Summertime Fine

Hi Everyone!

I cannot believe it is already August. It seems like this summer has just flown by, but I can honestly say I am extremely excited to head back to school and begin my second year at Miami University (what?!). Along with that, I am even more eager to get back into training with my teammates in just a few short weeks!

Avalon Bay

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with my family, which is something I am very thankful for. At the beginning of the summer my entire family and I took a vacation to Santa Catalina Island; a small island located off the coast of Southern California. We rented a condo in the small city of Avalon, where everyone uses golf carts for transportation and you can swim with fish in the ocean one day and go up to the mountains to see wild bison the next. It seems as though my family is always running around in different directions most days; so it was great to have this short break where we could all relax and spend some quality time together.

My sister and I on the Catalina Express

Though time on the beach is nice; a great deal of my summer has been spent, as always, in an ice rink. I went back to my previous job working at my local rink; which is also where I carry out most of my summer training as well. This year our rink hosted the ISI World Team Championships (which invited over 2,000 skaters into our rink!) and is currently holding the Glacier Falls Summer Classic; a competition held each summer for skaters from Surfer (no tests) through Senior Men and Ladies. It was great to see so many different types of skaters in all of these events; each of them expressing their love for the sport in their own way. I also got to spend some time with Glacier Falls Figure Skating Club Junior Board; a group that I was involved with for several years and was previously the president of. It was really awesome to see the girls running their booth at the competition and continuing to stay involved with their club throughout the years.

From Left: Sharon, Holly, Lauren, Sarah, Ashleigh, and myself

Another great thing about being a DREAMer in the summertime is being able to participate in the US Figure Skating Synchronized Skating DREAM Camps and Training Festival. This year I was invited to the Midwest DREAM Camp in Vernon Hills, IL. I was able work with a great group of young skaters, alongside my fellow DREAMmates Ashleigh Ostin and Sharon Neff, as well as DREAM alumni Lauren Bracken and Sarah Arnold. Leading the camp were Team USA coaches Jill Cipresso, Lisa Darken, Holly Malewski, and Heather Paige.

Zumba class at Training Festival

Two weeks after the Midwest DREAM camp, all ten DREAM team members and coaches from all over the country gathered in Prior Lake, MN for the National Coaches College and Synchronized Skating Training Festival. This was my second time attending the Training Festival as a DREAM team member, and it was great to meet all of the new DREAMers when we arrived and so much fun to bond with them over the weekend. Training Festival is a great experience because it gives us the chance to work one-on-one with young athletes, as well as assist some of the greatest coaches in the country, all while sharing our love for the sport that brings us all together. I really enjoy being able to interact with younger skaters; seeing their love and enthusiasm for the sport and I hope that working with the DREAM team athletes only inspires them for their skating in years to come. The DREAM Camps and Training Festival were definitely a success this year and I hope that everyone who participated in them had as much fun as I did!

Training Festival 2013

Following the Training Festival, I was able to spend a few days in Minneapolis with one of my close friends who lives in the city. We spent most of our free time strolling around Uptown Minneapolis; which is a fantastic area filled with lots of cool little shops and many interesting people. On my last day there, I was unfortunately unable to get a ride from my friend to the airport. So because of it's close proximity to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul Airport; I spent a few hours on my own at the Mall of America and then took a short taxi ride to my terminal. Needless to say my wallet did not stand a chance… J

DREAM Team 2013

Anyways, I hope everyone’s summer is going well and you are all getting excited for the 2013-2014 competitive season!

Love & Honor,

Linnea


Photo Credit: Sarah Arnold Photography (http://sarnold.zenfolio.com/)

Mozart Cup 2012

As a very exciting weekend draws to a close, team U.S.A. stands proud of many accomplishments made over the past few days in Saluzburg, Austria. ICE'Kateers senior team placed 6th with two strong skates against many world level teams. Miami University junior team; also with two very solid programs, placed 7th. The weekend, in conclusion, was a great success for team U.S.A..

Saturday morning the ICE'Kateers woke up early and headed down to the rink for official practice for short program. We focused a great deal on making sure the technical panel could see all of our elements clearly and correctly during the session. We had two solid run-throughs; leaving rink feeling very confident for that evening. Back at the hotel we rested for a short time, but began our hair and make-up preparations early enough so we would be able to get back to the rink in order to watch Miami junior team. The junior team performed wonderfully, and we were so glad we got the chance to watch and cheer them on. Following the junior division, we went to warm up, and then took the ice.
We were pleased with our short program that night; overall it was a fairly strong skate. Although we did have some small mishaps in the routine, the ending product was something we were very much proud of. We left the rink that night looking forward to coming back and competing in the free skate. I think it's also important to mention the support of our fans here in Austria, as well as from the ones back in the U.S.. Their enthusiasm was truly spectacular; we really could not ask for better friends and family to be there for us.

Today the schedule was pretty similar; we woke up, had breakfast, went to official practice, rested, cheered on Miami, and then competed. The free skate was another solid performance for us; we did have a collision on one of our intersections, but we recovered well and completed the program without letting it affect us. Following the senior devision, every junior and senior team entered the ice for the awards ceremonies. This was a really great experience for all of the teams. I believe that is one of the best parts about international competitions; the chance to meet and interact with skaters from different countries. We were able to talk to a lot of the girls from team Austrailia, among other teams, we took pictures with them and got to meet their mascot "Kevin the Kangaroo"; which was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we're looking forward to a free day of touring and shopping around Salzburg! We had a really wonderful time here so far, and are definitely sad to leave such a beautiful place, but are excited to get back home and start working hard for nationals!

GO U.S.A.!

Linnea

Introducing Linnea Barrett

Hi, my name is Linnea Barrett and I am a member of ICE’Kateers senior team. I am currently a senior at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA. I plan to attend a four-year college next fall; possibly majoring in psychology, while minoring in communications.

I started skating when I was about 5 years old. I had just moved to California from Connecticut the year before, and began to take an interest in the sport after becoming close friends with my next door neighbor, and DREAM alumi, Taylor Walker. I skated on several ISI teams growing up, and in 2002 I joined the ICE’Kateers; who I have skated with ever since. I also continued competing in singles skating over the years, and am currently a gold medalist in moves in the field and am trying to earn the same title in free skating as well.

My favorite synchro memory was a few years ago at the 2008 U.S Synchronized Skating Championships. This was the year the ICE’Kateers earned their first spot on Team USA. I remember standing with my teammates in the kiss and cry, seeing and hearing our scores, and being completely ecstatic when we learned we had qualified for the opportunity to compete internationally. I remember in the locker room, after we got off the ice, asking one of my teammates, “What does this mean, what does this mean?” and when they told me it meant we got to travel overseas to compete; I was overwhelmed with joy and pride in my team. We had come together and worked hard to create a product that earned us the honor of representing our country overseas, and for the first time in our organization's history! I truly cannot put together words to describe that feeling.

When I’m not on the ice, I'm generally pretty busy! Along with skating and school, I also work part time and am involved in various school clubs. I'm the president of my figure skating club's junior board and am a Link Crew leader at my school (a group that assists freshman throughout their first year of high school). I love spending time with my friends, as well as my younger sister; they have a way of making me laugh until I can't breathe. I'm obsessed with driving, something I can't really explain but I've been this way since the day I got my driver's license. You can usually find me driving around with my friends, listening to music, or having our own personal concert. I also love baking, traveling, and eating out with friends and family.

Looking forward to a great season!

Linnea

My Favorites:

Favorite sports team: New England Patriots

Favorite music genre: Country :)

Favorite book: The Outsiders, Harry Potter

Favorite movie: Pride and Prejudice, Slumdog Millionaire, She's the Man, and Tangled

Favorite TV show: New Girl

Favorite program I’ve ever skated: I actually really love our short program this season! The music is a tango piece; something I've always wanted to skate to.

Favorite place I’ve traveled for skating: Tennessee

Favorite quote: “If you never did you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.” - Dr. Seuss

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”