By Cindy J. Roth
Newbridge is home to skaters Emily and Taylor Hughes, sisters of Olympic women's figure-skating champion Sarah Hughes. As such, the arena ignites an extra fire under many of its dedicated skaters, who believe that if one Long Islander can win gold, so can they.
"It's amazing," said Michael Quadrino, 13, of East Rockaway, regarding Sarah Hughes' gold medal.
Many of Newbridge's skaters have taken part in major competitions, including 12-year-old Brady Chin of Long Beach, who won the U.S. Junior Olympics last December. Livana Koznesoff, 8, of Merrick has taken home first place at local competitions in Long Beach, Freeport and Cantiague Park. Pairs competitors Chloe Katz, 15, of Roslyn and Joseph Lynch, 16, of Wantagh have also placed well in regional, national and international competitions.
Lynch, who skates pairs and singles, said he hopes to compete at the Olympics in 2006. He plans to keep training and working hard. The first stop on his way to Italy will be Switzerland March 19 for an international male singles competition.
The local sensation, who started skating when he was age 9, has placed eighth at eastern sectionals as a novice man and sixth in the country in an intermediate junior national pairs competition last year.
Lynch said getting to the Olympics is about competing as much as possible to get your name out there. But what is most important is really loving the sport.
"It's tough because you have to stay disciplined and keep positive," said Lynch. "You have to have dedication. If it's something you love and you really want it, you just do it."
Bellmore skater Aimee Molle, 11, has trained at Newbridge for the past five years. She too plans to get to the Olympics by keeping focused and trying her hardest. She's placed as high as second in the country in preliminary competitions. And with Sarah Hughes as her role model, who knows how far Molle could go? No matter what, she loves the sport, she says.
The U.S. Figure Skating Association ranks Newbridge Arena as one of the top-enrolled, learn-to-skate programs in the country. The Skating Club of New York granted Newbridge affiliation status last year. Being affiliated with the club gives Newbridge skaters increased access to compete in regional and national activities and events sponsored by the premiere club.
Taking advantage of the rink's various affiliations is Emily Hughes, 13, of Great Neck. This up-and-coming skating star, about whom the picture book, "I am a Skater," was recently produced, placed fourth in eastern sectionals and 11th in junior nationals this past year. It is no shock that this skater's role model is her sister Sarah, and Emily seems to be skating down her sister's path to Olympic glory.
Emily, who said that bottom line skating has to be fun, has participated in exhibitions at Madison Square Garden and Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Not far behind in the Hughes family ice-princess legacy is younger sister Taylor, 10, who also trains at Newbridge.
Anyone watching the winter Olympics learned that the ice is a shaky place where anything can happen. There is no need to tell that to Quadrino. At the regional championship competition last year, he placed eighth after having to get 15 stitches right before he competed. During the warm-up skating period, he gashed his leg open when a girl skater had her leg out and Quadrino was finishing a jump and collided with her.
Quadrino is headed to an international invitational competition in Holland in April and said he is going to strive to skate like Sarah Hughes at the Olympics.
"She skated like she had nothing to lose and just did it," he said.
Keeping a balance
To become a great figure skater takes practice and time. Most of the serious skaters now training at Newbridge said they spend on average five to six days a week at the rink, for a total of about 15 hours.
Some skaters come before school or after school, and others skate at both times.
"I skate six mornings a week and five afternoons and on Saturday for like five hours," said Lynch. "I come to school late and leave early. I made arrangements so that I don't miss anything [in school]."
Molle's mother, Mary, said her daughter maintains a solid balance between school and skating. Mary said it is important that if you are going to have a child who enters the competitive figure-skating circuit, that it is done right.
"If you're going to do this, you need good people teaching your children," said Mary Molle. "The coaching is just so great here [at Newbridge Arena]."
Newbridge is renowned among professional skating groups and prominent coaches as one of the best Long Island skating facilities. The rink's open windows let light shine into the building, providing a more open environment. Also, the arena's acoustics and ice are maintained better than most other facilities.
"My philosophy is these children are training and working so hard to reach their goals that we need to support them and provide an atmosphere of healthy competition," said Kim Bennett, Newbridge Arena's skating director. "We want to promote skating as a fun experience. I'm very proud of what Newbridge has been able to do in a short time."
Meet Emily Hughes
Meet up-and-coming skater Emily Hughes, sister of Olympian Sarah Hughes, at a book signing for her newly released picture book, "I am a Skater."
The signing will be at Newbridge Arena, 2600 Newbridge Road in Bellmore, March 9 from noon to 3 p.m. For more information, call (516) 783-6181.
