Jacks of the Trade - Our Middlers

Figure skating is the sport that requires…

the elegance of a royal court

the grace of a ballerina

the speed of a sprinter

the balance of a tightrope walker

the agility of a high diver

the endurance of a marathon runner

the coordination of a juggler

the strength of a high jumper

the rhythm of a dancer

and the performance of a mime . . .

(author unkown)

Tonight's discussion with our "middlers," our kids that are in the middle age group, provided more insight into the chameleon that they become to move from beginner skaters to more advanced competitors.

It seems that most skaters start in the same fashion . . . learn to skate classes that turn into lessons that move to off and on-ice club classes that eventually become competitions and finally become full-fledged dreams of success. And our middlers are no different in their experiences.

Nathan Singh, Misha Mitrofanov, Sasha Serebrenikov and Shea Lundgren are aspiring athletes. Nathan is not a skater, but his sister Sajya is and is participating in our camp to improve his strength for swimming and tennis. Misha, Sasha and Shea are competitive skaters who are transitioning into ever higher levels of competition. My conversation with them was delightful, mostly because I could see their dreams in their eyes and feel their passion toward the sport in their voices.

Shea Lundgren has been skating since she was 6 years old and is now 11. Shea has participated in camp before and was excited to return to work with Coach Valentin. She finds his exercises difficult, but believes that he brings out the best in her. She stated that you must "try with all of your heart," when training with Valentin. She believes this week's work has helped her to gain more endurance and feel better about her strength and stability. She wants to continue to work on her jumps and stick her landings. Ultimately, she looks forward to moving up from her current pre-juvenile level to compete in higher levels.

Misha Mitrofanov currently lives in Houston, but was a student of Coach Alexei for over five years. At 12 years old, Misha has been skating for the past 9 years, and currently skates at an intermediate level. Misha is also very intrigued by Coach Valentin's abilities to train skaters and stated that receiving coaching from Valentin is largely the reason that he is attending our camp. He reasons that, since Valentin has trained other Russian Olympians, he has the capability of training a young aspiring guy from Houston to compete, also.

Sasha Serebrenikov hails from New Jersey. Her coach is a friend of Coach Alexei's and she admires Alexei's coaching capabilities and desired to join our camp to learn more from him. Sasha skates at the pre-preliminary level, is 11 years old and began skating at 4.

Nathan Singh is a competitive swimmer and tennis player. A gregarious fellow, Nathan has enjoyed making friends and improving his strength this week. Nathan began participating in his chosen sports at age 6. He is 11 years old.

The interesting thing about being a "middler" at camp is that you must be the jack of the trade. Not only do you have the pressure of keeping up and gaining the acceptance of the older, more experienced athletes, you have the pressure of serving as a role model for the younger athletes. The chameleon they must become and, as far as I can see, they've done this well.

Earlier today, Shea was asked to assist my 7-year-old daughter in her distance running. Shea served as a fantastic mentor to Addison and for this, I am grateful. The first words out of Addison's mouth after returning to the beach house following practice were, "Shea helped me to run much faster this time!" What the younger kids gain from their role modeling, they, themselves, gain in confidence that they have grown to a level to be modeled.

All of the kids stated that they enjoy the challenge of continually working toward higher levels, but are honored to serve as role models for the younger kids.

All four kids have ambitious goals. Nathan came to this camp to get into the "best shape ever." He has learned that, in order to get anything you really want, you have to put forth a lot of effort. Misha believes that the personal sacrifices to chase his dream of becoming an Olympian are worth the effort. Some days are hard, but when the good days come, they prove that all the work was worth the time. Shea also dreams of being an Olympian and believes that the time she puts in adds to her self-confidence and helps her to better define who she is. Shea added that it is simply enough for her to go to the Olympics. Once you've made it to that level, you've made it in this sport.

Nathan wishes to swim competitively for years to come and become a pilot. Misha would like to join the army after his stint as an Olympian. Shea also plans to represent the U.S. in the Olympics and become an architect. Sasha wants to become an actress or a skating coach after her Olympic debut.

All agree that figure skating is unique because it is emotionally stirring and can be used to inspire others. I look forward to being inspired by these kids for a long time to come . . .

Experience Tells You What to Do . . . Confidence Allows You to Do It

A quick glance at our campers shows a wide variety in age. Their ages range from 7 yo 15 years. For the next three blogs, I will interview our campers by age grouping, to better describe their camp experiences and goals, both long and short-term related to skating and other aspects of their lives.

Tonight, I spent time with our most senior participants, Sajya Singh, Harper Lundgren and Nick Moor. Both Sajya and Harper have skated for many years and compete often. Nick is not a skater, but his sister Lauren is and she is amongst our campers, also. Nick is active in karate and looks forward to joining the cross country team in the fall.

The commitment required of the skaters at the level Sajya and Harper skate at is highly intense. According to Sajya, waking for and attending early morning skating practices and off-ice training is as natural to her as breathing. Harper finds the sport addictive and that once you get a taste of all the sport can provide both physically and mentally, you do what it takes to continue. Both girls indicated that it is an honor to be able to compete at a high level. It takes an awful lot of time, commitment and talent to improve to more senior levels and, since not many can do it, when you can do it, you feel very empowered.

Nick was excited to participate in this camp experience to get into excellent shape for fall sports. All three enjoy the mental toughness that the camp is providing them. They feel that, if they can endure these two weeks, they can endure most anything related to their sports. The days are long and the workouts are hard, but they feel as though each day is becoming more manageable as their endurance and strength grow.

As the girls explained the intricacies of the camp experience as it related to skating, Nick chimed in that he really enjoys the great food (Thanks Nick! We moms needed that!) Both stated that their favorite camp exercises are those that concentrate on jumping technique. Nick enjoys the challenge of the warm-up runs, however, the running has collectively been both the most dreaded and most intriguing exercise of camp for all three runners.

Each practice, the older campers run approximately 3.5 miles, from their camp site to a hotel and back, making for 10.5 miles of running daily. Sajya, Harper and Nick all shoot to better their previous times, but each finds different motivation to accomplish the goal. Sajya plays music in her head to avoid thinking about the activity. Nick is motivated to improve his time and endurance specifically for fall cross country and for his ultimate goal of joining the military. Harper envisions a large doughnut on the side of the hotel that she is running toward. Yum-O! I personally like Harper's coping mechanism. :)

Regardless, both Sajya and Harper commented that there is no room for complaining. Premier FSC skaters are trained to own their success and that hard work will bring them to their goals. The expectation is to do what is asked. Period. Additionally, these older participants are proud to serve as role models for the younger skaters, and they want to provide a good example for them.

All three commented about the role that their families have played in their skating experiences. They are doing well here, but do miss their parents and siblings - even their pets. They view their participation as quality time spent honing their skills and, despite the grueling schedule, are happy to be here.

Sajya's goal at camp is to run from their camp site to the second hotel and back without getting winded. She would like to go as far as possible with her skating, but recognizes that there are some aspects of the sport that are out of her control. She is comfortable with being the very best that she can be as a skater. Sajya would like to do a little coaching someday and eventually become a marine biologist.

Harper wants to become more comfortable with the endurance exercises, specifically the distance running, while here at camp. She wants to go to the Olympics to represent the U.S. as a figure skater. She has a desire to coach and become a journalist or magazine writer.

Nick desires to keep trying his hardest to reduce his splits for the endurance runs. He looks forward to participating in cross country and possibly lacrosse this next year. He plans to join the military, perhaps the Marines or a military academy.

It is obvious that our older campers' experience has helped to lead the younger skaters to develop the confidence necessary to follow in their footsteps.

Dreaming Gives Us a Goal . . . Effort Allows Us to Reach It

Today for the blog narrative update, I have opted to provide you with a "day in the life" of the Virginia Beach Training Camp Participant. Today's blog pictures are just a collection of some of my favorites, to date.









Coach Alexei Mantsorov graciously sat and detailed the workouts from today's training. The following is an account of the day's activities.





We wake the kids at 6:15 a.m. in preparation. They eat a very small amount of food like half of a mini bagel with some cream cheese and a Dixie cup of orange juice. They then dress in swimsuits and dry-fit workout gear and are then covered, from head to toe, in very high SPF sunblock prior to heading to the beach for their first workout at 7:00 a.m.

Workout 1: 7:00-9:00 a.m.

Warm up run of approximately 3 miles (taking the kids, on average, 35 minutes to complete)

Stretching and balancing exercises emphasizing skating positions while balancing in the sand - extra strengthening comes from doing any exercises in loose sand

Core body work - stomach and back exercises specifically targeting the obliques and additional side muscles creating strength for rotation

Stretching for recovery and multi-revolution jumps in both directions

Following the first workout, the kids typically come back to the house, jump in the backyard pool to cool off, and then proceed to run through the shower, dress and eat a larger breakfast at 10:00 a.m. Today's breakfast was egg and sausage casserole and fruit.

After breakfast, the kids seem to be surprisingly full of energy. They typically watch television together in the loft or play in each other's rooms. All of the camp participants are either rooming with another camper or their parent.

At 11:30 a.m., the process begins again to return to the beach for the second workout. The following represents the activities of this workout.

Workout 2: 12:00-2:00 p.m.



Warm-up run of approximately 3 miles, but aiming for negative splits (starting slower and finishing faster)

Jumping exercises that imitate the track and field triple jump with the goal being in creating as much height and distance as possible in the jumps, adding rotations with the jumps and then performing these jumps and rotations backwards

Straight, 2-foot jumps forward with 2, 2-foot jumps with rotations and then covering the same distance with a double axel

Balancing exercises, including running in place with heads back and staring to the sky, then moving to landing position while maintaining balance

Stretching for recovery

Combination double and triple jumps in the sand

The kids return from the noon practice at approximately 2:15 p.m. They jump in the backyard pool for a few minutes, shower quickly, eat lunch, which today consisted of chicken and rice soup, salad and fruit, and then head immediately to their rooms for a nap.

At 4:00 p.m., the kids are awakened and, for the last time of the day, dress, apply sunscreen and ready for their beach workout.

Workout 3: 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Warm up run - approximately 3 miles at an even pace

Stretching for balance and flexibility

Specific technical exercises on sand to replicate what is done on ice

Jumping exercises with emphasis on execution in both the jump and the landing position

Strength training for balance

Generally much harder strength and balancing exercises than in previous two workouts

Alexei felt very good about the kids' efforts today. Yesterday was much harder on our campers. The weather was much cooler today, which resulted in less complaining. There are a few blisters and sore ankles, but generally, the only physical ailments for which there has been much complaining has been sore muscles, particularly calves and shoulders.

The most encouraging comment from Coach Alexei involved the kids' cohesiveness. He stated that the kids seem to be really encouraging and taking care of each other. It is gratifying to put forth the effort to reach our goals, but ultimately rewarding when we can grow friendships in theprocess.

In every grain of sand, there is a story . . .

Today started much as yesterday, except without the naivety of inexperience. Our kids were well aware of what their six hour day of exercise would mean physically and mentally, but rose to the challenge without complaints. Once again, everyone was up and out by 6:50 a.m. for their 7:00 a.m. practice.

We moms have our routine down and, following the kids' departure for their morning practice session, we hit the beach ourselves for morning runs and walks to take a little time for ourselves. Our days are very busy at training camp headquarters cleaning, cooking, doing laundry and organizing.

I returned to the beach to take pictures to document the kids' experiences through my camera lens both for the morning and noon practices. While the kids' running was less intense today, the weather is warmer (downright hot) and their strength exercises appeared more intense. They run in bare feet and some have developed a few blisters, however, none so serious that they've had to sit on the sidelines for practice.

The highlight of the day seems to be the dip in the backyard pool following workouts.

Shortly following the morning practice, one of our campers named Aigul needed to make a run to a sporting goods store. The closest is about 10 miles away and I offered to take her to town. I was fortunate to get to know her on the way.

Aigul Kozharkulova is the 15-year-old skating student of Coach Valentin Nikolaev, one of our two camp coaches. What many may not know is that Valentin is an amazingly gifted coach with a stunning track record, having coached Olympic champions Oksana Baiul and Viktor Petrenko, several additional European ice skating champions and our very own Coach Alexei Mantsorov while living in the Ukraine. Valentin now lives and coaches in Richmond, VA.

Currently, Valentin coaches both Aigul from Kazakhstan and Mitchel Chapman from Australia. Both skaters are Olympic hopefuls, skating at the senior level, in their respective countries.

We are very fortunate to have both Valentin and Alexei coaching our kids through camp. The respect and admiration that Alexei has for Valentin is evident to even an onlooker and the respect and admiration our kids show for Alexei is incredibly similar.

I read the most fabulous quote this morning . . . "If you want to know how much I love you, count the waves."

I thought about this quote when I was talking with Aigul, sympathizing with her as she tells the story of her family that she misses because they half-a-world away, but dreaming with her as she talked about her goal of becoming an Olympian.

I thought about this quote when I saw these kids strain with everything they had to run that last tenth of a mile and then flashed to the hundreds of days and evenings that I have seen their parents sitting on the cold bleachers. I am certain the support they have been given by their parents at the rink has helped to carry them through more than one trial during training camp.

I thought about this quote when I saw the embrace of Kelly and Lauren Moor following the noon practice, knowing the sacrifices families make to ensure that their kids have memorable experiences through this sport.

And I thought about this quote when I, perched in the sand with my camera, focused in on my own daughter who, in the end of her painful run, mouthed, "I love you, Mommy!"

For all of the sacrifices our skaters and their families make, so much is gained . . .

It's a Beautiful Day in Our Neighborhood

As Mr. Rogers would say, it is, indeed a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

For whatever reason, that silly show has come to mind a few times today, probably because of the amount of times I've already watched the kids take on and off their shoes, change clothes, and come in and out the door.

My name is Courtney Dunbar and I am the "Skating Mom" of Addison Dunbar. As a parent of an "only" child, I fully expected chaos for this first day of camp, but was pleasantly surprised when all 10 camp participants were out of bed, teeth brushed (well, at least we think they were :), clothes on, fed and out the door by 6:45 a.m. for their first morning of their new beach-side training regime.

Our beach house is located approximately 1/2 mile from their "camp site" and is very nice. We are not actually beach-side, but are literally across the street and have a fabulous view of the ocean from the second floor and loft space. To be nice, we decided to drive them there to start their day out fresh. I was eager to see what they'd be up to, so I offered to drive. With camera in tow, I secretly perched in the sand for a bit to catch a glimpse of training.

There is something entirely unique about the early morning on the beach and this morning was no different. What intrigued me about this group of skaters was their willingness to participate and their camaraderie in the tasks. While I didn't watch the practice for long, it was neat to see their cohesiveness.

We "Moms," Kelly Moor, Brigitte Martineau, Svetlana Mantsorov and me, are learning the ropes, also. Here's what I can tell you about how things work around here, from my perspective:

Practice occurs 3 times per day, from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m., 12:00 -p.m.-2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The kids will have logged over 9 miles of running by the end of their first day, alone. Their exercise routines consist of strength and endurance training and, despite the intensity, all of the kids seem to have adjusted well.

Food matters a lot when you're burning a million calories per day, hence, we take our cooking responsibilities very seriously. We've been enjoying preparing meals for the kids.

The kids seem to really like our cooking . . .

. . . and you can just imagine the laundry and cleaning that has to happen in the kids' absence!

The best news I can share is that these kids are having a blast. In between strenuous workouts, eating, changing clothes, changing shoes and getting their 80th layer of sunblock applied, they've figured out how to make time to collect a few seashells, dance in the ocean, play tag and jump in the backyard pool already. Several were asking when it was time to go back to the ocean again for more practice.

So far, so good!