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The Professional Skaters Association International was the largest figure skating coaches association in the world. The PSA was founded on August 10, 1938, in Lake Placid, New York, as the American Skaters Guild, just two years (1936) after the Ice Teachers Guild was formed in England by Jacques Gerschwiler, Howard Nicholson, Gladys Hogg and Eric Van De Weyden. [1]
On January 21, 1950, at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the American Skaters Guild was reorganized and renamed the Professional Skaters Guild of America.
In May 1995, the PSGA once again changed its identity to the Professional Skaters Association, International (PSA). With this new name the association took on a renewed role in the sport of figure skating, but vowed to remain rooted in its 57-year history and ideals. The “birth” of the PSA reflected the changing scope of this organization's activities and of the worldwide skating industry. The Board of Directors felt it was time to adopt this new name, acknowledging that the PSA is the world's premier professional skating organization. [2]
In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission charged the PSA, through its code of ethics, broadly bans members from soliciting other members’ students, and thereby deprives consumers of the benefits of competition among the 6,400 ice skating teachers and coaches who at that time were members. Specifically, the FTC charged that the PSA requires members to abide by its code of ethics. According to the complaint, the PSA instructed its members that this code provision prohibited coaches from many types of direct and indirect communications with skaters and parents, and actively enforced the ban through a variety of penalties, including suspension, even over the objections of skating students and their parents who wanted to switch coaches. [3]
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission approved a final order in March 2015 to settle charges that the bylaws of the PSA restrained competition. Under the order for the PSA, the association is required to stop restraining its members from soliciting work and competing on the basis of price, change its Code of Ethics, publicize its settlement with the FTC, and implement an antitrust compliance program.
In 2024, PSA announced that the Board of Governors proposed that the membership approve that the PSA be dissolved. The rationale for the dissolution was that after June 2024, without a mandate from U.S. Figure Skating for coaches to be PSA members--as has been the case for many years--the PSA board said it would not have a viable means to generate revenue, to produce programming or even to maintain staff. The membership voted in favor of dissolution, which means that the PSA would dissolve. The PSA says it will continue to work to secure the PSA's legacy within U.S. Figure Skating and other outside entities. PSA ratings will continue to be offered through June 2026, as U.S. Figure Skating may not have its new accreditation system ready before that time. [4]
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction over federal civil antitrust law enforcement with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The agency is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, DC.
The World Squash Federation (WSF) is the international federation for squash, an indoor racket sport which was formerly called "squash rackets". The WSF is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the International Federation (IF) for squash, and is also a member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations and the Association of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF).
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands, in July 1892, making it one of the oldest international sport federations. The ISU was formed to establish standardized international rules and regulations for the skating disciplines it governs, and to organize international competitions in these disciplines. It is now based in Switzerland.
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.
Richard Callaghan is an American former figure skating coach. He is best known as the long-time coach of Todd Eldredge, the 1996 World champion and a six-time U.S. national champion. He also coached Nicole Bobek to her national title, and Tara Lipinski to Olympic, World, and national titles.
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization trade association for public relations professionals. It was founded in 1947 by combining the American Council on Public Relations and the National Association of Public Relations Councils. That year, it held its first annual conference and award ceremony.
Willy Böckl was an Austrian figure skater. He won the World Figure Skating Championships four times and captured two silver medals at the Winter Olympics, and he also won six European Championship titles. The invention of the inside Axel jump has been credited to Böckl and called the "Böckl jump".
The German Ice Skating Union is the national amateur association for figure skating and ice dancing in Germany. The various German ice sports associations constitute the membership of the DEU; individuals cannot become members.
Tom Zakrajsek is an American figure skating coach and former competitive skater. As a skater, he competed as a senior on the national level. He coaches at the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Legal advertising is advertising by lawyers (attorneys), solicitors and law firms. Legal marketing is a broader term referring to advertising and other practices, including client relations, social media, and public relations. It's a type of marketing undertaken by law firms, lawyers (attorneys) and solicitors that aims to promote the services of law firms and increase their brand awareness.
John Towill coached and choreographed national and international champions in dance, freestyle, pairs, and synchronized ice skating. He is a member of the National Ice Skating Association, U.S. Figure Skating, PSA, and the Ice Skating Institute. He was a member of the Great Britain International Team and a Great Britain Professional Champion. Towill was the head coach of the Precisely Right synchronized skating team from Mennen Arena in Morris Plains, New Jersey, United States.
Sepp Schönmetzler is a German figure skater, coach, and journalist. He is the 1962 and 1965 German national champion and placed 12th at the 1964 Winter Olympics. He produces the German figure skating magazine Eissport-Magazin.
Julie Simone Brill is an American lawyer who serves as Chief Privacy Officer and Corporate Vice President for Global Privacy, Safety and Regulatory Affairs at Microsoft. Prior to her role at Microsoft, Brill was nominated by President Barack Obama on November 16, 2009, and confirmed unanimously by the US Senate to serve as Commissioner of the US Federal Trade Commission on March 3, 2010. Brill served as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2010 to 2016.
The American Skaters Guild was the first skating teachers organization in North America. On August 10, 1938, a meeting took place of thirteen prominent figure skating coaches from the U.S. and Canada. The meeting took place in Lake Placid, N.Y. and was for the purpose of forming an association of professional figure skaters. The goals of this new organization were to provide mutual protection to the coaches and the clubs employing them, and to foster better relationships with the clubs and the United States Figure Skating Association. The group discussed the formulations of methods of ascertaining the competency of figure skating instructors by giving them tests directly associated with their actual teaching ability. Yearly dues of $5.00 were tentatively approved and officers were appointed, also temporarily. Willy Boeckl was elected President ; Willie Frick, 1st Vice-President; Walter Arian, 2nd Vice-President.
The Professional Skaters Guild of America is an association of figure skating coaches. On January 21, 1950, at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the American Skaters Guild was reorganized and renamed the Professional Skaters Guild of America. The former Canadian members of the American Skaters Guild split away and created the Professional Skaters Guild of Canada.
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.
Ron Kravette is a retired American ice dancer. With partner Suzanne Semanick, he won the bronze medal at the United States Figure Skating Championships in 1989 and 1990. After skating with [[Elizabeth McLean]4th in the US in 1991] for a time, he teamed with Amy Webster, and they were national bronze medalists in 1994 and 1995, and 4th in the US in 1993 and 1997. They were 1st at the US Olympic Festival in 1993. Kravette also previously skated with partner Colette Huber.They were US Junior Dance champions in 1986. Ron has an AA from Orange Coast College (1983), a BA in History from the University of California, Irvine (1986), an MA in Government from Harvard University (2006), and is currently a PhD candidate in Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Tammy Gambill is an American figure skating coach and former national-level skater. Several of her students have medaled at international competitions and three have competed at the Olympics. She has also won the 2005 USOC Developmental Coach Award.
Norma Lee Sahlin was a figure skating coach and a national level competitor.
The Reynolds cancer charities refer to the four "sham charities": the Cancer Fund of America, Inc. (CFA), Cancer Support Services Inc. (CSS), Children’s Cancer Fund of America Inc. (CCFOA), and The Breast Cancer Society Inc. (BCS) that began operations in 1984 and were shut down in 2016. They were run by James T. Reynolds, James Reynold II, Kyle Effler, Rose Perkins, Kristina Reynolds and other Reynolds family members and friends. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) described the Reynolds cancer charities as "one of the largest charity fraud cases ever". They were listed as among America's worst charities, based on high management costs, high salaries to directors, and low (1%–2.5%) proportion of income disbursed to beneficiaries. The investigation of the Reynolds' sham charities, initiated by the FTC and all fifty states plus the District of Columbia, resulted in "one of the largest actions brought to date [2015] by enforcers against charity fraud." The May 2015 historic civil suit, alleged that CFA, CSS, CCFOA, and BCS had collected more than $187 million in donations from consumers and that an "overwhelming majority" of the money went to "the perpetrators, their families and friends", and for-profit fundraisers contracted by the charities. Reynolds' and associates contracted about ten of these for-profit solicitors who "earned more than 80 cents of every dollar donated" [to CFA] for a total of $80.4 million."
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