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Todd EldredgeIt's Great to Skate!November 18, 2002
The first festival was held at the Onyx Ice Arena in Rochester, Eldredge's training rink. Five additional festivals were held during the fall in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Scottsdale, Atlanta, and Dallas.
"I think the first festival went extremely well." said Eldredge. "We had a turn out of about 240 kids and adults and it seemed as though everyone had a great time both on the ice and in the parking lot with all the activities that Chevy set up out there."
Eldredge sees the clinics as an opportunity to expand the enthusiasm for skating to a new audience. Noting that the majority of the skaters at the clinic were female, Eldredge explained, "Skating for years has been labeled a woman's sport, but I think that has changed dramatically over the last 10-15 years. I think that more and more boys are getting into skating, probably mostly because they can see from television coverage and going to the shows that skating is a very exciting sport. Personally I would tell most boys who are thinking about getting into skating to give it an honest try and if they don't like it then they'll always have the great skating skills that could make them better hockey players if that is what they like better."
Dianne Harper, Chevy promotional manager, considers Eldredge to be a "great role model" for skaters. Eldredge has conducted skating clinics for Chevrolet in the past through the Chevy Skating Spectacular Sweepstakes and the torchbearer nomination program for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay. Kristin Matta, Senior Director of Sponsorship and Communications with the USFSA, explained that the six festival locations were selected based on a variety of factors. Atlanta and Dallas were selected in order to build interest in the U.S. National Championships which will take place in those cities in the next two years. Scottsdale, Philadelphia, and Columbus were selected as possible areas where they could grow USFSA membership and also met the needs of Chevy, the festival sponsor. Matta stated that the festivals are a membership building tool to help pique interest in skating not only as the competitive sport seen on television but also as a recreational activity.
The sport of skating has been a major part of his life, Eldredge explained, "I think that skating is a great sport and I would like to encourage more kids to get involved in skating. I have learned a lot of very important lessons from skating, not only about skating but about life." And with the Chevy "It's Great to Skate" program, Eldredge has the opportunity to share his lessons with a wider audience. |
A
hot, sunny June day in Michigan was the setting for the kick-off of the
Chevy "It's Great to Skate" Festivals. In conjunction with the
United States Figure Skating Association, Chevy sponsored a series of
skating "festivals". A total of six festivals, which feature
personalized skating lessons from 1996 World and six-time U.S. Men's Champion,
Todd Eldredge, were held across the country. Winners for the lessons were
selected from 
A
large turnout visited the Onyx festival along with reporters from the
local newspapers and a television station. To accommodate all the contest
winners, five clinic sessions were held. Within each session, skaters
were divided into groups based on skill level. Each group was assigned
a coach who also shared tips and helpful suggestions during the session.
Nationally known coaches such as Richard Callaghan, Mandy Callaghan and
Olga Volozhinskaya assisted with the clinic, as well as nationally ranked
skaters Jennifer Kirk, Larisa Spielberg, and Craig Joeright. Outside in
the parking lot area, Chevy provided a festival atmosphere complete with
food, prizes, and a variety of amusement games including a giant tricycle
race track. During a break between clinic sessions, Eldredge also spent
time with fans signing autographs and posing for photos.
While
the majority of contest winners were from the metro Detroit area, there
were several skaters who traveled some distance in order to have opportunity
to share the ice with a three-time Olympian. Nicole Moore drove up from
Conover, Ohio, in order to attend the clinic. When asked what she wanted
to learn, Moore opted for help with a spin since Eldredge is one of the
best spinners in the world. Moore noted that while Eldredge is a clockwise
jumper/spinner, he demonstrated a counter-clockwise spin so that she would
be able to follow his example.
One
skater already convinced was Nicholas Fisk, 8, who trains at the St. Clair
Shores Figure Skating Club where he has already won several club competitions.
Fisk started out skating in hockey skates at age 3 1/2 and, just like
Eldredge, quickly switched over to figure skates in order to jump and
spin. Fisk is a huge fan of Eldredge and hopes to follow in Eldredge's
footsteps one day by competing at Nationals and Olympics. During the clinic,
Fisk received pointers on salchows, loops, and spins. Another clinic winner
was Fisk's grandfather, Louis Dobbs, 57, who became interested in the
sport when Fisk began skating lessons.
Another
excited skater was Shaylie Bireta, 8, who trains at the Polar Palace Arena
Complex in LaPeer, MI. Bireta entered the contest after seeing a full
page Chevy ad in the local newspaper and she mentioned that she was the
only skater from her training rink to win. Bireta and her parents were
awestruck when they learned that she had shared the ice not only with
Eldredge but with other world class skaters and coaches as well.
When
asked about possibly conducting informal clinics during his tour with
Smucker's Stars on Ice, Eldredge mentioned discussing the idea with the
USFSA. In addition to clinics, Eldredge would like to continue to work
with the USFSA in helping young skaters deal with the pressure of success.
Eldredge stated, "I would like to have some input, as someone who
has been dealing with the USFSA for many years and schedules, to try to
help our next generation of skaters to deal with the changes that occur
when successes start happening. Some skaters seem to have difficulty handling
the pressures of being successful and then trying to live up to someone
else's expectations in future events. I think they need someone in the
USFSA who has been through this themselves as an athlete and can help
to guide the new skaters so they can achieve all the successes they want
to." Once his touring days are behind him, Eldredge expressed an
interest in continuing his involvement with the sport. Eldredge offered,
"In the future I may possibly enjoy being an assistant coach, but
I don't think I would want to be a full time coach."