Lauren Wiseley a "Creativeskater", for May/June 2010
By: Elizabeth Hollett Shackett

Meet Lauren Wiseley, age 9. I first coached her in the Learn to Skate program at IceWorks in Aston, PA.  She was the youngest in my class at the time. I recall her always smiling, giggling and being the most animated skater in class with no sign of being intimidated in a group with older children. Ironically, Lauren quickly outgrew the Learn to Skate program and proceeded in a US Figure Skating Bridge Program and private lessons with me in April 2007.  Today she’s a successful developmental skater who enjoys competitions, ice shows, and taking US Figure Skating tests.

Lauren’s favorite thing to do on the ice is acting. It comes as no surprise since she considers winning her first gold medal in Improv as her biggest accomplishment in skating so far. A string of gold medals have followed in the same type of event, in fact, 3 this season alone. An Improv event consists of skaters completely improvising to music. The music is only played twice for the skater during a short warm up period. Then, they each take a turn putting out an improvised performance. For Lauren, this is her moment to completely act out a routine with zero rehearsal behind it. It is a fascinating event to watch as it reveals so much about the skater’s vision and personality not to mention how they make use their skating skills under pressure.

Her ultimate goal is the Olympic games. She was fortunate to be thrilled and inspired at the most recent Vancouver games where she attended figure skating and skiing events. Coincidentally, Two Olympic champions happen to be Lauren’s favorite skaters. First is Oksana Baiul because “she was an orphan turned Olympic Champion and she’s creative.” Her other favorite skater is Olympic Gold Medallist, Yu-Na Kim from South Korea. Lauren likes how “she skates with attitude.” and how she broke a world record with the highest score in a figure skating competition.

Lauren is also a busy 4th-grader who likes science and art. She is a girl scout, plays the flute, does worship dance at church and attends a separate dance class. Lauren says, “Dancing relates to skating because you need to be strong and flexible.

I have choreographed all of Lauren’s programs. She currently skates to Walk Like an Egyptian
by The Bangles. Four-time Olympian, Mojca Kopac and World & Olympic coach, Uschi Keszler,
also coach Lauren. 

Lauren's Upcoming Events:
           May 2010:     May Day, Laurel, MD
           May 2010:     USFS Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field Test, USFS Pre-Preliminary Free skate
          Aug. 2010:     Hershey Open, Hershey, PA
          Nov. 2010:     Autumn Skate, Wilmington, DE

“There are so many things that impress us with Elizabeth’s coaching”.  Her choreography has
been awesome. She orchestrates Lauren’s programs, music and costumes specific to her unique
personality resulting in a performance that is so ‘Lauren’.  This enables Lauren to put on a special
performance each time she takes the ice. Elizabeth’s attention to the smallest detail; the flare of a
hand or the tilt of the head, has helped Lauren take performances to the next level in competition.

Elizabeth has many students, each student with different learning styles and abilities. She zeros in
on Lauren’s unique style, building confidence and maximizing her abilities. This makes it fun, and
solidified Lauren’s love for the sport and her skills improve consistently.

Elizabeth has been Lauren’s coach for over 3 years. We would love for Elizabeth to coach Lauren
for years to come. Thanks Elizabeth!”  Tom & Deb Wiseley

Tests Passed
Preliminary Moves in the Field