Professional Staff
The Professional Staff of Eastern Iowa Figure Skating Club uphold the following standards to be members of our club.
- They are current members of the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) and abide by it's Code of Ethics and Tenets of Professionalism.
- They are current members of the USFSA and abide by its Rules and Regulations.
- They will teach only their students and under no circumstances will they teach or give instruction to another skater without the full knowledge and permission of that skater’s current coach.
- They encourage harmony, goodwill and ethical behavior among the skaters, parents, pros, and rink personnel. They will model appropriate behavior on the ice and will encourage all skaters to do likewise.
- As a professional, they will adhere to the proposition that the principals of honesty and integrity shall govern their practices.
Amy Blades
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Competitive Experience
Amy Brown Blades is a USFS Quadruple Gold medalist in Figures, Freestyle, Pairs and Dance. She is a Canadian Figure Skating Association Double Gold medalist in Figures and Freestyle. She was South Atlantic Senior Ladies Regional Champion 1978 and 1979, Sectional and National Pairs competitor 1973-75, World Professional Bronze Medalist in Jaca Spain (1980), US Professional Champion (1981), and Australian Professional Champion 1982-86. Coaching Experience She has coached skaters at Regional, Sectional, National, Jr. Worlds, and Worlds. She has directed, choreographed and skated in over 20 ice shows in the US, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. She has been teaching and skating professionally for 34 years. With an extensive background in music, theater and dance, Amy enjoys specializing in choreography. She has been team teaching with Tanya Street Burgess for 13 years. She enjoys teaching all levels of skating from beginner to elite. |
Taylor LaBelle Weber
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Competitive Experience
Taylor began skating when she was seven years old in the Chicago area. She has 10 years of experience competing in Midwestern competitions and 12 years of performance experience skating in ice shows. In 2012, Taylor was invited to perform in a personal audition with Disney on Ice, the Dare to Dream show. She has experience working with former Olympian coaches and is a USFS gold medalist in both Moves in the Field and Freestyle (with honors). Coaching Experience Coached beginner through Junior Moves in the Field Coached beginner through Novice freestyle Coached beginner through bronze ice dancing Experience choreographing competitive and performance programs 10 years of coaching experience (groups and individuals) Taylor can be contacted at taylor.labelle@gmail.com |
Suzanne Manninen
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Figure Skating Background
After many years away from figure skating, Suzanne rediscovered her love for the sport in 2003 when her own children became involved in the Basic Skills program at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. She started out teaching several classes per week and began coaching full time in 2004. Suzanne enjoys working with skaters of all ages and levels – from preschoolers to adults and from beginners to advanced skill levels. Suzanne currently coaches recreational, test, and competitive skaters. Her competitive students compete at many invitational competitions throughout the year as well as at the Regional level. In addition to coaching, Suzanne owns and operates Five Seasons Figure Skating through which she sells skates and skating accessories. She also sharpens and services all types of skates. Suzanne has a B.S.B. in Accounting and Finance from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Suzanne is a PSA and USFS member. She team coaches with her daughter, Lainey Manninen. She can be contacted at: suzanne.manninen@gmail.com |
Lainey Manninen
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Lainey has over ten years of experience as an instructor. She has participated in competitions all over the Upper Great Lakes region and is a USFS triple gold medalist in Moves in the Field, Free Skating, and Solo Pattern Dance.
Lainey is a professional show skater and has skated as soloist for Rosstyn Ice Shows and in the ensemble for Holiday on Ice in Europe. She graduated from Mount Mercy University and received her BS in Biology in 2018. Coaching She teaches private lessons to beginners who wish to discover the joy of skating. She also teaches competitive skaters with her mother, Suzanne Manninen. Lainey can be contacted at ecmanninen@gmail.com. United States Figure Skating Accomplishments
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Tanya Street-Burgess |
Competitive Experience
US Figure Skating Regional Technical Specialist and Data Operator Tanya's Story As a skater growing up, she was very competitive and loved competitions. Starting in Alabama at the age of 4, she jumped into competition almost immediately. Around the age of 6, her coach joined a show, so they moved to Illinois. During Tanya's competitive career, she won gold at 5 regionals, 4 sectionals, and a gold at US Nationals in 1991. She was invited to compete on the US team between 1993-1996. The highlight of her skating career was competing against Michelle Kwan, Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding, and Nicole Bobek. She trained with Michelle Kwan and other Olympic/World team competitors and took from Debbie Stoery (coach for Nicole Bobek and Evan Lysacek) and Carlo Fassi (coach for Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Paul Wylie, John Curry, and Robin Cousins). Professionally, Tanya has coached multiple National and International competitors including Timothy Leduc, who later became national champion in US Pairs, Joonsoo Kim, Lauren Gifford, Carson Bodnarek, Mark Krutzfield, Anya Cockrell, and Disney on Ice performer Echo Cassill. Tanya also travels as a technical specialist and data operator with US Figure Skating. Tanya team coaches with Amy Blades. tstreet.burgess@gmail.com 319-329-9652 |