On May 6, the day before my birthday, I noticed I had hit the 900 Facebook Friends mark. I started thinking about my life. Each one of my Facebook friends represents a part of it.
For example, my father, Arthur Schneider, is on Facebook. So are my cousins Cherie Kadison-Jay and Loren Kadison. They've known me since I was a tot. My brother, Billy, does not have a Facebook page, but his wife, Amy Sutherland Schneider does. My sister Lynnellen, is not into using the computer, but her son, Drew Ste. Marie has a Facebook page. My children, Joel Schneider-Farris and Rebekah Schneider-Farris, both have Facebook pages. Annabelle Schneider-Farris and Rebekah and Joel Schneider-Farris have Facebook fan pages too.
Family is family...we are connected forever, but I'm glad we can be connected on Facebook too!
I'm kind of rambling, but, let me tell you how about my life and how all my friends and family and the people I've met have helped to connect it. Also, it is amazing to me that people that have touched me somehow are also connected!
I grew up in southern California:
I was born way back in the 1950s in Los Angeles, California. I'm the oldest of three children. My brother, Billy was born in 1958 and my sister, Lynnellen, was born in 1959. My parents are Arthur Schneider and Edith Kadison Schneider. They met in the late 1940s at UCLA and were married in August of 1950.
Our family lived in various places in California when I was growing up. In 1964, we settled in Bel-Air (next door to Beverly Hills!). All three of the Schneider kids went to Bellagio Road Elementary School which was right in the middle of Bel-Air.
Lenny Shaw, who was in my 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes from Bellagio Road Elemntary School "friended me" just a few days before my birthday. Thanks to Facebook, I found out his birthday falls on May 6, just one day before mine. He is one day older. He told me he remembered when I got a demerit in Miss McCormack's 5th grade class. I was a perfect kid, who did not ever misbehave or get into trouble. He not only remembered me, but remembered that incident! Isn't that amazing!
I was a Camp Fire Girl in elementary school. Classmates.com actually connected me with someone who was close to me in my Camp Fire Girls group named Sara Morgan Wade. Sara went with me for one week to Camp Yallani, a Camp Fire Girl camp in Angeles Oaks, California when I just had completed 4th grade. Thanks to Classmates.com, Sara found me. We wrote many emails to one another about 8 or 9 years ago. We discovered that we had so many things to share about our lives. Sara and her husband, Mark Wade, are now connected to me on Facebook. It amazes me that someone I knew when I was 9 years old can be in touch with me today so easily through the internet, letters, and Facebook!
After I graduated from Bellagio Road School, I went on to Emerson Junior High which was located in Westwood Village. We moved away from Bel-Air when I was 15, so as time passed, I lost touch with any ties I had in Bel-Air, but do wonder what happened to certain people from that time in my life.
Bernadette McEwan Brake, was my best friend at Emerson Junior High. I've wondered what happened to her since I last saw her in 1971. Thanks to Facebook, I found her just a few weeks ago! She called me and it's like we picked up where we left off.
Ice skating connections from southern California:
Then, there's all the skating people who represent all sorts of eras of my life. Everyone in the "skating world" knows that skaters have a unique connection that seems to never disconnect. Only figure skaters understand this, but it is truly amazing.
Anyway...
I started ice skating in 1964 at an ice rink in southern California's San Fernando Valley called Valley Ice Skating Center. My first skating friend at that rink was Erika Susman Shorr. We reconnected a few years ago at the US Junior National Figure Skating Championships, but via Facebook, we are able to keep in touch. Another skating friend, Marina Drasnin, from my Valley Ice Skating Center days has connected to me through Facebook. It really is quite amazing!
The Burge family also skated there. They are the ones who told us about the "big skating world" got us to leave Valley Ice Skating Center for a higher level figure skating facility. We skated in Culver City and Santa Monica and Burbank. Friends from all those rinks are among my Facbook friends, including Wendy Burge Dickinson, Ken Newfield, Paul Guzman, and Tai Babilonia.
Summers in Squaw Valley:
During the summers, my family ventured to Squaw Valley for skating vacations. I ended up going to Squaw Valley for five different summers. Friends from those years are also among my Facebook friends, including Juli McKinstry Hosking, Lilla Tilghman, Bill Tilghman, and Lisa Illsley Navarro.
I must mention that during those "Squaw Years" I became friends with Marion Ennis Curtis. We've been friends ever since and consider one another "best friends." In fact, we've been best friends for over 40 years! Marion got me to join Facebook just a little over a year ago. Marion and I are connected in many more ways than just skating.
Ice Dancing:
When I was thirteen years old, I began ice dancing. That changed my skating life a bit, because I began to travel and skate at all the rinks in southern California. I had four different ice dance partners during my competitive skating career. Two of them, Corey Isenberg and Gary Forman, are also among my Facebook friends.
One of my ice dance coaches was Darlene Gilbert. Darlene is not on Facebook, but her husband Jerry Gilbert and his daughter Gail Gilbert-Mielke are.
Iceland Paramount:
In high school, my brother, sister, and I trained at Iceland in Paramount. Our coach was Doug Chapman. I saw Doug turn Dianne De Leeuw into a world figure skating champion during those years. Dianne is also connected to me through Facebook and so is her sister Marianne De Leeuw.
I also took singles lessons from Brian Tuck at a rink in West Covina and sometimes in Paramount. He is now connected to me on Facebook!
Hollywood Professional School:
I did not go to a public high school for 10th or 12th grade. Instead, I went to Hollywood Professional School and graduated from there. I'm also connected with several HPS alumni (skaters and non-skaters) on Facebook. One of those friends is Elaine Ballace who knows more about Hollywood Professional School than anyone I know. Other people who I attended HPS who I am now in touch with via Facebook include Mary Jo Shields Lefebvre, Roberta Loughland Snow, Karin Frandsen Blute, and Wendy Halber Olson.
Colorado in the 1970s:
My brother, Billy, went to Colorado to train under Carlo Fassi in the early 1970s. Carlo is no longer with us, but Carlo's wife, Christa Fassi, is one of my Facebook friends. Donna Arquilla Link trained under Carlo then and she too, is connected to me on Facebook. Canadian skating champions Lynn Nightingale and also Ron Shaver trained at "CIA" (Colorado Ice Arena) with Billy then, and both of them are connected to me on Facebook.
I ended up going to Colorado shortly after that to train at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. I have many facebook friends from those Colorado years, which include Debbie Might, Patrisha Cass, Nigel Cass, Michael Howard, Anne Marie (Baldy) Murphy, and Phil Tatton.
I went to Colorado College then. Many friends from "CC" are also among my Facebook friends, including Frank Langben, Helen Johnson, and Yvonne Krul. Yvonne lives in the Netherlands, but has made the effort to stay connected with me through holiday cards. Facebook now makes connecting easier.
Long Beach:
After I left competitive figure skating and graduated from Colorado College, I went back to southern California. My parents moved to Chicago while I was in Colorado, so I couldn't go back to a home in southern California, so I moved in with my grandmother in Long Beach. I met my husband Dan Farris only a few months after I moved to Long Beach. We met at Calvary Chapel of Long Beach. Even friends from that time are now reuniting on Facebook! Dan and I shared a house during that time that was nicknamed The Atherton House. Friends from our Atherton House days are also connected to me on Facebook.
I have a real live penpal!
When I lived at the Atherton House (way back in 1979 or 1980 or so!), I began a unique friendship with someone named Debbie Knauss Hackman. She was in college at the time. She wrote me a letter after I posted an advertisement in SKATING Magazine thinking I was someone else. I wrote her back and explained I was not the person she thought, but I asked if we'd like to become pen-pals. She and I have stayed connected through letters all these years. Now, we are connected on Facebook, but have yet met face to face!
Coaching Skating:
In 1983, I began coaching skating. I first taught for Ice Capades Chalets and then I taught at Iceland in Paramount. When Dan and I moved to San Francisco, I taught skating in San Mateo. I am connected on Facebook to many of the people I taught with at those rinks and with some of my students! Some of those people include Dorian Shields Valles, Debbie Takeuchi Latham, Stefano Stefan, Melissa Parker, Dave Parker, Mary Becktell, BJ (Passerella) Lilly, Scootie Paulsen, Laurie Brandell Stern, Jennie Walsh, Jacqui Palmore, and Shirley DaMotta.
San Francisco:
Dan and I left southern California in April of 1988, and moved to San Francisco. Many of the people we worked with from the organization we worked for in San Francisco are connected to me and Dan on Facebook. Some still work for that organization and others are just connected in some way. Some of those friends include Lisa Opton-Cohen, Elazar Brandt, Gordon Kushner, Lori Baron, Dyane Hendricks, and Susan Rothbard-Smadja.
Colorado Springs 1991 and beyond:
In late 1991, Dan and I settled in Colorado Springs and we've lived there ever since. I'm connected to many of the people we've connected with during our years here, especially ice and roller skaters and homeschooling families. I have so many Facebook friends who are connected to me through Colorado!
I can't mention everyone, but I am very close to Larisa Gendernalik and Hellene Anderson. Facebook also now has me connected regularly with Lisa Valentine Krenz who is the person I have to thank for getting me started with teaching skating in the Springs. Lisa moved to Michigan years ago, and is no longer involved in skating, but we are still connected.
Homeschooling families are also closely connected to me and my kids. One person who is always "there" for me when I need her is Susie Essing, a homeschool mom of 5 who also teaches my kids piano.
DeeDee Couch, is someone who had a great impact on my kids when they were little. She sees me at the rink all the time, but also is so supportive of all our family is doing!
I especially also want to mention Haley Gans and Patricia Gans. They are two wonderful people who we met at the Colorado Springs World Arena. Haley died tragically in a skiing accident in November of 2009. Haley touched many people during her short 14 year life. Haley's mom, Pat, became integrated in my life and the life of many others. I am glad to be connected to Pat Gans on Facebook.
There's no way I can mention everyone who has touched my life and been there for me and my family during our years in Colorado Springs, but I want you to know how much I do appreciate you all and how you have touched my life. Many of you went over and above for me, Dan, and the kids when Dan was injured in September of 2005. Thank you!
Internet Connections and Friends:
The world is shrinking. Many of the people I am connected with on Facebook are also people I've met through my job as About.com's Guide to Figure Skating. The World Wide Web has connected me with so many people that love the sport. Facebook makes talking about what I love with hundreds of people! Anyone who has anything to do with skating seems to be instantly connected to me!
I especially want to mention my friendship with Kathie Fry, who introduced me to About.com. We've only met face to face once, but feel so very connected. Another person is Mary Lu Wehmeier, who like me, seems to know everyone and everything about skating (but her world extends way into the roller skating world).
Thanks for being my friend!:
I realize as I look back at my life, that friends and family have helped me be who I am today. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has touched my life for being a part of it!
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