Highest Level Offered: Basic Skills, Beginner Moves, Low Level Dance, Senior Moves, High Level Dance
Coaching Accomplishments
Coached skaters who have gone onto collegiate level synchronized skating programs in the senior, collegiate, and open collegiate divisions. Coached skaters who have passed skating tests in senior level moves in the field, pre-gold dance, and junior freestyle. Coached skaters who have competed at the National Solo Dance competition.
Background
I grew up in the Akron/Canton area as a part of a small sports-centered family. My dad has been a head coach for high school football for as long as I can remember, my brother a collegiate level tennis player, and myself heavily involved in the skating world.
In addition to sports, education has always been a top priority in my family: my grandparents and my parents are all public educators and I quickly followed in their footsteps. I have my Bachelors in Elementary Education from Western Michigan University and a Masters degree in Instruction and Curriculum from Marygrove College. I have been a Kalamazoo Public School teacher for 10 years and currently teach 3rd grade reading at Winchell Elementary. I also run a small online business where I help other educators improve their teaching practices and sell materials and lessons to be used within the classroom that focus around literacy standards.
Experience
My primary focus from early in my skating career was synchronized skating. I skated around the Cleveland area where I was a part of many different clubs and organizations ranging from the open juvenile to the junior level. When I knew I wanted to go onto the collegiate level, I began training my ice dances at the Strongsville Skating Club where I tested through my pre-gold dances. I attended Western Michigan University where I skated with the Senior level synchronized skating team for four years. I was a TEAM USA member for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons competing in Miskolc, Hungry and Milan, Italy. My junior and senior year I cross-skated as well with the collegiate team and in 2011 became a Pewter National Medalist. In addition to skating, my senior year I served as the President of the WMU Skating Club and the Captain to both the senior and collegiate teams.