Six Adult Pair Teams Train in Lake Placid with Olympians
07/09/09 17:15
Six Adult Pair Teams Train in Lake Placid with Olympians
By Dr. Karen Kan
Lake Placid – Six adult pair teams attended the 2009 August Adult Week in Lake Placid without knowing for sure what the schedule was going to bring. Much to their surprise, in addition to being coached by legendary two-time Olympic Champions, Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov, World Bronze Medalist and Stars on Ice performer, John Zimmerman, was in town to offer on-and off-ice lessons as well.
The Protopopovs, known for bringing the beauty of ballet to the ice, taught the basics of skating as a pair, with deep knee bends, edgework and footwork. John Zimmerman complemented the pair experience by doing on-ice classes on synchronization exercises, throws, lifts and death spirals, and an off-ice class with pair drills and lifts.
Ivan Dimitrov (US pair partner to Katie Orscher), who was visiting Lake Placid, made a fun appearance during one of Zimmerman’s classes to assist in “throwing” and lifting a few single women skaters who signed up for the class. Adult pair skaters enjoyed the added benefit of watching a couple of elite Italian pair teams train with Zimmerman and his wife, Silvia Fontana, throughout the week.
At the conclusion of Adult Week, the Protopopovs, still skating pairs in their seventies, showcased the spirals they are famous for: Cosmic spiral, Love spiral and the Life spiral (as well as the death spiral). They received an appreciative standing ovation from the adult pair teams.
The Photo Caption:
Six Adult Pair Teams attend the 2009 August Adult Week in Lake Placid to study with the legendary two-time Olympic Champions Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov, and World Bronze Medalist, John Zimmerman. Shown above from left to right: Stephanie De Carlo, Tim Mizerak, Jeremy Black, Kat Hankinson, Oleg Protopopov, Ludmila Protopopov, James Gann, Karen Kan, Laurie Trotman, Gill Trotman, Andrea Cooper and Lee Jones. (Not present: Marianne Gruber, Jim DeStafeno and John Zimmerman.)