A nice spiral at JO Nationals, August 1999

A patch given to competitors at the Roller Nationals, August 1997.

My second-place medal at Regionals, June 1997.

My official JO Roller Nationals photo, August 1998
See more photos in my Skating Photo Gallery

I used to roller skate a lot as a child. I always loved it. I first remember skating at the age of three at the Roller Frolic in Burlington, Washington. I wanted lessons, but my parents could never afford it, except for a brief year in the early Eighties when I took roller skating for a few months, followed by ice skating for a few months. I didn't get too far. Then in the summer of '89 I took roller skating lessons for three months, but once again had to quit for financial reasons.

Years later I was in a car accident, and in some severe pain. It just kept getting worse -- I was told not to use my arms in ways that would hurt, but everything hurt, so I used my arm/ shoulder less and less. I got no exercise. I was prescribed weird antidepressant pills for the pain, and the pills just made me feel sicker. I was turning into a big lump o' sedentary goo.

One day I realized that I wasn't going to get better until I got some exercise. The only form of exercise I ever really enjoyed was skating, so I threw away the pills and stepped back onto the ice. It was hard, and I was terrified of falling on my bad arm. But after a while, the exercise really did start to make me feel better, and my arm started to feel a bit better too (though it will never be as good as new).

By then, I was hooked on skating. I started taking ice skating lessons, and competing. After a while of that, I missed roller skating so much I started taking roller skating lessons too, and competing in that as well.

Currently I am competing in USFSA (ice) events in Adult Bronze Free Skating, occasionally in ISI (ice) events in Freestyle 3, and in USA/RS (roller) events in Esquire Figures and JOIB Inline Singles. I skated in the USFSA Adult Nationals in Oakland on April 16, 1998, and in the USA/RS Junior Olympic Nationals every year from 1997-2001.

My competitive history:

Ice Skating

• Many small ISI competitions, from Gamma level up to Freestyle 3.
• ISI: World Team Recreational Championships, Seattle, WA, August 1996 (3rd in FS3 Technical 28-32, 2nd in FS3 Artistic 28-32)
• USFSA: Puget Sound Interclub, Tacoma, WA, July 1996 (4th in Adult Bronze Freestyle, 6th in Showcase)
• USFSA: West Coast Adult Open, Burbank, CA, February 1997 (6th or 5th? in Adult Bronze I Freestyle)
• USFSA: Blades On Ice, Seattle, WA, March? 1997 (3rd in Adult Bronze Freestyle)
• USFSA: West Coast Adult Open, Burbank, CA, February 14 1998 (5th in Adult Bronze I Freestyle)
• USFSA: Adult Nationals, Oakland, CA, April 16 1998 (16th in Adult Bronze I Freestyle qualifying group B)
• Passed USFSA Adult Bronze Free Skating test, April 1997
• Former member of Highland Skating Club, Seattle, WA.

Roller Skating

• Figure Mini Meet, Auburn, WA, February 1997, 1st in JOId Figures.
• Figure Mini Meet, Lynnwood, WA, 1997, 1st in JOId Figures.
• Figure Mini Meet, Everett, WA, 1997, 2nd in JOId Figures.
• Figure Mini Meet, Auburn, WA, March 1 1998, 1st in JOIIb Figures.
• Figure Mini Meet, Everett, WA, May 17 1998, 1st in JOId Figures.
• Figure Mini Meet, Lynnwood, WA, March 14 1999, 1st in Novice Figures.
• Singles Mini Meet, Lynnwood, WA, May 2 1999, 1st in JOIb Inline Singles.
• Regional JO Invitational, Portland, OR, May 1997, 3rd in JOId Figures.
• Regional Invitational, Auburn, WA, April 17 1999, 4th in Novice Figures.
• Regional Invitational, Auburn, WA, April? 2001, 1st in JO1b Inline Singles, 4th or 5th in Esquire Figures (I forget :).
• Regional Championships, Portland, OR, June 1997, 2nd in JOId Figures.
• Regional Championships, Portland, OR, July 1998, 2nd in JOId Figures.
• Regional Championships, Portland, OR, June 1999, 5th in Novice Figures, 1st in JOIb Inline Singles.
• Regional Championships, Portland, OR, June 2000, 6th in Novice Figures, 1st in JOIb Inline Singles.
• Regional Championships, Portland, OR, June 2001, 6th in Esquire Figures (I think), 1st in JO2d Figures, 1st in JOIb Inline Singles.
• Summer Fun Meet, Auburn, WA, July 1997, 1st in National JO Figures.
• Summer Fun Meet, Auburn, WA, July 1998, 2nd in National JO Figures.
• National Championships, Pensacola, FL, August 1997, 18th in JOId Figures.
• National Championships, Fresno, CA, August 1998, 18th in JOId Figures. (Yes, I was second at Regionals and 18th at Nationals, two years in a row.)
• National Championships, Syracuse, NY, August 1999, 9th in JOIb Inline Singles.
• National Championships, Lincoln, NE, August 2000, 5th in JOIb Inline Singles.
• National Championships, Pensacola, FL, August 2001, 19th in JO2d Figures, 7th in JO1b Inline Singles (I think... I forgot to write them down this time).
• Passed first three Circle Figure tests, July 1996.
• Passed fourth Circle Figure test, July 1999.
• Passed first Loop Figure test, July 1999.
• Passed first American Dance test, July 1989 (but I've forgotten it completely)
• Passed first Freestyle test, March 1998.
• Member of Shooting Stars Art Club, Lynnwood, WA (formerly Rollaway Art Club)

* From the Schoolhouse Rock Eight song, of course.

This page last edited: Sun, 6 Jan 2002. © 1998-2002 by Wendi Dunlap-Simpson.