is finished, we will have a link on the website detailing the different donation levels and what each level earns the donor. Please promote our club to business with whom you frequent. A general donation request letter is already available for you to print and hand out in the members only section of the website.

503c Status:

We are currently pursuing non-profit status and need several people willing to help fill out all the necessary paperwork as well as to make sure we meet the regulatory guidelines for maintaining this status. If you are interested in helping on this committee, please contact Dawn Zulauf at dawn.jff@gmail.com

Admiral News:

We are working on learning all of the elements together that will later on be in our program. The dress design is finalized  and we are waiting on a color sample.

 

Dawn is working on fundraisers. There will be a fundraiser night at Looney's pub. Dawn is also working on a fifty/fifty fundraiser. Updates are coming. The team is still undecided about the team name.

 

Sailor News:

The sailors have been busy raising funds for the team. Things are going well so far. We are on track to succeed and exceed our goal of raising $1500.

 

Upcoming events include the Skating Fundraiser on Oct 24, the scratch-off fundraiser, and a restaurant one. Updates are coming.

 

We are also collecting items to turn into money. Please donate empty cartridges, unused cell phones, and aluminum cans. Bring them in to any practice!!! Thanks to all the parents and skaters who helped making this a success.

 

We are looking for ways to raise money for the indoor team jackets. Please bring your ideas to the next meeting!!

 

Please hand out donation letters, ask anybody that you can think off. For example, I mentioned it to my dentist and he was very interested to donate to a "different" sport. The worst thing that can happen is that they say no.

 

Ropes course was a great team experience. Lauren would like to add the other half of the high ropes to it at a later time.

 

Planning is under way for a send-off party the week before the Thanksgiving Classic. A send-off party is a team get together to start off the season. The girls will exchange good luck gifts during the party.

More updates to come.

 

Skipjack News:

●The girls are learning their program and are working hard on backwards left shoot the duck and spread eagles.

●September 12 is the Abingdon Library yard sale/ bake sale. The event is from 9am-12pm and we will begin setting up at 8am. Please plan on bringing baked items and yard sale items to sell either the morning of the event or drop them off at 924 Hamburg Drive Abingdon, MD 21009 the day before.

●We are looking into having a Five Below Fundraiser on September 26th. The time is flexible and can be anytime from 10am-6pm. We can go as long or as short as we want. The way it works is that we hand out flyers for the event to family and friends ahead of time and in front of the store on the fundraiser date. As long as people purchasing items hand the flyer to the cashier at checkout, Five Below will give the team 10% of the proceeds. If you are interested in holding this fundraiser and are able to participate, please let Brenda Peggs know at 410-420-7415 or at cal3000400@verizon.net.

Topsail News:

We are still looking for more skaters for this team. If anyone you know is interested in learning more about synchro or is interested in skating synchro, please contact Rochelle Mendelsohn or Lauren Neidig for more information.

 

Moves In the Field (MIF) Testing:

As you progress in synchro, the level your child is eligible to skate at is determined by their MIF level and their age. It doesn’t matter what group lesson level your skater is in, what level they have already passed, or how long they have been skating. If the team they want to skate on skates at a level that requires all skaters to have passed preliminary MIF, your skater is not eligible to skate on that team unless they have passed preliminary MIF.

As a new to synchro skater, such as the Topsail team, passing MIF levels is not critical at this time. But it is something that they should be aware of and working towards. For skaters on the Skipjack & Sailor teams, all skaters on those teams should be working on MIF levels. The Admirals also need to be working on MIF levels, but they have a bit more latitude.

So what is testing and how does testing work?

According to the USFSA, "Tests" allow a skater to progress through a sequence of logical steps in his or her competitive development.  The Tests also establish a benchmarking structure for competitive purposes. All USFSA sanctioned competitions group skaters according to levels of Tests passed. This allows skaters of similar abilities to compete against each other.

 In very general terms, there are 2 types of testing defined by the USFSA: "Learn-to-Skate" tests, and "Judged" tests. 

 Learn-to-Skate Testing: Within the Learn-to-Skate (Basic Skills) program, testing is used to advance skaters from level to level.  This testing is usually performed in front of the skater's instructors, and is very informal.  Passage through the Learn-to-Skate program is not required for competitive skaters. 

Judged Tests: A much more formal test structure is designed for skaters who have advanced past the basics.  These tests are judged by USFSA-appointed judges at formal "test sessions".  The results are forwarded to the USFSA which keeps official records of each skater's test accomplishments.

 Note that a skater's age does not figure into his or her skating level -- only the demonstration of his/her proficiency through the passing of tests.

MIF tests fall under the “Judged Tests” category and you must sign up for a test session with the rink holding the test prior to the test date. Known test dates are listed here in this newsletter, but is by no means a complete list of all tests available.