Figure Skating Passion in Chicagoland

If you think Salchow and Lutz sound like new linebackers for the Bears or that crossovers  are pass patterns put in place by offensive coordinator Mike Martz —well you may not be smarter than a Fifth Grader.  But here in Chicago you are forgiven these blunders  because …well, because this is football-mad Chicago.   Yet, there are thousands of people here who recognize these terms as elements in one of the most demanding, pressure-filled sports imaginable—competitive figure skating.

A Family Passion

Every week,  thousands   of young figure skaters across the Chicago area practice in excess of 30 hours in their quest for excellence in this demanding sport.  For “serious” skaters, annual training costs can rival college tuition. And it is almost always a family affair. Skating moms spend their free time traveling to and from the rink and sitting in the frigid cold (yes it’s freezing cold in these rinks even in July!) watching endless jumps, spins and tumbles.  Skaters have as many as three coaches for different aspects of "their game."

House Family

Like Chicago’s football tradition, Chicagoland’s  figure skating heritage did not happen without endless hours of blood, sweat and commitment. There are many families spanning generations of skaters and coaches who have made their mark on area programs—programs   that have recently developed high caliber skaters such as Evan Lysacek. One of those families in the northwest suburban area is the House family.

Many skaters have passed through Ilona House’s coaching program in Chicago. Ilona herself  was a three-time US Gold Medalist.  Having been at it for decades, many of Ilona’s students are now coaches and skating program directors themselves  including, Tiffany Sfikas Groc( Holiday on Ice)  at Rolling Meadows, and Victoria  Pietrasik Annes  (National Bronze Medalist)  at Glacier Arena in Gurnee.  No surprise, one of her favorite students  is daughter Nicolette who took to the ice at age 3 and hasn't left since.  In no time at all, Nicolette was stroking, spinning and jumping in competition.  While attending Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Nicolette became a four-time United States Figure Skating gold medalist.  She went on to compete in European, World, and international ice dance competitions with her skating partner, Aidas Reklys, representing Lithuania. Now a student at DePaul University, Nicolette, who  just  turned 21, coaches a new generation of skaters and performs in professional shows. Aidas  coaches in several area programs as well.

Ilona, Nicolette and Aidas actively promote their sport as art.  Last year, they produced a show called “After Dark” that featured a group of international skating stars at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville.  Tapping into Chicago’s rich and diverse cultures, the show drew from fans across the area including many Chicagoans of Russian and Lithuanian origin.  More shows are planned.

Nicolette is also  promoting  figure skating off the ice. This spring, Sporting Chance Press (www.sportingchancepress.com)  published her  middle grade skating novel called Maddie Takes the Ice.  About.com Figure Skating Correspondent, Jo Ann Schneider Ferris, calls "Maddie"  "one of the most accurate and 'true to life' fictional books about competitive figure skating" - a Five Star Rating. “party” where she led a discussion on “Maddie” for the class. More  school  talk  will follow this fall.  The House family is promoting figure skating in performance, lessons, classes, lectures and literature.