Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: In August of 2021, the Columbus, Ohio-based Bishop Sycamore High School football team was blown out by IMG Academy in front of the nation on ESPN. Shortly after an investigation of the school and the team's coach, Leroy Johnson, revealed BS High wasn't a real school and its players weren't even high school students. Review: I came across this documentary a few days ago and thought it was intriguing enough to add to my library. Since it was raining this morning, I decided to give it a try and it proved to be as interesting as I thought. There were a couple things that really stood out for me regarding this movie's discussion of the scandal. One of the main ones was how Johnson's point of view about the scandal differed greatly from his players and those who investigated him. The latter considered him a con artist while Johnson thought of himself as someone who was trying to help disadvantaged youth use football as an opportunity to get into college. What ...

My youngest daughter used to skate with her sister but, since she was also taking dance lessons and was on the dance team, was starting to get a bit burned out and has taken an 18-month break from it. Her dance schedule has changed a bit, however, and she is going to go back out on the ice this fall. This is kind of exciting because their ice time together was one of the few times I could watch my daughters not argue with each other and I could tell my youngest missed being in the ice show last spring. The last time she skated, she also competed in some solo competitions (she never finished lower than third). I'm guessing that won't be the case this time around and she'll just take the classes.

My daughter started up again last night (a week later than planned due to some ice issues). And, from what I can tell, had no rust despite having a month off. In total, we were there about two hours last night, giving me plenty of time to read. I think I made more progress in my book in one night than I did in the week leading up to it. The start up of ice season did mean having to plan dinner accordingly. Good thing we have two crock pots. I ended up making pork ribs and potatoes and they were ready to be eaten by the time I got home from work, giving us both a chance to eat before we were at the rink.

Just sharing again for those parents in Beaver Dam and the surrounding communities: The Beaver Dam Swan City Ice Skaters have opened registration for their summer camp and class session, which will be held June 25-August 27 at the Beaver Dam Family Center, 609 Gould Street, Beaver Dam. Children 3 years of age or older are encouraged to take a break from the heat and learn a skill they will continue to use when they are adults. Classes are 30 minutes per week and parents can choose either Monday or Wednesday evenings. Kids can use their own skates or borrow a pair from the Beaver Dam Family Center. The cost is just $60 and includes 30-minutes of class time per week, an hour of practice time per week, a basic skills workshop and an end-of-session pizza party. SCIS is a parent-run volunteer organization and is a member of US Figure Skating. Classes are taught by experienced professional coaches at a fraction of the cost of private skating schools and follow a tiered structure that lets ...

Taking a moment to perform my part-time "job" as a Beaver Dam Swan City Ice Skaters board member and announce registration has opened for new skaters who are interested in taking part in the summer class session (June 25-August 27). Any kid 3 years of age or older and living within driving distance of Beaver Dam, WI can sign up for the 30-minute-per-week class. Cost is just $60, which is pretty reasonable when you consider it is for the entire summer and includes an hour of practice ice each week. You can choose Monday evening or Wednesday evening for classes. You can register by visiting www.swancityiceskaters.org and clicking the registration link. Granted, I'm a little biased. But, if you have kids who are looking for something to do this summer, it's something I do recommend. Here are some of the reasons: 1. The classes are taught by professional coaches. Unlike many other activities that rely on volunteers (who may or may not be qualified), SCIS hires q...

I'm actually a little bit exhausted this morning and am not really looking forward to going into the office as a result of that. However, I do think it was worth it considering it was a fairly successful figure skating weekend for my daughter, Azalea (and for me as well). Saturday was her US Figure Skating Test Session. She took the preliminary moves in the field test and, while a little shaky on a couple of the moves, did pass it. Yesterday, she had a competition in Fond du Lac and took two second place medals. Last night (and this was the big one), she won our club's highest solo skater award, the Tough Blades Award. She was apparently nominated by all the coaches and board members to win it because, even though she doesn't always come in first when competing, she always puts in 100 percent effort and is a great representative for our club. It's something she's wanted to win since she first learned about it and was definitely giddy after getting it, especial...

I didn't get an opportunity to post anything last night because we were at the rink until pretty late. However, my oldest daughter had her ice show audition as planned and did really well. She was the fourth skater on the ice and, despite some nerves and a case of the stumbles during warm up, put in a solid performance. Her program wasn't flawless. But, she was the first (and one of very few for the night) skater to be told she didn't need to re-do any moves afterwards. We'll have to wait at least a couple weeks to find out if she got any sort of featured part in the show. At this point, I think she has a chance but, at the same time, she's still a little bit of a long shot because there is a built-in pecking order with the older skaters (rightfully) getting an edge as well as (even though nobody admits it) skaters who have parents with deep pockets.

My daughter actually received her 2nd-place medal back in November so this wasn't much of a surprise. But, I checked this morning and they finally made the results of the 2017 Wisconsin Compete With Us Series official. This is her second series medal. She shared 1st place for the Basic 8 category back in 2015 and probably would have had a shot at a third one last year had she not broken her foot at school. To win a series medal, she had to compete at a minimum of 2 competitions held throughout the state (she skated at 6). Points are awarded based on how she placed at those competitions and were accumulated throughout the year. The top three earn medals. She finished second out of about 75 skaters that competed at the high beginner level. I'm not sure if she'll be eligible for another medal going forward. She's moving up to the pre-preliminary level this year and, as far as I can tell, that level and higher aren't included. But, we'll be able to compensate...

The 2017 competitive season ended for my daughter in November. However, the 2018 season is just around the corner with the registration deadline for the early competitions coming up in January. This is always a little bit of a challenge each year because I want her to skate at enough of these to make it worth her while but also have a number of other factors that need to be considered. 1. Cost . Some competitions are more expensive than others. For example, one of the ones we are considering this year will run about $115 for entry fees (and that doesn't include what we have to pay her coach). 2. Travel time . I try to keep the competitions within a reasonable driving distance because, with all the other expenses, I would prefer to avoid paying for a hotel too. In addition to finding events that are close enough to home to drive there and back in one day, I also have to consider weather. This is, after all, Wisconsin and driving on snowy roads early/late in the year is to be e...

I was reading about this earlier this morning (as well as some of the comments made by others reading the article) and honestly couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit. Now, let me make this perfectly clear to start. I'm not opposing the bill (or supporting it for that matter). In fact, I think some of the people who are in a full-scale panic over it aren't really thinking things through too much. After all, I doubt you'll see many 3-year-old kids who can even lift a gun, let along aim one. Not to mention there's that whole "you shot Bambi" stage every child goes through. Image Courtesy of Pixabay In my honest opinion, this law will only result in one thing, parents registering their toddlers just so they can get another deer tag they can use. And, I would be very skeptical if someone claimed their young child was the one who shot that 10-point buck. That being said, this effort to eliminate the age limit does make me question our society's pri...

This is something I mentioned in a comment on another post but thought I would take a few minutes to elaborate on. My daughter, as I mentioned in that post, had a fall during skating practice Wednesday night and, as part of that fall, hit her head on the ice. Fortunately, she suffered no (apparent) long-term injury from that. She had a bump on her head but has shown no signs of a concussion from her fall. But, the incident, along with the fact it is the second time she has hit her head on the ice, did prompt me to order her a Crasche band (a head band designed to protect skaters' heads) immediately after. As I placed my order, I was reminded of a question I asked myself a while ago, why doesn't U. S. Figure Skating require all skaters to have some sort of head protection? Image courtesy of Pixabay My daughter has been involved with the sport for a few years now and, from watching her and the other skaters, I've learned to appreciate just how challenging and dan...

We had a little bit of a scare yesterday evening. My oldest daughter was at the ice rink practicing her sit spin (just like it sounds, it's a spin done from a sitting/squatting position) and, as she was going into one, her blade caught a divot on the ice and she fell backwards, hitting her head on the ice. I didn't see the fall (I was watching her up until that point and it literally happened when I walked away for 30 seconds). But, her coach and one of the other coaches said it was a pretty hard fall and could be heard from across the rink. Fortunately, other than a bruise on her tailbone, she seems to be OK. The big concern, of course, was whether or not she gave herself a concussion. But, at least so far, she's not showing any symptoms of one. Her head wasn't even sore this morning. However, I'm going to play it safe and keep her off the ice until at least Sunday to make sure. I also ended up going online this morning and buying her a Crasche headband, whic...

My oldest daughter has a little bit of a break between figure skating competitions and decided (along with her coach) to revamp her music and program. After going through a bunch of songs, it sounds like she will be skating to "Once Upon a December," a song that was made famous by the movie Anastasia. She hasn't actually seen the movie (come to think of it, neither have I) but she is a Tara Lipinski fan and added it to her list of potential songs because Lipinski used it during one of her Olympic performances. In addition to that, she decided to make another change, at least for the next couple of competitions. Up until this point, she was competing at the Beginner Freeskate level. She was doing relatively well and improving with each competition, to the point she probably could make the jump to high beginner next year. But, after some discussion and getting the thumbs up from her coach, she's going to make a switch and finish out the year competing in the sho...