icenetwork.com

Brian Orser and Caryn Kadavy. (Jocelyn Jane Cox)

By Jocelyn Jane Cox, special to icenetwork.com

(05/27/2008) - Last week, more than 800 coaches converged in Chicago, Ill., for the 2008 Professional Skaters Association (PSA) International Conference and Trade Show. This year's event was one of largest they've ever hosted, attracting coaches from all over the United States, Canada, and as far away as Mexico and Switzerland. It offered over 70 presentations, by 35 presenters, including Brian Orser, David Wilson, Kathy Casey, Susie Wynne, Charlie Cyr and Iouri Tchesnitchenko.

The PSA was formed in 1938, and is celebrating its 70th birthday this year. PSA Executive Director, Jimmie Santee, attributed this year's high attendance numbers to Chicago's central location, making it easy for more coaches to make the trip. Santee said, "We are excited to have this many people come and better themselves as coaches. We just want to build on this because it affects a lot of people, including all the skaters all these coaches work with."

PSA President, Kelley Morris Adair added, "When you have this amount of networking going on, amazing things can happen. The amount of brilliance here is astounding." She is thrilled about the PSA partnerships with U.S. Figure Skating and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). This year, there was an IJS Technical Panel Training Seminar, involving 113 participants, and an Elite Coaches College. More than 200 coaches took Oral Rating Exams in order to further their education and qualifications.

Adair praised the staffs of the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Ill., and The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill., for accommodating the huge number of coaches and "moving mountains in order to make this event run smoothly."

Kathy Casey, a former President of the PSA and a world and Olympic coach with over 30 years of experience, admitted that she has been involved in many conferences but presenting in front of such a large audience made this her most difficult speech yet. Among the topics she spoke about was the difference in athlete development between the United States and other countries such as Russia and China.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the meteoric rise of elite choreographer David Wilson, and watch his coaching style in action as he worked with one of his protégé's programs on the ice. With the help of Janet Champion, Damon Allen, and a fleet of demonstrators; coaches in attendance also got to see the highly-anticipated new 'Moves in the Field,' which have been proposed but not officially approved by U.S. Figure Skating. Other presentations included information on Theatre on Ice, Dartfish, Special Olympics, Synchronized Skating, and IJS Rules.

First-time attendee, Diana Dandra -- a synchronized skating, ice dance and learn-to-skate coach from Charlotte, N.C. -- said that, in addition to learning new things, the best part about the conference was: "Meeting other coaches and seeing old skating friends. It's like a big reunion of like-minded people."

Keynote speaker, Brian Orser -- world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist from Canada -- presented at the event all three days. First, he shared a 25-minute video documentary of his life, including black and white footage of him spinning around on his living room floor as a toddler. It nicely foreshadowed his career as a world-renowned figure skater -- who would eventually be known as Mr. Triple Axel. This video also detailed his disappointment in missing the Olympic gold medal by "just a whisker," and featured interview footage of his longtime coach, Doug Leigh.

Afterwards, Orser shared that coach Leigh is a hero to him and remembers all the enthusiasm he brought to the lessons.

"He was always the first to arrive to the rink and the last to leave. He used to get a hockey stick and stand up in the hockey box playing air guitar."

Though Orser has only been coaching for three years, he is proud to be the Skating Director of the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, where he coaches young students, adults, and competitors such as 2008 world bronze medalist Yu-Na Kim of South Korea. For one of his on-ice presentations called, "Music, Turns, Edges, Jumps," Orser skated footwork with his young demonstrators and invited his friend Caryn Kadavy out to help him demonstrate.

On the final day, for a presentation called "Inside the Coach's Studio" coach Doug Haw interviewed Orser about his life, asking him questions like: "What was your most embarrassing moment?" Orser described a funny ice show performance involving a costume that was a bit snug, resulting in a broken zipper. He answered that his proudest moment as a Canadian was carrying his country's flag into the opening ceremonies of the Calgary Olympics.

Orser also took this opportunity to say that, despite pressures to do otherwise, he is glad that that he stuck with coach Leigh for his entire eligible career and encouraged coaches and skaters to stick with one another, and grow together through their careers. He said of the conference, "I am impressed that so many coaches get together to share their knowledge, to feed off of each other, and to keep it fresh. Being here has been an honor."

Next year's PSA conference will feature a new cast of presenters and a different set presentations and programs. It will be held in Orlando, Fla.