Dance Moms, now Ice Moms?

[newbatgirl]

The Hollywood Reporter said today that the production company that produces the Lifetime show Dance Moms is working on Ice Moms.

This upsets me because I think the show Dance Moms is exploitative and trashy. That's my opinion, of course, and I admit to being somewhat biased because I do have a daughter involved in dance.

And I really don't like they idea of them applying what they have done to the reputation of dance to skating.

Has anyone else heard anything about this?

[Sylvia]

This link was posted in the Ice Moms thread in GSD:

http://m.deadline.com/2012/01/lifeti...igure-skating/

[GarrAarghHrumph]

"The focal point of Ice Moms will be the Dearborn, Michigan-based figure skating coaching duo of Laurie Vigilante and Adam Schmidt..."

Anyone familiar with these coaches?

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...e-moms/117705/

[GarrAarghHrumph]

I've tried looking them up, to see what type of experience they might have as coaches.

Laura Vigilante appears to have coached students to Junior Nationals:
http://www.vigilantehockeycamps.com/programs.html

She may coach part time, and be a full-time teacher.

Adam Schmidt is a pretty common name, so he's harder to do a quick search on. I did see an Adam Schmidt as a coach in California. Another who coaches hockey somewhere. Another who is or was a skater. Like, a zillion Adam Schmidts.

[AndyWarhol]

i think this will be good for skating. the public like trashy rubbish shows.

anything that draws attention to skating is good IMH

[Sk8Fan2000]

The old coaching team in Detroit? If that's them; than they're crazy!!!
Laurie and Adam had a few young girls at JN's from what I remember. I know Adam Schmidt skated under a different last name before getting married and moving to LA. Also, after researching him found out he skated professionally after a mediocre national skating career; and was a common fixture on the European skating scene.
I saw him at US Nationals this week but wasn't able to get near him to investigate-he was kept pretty secluded because rumor has it: US figure skating isn't sponsoring this show!
Laurie, if I remember correctly is a school teacher as well as a coach so I'm surprised she'd be willing to jeopardize her teaching job to exploit children.
I wonder how it's all to play out....

[just wondering]

Do you think it is ISI-based rather than USFS-based? ISI comps are run differently than USFS and might lend themselves more easily to tv-style scripted guidance from the participants.

[skatemommy]

My relatives in that area train elsewhere...

[newbatgirl]

The old coaching team in Detroit? If that's them; than they're crazy!!!
Laurie and Adam had a few young girls at JN's from what I remember. I know Adam Schmidt skated under a different last name before getting married and moving to LA. Also, after researching him found out he skated professionally after a mediocre national skating career; and was a common fixture on the European skating scene.
I saw him at US Nationals this week but wasn't able to get near him to investigate-he was kept pretty secluded because rumor has it: US figure skating isn't sponsoring this show!
Laurie, if I remember correctly is a school teacher as well as a coach so I'm surprised she'd be willing to jeopardize her teaching job to exploit children.
I wonder how it's all to play out....

Thanks for the info.

Not surprised USFS is not touching this. The production company behind this does not have a good rep at this point. Many legitimate dance competitions (I know of almost 30) now refuse to let the Dance Moms cameras into their events. I have heard that the production company has resorted to staging events specifically for their filming because they can't get the footage any other way.

[manleywoman]

^Sort of like the Tara Modlin events featuring Johnny that have his camera crew following.

[Sk8Fan2000]

Found them on Facebook:

Laurie: Laura vigilante

Adam:he has two and was tricky to find because it's under: Adam E. Schmidt
Also, has a fan page: Adam E. Schmidt (AdamVIP) Fan Page, which has gone dark since the show press has gone public.


Also heard that Laurie isn't even coaching in Dearborn & bombshell:Adam doesn't even live in Michigan, but is currently living and teaching a team of skaters in California. & Neither Laurie or Adam will be skating in Dearborn, MI as previously stated!

After some serious digging I found a UK tabloid magazine which featured a scandal story involving adam and his skating management, but today it's now mysteriously gone.. ???????

What's going on with this show?????????

[Rochelle]

I had the impression that anyone participating in this would loose US Figure Skating (USFS) eligibility. I wonder if that also means PSA eligibility? And what is ISI's stance on it? And if it's ISI, just how competitive are these kids?

I also just question any coach -- and their students / parents of students of said coach -- that would agree to do such a show under the premise that it's the Dance Mom's production company. It's going to be edited (perhaps even staged) to be drama, drama, drama focused.

Seriously -- how is that going to get any coach who participates any future business if they aren't already well established? It seems like such an ethical gamble for their career... :-/. I believe skaters/parents definitely aren't paid. I assume coaches might not be paid, either.

At least with Dance Mom's the coach is one whose dance students bring home significant national championships, etc. (if I'm understanding correctly).

[Wyliefan]

Coincidentally, I caught about five minutes of Dance Moms last night for the first time, and wanted to vomit.

I hope this new one falls through. The less of that crap that's out there, the better off we all are.

[MacombSk8rMom]

The 'coach' in Dance Moms makes several basic mistakes that make me cringe:
1) Derogatory remarks to dancers in front of other dancers/moms
2) Poor role model - obese, vile
3) Chews out dancers right before they have to dance
4) Letting moms hang out with the dancers right before they perform

[Holley Calmes]

Coincidentally, I caught about five minutes of Dance Moms last night for the first time, and wanted to vomit.

I hope this new one falls through. The less of that crap that's out there, the better off we all are.

I won't watch Dance Moms because it's so deogatory of the industry. However (and sorry I'm repeating myself-I posted this on another thread too) I found out recently that a sponsor of my ballet company, an orthopedist, had been one of this woman's dancers and attended that school from early childhood to high school graduation. Good thing I kept my mouth shut when the subject came up, because I would've put my foot in it. This doctor said that the head teacher is a wonderful person, didn't behave like that in her experience, and was fantastic to dance for. She said the whole experience was pretty much opposite of what's on TV.

Sad that this school and its teacher will let reality TV turn them into something very negative that they aren't in real life, according to my friend.

[AnnMJensen]

Ok. So I think Adam Schmidt was Adam Baadani..... 6th in Novice in 2002. That name I do remember......

[AnnMJensen]

[QUOTE=Rochelle;3465950]I had the impression that anyone participating in this would loose US Figure Skating (USFS) eligibility.

They just need the Eligible Skaters Compensation Agreement (or whatever it is called this year) and they are OK, as long as all "competitions" are sanctioned by either ISI or USFS

[eliza61]

I found this but am not sure if it's associated with the new show or not, I hope not because it is beyond awful.

http://vimeo.com/31393207

[TheGirlCanSkate]

That clip was awful...instead of coaches yelling at the kids, it's the parents. That poor toddler.

In Dance Moms the production covers all the comp fees and training. I do think that is a huge lure to participate on these shows. The girls do model work for dance catalogs, they do profit off of the series.

Down sides - lost jobs, broken relationships, and a stigma.

[kwanatic]

I found this but am not sure if it's associated with the new show or not, I hope not because it is beyond awful.

http://vimeo.com/31393207

I doubt if that's it. That looked pretty cheaply produced and the makers behind Dance Moms have money; the new promos for the show and Dance Moms: Miami is proof of that. That blond lady fussing at her 3 or 4 year old is disgusting. That's one thing you can say about the moms on Dance Moms: they're crazy but they are very sweet, loving and supportive of their children...it's Abby who's the villian. Dance Moms: Miami, one of the moms is completely psychotic and pressures her daughter but the others don't...

I feel totally ashamed admitting it but I'm actually excited for them to do Ice Moms. . I'm hoping the parents and coaches won't be as mean as Abby often is to her kids b/c I don't like that part of the show. I like the show b/c you get to see all of the behind the scenes work that goes into making the routines and teaching these girls to become great dancers and, most of the time, the routines are really nice and entertaining.

Same would go for ice skating. I enjoy watching dance but I'm 10x more interested in what goes into making a figure skater, so I'm really excited to see that. I haven't heard/read anything from Lifetime since they made that announcement so it'll be interesting to see when/if it actually premieres.