The San Diego Figure Skating Club was established in 1939, received its charter from the

United States Figure Skating Association U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...

and registered its Articles of Corporation on July 27, 1940 in the State of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The Club’s purpose is to foster, promote, encourage, advance and improve the art of and interest in

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

, and to encourage and to cultivate a spirit of harmony and friendship among ice skaters by such means as may be proposed from time to time by the membership. It is one of the oldest skating clubs in California.

Home rinks

Today, the San Diego Ice Arena in

Mira Mesa, California Mira Mesa (Spanish for "Table View") is a community and neighborhood in the city of San Diego, California. The city-recognized Mira Mesa Community Plan Area is roughly bounded by Interstate 15 on the east, Interstate 805 on the west, the Los Peñ ...

serves as the Club’s home rink with the

Kroc Center The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers, or Kroc Centers, is a group of community centers run by the Salvation Army. Kroc Center background Upon her death in 2003, Joan Kroc, the widow of McDonald's restaurants executive Ray K ...

Ice Arena in La Mesa functioning as a secondary training rink. Glacier Gardens, located at Eighth Avenue and Harbor Drive, next to the San Diego Yacht Club on San Diego Bay, served as the first home rink for the San Diego Figure Skating Club. When Glacier Gardens closed as a skating venue in December 1954, club members skated at a number of smaller studio rinks including the Sonald Studio (1955–1959), located at Midway Drive and Fordham Street, Iceland (1960–1965), located at Lake Murray Boulevard and El Paso Street and the Mission Valley Ice Arena (1965–1969). In April 1969, the House of Ice, located on Lake Murray Boulevard in

La Mesa, California La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, located east of Downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of the Hills." History La Me ...

opened and became the home rink for the club. Within a year, membership doubled, enabling the Club to return to full USFSA Club status.

Competitions

The San Diego Figure Skating Club hosts its annual competition, Skate LaGrande, each spring. The club has also hosted multiple state, regional, sectional and national championship competitions, including: * 1946 California State Championships * 1949 Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships * 1952 California State Championships * 1975 Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships * 1978 Southwest Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships * 1981

United States Figure Skating Championships The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often ...

* 1984 Pacific Coast Precision Sectional Championships * 1988 Pacific Coast Precision Sectional Championships * 1992 Pacific Coast Precision Sectional Championships * 1995 United States Precision Team Skating Championships * 1997 Southwest Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships * 1998 United States Precision Team Skating Championships * 2003 Pacific Coast Synchronized Sectional Championships * 2004 United States Synchronized Team Skating Championships

Notable skaters and coaches

Janet Champion was the first San Diego Figure Skating Club competitor to gain attention for her talent. In the 1950s, the young skater won the California State Exchange Club Contest but her acceptance of the cash prize ended her amateur status. At the age of ten she signed a contract with the Ice Follies and began a nine-year career as a professional skater. After transitioning to Holiday on Ice and touring for a few more years, Champion returned to San Diego and began her coaching career. Cindy Moyers (Stuart), one of her first students, placed third in the Junior Ladies event at the 1975 United States Figure Skating Championships, giving the club its first national medal. While coaching in San Diego, Champion also worked with 1976 Olympic Champion John Curry and National Champions Linda Fratianne and

Rosalynn Sumners Rosalynn Diane Sumners (born April 20, 1964) is an American former competitive figure skater. She was the World Junior champion in 1980, the U.S. National champion in 1982, 1983 and 1984, World champion in 1983, and won a silver medal at the ...

. Janet Champion also coached Tiffany Chin to her National Junior title and World Junior win. Other notable skaters who have trained at or represented the San Diego Figure Skating Club include: Olympians John Baldwin, Jr., Tiffany Chin and Todd Eldredge and national and international competitors John Baldwin, Sr. and

Rory Flack Rory Flack (Flack-Mitchell) (born April 28, 1969) is a professional African American Figure Skater and former competitor. She is the first African American woman to perform a back flip on the ice (in 1991) and in 1994 she became the first Africa ...

. Current coaches at the club include Russian Junior National Champion in singles and pairs Natasha Borbrina, 4-time French national champion and 2-time Olympian

Eric Millot The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

. Longtime coach Yuri Ovchinnikov is on a four-year assignment with the Russian Olympic Committee in preparation for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

Synchronized skating team

The San Diego Figure Skating Club has been affiliated with synchronized skating teams for over fifty years. For many years, the Starlites and the Sun Blazers competed at the juvenile level and the intermediate/novice level respectively. The Icettes represented the Club at the junior level, competing at the senior level in 1996. In 1997, all three teams consolidated and changed the name to Team del Sol. The name, which translates to Team of the Sun, reflects San Diego’s Spanish heritage. At the 2013 US Synchronized Skating Championships, Team del Sol won first place at the intermediate level.Team del Sol Burns Up Ice In Intermediate Triumph
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References

External links

The San Diego Figure Skating Club Official Web Site

Skate la Grande Official Competition Web Site

Team del Sol Synchronized Skating

Southern California Inter Club Association

United States Figure Skating Association

San Diego Ice Arena

Kroc Ice Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Diego Figure Skating Club Figure skating clubs in the United States Sports clubs and teams in San Diego