Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The couple placed their hands and arms in dance positions like a ballroom couple waiting for the first note, but instead of beginning a waltz they began floating across the center circle of the ice rink.
Jim Tompkins and Lynn Pelli performed edge footwork linked together under the observation of former professional ice dancer Carol Fox on Jan. 11th. Fox, a resident of Denver, made her first trip to Presque Isle to give private and group lessons in basic figure skating and ice dancing at the Forum as a guest of the Skating Club of Maine-Northern Region.
“It’s my passion to teach, and I love the sport,” said Fox. “I love working with people that want to be better. It teaches a child so many things like perseverance, attention and focus. The kids learn the discipline of the sport very quickly. With all the falls, you separate the kitty cats from the tigers real fast.”
Already on the ice the morning after her arrival, Fox found the local facilities impressive. “There are a lot of ice arenas in Detroit, where I grew up, but a lot of them are kind of like tin cans. There’s really no difference in temperature from the outside. I like the bleachers and the high ceilings in here. It’s very cozy,” said Fox.
Fox’s expertise and history provided many benefits to the hopeful skaters in the Presque Isle area. Fox boasts the fairytale skater story. At 17 she swapped roller skates for blades and began her career in ice dancing where she was partenered with Richard Dalley. Four years later, the pair had secured a place on the U.S. International Team and then the World Team in 1978. They competed in the 1984 Olympics at Sarajevo to place fifth among world class competitors. After turning professional, Fox-Dalley toured with Ice Capades while winning four consecutive World Professional Dance titles.
Since 1990, Fox has used her experience to pass on a passion for skating and assist up-and-coming athletes or people just interested in the sport itself.
“I think I’m able to communicate my passion for the sport to people of different levels and on so many different planes of interest. It’s a great challenge,” Fox explained. “It’s great exercise too, very aerobic.”
Tompkins, a Presque Isle native, began skating 25 years ago when he decided to try the sport his two daughters seemed to love so much. “I was getting cold feet watching,” laughed Tompkins.
His daughter, Hilary, trained with Fox in Colorado and has encouraged his own amateur career. “It’s important to have someone come up here to teach. It’s a rare opportunity,” said Tompkins about the coaching he received from Fox.
Pelli, also of Presque Isle, made the switch from roller skating to ice dancing 14 years ago. In April, the County pair will travel to Lake Placid for an adult competition with over 700 athletes.
Fox’s visit gave the couple an opportunity to hone their skills and fine tune their routine for their competition.
According to Fox, while ice dancing requires less athleticism than figure skating, minute details can prove very difficult.
“There are very strict rules,” she explained. “You’re not allowed to let go of a dance hold, the footwork is much tighter, and the level of difficulty is much higher because you are hooked to each other.”
The visit gave the skaters an opportunity to expand their abilities, which remains important due to limited ice-time. The club members only have the months when Forum operators lay down the rink to work on their blade skills locally.
“It’s beneficial to the skaters and coaching staff to learn different techniques,” said club director Haley Kelley. “It’s hard for our kids when the ice gets cut off, so this opportunity is really important for them.”
Contributed photo
FLOATING ON ICE, Carol Fox performs with her partner Richard Dalley as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1989 Ice Capades.
