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Redwood City Ice Theatre
2011 US Figure Skating Theatre on Ice
junior level bronze medalistsAre very proud of and send Good Luck and Best Wishes to Teammate
Robbie with his partner Nancy as the compete at the US National Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, CA!
We are also proud of our teammates participating in the
US Nationals Opening Ceremony and Skating SpectacularSkate Great Robbie, Sarah, Daisy, Katie, & Reagan!
Download flyer for more info
RCIT is a fun and successful Co-Ed Team,
with skaters at:
Preliminary - Senior Levels
from all over the SF Bay Area
currently involved in
singles, pairs, ice-dancing, artistic ensemble, synchro, and TOI!
NOTE TO COACHES & PARENTS:
RCIT's coaching staff works with each skaters individual coach to
help support the individual skaters competitive needs and goals
while they are a part of our successful team.
Redwood City Ice Theatre is professionally run and highly organized. We are backed by an experienced and committed support staff, including strong support from our home training rink and club!
SKATERS:
At auditions, please be prepared to:
- Learn a short choreographic sequence in a group setting
- Also, to show RCIT Coaching staff:
- A jump (of your choice)
- A Spin (of your choice)
- A specialty move (of your choice)
- An edge / footwork sequence (this sequence can be either from a program, or a MIF test)
HIGH SCHOOL AGE SKATERS:Being a part of RCIT's nationally ranked team can be a great way to show your figure skating as a strong extra-curricular sport on college applications!To schedule your AUDITION for our Spring Ice Theatre Team
contact us at:
Phone: 650-364-8090 Email: toi@iceoasis.com
Big Thank you to Kristi Yamaguchi & Brian Boitano!
WOW! What a great time at the PSC Awards Banquet! We had so much fun! Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi were the special guests to help hand out awards. They took pictures with us, signed autographs, and stayed for a great Question and Answer Session! It was very inspiring. Thank you!
CONGRATS! Great Job Everyone!
Gold Medal win
at the 2011 State Games of America in San Diego!
You can "Like" us on Facebook to show your support of RCIT!
follow us on Facebook for the most up-to-date information
Congratulations to Peninsula Skating Club's
Redwood City Ice Theatre! The 2011 US National Theatre on Ice Junior Bronze Medalists! Since Redwood City Ice Theatre (RCIT)’s inception in 2002, our team has been quite successful; including reaching the podium in multiple National and International competitions. RCIT are the current 2011 US National Theatre on Ice Junior Bronze Medalists, after executing both exciting and fun-filled CE/FS programs in Cape Cod. They are also the 2011 State Games of America Gold Medalists for Theatre on Ice! In previous seasons, RCIT has earned the Bronze medal in the Junior Division CE at the 15th Annual International 2010 Theatre on Ice Competition, and a Gold Medal - 1st place finish at the 2009 State Games of America. In addition to their National and International results, the team has many podium finishes in local/regional competitions.
We are excited to prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead!
2011 - US National Theatre on Ice Junior Bronze Medalists
2011 - State Games of America - Theatre on Ice Gold Medalists
2010 - International Theatre on Ice Competition Junior- CE-Bronze Medalists
2009 - State Games of America Junior - Gold Medalists
In addition to the competitions we attend, our team has an apprentice program with the professional company American Ice Theatre, and is invited to perform at special events, outdoor rinks, holiday shows, charity fundraisers, etc.
We always have fund-raising opportunities available to help offset cost of training and travel for all team members Scholarships are available!
RCIT would like to thank the attendees & demonstrators at our
Special Choreography Seminar & Coaches Workshop in August!
We love to share our knowledge to help further the sport of Theatre on Ice!
For information on how to obtain your copy of the training video complied at our workshop, please send your contact info, including name, rink and team, phone, & mailing address to: toi@iceoasis.com
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Club Spotlight
U.S. Figure Skating Online will feature a different club-related story every couple weeks in the Club Spotlight. This week, we take a look at two Theatre on Ice teams, Imagica TOI of Boston and Redwood City Ice Theatre.
A Tale of Two (TOI) Teams
by Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz, special to U.S. Figure Skating Online
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Imagica performs at the National TOI Competition in Hyannis, Mass. (Photo by Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz)
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One is an up-and-coming unit working to make a name for itself. The other is a national and international power that is regarded as the gold standard in its sport.
On the surface, likening Redwood City Ice Theatre to Imagica Theatre On Ice is like comparing a club skater to Michelle Kwan. But if you talk to the coaches and team members, you find they have more in common than you would think.
"Enthusiasm, passion to skate, teamwork, trust in the coaching staff and a willingness to try and be a little better each year," said Tasney Mazzarino, head coach of Imagica TOI of Boston, when asked the secret to her team's success.
Jodi Porter, head coach and artistic director of Redwood City Ice Theatre, echoed Mazzarino's words when she explained the appeal of Theatre On Ice.
"It is rewarding to see [the skaters'] work ethic, determination and teamwork develop through the season. I enjoy being able to take artistic risks and push the team creatively," Porter said. "That is what Theatre On Ice is about."
Both teams had memorable 2010-11 seasons. Imagica won the gold medal in the adult division at both the 2011 Nations Cup and the 2011 National Theatre on Ice Competition in Hyannis, Mass., while Redwood City's junior team added a bronze medal from the 2011 National TOI Competition to its trophy case.
"What makes this team work is the skaters' enthusiasm and commitment toward a common goal," Mazzarino said. "Over the years the team has grown. We have worked hard to structure things so that we have procedure in place to have things flow as smoothly as possible and all the skaters know what is expected of them before the season starts."
"We have a great group of skaters this season, and they have worked really hard and improved so much," said Susan Blaisdell, Redwood City's team manager and one of its coaches. "We really emphasized that the season was shorter this year--with the national competition in April instead of June--so they had to work harder, and quicker. We like them to skate their best and put their love of skating into the program."
The success of both programs is due not only to those directly involved with the teams but also the rinks at which they skate.
Mazzarino praises the Skating Club of Boston for giving the team the resources it needs to thrive.
"Without its support, we would never be able to grow to a team this size," Mazzarino said.
Theresa Lee, an original Imagica team member, said the weekly Sunday evening practices at the SC of Boston were greatly beneficial to the team's development.
"The consistent ice time helped perfect skating skills over the years, and team members started striving to increase their own individual abilities," Lee said. "Throughout the years our programs have become more complex, and as the team grew, the number of skaters on the ice created an additional challenge, but our coach handled it extremely well. As the team has grown, we've also had to become more efficient in our team management, and an adult TOI team was formed."
Redwood City Ice Theatre (Photo courtesy of Susan Blaisdell)
Redwood City receives ice time at the Nazareth Ice Oasis, practicing Mondays and Saturdays, with an hour each of on- and off-ice choreography during the season.
While members of both squads love the thrill of competing, there are other reasons they've dedicated themselves to their respective teams.
"When we first started as a group, there were no other adults to compete against," Lee said. "Our skating was equivalent to the novice level--some above it, some below it. Winning wasn't our overall goal; having fun and encouraging other skaters to participate was."
When it's not on the practice or competition ice, Redwood City takes part in an apprentice program with the American Ice Theatre and performs at special events, rinks, holiday shows and charity fundraisers.
For skaters on both teams, it is the love of skating and performing that brings them back each year.
"Once you put it all together, it just works," Imagica team member Carolyn Evert said. "Imagica is the stress reliever in so many of our lives, and while some practices are hard and we are tired after a long weekend, once we get out there on the ice and perform in front of an audience, then we realize it has absolutely been worth it." |
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| Great gliding: Local Theatre on Ice team grabs national bronze
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| April 27, 2011, 04:35 AM By Heather Murtagh Daily Journal Staff
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Heather Murtagh/Daily Journal
Brooke Muschott practices a new routine for the Redwood City Theatre on Ice figure skating team at Nazareth Ice Oasis Monday.
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Gliding along the ice with ease — and the occasional giggle — the Redwood City Theatre on Ice team bundled up to practice Monday.
Some wore colorful gloves while others were all in black, as Jodi Porter, one of the team’s coaches, explained the moves to a new routine. This particular routine was about having fun, loosening up and enjoying a sport they all love. The 16-member team has reason to celebrate; it was recently crowned the junior bronze medalists at the 2011 National Theatre on Ice competition held in Cape Cod, Mass. The win means the 8-year-old team can compete internationally.
Only about 15 years old, the choreographed ice sport allows for teams about double the Redwood City team’s size to compete. In fact, the first- and second-place teams both had the 30 maximum allowed.
“It’s a really unique sport,” Porter said. Porter attributed the team’s success to putting in lots of extra work this year.
“This team worked so hard to master a really difficult program that blended advanced skating skills in a theatrical and entertaining way that included the use of props and costumes all designed to tell a story within the six minute time allotment,” said Porter.
The team starts to train in June then meets twice a week for an hour at a time until competition season begins, said coach Susan Blaisdell. This year’s competition season began earlier than normal.
That didn’t stop the team with members aged 10 to 18 from finding success. A program called “Swing,” with elements from the song “Zoot Suit Riot,” was performed celebrating the heyday of swing clubs in East Los Angeles during the start of World War II.
Each skater trains and competes as individuals in addition to their work as a team.
Claire Zimmerman, 13, began taking ice skating lessons in fourth grade because her mom was an ice skater. Joining the team gave Zimmerman a chance to work with new people.
Winning the bronze “was eye opening to see your hard work really pay off,” she said.
Eighteen-year-old Oksana Brinson from San Carlos joined the team when it started in 2003. She immigrated to the United States about nine years ago. Unable to speak the language, Brinson’s mom had her take ice skating lessons — a sport that didn’t require much language skills.
Now, accent free and with a great grasp of English, Brinson remains in love with the sport.
“They become like your family,” she said of the team.
One of the smallest skaters is 11-year-old Sarah Feng from Fremont. The tiny little girl glides elegantly around the ice.
About six years ago, the little girl who is home schooled started ice skating after her mom noticed her interest in rollerblading.
“I really enjoyed it,” she said of ice skating.
Working with a team gave Feng a chance to work with others, rather than by herself, in a sport she loves.
At the most recent competition, Feng felt as though she skated her best performance ever.
All the team members look forward to the new challenge of competing internationally next year.
Competing at the international level will mean more fundraising for the young team which is putting on a spring show, “Ice Pop,” to help raise funds from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15 at Nazareth Ice Oasis, 3140 Bay Road in Redwood City. Tickets range from $10 to $30.
Heather Murtagh can be reached by email: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.
Click here for link to entire article and pictures!
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For Immediate Release
April 20, 2011
Team Contact: Susan Blaisdell, Team Manager, Redwood City Ice Theatre
650-364-8090 sblaisdell@iceoasis.com
Local Competitive Theatre on Ice Team Wins National Bronze Medal
REDWOOD CITY, CA, April 20, 2011 – Sixteen talented members of the Redwood City Theatre on Ice (RCIT) figure skating team were crowned the Junior Bronze Medalists at the 2011 National Theatre on Ice competition held April 9-10 in Cape Cod, MA. The team represents the Peninsula Skating Club and trains at the Nazareth Ice Oasis in Redwood City.
Their Bronze medal program titled “Swing” used elements from the song “Zoot Suit Riot” which reenacted the heyday of swing clubs in East Los Angeles during the start of WWII. Artistic Director Jodi Porter, along with coaches Susan Blaisdell and Billy Kheir, worked with the skaters for the past nine months preparing for the national competition.
“This team worked so hard to master a really difficult program that blended advanced skating skills in a theatrical and entertaining way that included the use of props and costumes all designed to tell a story within the 6 minute time allotment.” said Artistic Director Porter.
The skaters all train and compete as individual competitors in addition to their participation on the Theatre on Ice Team and range in age from 10 to 18 years old. Their 3rd place finish at Nationals qualifies them to represent the United States at future international competition.
While continuing to train and prepare for their upcoming competition at the State Games of America, the team will take time to appear and perform May 15th, at “Ice Pop”, a spring Ice show being held at their home training facility, Nazareth Ice Oasis in Redwood City.
For information on tickets to the Ice Pop spring Ice show, or how you can support Redwood City Ice Theatre as they prepare for international competition, please contact: Team Manager, Susan Blaisdell, 650-364-8090, sblaisdell@iceoasis.com, or visit www.redwoodcityicetheatre.org . |
| San Francisco Bay Area, California |
