The Unseen Skaters website debuted on May 6, 2000 as collaboration between my friend, Holly and myself.

Previously only casual skating fans, we were first exposed to larger skating world by the debut of the official website of Louann Donovan (who was a Novice lady at the time). Following discussions with posters on various skating message boards, we became interested in learning more about skaters competing at the Novice and Junior levels. With the exception of the competition results on the USFSA website, we were surprised to have difficulty finding information online about the many skaters who have not had the opportunity to compete at Worlds or the Olympics. So, we decided to create a website to fill that void.

At first, Unseen Skaters focused solely on skaters competing in ladies freestyle; it has since expanded to include competitors in all four disciplines. The staff of Unseen Skaters has also expanded from just two to four regular staff members, plus two contributors.

I would like to thank all of the skaters, their parents and coaches for responding to our requests for biographical material and interviews, plus all of the visitors to the Unseen Skaters website and message board for helping to make Unseen Skaters the success that it is.

Anna G.
May 6, 2003

Mission Statement

Unseen Skaters ("unseen" meaning not often and/or not yet seen on national television) strives to provide up-to-date and reliable information on up-and-coming figure skaters on both the website and message board, as well as to promote positive skating discussion, constructive dialogue, and good sportsmanship among fans, skaters, parents, and coaches alike. Whether a skater's goal is to compete well at the local, regional qualifying (Regionals and Sectionals in the USA), national and/or international level(s), all skaters deserve equal respect and admiration for their individual efforts and goals in this sport.

Quotes from visitors

"When you watch an Intermediate skater, or a Novice or Junior, you may be seeing the highest level of performance they will ever give. If I waited for everyone to become a Senior, I would surely miss a lot of wonderful skating."
- A.H.Black

"I love competitions! It can be really painful to watch potential go to waste, and joy to watch as potential is realized - and to just be there to experience the highs and lows. The level of intensity doesn't decrease with lower level skaters - the skill sets are different - but the competitive drive is almost always there, and just recognizing the effort many of the skaters are putting in is inspiring by itself."
- Anonymous

"For starters, I've never liked the term "unseen" for these skaters. I see them all the time! Why do I watch them?

1. Promise for the future. You never know where the next Kwan will come from.

2. Watching them grow. I see so many of these kids skating as Juniors and Seniors now, and remember them when they were Juveniles. Watching them grow, as skaters and as people, is very rewarding.

3. Encouraging and rewarding positive activities. I believe pursuits such as skating to be great character builders for young people, regardless of the level of success they achieve. It is an activity that requires a high level of dedication from the entire family, and can help strengthen the bond between children and parents. The 'thrill of victory and the agony of defeat' are both emotional challenges which teach valuable lessons.

4. Surrounding myself with good people. Some of the nicest families are involved with skating. The kids are usually upbeat and appreciative of fan support. The parents are nurturing, nervous, and grateful to know that they aren't the only ones who think their kids are terrific.

5. It's fun! Ultimately, this is something I do because I love skating, and truly enjoy watching it, even at the lower levels. If I've seen the skater before, I am usually watching them skate at a level higher than they did previously, and I can appreciate their improvements. At each event, there are a few skaters who I haven't seen before, or who previously haven't performed well, who suddenly 'gel' into a terrific performer. Watching kids 'come out of nowhere' is very exciting.

"I really love to see who the up and coming skaters are. It's really fun. I remember Sasha Cohen learning her doubles when she was a juvenile skater. It's amazing to watch the rise of her star now on the world stage. I remember when Naomi Nari Nam was just a little girl who had textbook perfect sit spins and Biellmanns.

It's really interesting to see who ends up where. Where their journeys in skating take them. I love the thrill of regionals, top four move on. The thrill of someone having a skate of their life to unexpectedly move on to Sectionals. I am so happy to see how excited the ones that make it are and feel bad for the ones that are shedding tears.

It's such a beautiful sport, the choreography and the costumes. It's fun to see what is in style this year. I love the whole thing. The grassroots level is where it's at for me. Kids just having fun."
- Anonymous

"I like to be able to say that I saw so-and-so when he/she was a Junior, Novice, etc. It's fun to watch regional events wondering if one of these intermediate skaters might be an Olympic champ someday, and trying to guess which ones have the potential to go far. It can be heartbreaking to have a favorite at the lower level and have things work out unfortunately for them (I was a big Erin Pearl fan, for example), but at the same time, there are a lot of entertaining skaters I never would have seen if I hadn't watched the lower level events.

For example, one of my favorite skaters at the 1999 Nationals was Arim Choi in the Junior Ladies event (she finished 7th). She quit later that year due to injuries, so that was the only time she ever made nationals and I never had the opportunity to see her skate again. If I hadn't seen the Junior Ladies at Nationals that year, I'd never have had the opportunity to see her lyrical, elegant style.

I've been thrilled to see her doing so well in the last year or so. One of the fun things is that even though you can sometimes predict which skaters will make it and which won't, you never really know."
- Trillian