I have some exciting news for everyone. After my father’s heart attack and bypass surgery last December, my family’s life was dramatically changed. My father is doing quite well now and we are all so very happy and thankful. During and after that time in our lives, we all knew that we would never be the same again. When such serious things happen, you start to realize what really is important to you. We all made changes in our lives and started thinking about many things. I have had a lot of time to think about things this past winter.

Having been off the ice quite a bit, first with a stress fracture in my fibula, and then with an anterior tibial tendonitis. The tendonitis has kept me off the ice since April 2. I can go back on the ice starting June 3 - I can’t wait! One of the things I started to think about very seriously was my skating.

I have been at the University of Delaware for the past 7 years. I started there when I was eight years old. I am fifteen now, and I am starting a new phase of my life, along with my skating. So, I decided to do something and make a very big change. I have left the University of Delaware and no longer skate there.

The University of Delaware holds many memories for me, after all I grew up there, and I took two skating titles while I was there. I want to thank everyone who helped me travel along the road to get where I am: Ron Ludington, Pamela Duane Gregory, Jere Campbell, Jeff Merica, Karl Kurtz, Priscilla Hill, Jeff Schneider, Tisa Dela Volpe, and Sylvia Keller (my home school tutor).

I will now be skating at Iceworks in Aston, Pa. My coach will be Uschi Keszler. I will also be working with Liz Manley. Lisa Bell will be doing my choreography and working with me both on and off the ice. Everyone at Iceworks has been so wonderful, and helpful - it’s been great! I am so excited, and so looking forward to where my life and my skating will be taking me in the future.

Photograph by Tisa Delavolpe, courtesy of Shayna Syken.  Skate photograph copyright © Dave Amorde.  Unless otherwise noted, all content Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.