Have you ever skated with a famous skater?

[Doubletoe]

I took some spin lessons with her and was sorely disappointed as most of the lessons consisted of her saying she didn't know how to teach the spin because it "came so naturally to her" that she couldn't explain it, and then watching her spin (I'm not a visual learner..), but she was in heavy clothes and she wasn't doing biellmans or anything. I did see one exhibition she did at Culver City and her spins were great.

That doesn't surprise me. It's hard to teach something that came easily to you and it seems that she has always been a good spinner. I guess the converse is why I'm pretty good at teaching spins!

[Doubletoe]

Bebe Liang, Danielle Kahle, Sasha Cohen... I'm sure there are others.

Doubletoe, you skate at Artesia? I was pondering popping by to skate a session for fun.

I only skate at Artesia when I have a day off, since it's a little far for me. I like the rink, though. Very nice ice!

[UMBS Go Blue]

I did participate in a USFS workshop with Tanith & Ben in 2006 in Michigan soon after they won their Olympic silver. The ice was broken up into sections for beginner (including me), intermediate, and advanced skaters.

We'd expect nothing less of them as they always exemplify the finest sportsmanship, but yes, they were very encouraging and positive, and offered lots of great tips. They also demonstrated their original dance from that year and gave a lot of insight into the technical requirements involved.

[mkats]

Parker Pennington, and Tommy Steenberg was my coach for a few summers.

[danceronice]

Well, I once almost took out Ron Kravette on an early-morning session (fortunately he saw me coming before I realized he was there and he has good ice-dancer reflexes and stopped me without taking us both down!)

Often saw Justin Pekarek on the same sessions. (And his now-mother-in-law once helped me out of a tight spot with a dress problem--hooray for people with sewing machines and sergers! Especially nice of her as her daughter basically volunteered her help, THEN asked her!)

Otherwise, skating, no, but got to watch a lot of awesome people (probably most affecting was watching Oleg and Ludmilla Protopopov practicing one day.)

[briancoogaert]

How was he for teaching spins? I remember him and Peggy Schwarz doing the best sbs camel spins ever.

So true !
Mirko Muller was one of my favorite pair skater, ever. And his spins with Peggy were to die for !

[Helenista]

I skated with Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardiner in Santa Monica in the '70's.