 | |
| Formation | 1954 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Richard J. Codey Arena |
| Location | |
President | Sally Saul |
The Essex Skating Club (also known as ESC and Essex SC of NJ) is a figure skating club based at Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey. The club has teams and over 300 skaters who compete in many national competitions.
The Essex Skating Club was formed in 1954 at the Shady Brook outdoor rink in Livingston, New Jersey and it was sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating in January 1955. The club moved from Livingston to Essex County's rink at the South Mountain Arena in West Orange. With the renovation in 2005 to modernize the arena, the club's home base was reopened with modern facility and the new name, Richard J. Codey Arena. Currently there are more than 300 members including 10 Synchro teams and 1 Theatre on Ice team. [1]
Currently there are more than 300 skaters at the Essex Skating Club. Since its founding, skaters have competed in national and international competitions. Three Americans Suna Murray (1972), Elisa Spitz (1984), and Karen Courtland (1994) grew up skating in Essex Club’s Ice Shows and training at South Mountain Arena. They went on to capture many National and International medals including representing the United States in Figure Skating at the Winter Olympic Games and World Championships:
Coaches at the club are among national and world competitors. Notable coaches include: [12]
The Synchroettes is a group of synchronized skating teams of ESC. Currently the group consists of 10 teams from Beginner to Junior with 180 skaters. [16] The Synchroettes teams won in many regional competitions and competed in national competitions for many years. They also performed in many public appearances and participated in community service skating events such as Toys for Tots and a show to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. [17] In 2010, its Juvenile team won the gold medal of the 2010 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [18] The success of the Essex Skating Club's synchronized skating teams was recognized by the U.S. Figure Skating in its publication, Guide to Basic Skills and Beginner Synchronized Skating, as one of the two featured clubs to inspire skating clubs around the U.S. to start a basic skills/beginner synchronized skating program. [19]
In 2012, the Junior-level team of Synchroettes was selected by the U.S. Figure Skating to be part of the Team USA for 2012-13 season to compete in Leon Lurje Trophy international competition in Sweden. [20] The team won a bronze medal in the competition. [21]
The founder and the head coach of the Synchroettes - Geri Lynch Tomich.
The Essex Blades is the adult synchronized skating team of the club. The team has been competing nationally in the Masters division at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. The team placed 6th at the 2011 Championships. [22]
Bravo! is a group of the Theatre on Ice (TOI) teams of ESC and the first TOI group in NJ. As of January 2016, it is the only NJ team among almost 50 teams in the US. [23] In 2011, the team became pewter medalist for the Novice division at the US National Theatre on Ice Competition. [24] In 2012, the team became national silver medalist for the novice division at the US National Theatre on Ice competition in Strongsville, Ohio. [25] In 2012, the team was selected by US Figure Skating to be one of the two novice teams to represent the United States at the 2013 Nations Cup in Spain, and placed 9th out of 11 teams worldwide. [26]
In 2013, there were two teams in preliminary and novice levels. The preliminary team was a national pewter medalist and the novice team was a national silver medalist for the 2013 US National Theatre on Ice competition in Troy, Ohio. [27] [28]
The Essex Skating Club has sponsored many skating events and clinics featuring famous skaters such as Olympic medalists [29] and Disney on Ice skaters. [30] It also hosts annual competition Winter ESCapade sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating in January with competitors from clubs along the Northern parts of the East coast. [1] [31]
Synchronized skating, often called synchro, is an ice skating sport where between 5 and 20 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and is the United States member of the International Skating Union (ISU). Although the official name of the organization is "the United States Figure Skating Association," it is now known as and conducts business under the name "U.S. Figure Skating." Founded in 1921, U.S. Figure Skating regulates and governs the sport and defines and maintains the standard of skating proficiency. It specifies the rules for testing, competitions, and all other figure skating related activities. U.S. Figure Skating promotes interest and participation in the sport by assisting member clubs, skaters, and athletes, appointing officials, organizing competitions, exhibitions, and other figure skating pursuits, and offering a wide variety of programs.
Ice Theatre is a branch of figure skating that merges technical jumps and spins with unique choreography, ice dancing, pairs moves, synchronized skating, and theater to tell a story or act out an emotion or idea. It is a relatively new branch of figure skating, but it is growing quickly. Ice Theatre can be enjoyed by the youngest to the oldest and brings out the more artistic side of figure skating.
The Skating Club of Boston is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Norwood, Massachusetts. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, and a founding member of U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for the sport in the United States. The Club's mission is to advance participation, education and excellence in skating for people of all ages, abilities and means. The Club has over 800 active members and offers a variety of programs for the public, reaching another 2,000 children and adults. The club built its own rink in Brighton, Massachusetts in 1938 and remained there until moving to the Norwood facility in 2020. In addition, in a public private partnership with the City of Boston's Parks & Recreation Department, the Club manages the programming and facilities for The Frog Pond located at Boston Common on a year-round basis.
A figure skating competition is a judged sports competition in figure skating.
Keiffer J. Hubbell is an American ice dancer. He competed with his sister Madison Hubbell from 2001 to 2011. They are the 2010 Four Continents bronze medalists, two-time U.S. pewter medalists, and 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champions.
Helsingfors Skridskoklubb, in Finnish Helsingin Luistinklubi, is the oldest figure skating club in Finland. It was founded in Helsinki in 1875. When spoken in Finnish, the Swedish name is, however, more common than the Finnish, the only abbreviation used is HSK.
NEXXICE is the name for synchronized skating teams representing Burlington Skating Centre from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Their senior team are twelve-time Canadian national champions (2007–15,2017,2023), the first North American team to win the World Championships (2009), and again in 2015. They are 2012–14 World silver medalists and 2007–08 & 2016-17 World bronze medalists.
The U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships is an annual synchronized skating competition, sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating, held to determine the national champions of the United States. It was first held in 1984. Teams who qualify at a Sectional Championship competition compete in eight levels: juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, collegiate, adult and masters. The top two senior teams then go on to compete at the World Synchronized Skating Championships, while at the Junior level the teams competing at the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships is predetermined by a Junior World Qualifier competition. The teams competing at the Junior Level at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships are competing for international assignment for the next years.
The Haydenettes are a senior-level synchronized skating team representing The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, United States. They are five-time bronze medalists at the World Synchronized Skating Championships, earning the title in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. Formed in 1979 by Lynn Benson, the Haydenettes are the most successful synchronized skating team in U.S. history, with 30 U.S. National titles.
The Richard J. Codey Arena at South Mountain is an ice hockey and ice skating arena in West Orange, New Jersey as part of the South Mountain Recreation Complex. The arena is named for former Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey. The Codey Arena is owned and operated by the Essex County Department of Park, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs.
Maia Harumi Shibutani is an American ice dancer. Partnered with her brother Alex Shibutani, she is a two time 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, a three-time World medalist, the 2016 Four Continents champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion. The siblings have won six titles on the Grand Prix series and stood on the podium at 14 consecutive U.S. Championships, at five levels including eight as seniors. They are two-time members of the US Olympic team, competing at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. In 2018, the siblings became the first ice dancers who are both of Asian descent to medal at the Olympics. They are the second sibling duo to ever share an ice dancing Olympic medal, and the first from the United States. The Shibutani siblings are often referred to by their nickname the Shib Sibs.
Chicago Jazz was a synchronized skating team from Rolling Meadows, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago.
The 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was the national figure skating championships of the United States for the 2012–13 season.
The South Mountain Recreation Complex is a 36-acre recreation facility in Essex County, located within the boundaries of the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, New Jersey, United States. The complex is managed as part of the Essex County Park System. Activities at the complex include a zoo, ice skating/hockey rinks, a safari-theme miniature golf course, a forest adventure park, a restaurant, paddle boats, a nautical theme playground, and a 1.75 miles (2.82 km) walking loop around the Orange Reservoir.
The San Diego Figure Skating Club was established in 1939, received its charter from the United States Figure Skating Association and registered its Articles of Corporation on July 27, 1940 in the State of California. The Club’s purpose is to foster, promote, encourage, advance and improve the art of and interest in figure skating, and to encourage and to cultivate a spirit of harmony and friendship among ice skaters by such means as may be proposed from time to time by the membership. It is one of the oldest skating clubs in California.
Synchroettes - synchronized skating teams, formed by the head coach Geri Lynch Tomich in 2001, represent the Essex Skating Club of New Jersey, United States. The Synchroettes skaters are from around the world, including China, Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Uruguay and Colombia in the season of 2016-2017. However the teams are composed primarily of skaters from the New York City and New Jersey.
Geri Lynch Tomich is an American synchronized figure skating coach and former figure skater.
The Figure Skating Club of Minneapolis is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formed as the Twin City Figure Skating Club in 1921, and one of the six still-extant founding members of U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for the sport in the United States, the club was reorganized and incorporated as the Figure Skating Club of Minneapolis in 1929. The club is based at the Augsburg Ice Arena on the campus of Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Sigurlaug Árnadóttir is a retired Icelandic figure skater. She is a seven-time national champion including 1996 and 1997 novice National Champion and senior National Champion for 5 consecutive years from 1998–2002. She is the first Icelandic skater to successfully complete a 2 Axel in a competition. She was the first Icelandic competitor at an international competition and also the first competitor to compete at Junior Grand Prix when she went to Trofeo Rita Trapanese in 2002. Furthermore, she was the first Icelandic skater at The Nordics 2001 and The Nordics 2002.
