FSCLA Monthly Newsletter - February 2021

Happy February everyone. Even though it's the shortest month, there are many holidays including Mardi Gras. It's also Black History Month. We have a new Skater of the Month and some news to share. Plus, some fun challenges for all skaters to try and complete!

• Skater of the Month

• News

• In Skating this Month

• Challenges

(Pictured: Surya Bonaly, a French World champion performing her signature back flip. The move was made illegal after she performed it in the 1998 Winter Olympics.)

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Skater of the Month:

Zoey Lanclos

Age: 6 years old

Level: Basic 4/5

Hometown: Lafayette, La

Coach: Siobhan McAuliffe

Favorite Elements: Lunges

How I got started: My parents took my skating at the mall in Houston before my first concert.

Hobbies: Gymnastics, read, eat, & art

Favorite Skaters: My coach Ms. Siobhan

Goals: To be able to do big jumps and spins

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News

Below are a few things that are either coming up or are new and we want to let everyone know about. There will be emails coming later to remind everyone about these events, if there has not been already.

• There will be a Parent/Skater meeting on Saturday, February 20 at 9:30 am. All current private lesson skaters, or skaters who are considering starting private lessons, must attend the meeting. We will talk about policy updates, Freestyle rules, and Private Lesson/Coach updates.

• We now have a locker room for all figure skaters during Freestyle sessions only. It is the 3rd locker room and there will be a sign placed outside the door. All Learn to Skate skaters still need to use the lobby for now. The female hockey players will be sharing the room with us so please keep that in mind. Also important to keep in mind is to leave the room cleaner than you find it. If the room is dirty, privileges to the room will be revoked. There will be a basket in the room for guards. The first skater on the ice should bring it with them so that everyone can put their guards in it to prevent guards from falling off the walls and/or getting lost.

• There will be no Learn to Skate on February 15 due to the Mardi Gras holiday. Class will resume the following Monday, 2/22.

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In Skating This Month

Black History Month & Figure Skating

There are many amazing African American figure skaters who have changed the sport throughout the years. One very notable name is Mabel Fairbanks. She fought her entire life to break down barriers in a sport where racism kept her from competing, joining a club, and limited her ice show roles. Despite these struggles Fairbanks taught herself how to skate, received lessons, and made a name for herself and went on to coach and influence many U.S. and World Champion skaters. She was the first African American inducted into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame and two of her skaters were the first African American skaters to belong to a U.S Figure Skating club, thanks to her work behind the scenes. She changed the sport of figure skating forever - and for the better. Log on to usfigureskating.org and read more about Mabel Fairbanks and her career in their article about her.

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Challenges

It's easy to let our goals fall off to the way side early on in the year, so it's important to keep challenging ourselves. Below are a few challenges that any level skater can perform (on and off the ice), from Basic 1 and up! Try one, or all, of them out and strive to push yourself to be a better skater everyday.