PSA to Honor Coaches with Book
by Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz, special to U.S. Figure Skating Online |
| Skating coach and freelance writer Patricia Hagen is editing the PSA's upcoming book, The Joy of Coaching. (Photo courtesy of Patricia Hagen) |
If you have a special story about a skating coach, then the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) wants to hear from you. The organization is putting together a book called The Joy of Coaching in honor of its upcoming 75th anniversary in 2013.
"The book will document the history of the coaches association, which began as the American Skaters Guild in Lake Placid in 1938," said the book's editor Patricia Hagen, a senior-rated coach at the Indiana/World Skating Academy, freelance writer and the author of two previous books, including one on figure skating skills.
The idea for such a book came about in 2010 when Kelley Morris-Adair was approaching the end of her term as PSA president and the start of her term as head of the PSA's Hall of Fame Committee. Adair spent an evening with past PSA presidents, listening them talk about how the PSA changed their lives.
"I remember thinking during their speeches that these extraordinary people have given so much of their lives to this organization," Morris-Adair said. "It was a defining moment of how I wanted to give back to the sport. I have always wanted to honor their commitment in some unique way. I wanted to be able to document our history before it was too late."
Adair and PSA Executive Director Jimmie Santee, who are both self-proclaimed skating history "nuts," immediately got to work thinking about the upcoming anniversary and how to best honor the coaches. The Joy of Coaching was born.
"[Kelley] asked me about the process of publishing a book, and we put together a plan," said Hagen, who will edit the book as well as help design and publish it.
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| The idea for the book came after Kelley-Morris Adair, the head of the PSA's Hall of Fame Committee, spent an evening with past PSA presidents. (Photo courtesy of Kelley Morris-Adair) |
"I love hearing about skating in the old days, when boots were soft and free legs were bent and skaters spent hours tracing figures," Hagen said. "We recorded the memories of a retired judge who was coached in the 1930s by Willy Boeckl, the first president of the American Skating Guild. Hall of Famer Skippy Baxter told me he learned back flips in the 1940s and taught many other skaters how to do them."
Skaters, former skaters, clubs and coaches have until June 2012 to submit a story, but stories submitted earlier have a better chance of making the cut. Space is limited, but Hagen hopes to squeeze as many stories as possible into the book.
"We're happy to talk to you and write your story," Hagen said. "We want as many voices and faces as possible in the book. We are looking for short anecdotes, verbal snapshots about coaches. We're also looking for photos of coaches and skaters with their coaches."
Hagen does suggest, however, emailing her before sending precious, one-of-a-kind photos.
For Morris-Adair, the book, which will debut at the 2013 PSA International Conference and Trade Show in Chicago, will help make the PSA's 75th anniversary complete.
"It has been a labor of love, and Patty is doing a great job," Morris- Adair said. "I can't wait to read the whole thing from front to back."
(To send a submission or schedule an interview, contact Patricia Hagen at psa75years@yahoo.com or 3760 Simmerman Court, Carmel, IN 46033.)
