Helga Yang a "Creativeskater", for Sept./Oct. 2009
By: Elizabeth Hollett Shackett
Watching Dorothy Hamill on black and white television sparked Helga Yang’s childhood fascination with figure skating. Then, when she got to see figure skaters practicing in a shopping mall rink, she told herself that she was going to learn how to skate one day. She was 9 years old at the time. Flash forward 20 years when she enrolls herself into a Learn-to-Skate program at Center Ice in Oaks, PA. A childhood dream was finally coming true!

Besides being a figure skater, Helga is also an avid skier, rock climber, rollerblader, and hiker and is a certified group fitness instructor. She admits that having this athletic background has undoubtedly helped her figure skating.

Helga exemplifies the same sportsman-like attitude that is evident in the adult skating atmosphere. Adults mainly skate for fitness and are very supportive each other’s endeavors. Friendships and social gatherings off the ice are a normal part of adult skating too. Helga actively attends ice sessions, workshops, seminars and competitions that are often geared to adults-only. Going out for dinner after practice with fellow skaters and volunteering for skating functions are commonplace for her. Indeed, enthusiasm for skating and a supportive environment have been some of the catalysts to adult skating popularity and is what keeps Helga coming back to the ice.

Helga practices 2-3 times per week in the early morning hours before work. I coach her along with PSA Master-Rated Coach, Philip Grout. We spend our lesson time preparing her for US Figure Skating proficiency tests and competitions on the local and national level. Helga participates in approximately 5 competitions per year. 

After her early morning practice, Helga works as a Software Developer at MRO Corporation, a provider of medical records request systems. She has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics - Computer Science/Operations Research from Carnegie Mellon University and M.S. in Computer Science from Villanova University.

Helga’s ultimate goal in skating changes as she improves and learns new skills. When she first
started skating, she really wanted to learn how to do back crossovers and a spiral, both of which
she does exceptionally well. Now, her goal is to land her axel which is also within reach.

Helga’s Upcoming Events:
           Fall 2009:     Silver Moves in the Field Test
           Oct. 2009:     Fall Classic Adult & Dance Competition, Aston PA
          Jan. 2009:     Keystone State Games, York PA
      Winter 2009:     Adult Silver Freeskating Test

In Helga’s words:
As an adult skater, I really appreciate the fact that Elizabeth is willing to take me on as a student
and work around my full-time job.  She has been integral in my skating achievements of which
most have been above and beyond my expectations.  She is very much a team player and works
well with other coaches too.