Weiss Raising Money for Aspiring Champions

Michael Weiss Photo by Paul Harvath

(9/12/05) - As two-time Olympian Michael Weiss puts it, "It's difficult to turn down and say no to doing something nice."

That's why the skating community has offered overwhelming support for the first Michael Weiss Foundation fundraiser this Saturday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. The event will be held at SkateQuest in Reston, Va., one of the two rinks where the three-time U.S. champion trains.

The event features both a silent auction and a skating exhibition featuring past U.S. champions and future Olympic hopefuls. Six-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge will make an appearance, as will five-time U.S. ice dancing champions, Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev. World Junior bronze medalist Emily Hughes and World Junior ice dancing champions Morgan Matthews & Maxim Zavozin are also expected to skate.

"Todd's been a good friend of mine for a long time,” Weiss said, "and I love Emily. I think she's going to be a real sleeper pick this year for making the Olympic team."

The foundation has also set up an eBay auction, allowing those fans who can't make the event a chance to take part. Some of the items include VIP passes to next month's Sarah Hughes and Friends” show, at the Nassau Coliseum in New York, accommodations at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla., and a set of Team USA luggage from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

"It was probably my idea to use eBay," said Michael's wife, Lisa. "I've bought a lot of things on there. It's going to allow people who aren't going to be there a chance to contribute."

The event should provide skating fans an up-close view of some of figure skating's finest. As Weiss pointed out, "People like to watch good skating, and we are going to have people watching great figure skaters up close."

The venue itself should help provide pristine views of the action.

"This isn't going to be like going to an event and sitting in the upper deck,” said Weiss. “We're going to cram as many people as possible into the arena. It's a small venue with about 1,500 seats, and we're going to literally have a standing-room-only crowd."

Weiss will perform his new short program and an exhibition program at the event. Though he still has strong hopes of making it to the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, his foundation is set to help young skaters reach Vancouver in 2010 and beyond.

The foundation aims to help out up-and-coming skaters who may not be able to afford the expenses of training at a competitive level. The goal Saturday is to raise $25,000 for five scholarships, which would be awarded at a later date.

"Things just add up, from the individual coaches to the choreography and the costumes”, Weiss said. “It gets to the point where there are so many kids who are so talented that aren't skating as much as they should, not because they don't want to, but because of the financial strain the sport puts on their families."

Last year Weiss awarded three scholarships to aspiring skaters out of his own pocket. One of those skaters, Christine Zukowski, will perform Saturday fresh off her second-place finish at the Junior Grand Prix in Andorra last weekend.

"I'm glad she'll be there,” said Weiss. "She's such a competitor, and it's been exciting to see her skating improve."

The two other skaters who received scholarships last year were 2004 U.S. junior champion Christopher Toland and Daisuke Murakami, who competed in his first JGP event last season in China as a 14 year old.

Weiss flew the three winners to his home in suburban Washington, D.C., where they were offered a first-class tour of the sights by Weiss himself. He also hosted another aspiring skater at the 2004 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Atlanta, paying all the expenses, from hotel and airfare to ice-level seats.

Why does Weiss go out of his way to help these young skaters? For him, it comes down to motivating and inspiring them to reach their goals.

“I remember at my first nationals,” Weiss recalled, “(1989 U.S. champion) Christopher Bowman came up to me on the bus and said hello. I turned to my mother, who was sitting next to me, and asked her, ‘Do you really think he knows who I am?' Of course, now I know that he had no clue who I was, but still something as simple as saying hello can have a huge impact on inspiring a young skater."

Of course, it helps to have a supportive base of friends and family.

"I've always grown up in a family-oriented environment,” Weiss said. “We've been all very supportive in our individual sports projects. My family has always been there for me."

Both Lisa and Weiss's mother, Margie, have played an integral part in organizing and putting on the event. Weiss's brother-in-law will be the master of ceremonies, and his father-in-law will be in charge of the music.

Even the Weiss' 6-year-old daughter, Annie Mae, has offered to help.

"She said she was going to sign her skate and donate it to the silent auction," Lisa said. "It's something she's sees everyone else doing, so she assumes that's what she's supposed to do."

Instead, she'll end up taking the ice with younger brother Christopher in an event which should benefit the future of U.S. Figure Skating. And while Weiss doesn't look at the event as his legacy, he understands what it means to help out.

“If I can make a difference in one skater, it's great,” he said. “I'd love to see a continuation of skating champions giving back to the sport. If we all did, it would make a huge impact on future generations.”