|
2009-2010 News and Announcements
1/1/2010
The 2009-2010 synchronized skating season is well under way. We have our team, our program,
our costumes, and our great attitudes! Soon we'll be having our first exhibitions and competing at Badger State!
Check back for more updates to the site as they become available. In the meantime, look for our updated calendar, roster,
and photo albums!
______________________________________________________
2008-2009 News and Announcements
4/8/2009
Pictures have been added from Badger State Games, CE Health Exhibition, and Milwaukee Admirals Exhibition.
______________________________________________________________
2/9/2009
Congratulations, Appleton Inspiration, on your 3rd place finish at Badger State Games!!!
___________________________________________________________
1/29/2009
The Calendar and Photo Album have been updated.
FYI that we compete in the Basic Youth division at Badger State at 11:00am on Sunday February 8th.
Practice time/travel plans TBA.
__________________________________________________________
11/30/08
The girls are working hard on their program... and it
is looking great! Please remind each of the girls that it is critical that they stay focused and smile both
at practice and when getting ready for our upcoming performances. A smile is the most important part of our costume!
November team dues ($210)
were due November20th. If you haven't made this payment yet, please mail it to Nancy D'Agostino as soon as
possible!
Kimberly Stevens
(Allison’s mom) has offered to take candid pictures of the team this season and Jess Hohnberger (Caylee’s mom)
will be working on our scrapbook. They cannot do these jobs alone, so please talk to them and help out when you can!
Please try to get
your daughter on the ice to practice for an hour each week! Public skating is a great way to fulfill this requirement.
Open skate times are available at TriCounty, Appleton , Oshkosh , Cornerstone
& DePere.
Thank you for all your
hard work thus far this season! Keep it up!!!
_____________________________________________________________
7/27/2008
Tryouts for the 2008-2009 competitive Appleton Inspiration Synchronized Skating teams will be held at Appleton
Family Ice Center
on Wednesday August 13th from 6:30PM to 8:30PM. Please note
that in an effort to cut costs for the season, the originally announced 2nd
tryout date has been eliminated from the schedule.
Tryout attendance
is mandatory unless an alternative tryout has been arranged with the team coaches. Alternative
tryouts must be scheduled and completed prior to August 18th. The fee to tryout will be $20.
We anticipate that we will have 2 competitive teams this season. Skaters
must have passed at least USFS Basic Skills Level 8 to be considered for placement on Team #1, and USFS Basic Skills Level
4 for Team #2.
Details are still being worked about to determine our team fees. We
estimate that dues will be $800-$950 for the season, which includes a mandatory $250 fundraising/sponsorship fee. With the help of our many parent volunteers, we are again hoping to offer fundraising opportunities so
that skaters can offset fees by as much as $100. Team fees include costumes, coaching, practice ice time and competition entrance
fees. Individual travel and personal expenses will be additional.
Tryout packets will be available at Synchro Camp on July 30th.
Forms may also be downloaded from the "Tryouts" page on this website.
___________________________________________________
5/29/2008
Summer Camp page has been added to the site. Check there for the brochure and registration
form.
Calendar has been updated with summer camp and tryout dates.
Look for the last of the 2007-2008 season photos to be posted soon!
___________________________________________________________
2007-2008 News and Announcements
May 11, 2008
The VFSC Ice Show was a great end to a very successful synchro season. Thank you to all
of you for your participation, support, and hard work. We could not provide this great team skating opportunity for
the girls without each and every one of you. Looking forward to another great season in 2008-2009!
____________________________________________________________
March 10, 2008
Great job to both teams at the Eau Claire competition!
Congratulations to the PreJuvenile girls for pulling together when you need to most... you guys
had a skate to be proud of and ended up as bronze medalists!
Great job to the Preliminary girls for another great skate to cap off your first year as a competitive
team. You have improved immensely since the beginning of the season, and we are proud of you!
__________________________________________________________________________
March 3, 2008
Eau Claire competition itinerary/information has been added to the "Competitions" page.
I will be adding more pictures to the photo album within the next week!
_____________________________________________________________
March 1, 2008
Pictures are posted from the Beaver Dam competition and the High School Musical on Ice Promotional
event (as well as a few more added to Fond du Lac competition). I'm still looking for pictures from any Beginner team
events, the HSM on Ice Show, and the Preliminary team Admirals exhibition if parents have them.
FYI for Preliminary and PreJuvenile team parents regarding Eau Claire.... The pizza party will run
6:00-9:00 at the hotel with pizza arriving somewhere in the first hour. Practice ice times for our two teams are in
the 9:45-11:00pm range. The Preliminary team skates Saturday morning at 9:30, and the PreJuvenile team competes at approximately
10:00am. You will receive detailed itineraries at practice on Sunday.
The video from the PreJuvenile team's Ice Dogs exhibition last night
is posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoH5DUYAbJE. Please watch it and make corrections as needed.... timing with the music was great last night!
Two Ice Show Practice dates have been added to the calendar. We will still be receiving two
dates from VFSC, and those will be added as soon as their practice schedule is out.
Also posted is a summer/fall calendar for the 2008-2009 season with summer camp dates, tryouts,
and summer/fall practice dates/times for our competitive teams just so you can get an idea of when things will be.
See you all at practice tomorrow!
___________________________________________________________________
February 15, 2008
Great job to everyone who participated in the High School Musical Ice Tour promotional event.
It sounds like meeting the cast of the show was a pretty great time. As soon as the news clip gets posted on the Channel 5
website, I will add a link on our site. Anyone with pictures, please send them to me. I've added one group photo
on the home page!
_____________________________________________________________
February 10, 2008
Great job to the Preliminary and PreJuvenile teams at Beaver Dam this weekend! Preliminary
girls, you skated your hearts out.... and that's all we can ask for! You should be proud of yourselves. PreJuvenile
girls, your morning skate had that "feeling" we've been searching for. You looked confident and flowing.... now we need
to learn how to harness that feeling and have it for every performance!!!
We sat down with the competition judges after each team skated and will be having meetings on Sunday
February 17th to discuss plans/goals leading up to the Eau Claire competition. Look for an email soon with more information.
Anyone with pictures from this weekend, please email them to me or get them to me on a CD..... I
have none again!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________
February 2, 2008
The itinerary for Swan Synchro Skate is posted on the competitions page. Please email with
any questions. We are assuming that no one is doing the carpool (and that everyone will be staying over in or near Beaver
Dam Friday night) unless you contact Danielle to let her know you'd like to carpool with any other families driving early
Saturday morning. See you at the competition!
____________________________________________________________
January 20, 2008
A belated congratulations to the Preliminary and PreJuvenile teams for a great first competition
of the season in Fond du Lac! You guys definitely overcame some big obstacles..... the Preliminary team being completely
new to competing.... and the PreJuvenile team coming back after a dangerous fall in the warm-up and doing a very
respectable competition program. It was, overall, a great learning experience for us all to build on as we head into
our other two competitions for the season.
(Anyone with pictures from the Fondy competition, please email them to me or put them on a CD and
bring them to me at a practice soon, please! I did not take a single picture that weekend and need to post SOMETHING
from the competition on the site!)
All three teams have exhibitions at AFIC this week! The Preliminary team will skate for Lawrence
on Monday the 21st. Game time is 7:00pm, so skaters should arrive at 6:30. The PreJuvenile team will skate for
Appleton United on Tuesday the 22nd. Game time is 8:00pm, so skaters should arrive at 7:30. The Beginner team
will skate for Lawrence on Saturday the 26th. Game time is 7:00pm, so skaters should arrive at 6:30. Please check
your email this week for more information.
And finally, anyone who has not reserved a hotel room for Eau Claire, you must do that ASAP.
The rooms will be released in the next few days, if they haven't been already!
__________________________________________________________
January 3, 2007
Great job to both the Preliminary and PreJuvenile teams at our mini-exhibition practice last night.
Everyone is looking strong and ready to go for the competition this weekend! Thank you to all the parents, family members,
and friends who came out to be our audience, too! See you all bright and early on Saturday morning!
___________________________________________________________
January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!!!
Everyone should have received a Fond du Lac competition itinerary at practice on Sunday. The
information is also posted on the "competitions" page of this site.
Remember that we will be having Preliminary AND PreJuvenile team practice on Wednesday from 8:00-9:00pm
at TriCounty. The Preliminary team will be wearing dreses, so remember to wear tights!!! Mini-exhibition (audience
needed) from approximately 8:40-9:00. See you all there!
And finally, pictures from the PreJuvenile Oshkosh exhibition and from the holiday party have been
posted on the "photo album" page.
______________________________________________________________
December 11, 2007
No exhibition for the Preliminary team this week.... Tuesday or Saturday! We will try to reschedule
an extra exhibition sometime before the Fondy competition!
_______________________________________________________________
December 6, 2007
Hi Everyone - lots of upcoming events.... so lots of information below!
Team pictures are this Sunday. Please check your email for information regarding times,
what the girls should wear, etc. and an order form.
First exhibitions are coming up next week. Look for more information at practice this Sunday
regarding arrival time, what to wear, expectations, etc.
Friday December 14th @ Oshkosh - PreJuvenile team
Saturday December 15th @ AFIC - Preliminary team
The Holiday party is next Saturday from 1:00-3:00. Information was sent to your email regarding
the cookie exchange. If you have questions, please contact Betsy. Remember that you need to RSVP for the party
and pay $6 for your skater's meal by Sunday.
See you all at practice!!!
__________________________________________________________________
November 27, 2008
Videos from the Preliminary and PreJuvenile team's practices have been posted on Coach Jessie's
YouTube account.... links to the videos are available on the "Links" page.
Please remember that all skaters must have forms turned in by Sunday 12/2's practice or they will
not be allowed on the ice! This not only hurts the skater, but also their entire team. Get those last couple registration
forms in!!! (Skaters who are missing forms have received reminder slips at practice the last two weeks.... if your skater
did not receive any, you have nothing to worry about!)
Only two more Sunday practices until both teams' first exhibitions!!!
_________________________________________________________
November 19, 2007
Pictures are up from the Fall Party and our Hair and MakeUp Practice night. If anyone has
others they'd like to share, please email them to me.
FYI - second dues payments were due November 15th. Please get those in ASAP!
_________________________________________________________________
November 18, 2007
Great practices today!!! The PreJuvenile and Preliminary teams are both done with choreography and
have begun working on the "finishing" of the programs. We're excited to be on schedule and ready for our first competition
in January!!!
As you can see, it has been a while since the last site update! Now that I have my sanity
back after moving into the new house, I should be updating on at least a bi-weekly basis. Check here (Team News
page) for notification of calendar updates, new pictures, competition info, etc. as it becomes available!
*** Oshkosh Men's Health Team dates have been added to the calendar. PreJuvenile team December
14th, Preliminary team March 15th, and PreJuvenile or Beginner team February 23rd.
*** The Preliminary team's Milwaukee Admirals exhibition scheduled for
January 5th will be rescheduled
for a different date due to the Fon du Lac
competition that day. We're working on an alternate date and will get
that
to you ASAP.
*** Please make sure your skater is listening to her synchro CD and practicing steps
at home during the week (especially on weeks her team does not have Wednesday practice). If your skater
does not have a copy of the music on CD, please send one to practice and I will make a copy for her!
*** We do have
practice next Sunday, November 25th!
Have a great Thanksgiving and we'll see you all at the rink!
_______________________________________________________________________
October 3, 2007
A message from Heidi Stodola regarding the Fall Party:
Please remember to bring along your fee of $5.50 to cover the cost the fall goodies/hayride. We
will collect this upon arrival @ the farm. This fee applies to everyone coming on our trip, including chaperones
and other siblings.
All skaters and chaperones who will be carpooling, please meet @ Tri-County Ice Arena
@ 11:30am. Any questions, please let Heidi know. Thanks!
___________________________________________________________
September 30, 2007
Great practices tonight for both the Preliminary and PreJuvenile teams! We're moving along
with choreography and should finish in the next few weeks so we can get on to the fun stuff!
Newsletters, copies of payment sheets, directions to the farm for our Fall party, and team contact
lists were handed out at practice tonight. Make sure to get them from your skater if you haven't already. Any
questions, let your coaches know.
We're still missing forms from some skaters... make sure to bring them next Sunday, October 7th!
Thanks!
Pictures are up from Tryouts and the Team Picnic. Make sure to check them out!
___________________________________________________________
September 27, 2008
Great job to both teams at our practices last Saturday. We really got a good start on both
programs and are excited to keep choreographing!
Practices start this weekend at TriCounty!
**The Preliminary team will have practice 3:30-4:00 off ice, and 4:10-5:00 on ice.
**The PreJuvenile team will have practice from 7:10-9:00 on ice (for the first three weeks....
Sept. 30, Oct.7 and 14). Beginning Oct. 21, the PreJuvenile team will practice 7:00-7:35 off ice, and 7:45-9:00pm on
ice.
A lot of people are still missing forms from registration. If you received a reminder on Saturday,
please get those forms to us this Sunday. Thanks!
_____________________________________________________________
September 9, 2007
Pictures are up from today's Back-to-School party..... we hope everyone had a great time!
A reminder that both the Preliminary and PreJuvenile teams have practice this Wednesday from 7:00-8:50pm
at AFIC ON THE ICE! Please bring any forms/payments, etc. that were due last week. Thanks!
________________________________________________________
September 6, 2007
Thank you to everyone who came to team registration last night! Hopefully we got all your
questions answered, otherwise feel free to contact myself (Jessie) or Holly and we'll try to help you out. If you did
not turn in any of your forms, the copy of your insurance card, or the copy of your birth certificate, please bring those
for us to Saturday's practice (or next Wednesday, at the latest). We will send out reminders next week to people who
are missing anything.
Skaters, remember to bring a blank CD-R to practice with you in the next couple of weeks, and we'll
make a copy of the competition music for you to use at home.
The calendar and team rosters have been updated on the website, and pictures from tryouts will be
added tonight or tomorrow. Make sure to check them out. Also, there are some great skating resources (and links
to some great synchro programs) on the links page, so check those out as well.
We're looking forward to a great synchro season! See you at the rink for synchro practices
in the next couple weeks!
__________________________________________________________
August 28, 2007
Another synchro season is beginning... remember that tryouts are Wednesday August 29th at Appleton
Family Ice Center. Skaters should begin arriving at 6:30pm to sign in, turn in forms from the tryout packet, and receive
a tryout number. Individual skater tryouts will begin on ice at 7:00pm in groups of 3. All skaters should plan
on remaining in the locker room until they are called to skate. After all skaters have completed their individual tryout,
everyone will be back on the ice for the team skating portion of tryouts. Please plan on staying on ice until 8:50pm.
Skaters, please remember that NO APPLETON INSPIRATION APPAREL should be worn during your tryout.
We have secured a group of tryout evaluators that will not be involved with Appleton Inspiration this season, and want
to keep things as fair as possible for all skaters. Please wear black pants and a black or purple t-shirt. Hair
should be in a nice ponytail or bun.
Upon completion of tryouts, each skater will receive a Registration Packet that contains information
for the 2007-2008 season and forms that must be returned to us on Wednesday September 5th at Team Registration. Please
feel free to contact me or Holly with any questions regarding the information you receive.
A letter will be mailed to each skater on Friday August 31st explaining the criteria that were required
to make each team (tryout score, test level, etc.). The letter will also let the skater know which team she was selected
to be a member of for the 2007-2008 season. Complete skater rosters will be posted on the team website on Wednesday
September 5th, prior to Team Registration. (Any skater attending tryouts who DOES NOT want to be placed on a competitive
team must let us know BEFORE LEAVING TRYOUTS. We will be meeting on Thursday to tabulate tryout scores and create team
rosters, so this is very important!)
At Team Registration, each family will receive a folder containing this season's master calendar,
the team handbook, a breakdown of their team's dues for the season, and other important information. You will have the
opportunity to pre-order candybars for our first fundraiser at this time. Please plan on paying for your skater's performance
tights ($25 per skater) and any optional apparel you choose to order at Team Registration as well (black jazz
pants, nude cami or bra, etc.) Skaters should plan on attending Team Registration so that they can be measured for their
competition dresses and try on neccessary apparel.
See you at the rink!
__________________________________________________________
8/24/2007
Our brat fry at Sam's is this Sunday!!! We still need volunteers for the 1-3, 3-5, and 5-7
shifts. Please let Coach Jessie (jbliznia@alumni.nmu.edu) know if you can volunteer for a shift!
Pictures from our Mid-Summer picnic and Summer Camp 2 Ice Cream Social have been added to the Photo
Album Page.
The calendar has been updated with some team event dates and exhibition dates. Everyone will
receive a copy of the final calendar at registration!
Remember that anyone who wants to be on a competitive synchro team this year must come to tryouts
next Wednesday, August 29th from 6:30-9:00pm! Tryout packets are available on the Tryout page of the site.
See you all at the rink!
__________________________________________________________
7/19/2007
Remember that our team picnic is TOMORROW (Friday) from 4:30-7:30pm at Memorial Park. We'll
meet the girls near the AFIC parking lot.... if you arrive after 4:30, we'll either be near the playground or in the rink
for a little while watching a skating exhibition! See you all there!
_________________________________________________________
7/13/2007
A mid-summer update for all of you.....
Summer Camp Session 2 registations need to be postmarked by next Monday July 16th. There will
be five 2 hour long sessions (7:00-9:00pm) on Wednesdays July 25, August 1, 8, 15, and 22. Skaters will be
divided into two groups based on skating/testing level and the two groups will alternate 50 minutes on-ice and 50
minutes off-ice. The registration packet is available on the "Summer Camp" page. Please email with any questions.
All skaters are invited to our Mid-Summer Synchro Picnic on Friday July 20th from 4:30-7:30pm at
Memorial Park. We will provide hot dogs and drinks for the skaters.... please bring a snack or dish to share.
This will be a fun time to catch up with synchro friends for an evening of food, fun, and games in the sun! (FYI to
Summer Camp 1 skaters.... this picnic replaces the camp party that was originally scheduled for Wednesday July 18th before
skating.)
And finally, we're in the planning stages for our 2007-2008 season! A couple of notes about our
plans as they progress....
First, we need a parent or parents to coordinate our sponsorship booklet for the season.... we're
still going to offer our normal sponsorships, but skaters are also going to be selling ad space in a booklet that
we will have available at our exhibitions.
Second, all skaters registered for Summer Camp 2 will receive tryout information on July 25th.
This packet will explain requirements for the season, what to expect, etc. Skaters to want to be placed on a competitive
team must attend tryouts on Wednesday August 29th (if you are nto able to attend, you will need to schedule an alternate tryout
with Holly and I before August 29th). Skaters who want to be placed on our skills team that will not compete, but will
perform local exhibitions, do not need to tryout. We will have a skills team meeting at TriCounty in October.
Now that we're getting closer to the beginning of the season, informatino will be added here on
a more regular basis. Make sure to check back often for updates. We hope you're all having a great summer!
______________________________________________________
6/19/2007
Some dates have been added to the Calendar page....
_____________________________________________________
6/9/2007
Great job to all our skaters (new and old) at our first summer camp on Wednesday. You all
did a great job with our synchro skills review. We can't wait for next week!
Also, thank you to all the skaters and parents who walked with us in the Appleton Flag Day parade
this afternoon. This was our first year doing this event, and it was lots of fun..... we have some great new ideas for
next year's parade now, too! Pictures are up on the photo album page.
See you all at the rink!
2006-2007 News and Announcements
5/20/2007
What a great time we had at the banquet last night! Pictures are up on the photo album page.
It was a wonderful way to end an amazing season.... Thank you so much for a GREAT season! We are looking forward to
another great one next year!
On that note, the tryout packet for our 2007-2008 competitive teams has been posted on a new Tryout
page. Make sure to check it out.... there are lots of important dates and times in it as well as a list of skills we'll
be looking for. See you all there! (FYI - skaters not wanting to be on a competitive team - we'll be having a
registration meeting in October for the "synchro skills" team - you do not need to attend tryouts).
__________________________________________________________________
5/14/2007
The upgraded site is up and running! The old website address will still work, but the new
one.... www.inspirationsynchro.com will work also. I'm still in the process of adding pictures, but keep checking back!
________________________________________________________
5/13/2007
Happy Mother's Day to all you synchro Moms!
Just wanted to say great job to all skaters at the VFSC ice show this weekend. You guys definitely
put on a good show and the synchro programs looked great. Thank you for all the laughs and smiles this weekend.... it
was tons of fun!
A reminder to Team A and Team B skaters.... please get me your responses to the Skater Questionnaire
ASAP. We want to take your input into consideration as we continue planning for next season!
FYI - I will be upgrading the website this week, which means it will have a new web address,
no more pop ups!, more space, new coach email addresses, etc. Look for an email out about it once it is up and running...
and lots of pictures to be uploaded (Eau Claire, Team A Admirals, Free Skate Day, and Ice Show) soon after!
And finally, we will see you all on Friday at the banquet. We are so excited to end our 2006-2007
synchro season with such a fun event to recognize all your accomplishments this season!!!
____________________________________________________________
5/7/2007
Remember that RSVP's for the synchro banquet (Friday May 18th) MUST be returned to Heidi Stodola
by May 11th. We hope you all can make it!!!
___________________________________________________________________
5/6/2007
Hey everyone! Just wanted to post a little note to all the girls to let you know that you
guys are doing a GREAT job with the programs at ice show practices. You should be very proud of yourselves! Remember,
we only have one more team practice before the ice show.... so make sure you're reviewing your counts and listening to your
music at home. It will make all the difference in the world!
Also, I found quite a few links to some great synchro on YouTube.... I'll post a whole list of them
on the Links page, but definitely check out the two below. They're from the 2007 World Synchro Champoinships.... Team
Surprise from Sweden (1st place) and Miami University (2nd place - the FIRST EVER medal by a US team at Worlds!)
See you all at the rink!
_____________________________________________________________
3/26/2007
Sorry for the delay on the Eau Claire pictures and Admirals exhibition pictures.... we're using
up all our disk space on the website right now, so I have to figure out a way to make them fit! Hopefully sometime this
week they'll be up.
A few ice show reminders...
Synchro practices for the ice show will be as follows:
Thursday April 19th - Team C 6:00-6:40
Team
A and Team B 6:40-7:20pm
Thursday May 3rd - Team C 8:00-8:20pm
Team
A and Team B 8:20-8:40pm
Wednesday May 9th - Team A and Team B 8:50-9:30pm
The practice on April 19th we will use to go through the program and work out any kinks that have
shown up after over a month with no practices. Practices on May 3rd and May 9th will be exhibition-style run throughs.
Dress rehearsal for the ice show is Thursday May 10th beginning at 6:30pm with the finale and then running through the show
in order. The synchro teams will be skating at the Friday May 11th 7:00pm show and Saturday May 12th 2:00pm show only.
Team Charisma Theater on Ice will be performing at the Saturday 7:00pm show instead of the synchro teams.
FYI to any skaters who passed the PrePreliminary Moves in the Field test or higher as of April 1,
2007. You are able to participate in the Opening Number in the ice show. Practices are listed on the schedule
that you should have been emailed. Wednesday May 2nd 7:00-8:00, Monday May 7th 6:00-7:00, and Wednesday May 9th 7:00-8:00pm.
Feel free to email Holly or Jessie with any questions.
_________________________________________________________
3/17/2007
GREAT job to Team A at your Milwaukee Admirals exhibition last night. Even with a lot of us
getting lost in Milwaukee and the frantic craziness getting dressed and ready to go in time for the first intermission,
you guys skated a great program. Maybe we're onto something with not letting you guys have time to think about skating
before you actually get on the ice.... :-) Enjoy your month-long break!
_______________________________________________________
3/9/2007
The website is being updated today with:
*Ice Show practices on the calendar (there are 3 of them!)
*Summer Camp information
*A Calender with some dates for next season
Make sure to check out the new information.
It will be posted by the end of the day today!
____________________________________________________________
3/8/2007
Just wanted to say AGAIN what a great job both teams A and B did this weekend. All of you
skated really well.... definitely better than we ever would have expected before you stepped onto the ice. You guys
stepped up to the plate and we are so proud of you! We're really excited to get the video from this weekend so we can
compare it to videos we have from you early in the season. We want you all to see the gigantic, enormous, wonderful
improvements you've all helped to make this season.
When you guys improve your individual skating as much as you have this season, we're able to add
more power, more difficult footwork, and more difficult transitions into our programs. Those things are what the judges
are looking for at competitions. We're getting there... and as you keep working on improving YOUR skating, our TEAMS
will improve that much more, too!
And parents, thank you thank you thank you (yes, that many thank you's) for all your help this weekend.
This is redundant from the email I sent earlier in the week, but it really is amazing that we were able to keep 50+ people
on schedule and at the right places all weekend. Our team dinner was awesome, we had extra time for the girls to
settle into the rink for both practice and competition, and we had fun the entire time! We really would not be able
to accomplish all of this with out you....so thank you!
Again, if anyone has pictures from the weekend PLEASE, PLEASE email them to me (yes, I am begging)
at jbliznia@alumni.nmu.edu! I still can't believe I forgot my camera, but I guess we all have to have those brain moments
sometimes.
Thank you to everyone for a great Eau Claire competition. If we haven't said it enough....
WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!
_________________________________________________________________
3/2/07
We're on our way to Eau Claire! Good luck girls!!!
_______________________________________________________
2/26/2007
Great practices last night for Team A and Team B! We couldn't have asked for more productive
practices before the Eau Claire competition. Thank you, thank you girls for all your hard work this season!
It has REALLY paid off! Your programs have far exceeded all our expectations. You should all be VERY proud of
yourselves!!!
Last night, everyone should have received newsletters, Eau Claire itineraries, driving directions
to the hotel, and a photo order form for the Eau Claire competition. Please let Coach Jessie know ASAP if you need any
of these or if you have any questions. Information has been posted on the Competitions page! An FYI for parents
- a $2.00 admission fee will be charged on Sunday for all spectators (skaters and children 12 and under get in free).
See you all on Saturday!
__________________________________________________________
2/19/07
Wow! It has been a while since I updated team news! Ok, first of all..... GREAT job
to all teams at practice last night. We can tell you guys are really working hard to be the greatest skaters/teams you
can be, and we appreciate it!!! Thank you so much for your hard work and perseverence!
Second, the Eau Claire competition schedule is out. Team A is in Open Juvenile Group B - beginning
at 9:15am on Sunday March 4th. Team B is in Pre Juvenile - beginning at 10:00am on Sunday. There are two Open
Juvenile Groups in the morning and the top 4 teams from each group move on to a "Final Round" which is at 12:50pm on Sunday.
We do not have practice ice times yet. I will get those to you as soon as I get them (practice
ice begins at 7:00pm on Saturday March 3rd, so it will be Saturday night sometime). A complete itinerary (like
the one for Badger) will be emailed to you toward the end of the week and handed out at practice next Sunday with our departure
time and plans for once we are in Eau Claire. We are going to be doing Big Sister/Little Sister gifts again (same
sisters!), so make sure you're thinking of a new idea for an inexpensive gift.
And finally, I am adding LOTS of pictures to the photo album today..... action shots to
the Badger State album (thanks Donna!), Team C's Admirals exhibition, and Teaam B's Lawrence exhibition. Make sure to
check them out.
________________________________________________________________
2/6/2007
Pictures have been added to the "Photo Album" page from Team C's Appleton United exhibition tonight.
Look for more photos to be added from tonight's exhibition and last week's Team C exhibitions within the next few days.
You're looking great, girls!!!
______________________________________________________________
2/4/2007
WONDERFUL job to Open Juvenile and Pre Juvenile team skaters today at the Badger State competition!
We are so proud of the expression both teams had in their programs!!! Pictures from this weekend will be up on the "Photo
Album" page later tonight.
Team B - That is the best we've seen you really SKATE your program all year. You should be
very proud of yourselves. You had a very tough group of competitors. We saw extended free legs on your stroking,
your lines were straight, your circles were round, and the traveling circle..... WOW!
Team A - You have all those rotational issues under control! That is definitely the biggest
road block you've had to overcome. Great job working through it. All the footwork looked under control today and
your formations were definitely on. You should also be very proud of the performance you put on the ice today.
At practice on February 11th, we'll be setting goals for the next three weeks of practice and for
the Eau Claire competition. Be ready to share your ideas! Again, congratulations on a great weekend of skating,
girls!!!
________________________________________________________________
1/29/2007
Badger State Info has been updated on the "Competition" page. This includes a link to the
itinerary in case you need more copies, a list of the food items that were signed up for on Sunday and those we still need,
and a list of the Big/Little Sisters. Please let Coach Holly or myself know ASAP if you won't be traveling with the
caravan to Wausau. We want to make sure we have everyone accounted for before leaving the parking lot on Saturday afternoon.
Great practices on Sunday!!! We've got the elements looking solid. Footwork is
looking good, formations are clean, lines are straight.... everything is technically correct. Now we need to know who
is excited for our first competition! We really need to get into our programs and PRESENT them. Half our score
is presentation... this means smiles, energy, and showing everyone that we're having fun! We know you guys can do it....
now go out there and skate with confidence!!!!
Team B - we have an Appleton United exhibition on Tuesday. The game starts at 8:00, and we're
meeting at AFIC at 7:30. Make sure you bring your over the boot tights!
Team C - you have this weekend off. Enjoy it! Your next exhibition is Tuesday February
6th for Appleton United. Make sure you check your email to get all the information from Coach Holly.
Pictures have been added to the "Photo Album" from the Inspiration Party on Saturday at Coach Holly's.
Make sure to check them out.
Have a great week, everyone! Please let us know if you have any questions.... we have a busy
couple weeks coming up!!!
_____________________________________________________________
1/25/07
Competition information for Badger State has been updated on the "Competition" page. This
will also be printed and handed out to everyone on Sunday.
_____________________________________________________
1/22/07
Wow! Busy weekend...... great job to Team A and Team B skaters who participated in our judges' critiques
during the Fox Cities competition. Both teams skated great, and we got some really good feedback from the judges.
No major changes; just cleaning up our feet, getting deeper into our edges, making hand hold changes more precise, etc.
We're going to be busy perfecting those programs!!!
Sunday practices..... Team C, great job stretching your program out on the large ice..... Team B, backward
crossovers in the program now! .... Team A, we finally got our "rotational issues" taken care of on the circle and pinwheel.
Great job to all of you in your very hard working practices. Keep up the great work!!!
Hotel information for Eau Claire competition (Team A and Team B) is now posted on the Competitions
page and will be emailed out to you soon. Reservations must be made by February 16th.
Badger State competition times are out. Team B competes at 10:45am on Sunday and Team A competes
at 11:50. Practice ice times won't be out until later this week, but information will be sent home with the girls as
soon as we get travel plans confirmed.
There are new pictures from the DePere Exhibition Day and the Judges Critiques on the Photo Album
page (thanks, Donna!). Enjoy!!!
__________________________________________________________________
1/14/2007
Pictures have been added on the "Photo Album" page from the Inspiration Party and Holiday Party.
The "Fundraising" page has been updated with information for our final fundraiser of the season....
Papa Murphy's pizza cards.
Good practices tonight, girls. Keep up the hard work and positive attitudes! Only two
more practices until Badger State! Team B.... great job getting through the program with all your new spots in the program.
Team A.... thank you for your hard work tonight getting the pinwheel and circle to end in the correct positions.
Team C ... your program is done and looking great!
*** Saturday is the judges' critique for Team A and Team B. Please meet at TriCounty at noon
to get hair and makeup done, get dresses on, warm up and walk through programs. We are scheduled at 1:40, but events
may be running ahead or behind. Team B will have their critique first, followed by Team A.
*** Hotel rooms for Badger State must be reserved by Saturday. You will receive Eau Claire
hotel information at practice on Sunday.
*** Team C will be using our first 10 minutes on the large ice on Sunday to stretch their program
out for upcoming exhibitions. Team B will practice from 6:50-7:40. Team A will practice 7:40-8:30.
See you next weekend!
_____________________________________________________________________
1/10/2006
Team C is adding an exhibition on Saturday January 27th if most of the skaters can attend.
The girls will need to meet at 2:30pm in the party room at TriCounty. The game begins at 3:30 and the girls will be
skating prior to the start of the game. Please email Troy Jochims (Karissa's dad) to let him know if you can attend.
Team A will be meeting at AFIC at 6:00pm this Friday for their Lawrence University exhibition.
We will do our full off-ice warm up and program walk throughs during the time before the game begins at 7:00pm.
See you there!
__________________________________________________________________________________
1/8/2007
Great practices on Sunday, girls. We were able to jump right back into things after two weeks
with no practices. Amazing! Keep up the great work as we head into the craziest eight weeks of our season.
We have confirmed critiques for Team A and B at the Fox Cities competition on Saturday January 20th.
The critiques will begin at 1:40 (tentatively.... the competition may be running ahead or behind) at TriCounty. Each
team will have approximately 10 minutes for a critique with the judges. Skaters should plan on being at the rink by
noon on Saturday. More info to come....
A reminder to Team A and B parents that your hotel rooms for Badger State must be reserved by January
20th. Eau Claire hotel information will be coming out soon. You will only need reservations for Saturday night
at each competition unless your daughter is competing individually as well.
Inspiration party at Coach Holly's house on Saturday January 27th from 5:00-9:00pm. We're
going to be decorating pillowcases and watching the Ladies Long Program from Nationals. Skaters should have received
invitations at practice on Sunday. Please RSVP to Coach Holly.
Team A Lawrence exhibition on Friday.... information (meeting time, etc.) will be emailed out
to you by Wednesday.
Have a great week!
____________________________________________________________
1/2/2006
Hopefully everyone has enjoyed their holidays and is ready to gear up as we plunge into the crazy
part of synchro season! A few updates and reminders since we haven't all been together in a while:
1. The team holiday party is this Sunday, January 7th at the Bead Garden on College
Ave. in downtown Appleton. The party will take place from 12:00-3:00pm. Skaters should wear team apparel and remember
to bring $10 to cover the cost of beading materials for your bracelet. Also remember your potluck item! The list
is below in a news post from late December. If you want to participate in the team gift exchange, please bring your
present to the party. Gifts will be numbered in groups by skater age and will be exchanged by the girls choosing numbers.
Remember that home-made gifts are just as good as ones that you buy. Consider painting a picture frame or making a fleece
pillow in team colors. Be creative!!!
2. Practices will resume this Sunday, January 7th at the regular times. We are really
looking forward to getting back on the ice! Sunday is also a skate sharpening night.... please get your skates sharpened
before competition season!
3. Team A and B parents: please call to reserve your hotel rooms for Badger State ASAP.
The rooms will be released on January 20th. Look for hotel and block information in the January newsletter. If
you are competing in only synchro, you need a room for Saturday night February 3rd (we will have practice ice on Saturday
night and compete Sunday). If you're competing individually as well, you probably want to reserve a room for Thursday
night through Saturday night until you get your skating times.
4. Thank you to everyone who made our Exhibition day at DePere on the 28th a success.
It will be so nice to not have to review "lost" choreography at practice on Sunday. It was a much needed refresher!
5. A big thank you to Coach Holly for hosting our team parties on Saturday. These were
a blast and we have some great purple star flags to show for it! We are planning ANOTHER team party the last weekend
in January for all the skaters. Keep your eyes peeled for more information!
7. For anyone interested in purchasing Zuca bags: Appleton Inspiration has been registered
as a sports organization at www.wooska.com to receive 10% of all profits for items ordered at the site. Wooska offers Zuca bags and replacement parts, as well
as many other types of items.
This should be everything for now. We know there are a lot of events coming up and this means
lots of questions. Feel free to ask us if you are confused about anything or have questions. Last year's team
parents.... if any of the new parents seem confused about the competition process or plans, please console them! You
are now the "wise" ones! Yay! Enjoy the first week of the new year and we'll see you all on Sunday!
_____________________________________________________________
12/25/2006
Merry Christmas!!!
_______________________________________________________
12/18/2006
The January newsletter was emailed out to everyone yesterday along with updated contact lists for
all three teams. The newsletter was handed out at practice and has also been posted on the Forms and Documents page.
Lots of important info for upcoming events....
Thank you to everyone for your cooperation during last night's team pictures. Also a big thank
you to Donna Pauling for being our team photographer and coordinating the picture orders!!! If you did not get to order
photos, but would like to place an order, please contact Donna ASAP.
Also thank you to everyone who RSVP'd for our Team Exhibition Day on Thursday December 28th at DePere.
I will be emailing out a list of people I still need to hear from so that we can start arranging carpools.
Team A and Team B: I still need signatures from some of you for the Badger State entry forms.
I will also email out this list of names.... I am at TriCounty on Sundays 4:45-6, Mondays 4:45-6, and Thursdays 7:45-9
if you could please stop by sometime in the next two weeks to sign the paperwork.
Team Parties on December 30th. Everyone should have received an invitation to Coach Holly's
house for this date... the invitation will be emailed out to Team A skaters, since not everyone got one last night.
Directions to Coach Holly's house will be emailed to you today ... it is a REALLY long link! Clarification - this is a completely
seperate event from our Holiday Party... just a fun day for the skaters!
Holiday Party on January 7th at the Bead Garden.... please remember to bring $10 to cover the cost
of the bracelet you'll be making! The list of potluck items from the RSVP sheet is below as a reminder:
Team A
Deanna - Liter of soda (Coke or Pepsi)
Katie P - Liter of soda (Mountain Dew)
Chelsea - Liter of soda (Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi)
Emily - Small Cups (40)
Kyler - Pretzels
Haley - cupcakes
Melanie - cookies
Ashley J - Nacho Chips (large bag)
Britney - Salsa (large jar)
Rochelle - Taco Dip
Jessica - Crackers (large box)
Colleen - Cheese (sliced for crackers)
Megan - Sausage (sliced for crackers)
Team B
Hannah - Sloppy Joe (for 20)
Lauren - Buns (16)
Kasey - Potato Chips
Anna - 2 Liters of Soda (7Up or Sprite)
Fred - Liter of Soda (Coke or Pepsi)
Sydney - Liter of Soda (Coke or Pepsi)
Cate - Bottles of Water
Sarina - Juice Boxes
Katie C - Brownies
Carissa - Fruit Dish
Abigal - Napkins (large package)
Allison - RSVP?
Team C
Kaylee - Hamburger Buns (24)
Karissa - Potato Chips
Megan - Veggie Dip
Kimberly - Carrots
Keegan - Celery
Kate - Broccoli
Anna - Dill Pickles
Alyssa - Juice Boxes
Isabelle - Plates (40)
Abree - Forks (40)
Alex - Cookies
Bri - Cookies
Ashley K - RSVP?
Ali - RSVP?
Claudia - Unable to Attend
Team A and Team B: Make sure you check the newsletter for Badger State hotel information.
You have until January 20th to make your reservation for Saturday night (February 3rd).
That should be everything for the moment... please check your email within the next few days as
information comes out about our Exhibition Day on the 28th, the party at Coach Holly's on the 30th, and our Holiday Party
on January 7th. Enjoy your two week break and the holidays with your families!
________________________________________________________________
12/10/2006
GREAT PRACTICES TODAY BY ALL THREE TEAMS!!! Your programs are all looking so good...
keep up the great work!
Remember that team pictures are next week (Sunday the 17th at TriCounty during normal
practice time). Team C will get ready for the pictures when their practice on the small ice is done at 6:15. Their
pictures will be at 6:40. Team B should arrive at 6:20 to get ready... pictures at 7:00. Team A should arrive
at the latest by 6:45 to get ready... pictures at 7:20. We would like to get a picture of all three teams together
as well.... we're thinking this will be at approximately 7:15-7:20, between the Team B and Team A pictures. Any questions,
please let one of coaches know. Dresses, hair stuff, and makeup stuff will be at the rink waiting for you to arrive.
Make sure you bring your tights!!!
Next Sunday is also our canned food drive. We'll be making a donation on behalf of Appleton
Inspiration to Paul's Pantry of non-perishible food items. A box will be available at the rink on Sunday for donations....
Upcoming date: Thursday December 28th is our team exhibition day at the DePere rink.
All three teams will be given the opportunity to perform their programs in front of an audience (the other teams and parents!)
Please remember to mark your calendar for this date from 10:30am-noon. Information will be passed out at practice next
week and we'll be arranging carpools.
Have a WONDERFUL week, everyone!
______________________________________________________________
12/5/06
Pictures are up from Team A's high school hockey exhibition tonight. Make sure you guys check
your email..... you have homework that is due Sunday!
______________________________________________________________________
12/3/06
Well, you guys are just impressive! All the programs are looking great, girls. As we
head around the corner to our big performance and exhibition season, we need to keep working to perfect your programs.
Make sure you pay attention to where you should be at every second! Your placement on the ice is just as important as
what you are doing with your feet, arms, and head. That's your tip for the day :-)
I got a little ahead of myself today and sent home notices for "Next Week's Practice - December
17th." We actually have December 10th in the middle of there, so next week is still a normal practice day. The
following Sunday (the 17th) is team pictures and the canned food drive. Save those notes and look at them next
Sunday - then they'll make sense!
Anyone who has not picked up their cookie dough - you need to contact Cheryl ASAP. Email her
at hartjes@sbcglobal.net
A quick congratulations to Appleton Inspiration skaters who passed U.S. Figure Skating tests
in Green Bay on Friday..... Anna, Sydney, Ashley, Carissa, and Kasey (PrePreliminary Moves in the Field) - Chelsea (PrePreliminary
Freestyle) -Colleen (Preliminary Moves in the Field) - Melanie (PreJuvenile Moves in the Field and Willow Waltz) - and Jessica
Weindling (Swing Dance). Great job, girls! We appreciate your continuing work on individual skating skills...
they will make us a stronger team!
Team A - I posted the video of your program from tonight on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iOpR9Xnv4 . You guys do the program three times in the same video. Make sure you watch each program at least twice... the
first time watching yourself the entire time - check to make sure you're doing the right things and are in the right
place - there are lots of spots where certain people are standing out, and not in good ways. Check if you are one of
them to make corrections. The second time through watch the program in general - watch our formations, they are looking
pretty good. See how the program is flowing from element to element so you can be aware of where everyone else is around
you.
Remember: We're meeting at AFIC on Tuesday at 7:30pm for your exhibition. Make sure
you bring or wear your synchro tights under your warm-up suit. Dresses will be there for you to put on after we do our
warm-up. The game starts at 8:00 and we're skating between the first and second periods.
Have a great Monday!!!
_______________________________________________________________
11/27/2006
Great practices today, girls! We are really in the swing of things, and ALL of the teams have
finished programs! We are over hurdle number one!!!
The December newsletter is posted on the "Forms and Documents" page. Make sure you REALLY
read every box this month, as we have a lot of added events. I have added all new events to the calendar on the site,
so it should be current.
_____________________________________________________________
11/23/2006
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!_________________________________________________________
11/14/06
New pictures have been added to Halloween, Make Up Day, and Admirals exhibition... enjoy!
A reminder to EVERYONE that your cookie dough orders and money are due at this Sunday's practice....
November 19th!
_____________________________________________________________
11/13/2006
_______________________________________________________________________________
11/12/2006
Great job to the PreJuvenile team at their Admirals exhibition yesterday! You guys skated
great.... we are so proud of you for getting through that brand new program! Now we can work on perfecting it and adding
more steps. Congratulations!!!
On a side note, thank you to all the parents and skaters for your support yesterday during and after
my accident. Thankfully we are all okay! You guys were great... stepping in and getting the girls ready when we
weren't able to be there. So again, thank you!!!
_______________________________________________________________
11/8/06
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Texas Roadhouse fundraiser last night! Hopefully
you were all able to participate in the line dancing at some point!!!
A reminder for Team B that we're meeting at 11:00am on Saturday at TriCounty for our Admirals exhibition.
We'll do hair and makeup at the rink, then head for Milwaukee by 11:30. Remember to bring: tickets, skates, tights.
Skaters make sure you wear: purple t-shirts, warm up pants and jacket. Any questions, feel free to contact Holly
or Jessie.
______________________________________________________
10/29/06
Lots of information was handed out at practice tonight.... skaters should have received:
1. November newsletter (2 purple pages, back to back)
2. Manderfield's Cookie Dough fundraiser info (a 1/3 page explanatory sheet and the order
form, which folds in half to make a booklet... both on pale yellow paper)
3. Pink apparel order form to order additional apparel.... tshirts, sweatshirts, fleece jackets, polos,
and more! Order for skaters, family members, friends, etc!
If you did not receive any or all of this information, please email me at jbliznia@alumni.nmu.edu and I will forward you the info and/or arrange to get it to you at next Sunday's practice.
A reminder for all skaters that if you bring a blank CD to practice, we will copy the program music
on it for you to practice the steps throughout the week. Team B this is extra important with your Admirals exhibition
coming up, and Team A you guys have a lot of complicated steps so having the music would be a big plus for practicing!
That is all for now. Have a great week!
_______________________________________________________
10/24/06
GREAT practices on Sunday, girls! We appreciate the hard work and positive attitudes
you all brought onto the ice this week. We are really getting somewhere with the programs now! Team A and Team
B... you will be emailed a copy of the program count sheets to put in the "Resources" section of your binder. Please
go through these with your music and make sure you really know the steps for next week. Team A, we need to move on and
get through that triangle intersection. Team B, we need to polish the steps and counts now that we have the entire program
laid out for you. Milwaukee Admirals in three weeks! Two more practices....
And finally, a big GOOD LUCK to all skaters taking individual tests this Friday in Appleton...
Jessica, Frederique, Rochelle, Haley, Deanna, Chelsea, Colleen, Katie P, and Coach Leah.... best of luck to you all.
Skate great!!!
____________________________________________________________
10/15/06
Good practices tonight girls... we're getting a lot done in those programs. Keep the
positive attitudes going! Team A and Team B, PLEASE remember to review your count sheets before next week's practices.
We want to be able to move on from choreography we've already done to get the new stuff done. I will be emailing out
the updated counts tonight. Print them out and use them!!! We expect you all to know the steps and counts next
week. No excuses! A lot of you have not given me CDs for music either. These are very helpful when you're
reviewing the choreography. Team B.... only 3 more practices before our Admirals exhibition! See you all
next week!
_____________________________________________________________________________
10/13/2006
Halloween Party Info: We will be having our synchro Halloween party on on Sunday October 29th
during team practices. There will be sign up sheets at practices this Sunday (Oct 15th) to sign up to bring a treat...
we will set these up in the party room on the 29th beginning with Team C's practice at 4:45 and continue through to the end
of Team A's practice at 9:00. Skaters, feel free to come to practice early and stay late.... all synchro skaters are
welcome at any time! You can wear your costumes to practice, too! Just remember that if your costume is something
that will be hard to skate in, please bring your synchro practice attire to change into! If you have any questions,
please contact the party coordinator, Heidi Stodola.
__________________________________________________________________
10/8/2006
All Teams: Skater of the Week Schedule is out!!! Skater of the week will begin October
15th with Isabelle (C), Cate (B), and Deanna (A). Please check the "Forms and Documents" page for the Skater of the
Week document listing skaters' weeks.
All Teams: We have arranged skate sharpening dates with Tom Reese. Skates will be left
after Sunday night practices and may be picked up Monday at Tri County during club ice or the following Sunday for skaters
who only need their skates Sundays for synchro. Dates for the season are October 29, November 26, January 7, January
28, Feburary 18, and March 11. Please check the "Forms and Documents" page for more details.
Team B (PreJuvenile): A date has been added to your calendar for a Hair and MakeUp Trial Morning.
We will be doing a practice run through of hair and make-up prior to your first exhibition. The date is Saturday November
4 from 9-11am at AFIC. Please bring brushes, clips, ponytail holders, etc. You will receive your performance bag
this morning to put in any items you will need. Remember that performance bags stay with the team in the travel bin!
Hair and make-up Moms and coaches will be on hand to assist skaters.
Team B: Wow! Your Admirals game is coming up fast! We have tickets to sell for
your November 11th exhibition. Please look for the "Ticket Request Form" at practice and/or check the "Forms and Documents"
page for additional copies.
Team C (Beginner): We are going to begin off ice practices for Team C on Sunday October 15th.
Off ice practice will be from 4:45-5:15pm with Coach Mindy until Coach Holly is done on the large ice. Skaters will
still take the ice from 5:25-6:15. These off ice practices will allow us to work on synchro skills, promote team unity,
do an off ice warm up, and allow the team to do "Skater of the Week." Please remember proper attire -- tennis shoes
are a must!
See you all at practice! And as always, feel free to contact Coach Jessie or Coach Holly at
any time with questions!
____________________________________________________________________
10/1/06
Great first practices everyone!!! We are so excited about the positive attitudes you all brought
with you today... keep it up! Skaters, please remember to bring a blank CD next week so we can make you a copy of the
music to practice at home. We will send "count sheets" home as the program is choreographed so you make sure you really
know the program. We are making the programs much more difficult this year, because we know you can handle it now.
Work hard and we will be amazing!
The parent committee page has been updated with the latest info I have. Committee chairs,
if you have committee members that are not listed, please let me know. Also, if you have any announcements you'd like
on this page let me (Jessie) know also so I can add them.
See you all next week for another amazing practice!
____________________________________________________________________
9/17/06
Thank you to everyone who attended our Team Building at the park yesterday! We had a great
time getting to know everyone and playing games. Pictures are up on the photo album page.
Also a reminder for Team A and Team B that your first practice (off-ice) is next Saturday.
Team B will be from 9:00-10:00am and Team A from 10:00-11:00am at AFIC. If the weather is nice we will be outside, otherwise
we'll meet in the lobby and go to the figure skating room. Remember to bring your synchro binder and the insert pages
from Team Registration (calendar and resource articles) as well as some loose leaf paper. We will be distributing team
contact lists and October newsletters on Saturday. So parents, please check/ask for these when your skater gets home.
We will also be talking about team leaders and hopefully making up your off-ice warm-up/stretching. See you there!
One quick thing about payments... please make sure you are writing your September checks out to
Appleton Inspiration and getting them to myself, Holly, or Kendra W. Our money no longer goes through AFIC, so please
do not mail them there. We will include a mailing address for future payments in the October newsletter. Thanks!
____________________________________________________________________________
9/12/06
All Teams: This Saturday is team building at the park next to AFIC. We'll meet at 9am
off the side of the rink parking lot toward the park. Right now, it looks like we should have sunny weather for fun
games outside. Hopefully it stays that way!
Team A and Team B Reminder: Your first dues payment of $200 is due on the 15th. If you
have not already paid this, please get it in ASAP. You can hand those in to Kendra or mail them.
Team C Reminder: Tomorrow (Wednesday) is your registration night 7-8pm at AFIC. See
you there!
____________________________________________________________
9/4/2006
Team A and Team B reminders for Wednesday's meeting...
Returning skaters, please bring your warm up suits (pants AND jackets) so that we have samples for
the new girls to try on for sizing. It looks like we won't have the dress samples in time for Wednesday, so please wear
something form-fitting (leotard, skating dress, jazz pants and tighter shirt) to have your measurements taken for the dresses.
Parents, please remember to bring your folder, a copy of the skater's birth certificate (new skaters
only), and a copy of the skater's insurance.
See you Wednesday!
______________________________________________________________
9/1/2006
A big huge thank you to everyone who came to Team Placement on Wednesday! Letters have been
mailed out to all skaters that attended letting them know which team they have been placed on. Rosters will be posted
on the website on Tuesday, once the mail (hopefully) has brought you your letter! Congratulations to you ALL!!!
We are so excited for this season!
Also an FYI: We just recieved THREE dates from the Milwaukee Admirals for exhibitions,
so each team has been assigned a date. They are on the calendar page. Because of the Admiral dates, we have flipped
Team A and Team B's Appleton United High School exhibition dates as well. Simply cross out the B on December 5th and
change it to an A, then cross out the A on January 30 and change it to a B.... and we'll be set. We'll also remind everyone
of these additions/changes on Wednesday. So now we are set for the season with exhibitions! Yay for having those
dates so early!!!
Team A and Team B Reminders:
Team A and Team B will have registration next Wednesday, September 6th from 7:00-9:00pm at AFIC.
We need both parents and skaters here, as you will all have things to do!!! Parents, we'll have a Q and A to get all
(or most) of your questions answered, get all those important forms filled out, and pick up your candy bars for our first
fundraiser!!! Skaters, you will need to try on the dress samples, get your measurements taken for the dresses, and decide
which sized tights you will need. (And even though your parents are picking up the candy bars, YOU need to sell them!)
New girls, you will also need to try on warm up suits and decide which size t-shirt you want.
Parents, please bring the folder (purple/yellow) you received last Wednesday, as we will go through
all the general information as well as all the forms with you. We will need all the forms that are paper clipped to
the left side of the folder back on Wednesday, in addition to a copy of the skater's birth certificate (new girls only), a
copy of the skater's insurance, and one of the 1/2 page payment record sheets (explanation below). If you want copies
of any of these forms for your records, please copy them before the meeting on Wednesday.
The top pile of paper clipped pages on the right side is information for you to keep. This
includes the season calendar, team handbook, parent committee descriptions, and season fee breakdown. You should have
two copies of the 1/2 page payment plan. Please fill both of these out. If you have questions, we can do this
on Wednesday. One copy is for your records and the other will need to be turned into the Weindlings so they have record
of how much you owe for each payment. There is a sponsorship packet included for you to get out to businesses and organizations
in the community. The more sponsorships we get, the less we have to pay out of pocket for competition transportation
and hotels!
There also is a VFSC membership packet included in this section. Many of you already have
memberships and may disregard this. Those of you who need U.S. Figure Skating memberships will need to fill these out
and mail them to the address listed in the packet. Skaters planning on only skating synchro this year may sign up for
the Limited Synchro Membership. This membership does not allow for ice contracting OR testing (Moves in the Field included!)
but you can do walk-ons on the VFSC club ice. Full VFSC Membership includes the ability to take tests as well as contract
for club ice. We know there will be many questions regarding these memberships, and will address them on Wednesday.
The second paper clipped pile on the right side of the folder (with the pink post it note on top)
are general synchro resource information and things that will need to go in the skaters' synchro binders. We have included
an extra calendar with this information so that the skaters will have this with them at all practices. Please get your
skater a binder as well as 5 dividers by our first team practices on September 23rd. There is also a lot of really good
general synchro information that we encourage you to look through.... the U.S. FIgure Skating synchro fact sheet, program
maneuver descriptions, explanations of all the synchro levels and which aged/moves in the field level skaters we need to have
for each level, etc. These resources are for you as well as the skater.
Team C Reminders:
Your Registration night is Wednesday September 13th from 7:00-8:00pm. We will have all the
neccessary forms for you to fill out that night, as well as have a Q and A session. If skaters can attend, please have
them do so, as we will get their warm up suit and t-shirt sizes that night. Hopefully you have received the season calendar
and payment breakdown... and if you haven't, just email us at appletoninspiration@hotmail.com. More info will be posted here for you guys when your Registration date gets closer. See
you at the rink!
_______________________________________________________________________________
8/21/2006
Just a few more updates so you know what is coming up in the next few weeks....
All of the following refers to TEAM A and TEAM B skaters.
Scroll down for TEAM C info...
Documents you will receive at Team Placement to be filled out before Registration on September 6th
or 9th: Consent and Waiver or Liability, Emergency and Medical Information, Photo and Video Release, Fundraising Agreement,
Team Handbook, Handbook Agreement, and Parent Committee Registration. Additionally, please bring to Registration:
a copy of the skaters' birth certificate (new skaters only) and a copy of your current insurance card.
After Team Placement on the 30th, Holly, Leah, and I (Jessie) will be meeting to go through
the skaters' evaluations to make sure they are placed on the correct teams. You will be notified which team (A
or B) you are skating on before Registration. At Registration we will focus on the excitement of the new music
and dresses and teammates, rather than the "business."
Skaters will need to be at Registration. Their responsibilities that night will be 1.
Trying on dress samples and getting measured for dresses 2. Trying on warm up suits (new skaters, and those needing
new sizes) 3. We may have more things later, but those are the only two I can think of at the moment :-)
Money due at Registration will be 1. $40 to pay for the candy bars you are picking up as our
first fundraiser. When you sell the two boxes of candy bars, you will end up with $80. $40 of that you will keep
to "reimburse" yourself, and $40 will be profit for the team. 2. $25 tights payment for two pairs of exhibition/competition
tights. The team will purchase a few extra pairs of each size in case you need to buy more later in the season.
3. $8 each for additional purple t-shirts and/or headbands (one of each will be included in the fees for new skaters.
This would be for any skater wanting more than one shirt). 4. Other skating apparel for sale such as nude camis
to wear under dreses, and black jazz pants if needed. Total required = $65. Any apparel will be additional.
The first team dues payment of $200 will be due September 15th. (Team dues cover ice costs,
coaching, competition entries and practice ice, coach travel and hotel for competition, U.S. Figure Skating registration,
etc. You will receive a document which breaks down all fees.) Skaters new to the team will also have the first
of two $45 "New Skater" payments due on September 15th. These payments (totalling $90) include the team warm up suit,
purple team t-shirt for practice, and team headband for those cold TriCounty Sundays.
A reminder of practice times beginning October 1st at TriCounty.... Team B has off-ice practice
from 6:00-6:30pm, then on-ice practice 6:40-7:35pm. Team A has an off-ice warm up led by team leaders from 7:00-7:25pm
(coaches will be on the ice with team B at this time), then on-ice practice from 7:35-8:30pm, and off-ice practice from 8:40-9:00pm.
The following refers to TEAM C skaters:
Practices will begin on October 1st at TriCounty from 5:15-6:15pm and continue through mid-March.
Practices will begin again before the VFSC ice show in late April.
Team C Fees for the season will be dependent on the number of skaters participating. We will
give you the price breakdown sheet for the season which shows cost if there are 8, 10, 12, or 14+ skaters. These fees
include everything for the season.... ice, coaching, U.S. Figure Skating team registration, music, performance dress, tights,
make up and hair supplies, wam up suit, team t-shirt, and heaband. The only additional costs to you will be skates,
sharpenings, and admission to hockey games where the skaters perform exhibitions.
If you are interested in skating for Team C and have not received information by September 1st,
please contact us at AppletonInspiration@hotmail.com. Team C Registration night will be Wednesday September 13 from 7:00-8:00pm at AFIC.
Any questions, just let us know!!!
______________________________________________________________________________
7/26/06
Just an update with some upcoming Fall dates: Wednesday August 30 from 7:00-9:00pm is
team placement for 2006-2007 Team A and Team B. Skaters should arrive between 6:15-6:30 to check in and receive a schedule
for the evening. Skaters should have received a placement information packet at summer camp. If you have
not received the packet, it is available on the Team Placement page of this site or contact one of the coaches. You
will also receive all the paperwork (emergency info, waiver, photo/video permission,etc.) for the season this night.
Following placement, we will have team registration on Wednesday Sept. 6 from 7:00-9:00pm.
This will be to turn in all your forms, have the girls get measured for dresses, order tights, new skaters to try on
and order warm ups and team apprel, get financial information for the season, etc. We will also be revealing each team's
music and dress design at registration night!!! If you cannot make it, we have a make-up registration scheduled
on Saturday Sept. 9 from 9:00-11:00am.
We will be having two weekend dates of off-ice practices for the girls prior to starting on-ice
practices at Tri County. We have the same expectations for these dates as we do for practices all season; attendance
is mandatory. Saturday Sept. 16 will be an off-ice practice for all skaters where we will do team building activities.
Sept. 23 will be seperate team practices to begin our off-ice warmups, take care of any team business, expectation review,
etc, and possibly even start program choreography (ooo aahh) before our on-ice practices begin.
Because we are going to be completely parent/coach run this season, we are going to need everyone
involved in a committee. The Committee page of the site has been updated with a current list of committees and openings.
We will hand out information regarding the committees at team placement, but if you know you want to do a certain committee
already, please let me know.
We are looking forward to a great season with our expanded synchro program. Thank you so much
to everyone (parents and skaters) for your continued support as we make synchronized skating the hottest thing to do in Appleton!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2005-2006 News and Announcements
6/1/06
Wonderful job at the Admirals game on the 22nd, girls! We had such a fun time..... it has
been great getting to know each and every one of you. You each have brought some very special qualities and memories
to this team. You are all truly inspirational!!!! Thanks for a great season! We are looking forward to another
great one in 2006-2007!
____________________________________________________________________________
5/21/06
Skaters, pictures are up from the Admirals game in March and our Skate Day yesterday. Check
'em out!!
Tomorrow is our big Admirals game! Please meet at AFIC at 4:00 to do hair and make-up.
We'll leave for Milwaukee by 4:30. Carpools should be all set, and we should have your total number of tickets.
Let us know if you have any questions!
_____________________________________________________________
5/20/06
Big THANK YOU's to everyone who made our "Skate with Appleton Inspiration" day a success this morning:
Skaters, you were amazing with all those itty bitties out there, skating around with them and playing games (also thank you
for your help setting everything up and decorating).... thank you! Parents, without even being asked, you were amazing
helping us set up and get things ready.... thank you! Team Charisma Theater on Ice, you performance was great, we were
so happy to have you with us.... thank you! And finally, everyone who came out to skate with us, we hope you all had
tons of fun and will continue skating, whether it be in the academy, figure skating club, or with synchro. Please let
us know if we can be of help to you in any way. Thanks for a great day!!!
___________________________________________________________
5/13/06
Wonderful job at the ice shows this weekend, girls. You did our team proud!!! Pictures
are up on the photo album page... enjoy!
In case you haven't heard, we were contacted by the Milwaukee Admirals and were asked back to perform
for them at a semi-final playoff game! We will not know the specific date and time until the quarter-final of the Manitoba
Moose and Grand Rapids Griffins is decided.
As of right now, they are tied in the series with two wins each. It is a best of 7 series
and the next two games are Sunday night and Monday night. Which means, the earliest we will have our date is Tuesday
(and it may even be Thursday if the series ends up 3-3 and they need a game 7).
Possible dates for the game in Milwaukee are Thursday May 18, Friday May 19, Sunday May 21, Monday
May 22, and Tuesday May 23. All games would be 7:00pm start times. We will let you all know as soon as we
hear ANYTHING to see if we can get enough girls together to be able to go!!!!
___________________________________________________________________________
4/30/06
Practice on Friday was great! You guys are so ready for the ice show. We can completely
see that a lot of you have been skating individually while we had our break from synchro. There is so much more speed
on our wheels and you guys look like a lot stronger skaters. Keep up the great work!
________________________________________________________
4/10/06
Wow! It has been an entire month with no synchro! Hopefully everyone enjoyed their month
off and is getting geared up for the VFSC ice show. There have been new practice dates added to the calendar as well
as the April/May newletter now on the forms and documents page. If you did not receive a newsletter in the mail for
any reason, please make sure to check there. There is a lot of important ice show and summer information included.
Also a reminder that we will be having a parent meeting on Wednesday April 19 following practice to make sure we're all ready
for our upcoming events. See you all Wednesday for practice!
_________________________________________________________
3/8/06
Great job at the Milwaukee Admirals game this past weekend, girls! It was such a nice way
to end our competition/exhibition season.... a fun day and a GREAT SKATE! We hope everyone got home safely, between
the construction in Milwaukee and the weather on the way home! Enjoy your break throughout March and the beginninng
of April, and we will see you again for ice show practices in mid to late April!
Parents, thanks for all of your help throughout the season. We definitely would not have had as
successful of a first season without each and every one of you! Please enjoy the break throughout March and into April.
As soon as we have a finalized ice show practice schedule, we will let you know. Until then, happy spring!
__________________________________________________________
2/15/06
Congratulations on two great skates at Beaver Dam, girls! You guys really are amazing....
switching to a 12-person program with almost no problems. Now we get to go back to the "fun way" with everyone in the
program for our last couple exhibitions and the ice show. After seeing the other teams at Beaver Dam we know what we
all need to work on over the summer.... individual skating, power, and footwork. We will definitely make these
things our focus at summer camps so that we can come out as a stronger team next season! At our next couple of practices,
we will be playing around with adding some things into our elements (different handholds, footwork, direction changes, etc.)
to keep things interesting. It should be a very fun couple weeks, trying everything out! Congratulations on a
GREAT season everyone!!!
A big thank to all the parents for being so supportive of all the girls and of your coaches at Beaver
Dam this weekend. We hope this competition was an eye opener for everyone, seeing what we are working toward as a team...
the difficulty and speed we need to add into our programs for next year.
Onto upcoming events.... we have three exhibitions left this season. One this Friday at AFIC
for Lawrence, girls should arrive at 6:00pm and will be skating between the first and second periods of the 7:00 game.
Next Friday, February 24, will be the Fox Cities Ice Dogs exhibition. Skaters should arrive at AFIC at 7:00pm for the
8:00 game.
Our final exhibition is the Milwaukee Admirals game on Sunday March 5th. The cost for
tickets to this game will be $10 for a skater ticket and $14 for a ticket for anyone else. I will send out an email
with numbers I currently have for everyone. If you can bring a check to our practice on Sunday the 19th, written to
AFIC for your tickets, I can give them to you then.
_______________________________________________________
2/11/06
Action pictures added from Badger State on the photo album page... check them out!!!
________________________________________________________
2/8/06
Beaver Dam Itinerary.... Finally!
Saturday February 12, parents and skaters will meet at TriCounty at 3:45pm for a 4:00pm departure
to Beaver Dam for practice ice. Coaches Jessie and Holly will be in Beaver Dam earlier for a synchro coaches' judging
seminar. As of right now we have the following families down as drivers to practice ice: Zabronsky, Pinch, Lund,
Houle, Maertz, and McCann. This gives us a total of 26 skater spots available (we only need 17). So when you meet
there, you may want to combine some cars to reduce the number needed. I will email out the team roster so you guys can
make sure no one gets forgotten in Appleton! :-) Skaters should be wearing purple t-shirt, black turtleneck,
and black jazz pants under their warm-up suit. Hair in a nice slicked-back ponytail.
We are in the PreJuvenile Group B qualifying at 10:29am on Sunday February 13. We will be
meeting at TriCounty at 7:30am for a 7:45am departure to Beaver Dam. Skaters should be wearing tights and purple t-shirt
under their warm-up suit. We will do hair and make-up upstairs at the rink before heading down to our locker room where
girls will get dressed and put their skates on.
We hope to arrive in Beaver Dam by 9:00am so that we can do an off-ice practice at the high school
gym across the street from the rink before getting ready to compete. Skaters will be able to enter the rink through
a side door in the parking lot. All parents/spectators have to enter through the front entrance and there is a $3 entry
fee. Your hand will get stamped so that you can enter and leave freely afterward.
After the first round, we will have an hour to hour and a half break before getting ready for either
the PreJuvenile Silver Final, which is fourth and fifth places from the intial groups A and B (1:30pm) or the PreJuvenile
Gold Final, which is first through third places from initial groups A and B(1:45pm). For lunch, there is a mini-mall
within walking distance of the rink and also a Cousins subs and Pizza Hut that I know of. The rink is offering meals
of pizza, subs, salads, etc. There may be other places to eat lunch outside the rink as well. We will figure out
a plan for lunch once we know how much time we have, etc.
After their final skate, the girls will have time to watch some of the other teams compete because
awards for all final groups (Silver and Gold) will take place on ice at 3:40pm following the Open Juvenile competition.
Buckley Studios will be taking professional team photos following every team's first skate.
Afterimage Video Productions is videotaping all events. VHS and DVDs will be available for purchase.
Any questions? Feel free to call or email us.
____________________________________________________________
2/6/2006
Congratulations on your GREAT PERFORMANCE at Badger State, girls! What an awesome surprise
it was to hear our music played as bronze medallists in addition to your great skate! Keep up the wonderful work!
__________________________________________________________
2/1/06
Final Badger State Games updates:
The largest group of people will be caravaning from TriCounty at NOON, not 5pm as the newsletter
said. I will call TriCounty to let them know that there will be cars left in the parking lot for Saturday night if anyone
wants to carpool. Hotel check-in time is 2pm and the synchro party (team AND family members!) will begin around 7pm
in the meeting room at the hotel. We plan on ordering pizza for dinner, so we will plan how to do that once we get to
the hotel and figure out what is near the hotel.
If there is anyone planning on driving to Wausau Sunday morning just to see the girls compete please
let me know. A few people are interested in a carpool if others are driving over on Sunday.
The calendar page has been updated with our final dates for Lawrence and Ice Dogs exhibitions.
Everything on the calendar for the season is now concrete, with the exception of ice show practices which will be added in
April.
_____________________________________________________________________
1/30/06
The program looked so good tonight! As long as we all remember those little things (chins
up, nice close lines, shoulders back, ec.) you guys will look amazing! And remember to "bend and snap" in those beginning
lines!!! We hope everyone is looking forward to having a fun weekend with the team, becuase it will be a blast!
We are going to our first competition as Appleton Inspiration! You should all be so proud of yourselves!
Parents, this weekend should be a lot of fun, but it will also be a long one with our very long
Saturday. As it says in the newsletter, we will be having a team party (parents, siblings, etc. are included!!!) at
the hotel on Saturday night. We're trying to make it feel like a sleep-over so the practice won't seem to late at night!
Pizza, snacks, games, and fun are our goals. We hope you all enjoy this weekend as much as the skaters, so please let
us know if there is anything we can do to make your lives easier as we go along.
Also a reminder for those of you who have not given me (Jessie) a copy of your birth certificate.
I have emailed all of you, but please remember to bring those this weekend or email them to me beforehand. We probably
won't need them, but just in case!!!
As of right now, that is everything I can think of. I've posted the February newsletter on
the "Forms and Documents" page in case you need that as a reference. Please let me know if you need anything else before
the weekend. Otherwise, I will see you all at the hotel on Saturday!
______________________________________________________
1/23/05
Girls, great job at practice yesterday making those changes so that we have our 17-skater program
for Badger State and both the 12-skater programs for Beaver Dam. That was a HUGE job that you all handled like professionals.
You are all Superwomen!!!! Keep checking back for Badger State skating times and itinerary. We will see you next
Sunday for our last pre-competition practice!
_______________________________________________________
1/22/05
Just a reminder that we need copies of all girls' birth certificates by practice on Sunday
January 29th. Thanks!
________________________________________________________
1/15/06
What a great job you all did today!!! That was definitely your best exhibition skate so far this
season (and Holly will be so proud of all your straight lines!) That is one out of five big performances this season
under your belts. Just four more to go! You guys looked awesome and we (coaches, parents, and teammates) are all
so proud of the improvements each and every one of you have made in your skating. Looking forward to a great remainder
of the season. We love you all!!!
______________________________________________________
1/12/06
Just a reminder that we will be meeting at AFIC on Sunday at 1:00 to get ready for the Gambler's
game. We will carpool to Green Bay and arrive at the FRONT ENTRANCE by 2:25. All pre-ordered tickets will be waiting
for us at will call. If you have not paid for your tickets, you will need to do so before receiving them on Sunday.
If you have any questions, feel free to email!
Girls, please remember to wear your tights and warm-up suit. We'll get dresses on and do make-up
and hair before we leave for Green Bay. This is going to be a big one for us!!!
______________________________________________________________________
1/3/06
Wow, it's 2006! It was so great seeing all of you girls last Friday at our party, outside
of practice!!! We will have to plan an outing later in the season (we're thinking bowling, does that sound good to everyone?)
Thanks so much for the mall gift cards. You guys are so thoughtful, and now we can go take advantage of the great sales!
See you all for practice on the 8th. Get ready for a busy January and February!!!
We will be having a parent meeting next Sunday during off-ice practice so that we can clarify plans
and questions about our upcoming competitions. Hope to see you all there! _______________________________________________________________________
12/13/05
Wow! For those of you who have not heard, the Appleton Police Benevolent Association has become
our first sponsor! We are so excited! We will be collecting all of your jackets on Sunday December 18th after
practice to get their logo embroidered on the sleeve as a thank-you. Please remember to bring another coat with you
to practice so you have something to wear on your way home!
We had such a GREAT practice this Sunday... things are finally starting to come together: all the
steps, counting, and formations. Before you know it, we'll be adding more footwork and harder steps!
Parents, we sure have had a crazy few weeks! Competition entry forms, apparel orders,
exhibitions, candybar sales.... it feels like the 12 Days of Christmas! After this Sunday, we'll all have a nice, much-deserved
break!
We did not hear from anyone saying that they would not be able to attend either the Badger State
Games or Beaver Dam competition. Entries will be sent in with everyone on the roster, so we plan on having you all at
the competitions!
Lastly, we need to get the final numbers for the Admiral game tickets. There will be a check
sheet in the rink lobby on Sunday for you to write down how many additional tickets you want for the game, NOT including
your skater. If financially feasible, we'd like to take a bus down to Milwaukee for the day, much easier than having
so many cars driving down! We will decide that at a later date.
See you all on Sunday....and have a great holiday season!
_______________________________________________________________________
11/24/05
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! First of all, great job at the Lawrence exhibition last weekend.
The program looked much better than it looked even a week ago! Also, good work at practice on Sunday adding that footowork
in and cleaning up other parts of the program. Get ready for counting out more parts of the program and adding more
footwork this weekend! We hope you are enjoying your days off and getting lots of rest!
_______________________________________________________________________
11/14/05
I've added a Fundraising page on the website and information for our first fundraiser is on there.
Parent committee chairs are also listed on the contact page. Please contact the committee chairs if you have any questions.
I will be sending out an email either tomorrow or Wednesday with information for Friday's exhibition.
Also, the new website (www.appletoninspiration.com) is being updated, and should be up and running within the next few weeks!
_______________________________________________________________________
11/13/05
Great job at the exhibition last night, girls! Its good to get that first one under our belts!
Now we have to prepare for the Lawrence exhibition next Friday. Some pictures have been posted on the photo album page
from the Ice Dogs exhibition, and more action shots of you on the ice will be posted tonight or tomorrow. Please remember
to bring your hairtie with you to practice tonight. We'll get them put into your performance bags. Thanks!
_______________________________________________________________________
11/8/05
Anyone who hasn't seen the dress yet, click on the link below to see the drawing.
"Great Balls of Fire" dress design
_______________________________________________________________________
11/8/05
Skaters, a few reminders for Saturday night.... make sure you are wearing your black warm-up
pants and purple t-shirt when you arrive at the rink (we should have the jackets with the logos done for you at the rink!).
When we skate, you will be wearing your black jazz pants (the kind that are tighter on top and flare out at the bottom) along
with your red racer back tank top, which we will also have for you at the rink. Things to remember to bring with you:
extra hairties and hairclips, foundation or pressed powder if you want it, and chapstick or lip gloss to brighten up your
lipstick color.
Arrival time is 6:30. Game time is 7:30. We will be in the locker room getting ready,
then doing an off-ice warm-up before our performance. After we skate, Coach Jessie and Coach Holly will be heading to
the stands to watch the rest of the game. Any skaters who would like to stay to watch are more than welcome to sit with
us!
Wow! We hope we got everything covered at the parent meeting on Sunday.
That was a lot of information! Just wanted to summarize everything to clarify. We are looking for sponsors...
if you know anyone who may be interested, please get a copy of our sponsorship packet from Coach Jessie, or have the person/business
download it from this website. If we can get a few major sponsors, the need for fundraising would go way down.
As far as fundraising, we are looking into a few things: selling candybars, having the girls do giftwrapping at Barnes and
Noble, etc. If you have any ideas, please feel free to email the coaches!
We handed out a paper with our exhibition expectations listed on it. These expectations cover
every exhibition all year long. Please review these and let us know if you have any questions. Specifics about
this weekend's exhibition are listed above for the girls. Please let us know if your skater will not be attending any
of the exhibitions this season so we can plan practices accordingly.
Competitions.... the entry form for Badger State (Feb 4-5, 2006) is due the second week in December.
We need to know ASAP if anyone will not be able to compete that weekend, so we don't put you on the roster or pay your per
skater entry fee. For Badger State, all of the girls will be able to be on the roster and skate. The
Beaver Dam competition (Feb 11-12, 2006), follows US Figure Skating rules, and we will only be allowed to have twelve girls
compete the program. The good news is that there is both an initial round and a gold/silver round, meaning we get to
compete our program twice and everyone will be able to skate at least once! Entries for Beaver Dam are due in December
also, so please let us know ASAP if you cannot make it to this competition.
Our holiday party is planned for December 30th at Appleton Family Ice. The cost will be $5
per skater and will include two hours of open skating, pizza, and drinks. We will also be doing a gift exchange.
More information will be handed out at practice when the date gets closer.
We have been invited by Lawrence University Hockey's Community Outreach program to attend their
games. There will be reserved seating for us in the outreach section, and this will get the team more exposure in the
community. Coaches Holly and Jessie will be choosing a few games and attending. We will let you know of these
dates, and if the girls would like to attend, wearing their team apparel, that would be great! Parents do not have to
stay for the game if they do not want to, as we will be there to chaperone.
Whew! I believe that is everything we covered. As always, please feel free to call or
email Coach Jessie or Coach Holly at any time. Thank you for your patience. We hope this season will be as rewarding
for you as it is for us and your children!
_______________________________________________________________________
11/6/05
Girls, we hope you had fun getting your hair and make-up done yesterday! Now you know what
to expect for all of the exhibitions and competitions! We'll get faster at it as the season goes on. Please remember
to bring extra hairties, snap clips, and a chapstick or lip gloss to add to your performance bag. See you tonight!
_______________________________________________________________________
10/25/05
The program is almost finished!!! You guys did such an awesome job on Sunday getting through
as much new choreography as we did. Next Sunday we'll get all the way through it! Then we can work one step at
a time on making the things in the program smoother, more together, and harder! Great job girls!!! See you next weekend.
Parents, thank you so much for getting all the girls to practice early on Sunday to try on jackets
and get measured for dresses! The warm-up jackets have been ordered, and will be embroidered as soon as possible.
Dress designs have been sent to the seamstress along with all the measurements, so we are on a roll with that. The dresses
probably will not be finished in time for our November 12th exhibition, so we're working on a back-up plan until we receive
the dresses.
Please remember that our first apparel order will be placed on November 2nd. If you, your
skater, any other friends or family members, would like Appleton Inspiration apparel, please get your order form and payment
turned in to Coach Jessie or Coach Holly by November 1st.
On a seperate note, we're looking for some fundraisers and/or sponsorship opportunities to help
the team with some expenses (dresses, warm-ups, etc.) If you have any fundraising ideas, or know of a company,
organization, or person who may be interested in sponsoring the team, please email us.
See you next weekend!
_______________________________________________________________________
10/20/05
Girls!!! We have the tshirts and headbands! You will get them at practice on Sunday.
We also need to have all of you try on warm up jackets and pants, as well as get measured for your dress. If you can
come a little early to practice this week to get these things done, that would be wonderful. Otherwise, plan on
staying after practice. Thanks so much and see you then!
_______________________________________________________
10/15/05
Skaters, great job with the first half of the program last week! Our goal for tomorrow night's
practice is to get through the remaining choreography, then later we can focus more on the elements and making them look AMAZING!
We've had a little delay with the t-shirts, and they will not be delivered until Tuesday, so skaters will get them at next
Sunday's practice, October 23rd. Sorry for the delay and see you all tomorrow!
Hello again parents! We have found a warm-up suit and will have sizes available at the October
23 practice to try on. It is black with silver and white stripes and accents. A large logo will be embroidered
on the back of the jacket, with additional embroidery on the front chest. Any parents who would like to order a jacket
and/or pants are welcome to try on the samples as well. We are currently working on getting an exact price, and an email
will be sent out to all of you with more information ASAP.
The girls will each be getting a purple t-shirt and headband with an embroidered logo at practice
on October 23. We will have order forms for additional team apparel available at this practice, too. Items that
will be included are t-shirts, turtlenecks, polo shirts, and sweatshirts. We will be placing orders for additional apparel on
November 1, December 1, and February 1. Look for order forms to come home after practice next Sunday. As soon
as it is complete, the form will be available on the website's "Forms and Documents" page as well.
Also a reminder also that your second payment is due on October 15th! You can mail these
directly to Appleton Family Ice Center, or give them to either of the coaches on Sunday to deliver to the rink management.
Thank you for being so patient with us! Remember that if you have any questions, feel free
to contact either Coach Jessie or Coach Holly anytime. Thanks again!!!
_______________________________________________________
10/8/05
Our program music is done, and the the song is.... a surprise! It will be revealed at practice
tomorrow. Our off-ice and on-ice warm up music is also done. If you bring a blank CD to practice in the next few
weeks, one of the coaches will make a CD for you with all the team music. We are so excited to start the program tomorrow!
See you then.
_______________________________________________________
9/24/05
Great job today everyone! "The Race" program was looking really good by the end of practice.
We are so excited to start practice on Sunday night! Looking forward to seeing you all there and getting our season
started!
Please bring a song with you (on CD if you can) on Sunday night that you'd like to have in
our off-ice warm-up. We will be making a mix of music from the songs you guys choose, and anything upbeat would be great!
_______________________________________________________
9/17/05
What an awesome practice today!!! I am so proud of all of you for working together to
figure out that new block. And "The Race" program is looking amazing. Those quick transitions really make a difference.
Keep up the great work!
_______________________________________________________
9/16/05
We had a GREAT turnout at our team meeting and have already confirmed sixteen skaters for the season!
We are so excited for the first official team practice on October 2nd. We still have two more Saturday mornings to work
on some skills and try to pass a few more Synchro levels, not to mention finishing yet another exciting
program!
Parents, thank you so much for getting all that paperwork filled out at our meeting last Saturday.
A few skaters are still missing one or two of the forms, so please send those along with your skater in the next few weeks
or mail them to AFIC. If you need additional copies of the forms, they are now posted on the "Forms and Documents" page
of the website. Also a reminder that your first payment was due on Sept. 15, so please get those sent to the rink ASAP.
See you at the rink!
_______________________________________________________
8/22/05
You girls are looking great! There will be a team meeting for parents and skaters on Saturday
September 10th following our camp practice. We will be talking about our upcoming season and giving you lots of informaiton
about the team. If you cannot be at the meeting, but are interested in skating on the 2005-2006 team, contact Coach
Jessie or Coach Holly to set up an individual meeting.
Welcome letters and team information will be mailed out to all skaters who have participated in
our camps within the next two days. Please mark your calendars for our team meeting on Saturday September 10 after practice.
See you there!
_______________________________________________________
|
