(Click on the image below and her very wonderful progress report will enlarge!)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Annabelle Got Almost Straight "A"s!
The first semester at Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy is over. Annabelle got her report card today. She got very high grades! Go Annabelle!
(Click on the image below and her very wonderful progress report will enlarge!)
(Click on the image below and her very wonderful progress report will enlarge!)
Sal Mancini Sings and Plays the Guitar 1-21 and 1-23-10
My kids are so lucky! They now are learning to play the guitar with Sal Mancini! He comes to our house once a week and teaches us all together. It's great fun.
Sometimes, Sal sings for us! Last week was one of those days.
Sometimes we play the piano or keyboard. Sometimes we pull out the violins!
Also, last Saturday, we went to a cafe in Castle Rock and had the honor of seeing Sal perform. I took a bunch of videos and photos.
Sometimes, Sal sings for us! Last week was one of those days.
Sometimes we play the piano or keyboard. Sometimes we pull out the violins!
Also, last Saturday, we went to a cafe in Castle Rock and had the honor of seeing Sal perform. I took a bunch of videos and photos.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Rebekah and Joel Get to Star As Guest Skaters In an Ice Show!
On Saturday, January 23, 2010, Rebekah and Joel performed as guest skaters in an ice show in Windsor, Colorado. They got VIP treatment! They had a private dressing room and were given flowers after their performance! What an honor!
Monday, January 18, 2010
We Had a Blast Skiing on 1-17-10
Ever since Annabelle was a baby (she's 10 now), we have taken day trips to Ski Cooper in Leadville, Colorado for a day of skiing and fun. Dan goes cross country skiing or snow shoeing, while the rest of us downhill ski.
On the Sunday of Martin Luther King weekend, we went again. It was a great day!
On the Sunday of Martin Luther King weekend, we went again. It was a great day!
Friends Versus Jewish Friends
This was forwarded to me from Lori McHugh! It's GREAT and TRUE! Now, some of my friends are not Jewish, but also fit in the description below. Enjoy!
Friends vs. Jewish Friends
FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Always bring the food.
FRIENDS: Will say 'hello.'
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss.
FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad
FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Cry with you.
FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just being together.
FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' butt that left you.
FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, 'I'm home!'
FRIENDS: Are for a while.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Are for life.
FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will forward this.
Friends vs. Jewish Friends
FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Always bring the food.
FRIENDS: Will say 'hello.'
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss.
FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad
FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Cry with you.
FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just being together.
FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' butt that left you.
FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, 'I'm home!'
FRIENDS: Are for a while.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Are for life.
FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
JEWISH FRIENDS: Will forward this.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
An Article I Wrote Previewing the 2010 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships Was Published in Professional Skaters Magazine!
I am so excited! Jimmie Santee, the director of the Professional Skaters Association, asked me to write a 2010 U.S. Nationals Preview! What an honor! I just receieved my magazine today. It's a three page article with beautiful photos!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Videos of Billy and Jo Ann Schneider (and Richard Griffin) From 1974!
It takes awhile to convert old films to disk, but today, I finally, got two treasured films on disk. Both videos are from the 1974 US Nationals which took place in Providence, Rhode Island. My brother, Billy, was in junior men and I competed with Richard Griffin in junior dance. I don't remember how Billy did, but Rich and I came in 4th at that nationals. These films are silent and were taken with my dad's Super 8 movie camera.
Dealing With Conflict in Skating
This story has never been put in writing, but something that has recently happened made me remember it.
When I was a child, my family chose to take ice skating lessons from a very talented figure skating coach. He had not yet made a "name" for himself, but he worked hard and knew what it took to make champions.
I am not going to mention his name, but those in the skating world will know who he is. To make things easier, I will just refer to that coach as "X."
The problem was that "X" did not get a long with many people in skating. Even though that was an issue, our family believed it was best to work under him. We did not want to take sides and tried our best to remain neutral when it came to conflict at the rink.
Although we wanted to remain neutral, our family was affected though. When we were growing up, sometimes other skaters wouldn't associate with us since we took from "X." They would not sit with us at the rink. In reaction, those who took from "X" became their own little group. We had to do that. Other skaters just didn't want to be friends with skaters that took lessons from "X." (Maybe their coaches felt that was best? I was too young then to understad conflicts in figure skating.)
As time passed, "X" did a good job, and thanks to "X," my brother, Billy, my sister, Lynnellen, and I, became accomplished figure skaters. We worked with "X" for many years.
And...
"X" eventually trained a world champion.
Years passed. Eventually, Billy decided to change coaches and went to Colorado to work with Olympic figure skating coach, Carlo Fassi. "X" decided not to teach me or Lynnellen when Billy made the switch. We found a new singles coach.
I think about this story because I realize that children should not be subject to conflict among figure skating coaches or among other skaters. Why should we have to had dealt with other kids not associating with us at the rink for so many years? If "X" had issues that could not be resolved, why did it have to affect us? When I look back, it just does not make sense.
If there are issues among skating coaches that affect children, skaters, and their families, I believe those issues need to be resolved quickly and should not go on and on. Skaters and their families (and friends) should not have to take sides. A successful figure skating program means that there cannot be division at an ice rink or club. Rink management or the Professional Skaters Association should do what it takes to make things better, and they should do that quickly.
When I was a child, my family chose to take ice skating lessons from a very talented figure skating coach. He had not yet made a "name" for himself, but he worked hard and knew what it took to make champions.
I am not going to mention his name, but those in the skating world will know who he is. To make things easier, I will just refer to that coach as "X."
The problem was that "X" did not get a long with many people in skating. Even though that was an issue, our family believed it was best to work under him. We did not want to take sides and tried our best to remain neutral when it came to conflict at the rink.
Although we wanted to remain neutral, our family was affected though. When we were growing up, sometimes other skaters wouldn't associate with us since we took from "X." They would not sit with us at the rink. In reaction, those who took from "X" became their own little group. We had to do that. Other skaters just didn't want to be friends with skaters that took lessons from "X." (Maybe their coaches felt that was best? I was too young then to understad conflicts in figure skating.)
As time passed, "X" did a good job, and thanks to "X," my brother, Billy, my sister, Lynnellen, and I, became accomplished figure skaters. We worked with "X" for many years.
And...
"X" eventually trained a world champion.
Years passed. Eventually, Billy decided to change coaches and went to Colorado to work with Olympic figure skating coach, Carlo Fassi. "X" decided not to teach me or Lynnellen when Billy made the switch. We found a new singles coach.
I think about this story because I realize that children should not be subject to conflict among figure skating coaches or among other skaters. Why should we have to had dealt with other kids not associating with us at the rink for so many years? If "X" had issues that could not be resolved, why did it have to affect us? When I look back, it just does not make sense.
If there are issues among skating coaches that affect children, skaters, and their families, I believe those issues need to be resolved quickly and should not go on and on. Skaters and their families (and friends) should not have to take sides. A successful figure skating program means that there cannot be division at an ice rink or club. Rink management or the Professional Skaters Association should do what it takes to make things better, and they should do that quickly.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Our Car Gets Towed Up The Schneider Family Vacation Home's Driveway!
These two videos are really funny! We could not get our car up the driveway, so we called AAA! (Our car got stuck in LOTS of SNOW!) Dan was the hero!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 Brought Both Bad and Good Into Our Lives
Today is December 31, 2009. It's the last day of 2009.
As I look back, I realize that some things have happened that I wish could be erased. Good things happened too. All in all, I would say this has been an unusual and eventful year.
Deaths
Children should not have to hear about death or tragedy, but in 2009, our family heard about several deaths and attended four different funerals/memorials. (In 2008, we had already attended the funerals of Valerie Gendernalik and Cliff Kruse, so we've actually attended 6 funerals in an 18 month period.)
In early February, Marty Martino, the coach and friend of our dear friends, T.J. and Hannah Johnson, died suddenly after a massive heart attack.
In early summer, a longtime skating friend, Derek Cass, passed away. Later in the summer, I heard of the death of my dear friend, Paul Steiner's mother, and also about the death of our friend, Bruce Hurd's father. Additionally, Bruce's family was in a horrible car accident on their way to bury Bruce's father's ashes after Bruce's brother fell asleep at the wheel.
I also heard of the death of Mark Cordell, a friend of both Dan and mine from our young days of marriage. Mark died of a sudden heart attack in January of 2009. We knew Mark before we began dating, so thinking about his death made us very sad and was a shock.
Then, in early November (or late October), Lou Schlom, the husband of the girls' longtime singles coach, Janet Champion, died unexpectantly.
Tragedy then struck when young Haley Gans, a young skating friend, who was only 14 years old died in a skiing accident in Breckenridge just before Thanksgiving.
Not many children attend six funerals/memorials in an 18 month periold.. It's really time for us to go to a wedding or baby shower instead, in my opinion...
Facebook!
One wonderful thing that happened in 2009 was that my friend Marion got me hooked into Facebook. Through Facebook, I've reunited with so many friends from the past and have made new friends. It is amazing how connected everyone is through today's technology!
I've also created Facebook Fan pages to promote my Figure Skating About.com writing and I've made a fan page for Rebekah and Joel! Why not?
Worlds!
A highlight of 2009 was going to the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles as a family. (We planned the trip with my best friend, Marion Ennis Curtis.) At Worlds, I also saw friends and family, and reunited with many skating friends. We also went to Disneyland! My friend Marion gave me a quilt at Worlds that celebrated our over 40 years of friendship!
30 Years of Marriage!
Dan and I celebrated 30 years of marriage on April 7, 2009. So much has happened in 30 years and we sometimes we are amazed that the time has gone by so fast. We celebrated our anniversary with the children at Red Robin and ate hamburgers!
Summer at the Beach!
Another highlight of 2009 was going to Long Beach in the summer and spending quality time as a family in the water and on the beach! It was also good to see family and friends on that trip.
Injury Didn't Stop Skating's Progress
Rebekah broke her foot during the summer, which set the kids back a bit in their training, but Rebekah and Joel still medaled at 2010 Midwesterns and skated great at Junior Nationals. Annabelle passed some skating tests. Joel passed his intermediate freeskating test and Annabelle passed her Juvenile Pair and Juvenile freesskating and her intermediate moves in the field. Before her injury, Rebekah also passed her Intermediate pair test. Rebekah and Joel also passed their intermediate free dance test.
We also spent time outdoors and did lots of hiking and skiing in 2009. Right now, we don't feel like going downhill skiing because of Haley Gans's tragic skiing accident, but have already enjoyed cross country skiing together in 2009 and hope to do more in 2010. We took the time to visit many museums and learned together as a family: the Museum of Natural History, the Denver Aquarium, the Long Beach Aquarium, Bent's Fort, Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, The Fine Arts Center, The Money Museum, The Meteor Crater, Glen Eyrie, and Seven Falls.
2009 Ended With the Flu
As I write this, I am suffering from a horrible flu. I have the feeling it is the dreaded Swine Flu. I hope to be better soon. It's no fun to end 2009 being sick!
Hoping for a Good 2010
We do hope 2010 will be a good year. Dan's father has not been well. We hope his health improves. Also we hope that the children will make progress in their skating and their studies.
Happy 2010!
As I look back, I realize that some things have happened that I wish could be erased. Good things happened too. All in all, I would say this has been an unusual and eventful year.
Deaths
Children should not have to hear about death or tragedy, but in 2009, our family heard about several deaths and attended four different funerals/memorials. (In 2008, we had already attended the funerals of Valerie Gendernalik and Cliff Kruse, so we've actually attended 6 funerals in an 18 month period.)
In early February, Marty Martino, the coach and friend of our dear friends, T.J. and Hannah Johnson, died suddenly after a massive heart attack.
In early summer, a longtime skating friend, Derek Cass, passed away. Later in the summer, I heard of the death of my dear friend, Paul Steiner's mother, and also about the death of our friend, Bruce Hurd's father. Additionally, Bruce's family was in a horrible car accident on their way to bury Bruce's father's ashes after Bruce's brother fell asleep at the wheel.
I also heard of the death of Mark Cordell, a friend of both Dan and mine from our young days of marriage. Mark died of a sudden heart attack in January of 2009. We knew Mark before we began dating, so thinking about his death made us very sad and was a shock.
Then, in early November (or late October), Lou Schlom, the husband of the girls' longtime singles coach, Janet Champion, died unexpectantly.
Tragedy then struck when young Haley Gans, a young skating friend, who was only 14 years old died in a skiing accident in Breckenridge just before Thanksgiving.
Not many children attend six funerals/memorials in an 18 month periold.. It's really time for us to go to a wedding or baby shower instead, in my opinion...
Facebook!
One wonderful thing that happened in 2009 was that my friend Marion got me hooked into Facebook. Through Facebook, I've reunited with so many friends from the past and have made new friends. It is amazing how connected everyone is through today's technology!
I've also created Facebook Fan pages to promote my Figure Skating About.com writing and I've made a fan page for Rebekah and Joel! Why not?
Worlds!
A highlight of 2009 was going to the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles as a family. (We planned the trip with my best friend, Marion Ennis Curtis.) At Worlds, I also saw friends and family, and reunited with many skating friends. We also went to Disneyland! My friend Marion gave me a quilt at Worlds that celebrated our over 40 years of friendship!
30 Years of Marriage!
Dan and I celebrated 30 years of marriage on April 7, 2009. So much has happened in 30 years and we sometimes we are amazed that the time has gone by so fast. We celebrated our anniversary with the children at Red Robin and ate hamburgers!
Summer at the Beach!
Another highlight of 2009 was going to Long Beach in the summer and spending quality time as a family in the water and on the beach! It was also good to see family and friends on that trip.
Injury Didn't Stop Skating's Progress
Rebekah broke her foot during the summer, which set the kids back a bit in their training, but Rebekah and Joel still medaled at 2010 Midwesterns and skated great at Junior Nationals. Annabelle passed some skating tests. Joel passed his intermediate freeskating test and Annabelle passed her Juvenile Pair and Juvenile freesskating and her intermediate moves in the field. Before her injury, Rebekah also passed her Intermediate pair test. Rebekah and Joel also passed their intermediate free dance test.
School
Another highlight was of the year was the kids started Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy. Most kids hate school, but my kids love it since it is only once a week! Rebekah started the American School of Correspondence and Joel continued to earn almost all A's and B's in the same program. Annnabelle's reading and writing and math skills get better everyday!
Music
Joel began keyboard and guitar lessons with Sal Mancini. The girls continue their piano studies with Susie Essing. They took part in their 2nd recital in May.
Hiking, Skiing, the Zoo, and Museums
Another highlight was of the year was the kids started Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy. Most kids hate school, but my kids love it since it is only once a week! Rebekah started the American School of Correspondence and Joel continued to earn almost all A's and B's in the same program. Annnabelle's reading and writing and math skills get better everyday!
Music
Joel began keyboard and guitar lessons with Sal Mancini. The girls continue their piano studies with Susie Essing. They took part in their 2nd recital in May.
Hiking, Skiing, the Zoo, and Museums
We also spent time outdoors and did lots of hiking and skiing in 2009. Right now, we don't feel like going downhill skiing because of Haley Gans's tragic skiing accident, but have already enjoyed cross country skiing together in 2009 and hope to do more in 2010. We took the time to visit many museums and learned together as a family: the Museum of Natural History, the Denver Aquarium, the Long Beach Aquarium, Bent's Fort, Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, The Fine Arts Center, The Money Museum, The Meteor Crater, Glen Eyrie, and Seven Falls.
2009 Ended With the Flu
As I write this, I am suffering from a horrible flu. I have the feeling it is the dreaded Swine Flu. I hope to be better soon. It's no fun to end 2009 being sick!
Hoping for a Good 2010
We do hope 2010 will be a good year. Dan's father has not been well. We hope his health improves. Also we hope that the children will make progress in their skating and their studies.
Happy 2010!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
My Dad Came Up With This - I Love It!
Colorado Springs junior figure skaters Rebekah Schneider-Farris and Joel Schneider-Farris place eighth in the nation
December 24, 2009, 1:06PM
Colorado Springs figure skaters Rebekah Schneider Farris, and her brother and partner Joel Schneider Farris, of the Broadmoor Skating Club, placed eighth in the nation at the U.S. Figure Skating Junior Championships in Strongsville, Ohio.
The sister-brother team posted their highest score in the free dance portion of the intermediate dance event, improving their final score by four places. They qualified for the event by their fourth place finish at the Midwestern Sectionals in November.
The team competed last year at the Juvenile level, placing second at that event.
For complete results, visit www.icenetwork.com.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
An Article I Wrote About Larisa Gendernalik Is In SKATING Magazine!
My friend, Larisa Gendernalik, lost her daughter to tragedy in 2008. Valerie Gendernalik was killed in Fort Collins, after her boyfriend shot her. When US Figure Skating asked me to come up with ideas for articles about skaters and coaches who had done remarkable things, I thought of Larisa. Larisa turned to her artwork during her time of grief and has created and sold beautiful figure skating paintings.
Her story is below.
(Click on the text to enlarge.)
Her story is below.
(Click on the text to enlarge.)
Photos of Joel and Rebekah From Midwesterns 2010
These photos just arrived in yesterday's mail. I must admit Joel and Rebekah make a very handsome couple!
Rebekah and Joel - Photo Slideshow From 12-17-09
I bought all of Rebekah and Joel's photos from their competition which took place on 12-17-09 and 12-18-09. Today, I had fun and put together a small slideshow. Enjoy!
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| Make a Smilebox slideshow |
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Annabelle Wins the Prize at the Junior Nationals Competition Party for Being the Best Dancer!
Annabelle didn't compete in Junior Nationals this time around, but she just went to the competition party and won a straw hat for being the BEST DANCER!
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About Me
- JO ANN Schneider Farris
- Jo Ann Schneider Farris has participated in skating for most of her life as a competitor, coach, and author.