Coaching Staff -

IceWorks Figure Skating Coaching Staff

IceWorks Professional Coaches are among the most recognized in the Figure Skating world. Coaching experience ranges from Choreography, Figures, Freestyle, Ice Dancing, Pairs, Moves, and Hydroblading®. Our coaches are dedicated to improving the overall performance of the skater: from grassroots to elite level athletes. Our coaching staff works in association with IceWorks Skating Club, a member of the US Figure Skating Association.

Private Lessons
To inquire about private lessons please contact: Lisa Shaw at lshaw@iceworks.net or call 610-497-2200 x117

Kim Seybold-Catron

Learn To Skate Director

National – International Coach and US Olympian

Kim was a member of the 1988 Olympic team, a 6-time US National medalist and a 4-time US World team member. She has won several medals for the US at International competitions throughout her career. Following her amateur career, she spent the next 9 years starring in professional Ice Shows. Kim has been coaching for more than 20 years, ranging from beginner to the National and International levels. Kim is a PSA Master Rated coach in both singles and pairs and is currently coaching singles, pairs, moves and power skating.

Alex Zahradnicek

Junior Competitive Director

Alex Zahradnicek is a Team USA internationally and nationally renowned coach. For the past five years, Alex has coached international, national, and Olympic competitors at all skating levels. He is a technical specialist for jumps and spins, with 17 years of personal professional skating experience. Alex competed for Team USA and Team France on the international stage. He was a four time US National medalist, and a French National competitor. Drawing from his experience, Alex knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, and enjoys helping students achieve their goals. In his free time, Alex enjoys tennis, good food, and traveling.

Richard Sharpe

Theater On Ice Director

Richard started skating at the age of 6 and has gone on to compete in both freestyle and ice dance. In freestyle he competed at the Senior Regional and in ice dance he went on to compete internationally for Great Britain in both Junior and Senior levels spanning over 8 years. In this time, he was 2 time National Junior Silver medalist and 3 time Senior Silver medalist. Also, in his competitive career he has competed in a range of counties across the globe including the Youth Winter Olympics in 2009 and medaled at his final event before retiring from competitions at the Bavarian Open January 2016.

His skating education has come from some of the highest most renowned coaches in the world and is now putting that knowledge to good use by coaching himself. He coached part time while training since 2007 and has now been coaching full time here at IceWorks since the summer 2017.

He is able to teach Ice Dance, Freestyle, Moves in the field, Synchro and also is able to teach power skating to hockey players.

Yovanny Durango

International, National and Junior National Coach

Yovanny has 22 years teaching experience. As a skater he was a sectional Champion and National competitor. His teaching highlights include many National and International Medalist in Novice, Junior and Senior Dance. He has worked with skaters at all levels and in all disciplines, taking many beginner skaters through their gold tests in Moves In The Field and Dance. Off ice, he has trained in ballet, jazz and ballroom dance. He is also a US Figure Skating Technical Specialist in Ice Dance. Lessons available in Freestyle, Moves in The Field, Ice Dance, Choreography and Power Skating.

Donna Helgenberg

Donna has accumulated more than 35 years of competitive skating experience and 20 years of teaching, training, and coaching experience through figure skating, inline speed skating, and ice hockey. As a figure skating coach, she has worked with skaters from beginner to international elite athletes.

As a hockey coach, she has served as Head Coach for the Conestoga Girl’s Varsity Ice Hockey team and the Head Power Skating Instructor for an entire boys travel organization in NJ. Currently she works with numerous teams and individuals all over NJ, PA and DE as a power skating coach and hockey skills instructor. She is also the East Coast Rep for the hockey curriculum at the Professional Skating Association where she lectures around the US teaching figure skating instructors how to be effective hockey skating instructors. Coach Donna brings together years of experience and a skill set that will surely teach and improve any level skater.

www.powerskatingcoach.com

Uschi Keszler

Jeff Merica

Amateur:
1996 Junior Men Silver Medalist
Junior and Senior National and International Competitor
Gold Medalist Freestyle and MIF

Professional:
National Coach
Dorothy Hamill’s Ice Capades 1993-1995
Royal Caribbean/ Ice Show 2001
“The Next Ice Age” Dance Company Performed at: Dance St. Louis, The American Dance Festival at Duke University, Kennedy Center DC

Mojca Kopac-Tiernan

Assistant JCP Director

Coach with 12 years of experience. 7- time Slovenian National Champion, 3-time Olympic competitor as well as European and World Championships competitor. Medalist at several international competitions. Worked with many international skaters who competed at several international competitions, including Winter University Games.

Available for lessons in Freestyle (beginner to elite level), Moves in the field, Power and skating skills (for figure skating and hockey) and
Adult skating. Also teaching Learn to skate classes, Junior Competitive Program and Camp Chill. Also available for off-ice jump lessons/classes.

Michael Solonoski

Michael Solonoski is a former senior national competitor, international competitor, and Team USA member. He holds an architecture degree from Drexel University and earned four Collegiate National medals. Michael toured internationally as a principal skater for 5 years, pushing the creative boundaries of professional skating by adding live singing, aerials, and other art forms to his performances.

Michael teaches freestyle, moves in the field, enjoys choreographing and music editing. His approach assesses students’ short and long-term goals, and develops a training plan of structured on-ice and off-ice training. Michael still loves to skate and hopes to share his passion for the sport and all of its valuable life lessons.

Megan Williams Stewart

Megan began skating at the age of 3. She trained with many Olympic and World level coaches. Through her career, she was a 5 time National Competitor, 4 time Team USA Athlete, 2008 South Atlantic Regional Champion, International Gold and Silver Medalist. Megan started coaching at the age of 16 while she was still a competitive athlete. When she ended her competitive skating career, she joined us at Iceworks Skating Complex as a Professional Instructor and the Learn to Skate Director.

Megan specializes in freestyle, moves, stroking and choreography.

“As a former elite athlete, I know the hard work it takes to achieve your goals and dreams. As a coach, I strive to pass on my knowledge and experience on to my students with good lesson structure and discipline.” -Megan Williams-Stewart

Laura Whipple

Laura is a triple gold medalist in figure skating (Free Dance, Pattern Dance, and Movesin the Field).

She worked intensively with internationally renowned coach Natalia Dubova with her former Lithuanian junior level partner, Deividas Stagniunas, for the Junior Worlds and Junior Olympics.

Her off-ice training includes ballet, Pilates, TRX, weightlifting, aerobic base training and Artistry in Motion (AIM).

She is also a graduate from the Barbizon School of Modeling, and a former coach at J.P. Igloo in Ellenton, FL, as well as a former competitor and instructor at The Dance Palace in Sarasota, FL, (Smooth and Latin Dance).

She specializes in: Alignment, Choreography, Power Skating, Edge Enhancement, Pattern Dance, Moves in the Field, Ice Dance, Freestyle, and Basic Skills for Hockey.

Laura is available to partner with dance students up to the Gold level in Pattern Dance Tests.

Junior competitive program (JCP) coach for Ice Works.

U.S. Figure Skating member; PSA certified

Oleg Fediukov

Junior Coaches

James Hernandez

James is a 3-time British Junior National Ice Dance Champion, 2-time Junior Grand Prix silver medalist and 2-time Junior World Competitor. James and his partner were the first team for Great Britain to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final and has seven years of experience competing around the world. James has spent the majority of his life learning from and working under some of Skating’s greatest athletes, coaches and Olympians while training for these events.

James has acquired a vast knowledge of skating and coaching techniques. He specializes in Skating Skills, Ice Dance, Power Skating, Freestyle, and choreography. In the last competitive season he choreographed for several sectional qualifiers and taught the Senior Excel National Champion.