Congratulations to the skaters that recently passed tests:

Leigh Anderson - Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field
Ayrn Driggers - Pre-Prelimnary Moves in the Field
Ainsley Gossett - Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field
Yumi Naruke - Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field
Sierra Clark - Pre-Preliminary Freeskate and Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field
Laura Derrick - Pre-Preliminary Freeskate
Jordan Robinson - Pre-Preliminary Freeskate and Preliminary Moves in the Field
Kristin Buhrow - Dutch Waltz Preliminary Dance
Madalyn Hair - Preliminary Moves in the Field
Joanne Allen - Adult Bronze Moves in the Field
Michele Turner - Adult Bronze Freeskate
Chloë Beesburg - Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field
Katie Ross - Juvenile Moves in the Field
Elizabeth Reed - Intermediate Moves in the Field

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Congratulations to Katie Ross who competed recently in the South Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Competition in Maryland! She took first place in her pre-preliminary freeskate group. That led her to complete in the pre-preliminary freeskate finals, in which she took first place again! Way to go Katie! We are all so proud!

CLICK HERE to see Katie win first place in the pre-preliminary freeskate event.

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Congratulations to the skaters who competed in Indian Trail, NC at the John Smith Memorial Competition! It was a HUGE competition that lasted Friday through Sunday on two ice surfaces! Our skaters represented our club extremely well:
 
Joanne Allen
2nd place Adult Pre-Bronze Freeskate
2nd place Adult Pre-Bronze Compulsory

Chloe Beesburg
3rd place Pre-Pre Compulsory Group D
2nd place Pre-Pre Freeskate Group C
2nd place Showcase Group A

Brittney Boland
4th place Open Juvenile Freeskate

Abby Coursey
1st place Preliminary Compulsory Group C
1st place Pre-Pre Freeskate Group A

Berkley Derrick
2nd place Basic 7 Freeskate
2nd place Basic 1-8 Showcase

Laura Derrick
1st place Freeskate Compulsory Group B
4th place Freeskate 5 Program Group B

Jade Eleazer
4th place Preliminary Compulsory Group A
4th place Pre-Pre Freeskate Group C

Madalyn Hair
2nd place Pre-Pre Compulsory Group C
2nd place Pre-Pre Freeskate Group A
3rd place Showcase Group A

Emma McInnes
3rd place Freeskate 5 Compulsory Group A
2nd place Freeskate 5 Program Group A

Jordan Robinson
1st place Freeskate 6 Compulsory
1st place Freeskate 6 Program

Katie Ross
1st place Pre-Pre Compulsory Group A
1st place Pre-Pre Freeskate Group D
3rd place Showcase Group B

Makaela Shealy
5th Place Pre-Pre Freeskate Group C
1st place Showcase Group B

And thank you to Coach Debbie Allen for taking care of everyone!

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Check it out!
The Palmetto Skate Club was featured in the June issue of the Lake Murray Columbia magazine. Click on the article for a larger image.

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The Palmetto Skate Club would like to welcome you to our 2009 Summer Figure Skating Camp. This camp will be a good complement to any learn-to-skate program, as well as a challenge for more advanced skaters. The club will offer substantial ice time and provide many unique opportunities for skaters to improve their skills, develop better nutritional and exercise habits, and to have a lot of fun. Healthy lunches and snacks will be provided.

Camp instructors will include our own home rink coaches and several guest coaches, including Paul Wylie – 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist.

What to bring to camp: water bottle, change of clothes for off ice activities, comfortable tennis shoes and workout attire, jacket or sweatshirt, yoga mat or beach towel, jump rope, gloves, and extra socks/tights (no jeans, please).

Camp Location: Plex Indoor Sports & Ice, 1019 Broad Store Road, Irmo, SC 29063, Phone: 803-732-1900

Camp Schedule: Friday, July 10th (Paul Wylie Seminar) - 2:00 to 6:45pm, Monday, Wednesday & Friday - 8:30am to 6:45pm, Tuesday & Thursday- 8:30am to 5:00pm

Camp Cost / Registration: The camp will be $240 for each participating skater, regardless of skating level. This fee will include the Paul Wylie seminar and healthy lunches / snacks each day. The registration form and fees are due on or before April 30th. You may pay $240 at the time of registration or make an $80 deposit, with the remaining amount due in May and June. The Paul Wylie seminar ONLY will be $90 for each participating skater. The Palmetto Skate Club reserves the right to charge late fees as necessary, up to $40. Registration fees (up to $80) are non-refundable, unless the club is provided a doctor’s statement for a medical reason. In the event that the camp and/or seminar is canceled, all fees will be refunded. Space is limited to the first 60 skaters.

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March 21-22, 2009 – Several of our figure skaters traveled to Charleston this weekend to participate in an I.C.E. Clinic, led by Gary Irving and Joel McKeever. Wow, what an experience! The clinic covered many elements, including off ice stretching and conditioning, stroking, jumps, spins, ice ballet, and power skating. You don't want to miss the next one!

Picture (left to right): Joel McKeever, Jade Eleazer, Abby Coursey, Sierra Clark, Katie Ross, Madalyn Hair, Kathleen Ross, and Gary Irving. ©2009 Fran Eleazer

View our online video of the clinic.

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March 9, 2009 – The Palmetto Skate Club is excited about the 2009 Spring Ice Show, “Life is a Highway”. We hope you will get excited with us! Start brainstorming with your coach to come up with great music, costumes and props.

Mark your calendar now for the show – Sunday, May 17th at 5PM

This year’s show idea is to travel through the United States. Music must be about cities, states, or specific geographical locations in our country, but cannot be about the USA as a whole, or patriotic in nature. We’re saving that for the Finale of the show. You can Google “Eric’s Song List” online for some great song ideas. However, your coach must approve all music before you sign up for it and each song title can only be used once during the entire show. Sign ups are first come, first serve.

The music sign up sheet will be at the Palmetto Skate Club table during all freestyle sessions or in the coaches’ office beginning March 16th. Include song choice and any partners/teams you will be skating with. We encourage everyone to sign up for more than one number, so talk with your skating friends and coach about different types of routines.

The following are the guidelines for performances:

Soloists must currently be in Freeskate Level 4 or higher and a current skate club member (only one solo performance per skater)

For skaters up to Basic Skills Level 6, performance time limit is 1 minute 30 seconds

For skaters in Basic Skills Level 7 through Freeskate Level 3, performance time limit is 2 minutes

For skaters in Freeskate Level 4 and higher, performance time limit is 2 minutes 30 seconds

As in the past, entry fees are per performance. Please keep that in mind when signing up for more than one number. The deadline for entries is Friday, April 17, 2009. Entries received after that date will be accepted if space is available and will be subjected to an additional $25 late fee. Non-members of the Palmetto Skate Club are welcome to participate in the show, but will be charged a non-member rate. Coaching fees and practice ice times (other than dress rehearsal) are not covered in your entry fees.

There will be a required dress rehearsal on Friday, May 15, 2009 from 5:15 – 6:45 pm. Opening and/or closing cast numbers will be taught at that time. There may or may not be time to run through SOME individual numbers. Talk to your coach about practicing during other Palmetto Ice freestyle times in the weeks leading up to the show.

Show tickets will cost $5, but each skater will receive one complimentary ticket for one family member. Tickets will be available on May 1, 2009. Please sell as many tickets as you can so we can have a great crowd! (Think about giving them to teachers as gifts!)

The club will need lots of help obtaining and making props, from both parents and skaters. We’d like to use the Rascal Flatts version of the song “Life is a Highway” for the opening number. Our hope is to make lots of two-dimensional cars, vans, and buses for the ice. So we’ll need lots of volunteers to help with this. We’re also looking for road signs to use as part of the backdrop. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Volunteer sheets will be circulating soon. We ask everyone for their help in making this show a success for your skater!

We are also offering Skater Shout Outs, as a way to recognize your favorite skater in the show program. See the entry form for more details.

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January 1, 2009 – 2008 was a very busy, fun and exciting year for our club. A very special thanks goes out to all of our figure skaters for the many hours of practice for our shows and the many more hours of training for the competitions.

Congratulations to the skaters that received End of Year Awards for 2008:

Highest Passed Test Level - Brittney Boland

Club Members Since Inception - Chloë Beesburg, Brittney Boland and Elizabeth Reed

Adult Skater of the Year - Joanne Allen

Rookie Skater of the Year - Leigh Anderson

Palmetto Spirit of Skating - Laura Derrick

Most Improved Skater - Ainsley Gossett

Performance of the Year - Madalyn Hair

Youth Skater of the Year - Abby Coursey and Katie Ross