Jo Ann's Friends: February 2018

Friday, February 23, 2018

Lisa Believed In Me and I Believed in Lisa

As I have been writing about some of my friends in this JO ANN's Friends blog, I have realized that some of the friends that I now consider lifelong friends were once my bosses, so I am writing some blog posts that are dedicated to those wonderful people who hold a very special place in my heart since they had a part in shaping my life. We met because of work, but as the years passed, when we no longer worked together, we connected again and discovered that we were friends for life. How COOL is that!

In this blog post, I am writing about Lisa. Lisa believed in me. Her belief that I could achieve great things helped me to work at doing things I didn't believe I could do. She and I now have a friendship and trust that both of us treasure. Enjoy the story of our friendship which is below.

Lisa - Manager at Plaza Ice Chalet Colorado Springs 1994

At the end of 1991, my husband Dan and I moved to Colorado Springs. The two of us wanted to start over in Colorado Springs after our nearly four years in San Francisco. The organization we had worked for in San Francisco was what some might call "high demand" and we were exhausted. I stopped working for that organization in late 1989, but Dan stayed until we left San Francisco in late October of 1991.

At the time, we did not want to stay in San Francisco and decided it was time to fulfil our dream of moving to Colorado Springs. Every time we vacationed in "The Springs," we felt like the place should be our home. It was time to make our dream a reality.

My family owned a small two bedroom condo at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain that my father had purchased at an auction during my days of training at The Broadmoor. "The Condo" had been the Schneider family's vacation home ever since my brother Billy and I stopped training. We would gather at "The Condo" for family reunions and Dan and I had spent several wonderful vacations there enjoying the condo's indoor pool and hot tub and just enjoying Colorado.

When Dan and I left San Francisco and moved to Colorado Springs, we moved without landing jobs in advance since my parents told us that we could stay in "The Condo" for as long as we needed to. We were delighted and so happy to be in Colorado!

In early November of 1991, when we arrived in Colorado, the job market in Colorado Springs was what one might have called "dismal." The want-ads in the city's only newspaper, the Gazette Telegraph, could be read in a matter of seconds. There were just no jobs available.

Once we were unpacked and settled in "The Condo," Dan and I prepared resumes on our little Macintosh computer and began looking for work. Of course I wanted to teach skating. In San Francisco, after I'd left the organization that Dan and I worked for, I'd taught part-time for Ice Capades Chalets and balanced that with an office job. I wanted to do the same thing in Colorado Springs.

I first contacted Kathy Casey at The Broadmoor World Arena, but learned quickly that she was not hiring new coaches. At the city owned rink, Sertich Ice Center, the Skating Director, Linda Kola, told me she'd put me on the substitute teaching list.

There was one more ice rink in town called The Plaza Ice Chalet. It was located on Tejon Street near the downtown and was a cute small chalet type rink with low rails. The rink was was indoors and was small. A beautiful view of the mountains could be seen by those who skated there. Public skating went on at "The Plaza" for hours and hours each day and there was no hockey.

As soon as I walked into "The Plaza" with my resume, I wanted to teach there. The rink reminded me so much of Ice Capades Chalet in San Mateo, California, where I had taught part-time when I lived in San Francisco. I knew I'd found my teaching skating "home" in Colorado and hoped that whoever hired coaches at "The Plaza" would want me on the staff.

I will never forget the day I met Lisa, the manager of "The Plaza." I introduced myself and gave her my resume which she studied thoroughly. She saw how qualified and experienced I was after reading my resume, and I knew immediately that she wanted me on her coaching staff. She recognized the names of my coaches during my days of training and also recognized the people I'd put on the resume as references. She even knew my brother! Lisa made me feel important and welcome that day.

It took a few weeks before a new session of class lessons began, but soon, I received a call from Lisa and I was given a full schedule of classes to teach, and in time, I became quite established at the Plaza as a respected coach. Lisa believed in me and never stopped believing in me. Teaching on her staff at "The Plaza" was so fun, that I wanted to be there all the time!

Lisa was the hardest working rink manager and she also was the most knowledgeable figure skating coach. I was in total awe of her. She worked from early morning to late at night. She made sure the condition of the ice at the Plaza Ice Chalet was perfect and was an expert at driving the little Zamboni that resurfaced Plaza's small ice sheet. It was common to see her walking and sometimes running across the rink in high heels! Her carefully selected staff worked hard and somehow every person that worked under her became her friend.

It is unusual for an individual to manage a rink and also direct a skating school, but Lisa did both. She was able to do that because she'd give her employees a chance to excel and do work that she could have done herself. She was a master at delegating responsibility. When we made mistakes, Lisa took the blame, and let us try again.

Lisa tells me that whenever possible, she considered everyone that worked for her to be a friend and she never thought of herself as being a "boss" to any coach. She knew she had hired a capable group of coaches, so she let them do what they did naturally and Lisa says they did a great job.

As time passed, Lisa gave me more and more classes and she'd recommend me to prospective private students. She did the same with the rest of her staff. We were a wonderful team.

Not only did Lisa believe in each person who worked under her, but she made an effort for all who skated at the rink to feel like one happy family.

When a cool new skating type ski called Sled Dogs was invented, Lisa made it possible for us all to get to rent the product for free and then we all headed up to Copper Mountain to ski together. When I became pregnant with my first child, Lisa gave me a baby shower. Banners were put up at the rink when Plaza instructors Christine Fowler and Garrett Swasey won the National Junior Dance title. Lisa worked it out for the rinks' skaters to march in local parades. She even began the Plaza Ice Chalet Figure Skating Club . Enthusiastic volunteers and Plaza coaches together produced ice shows that showed off the many many young and old skaters that skated at the rink.

There were so many other wonderful things Lisa did for her Plaza Ice Chalet family. For example, she coached some of the most talented skaters at the rink and became a "2nd Mom" to those skaters. If a coach needed help, she was always willing to take the time to leave her office. She was a mentor to all.

Smiles were contagious at "The Plaza" and that was because of Lisa!

The Beautiful Plaza Ice Chalet

Sadly, the Plaza Ice Chalet closed in 1994. As the rumors of the rink closing happened, Lisa did her best to protect "the Plaza family." She knew we would eventually lose our beloved "skating home," our beloved rink, to what was considered "progress" for Colorado Springs, but she tried so hard to keep our rink open.

Even after the rink closed, Lisa "looked after" those who had been part of that wonderful magical rink. I think it might have been then, when Lisa was no longer my boss, that I realized she was a true friend. Lisa continued to believe in me and without that I don't know if I could have survived during the time I call "The Colorado Springs Ice Famine."

It was really hard to keep teaching skating in Colorado Springs after the Plaza Ice Chalet closed, but Lisa helped all of us who felt somewhat lost without our rink stay together. The little club she started at "The Plaza" changed its name to the Front Range Figure Skating Club and rented private ice time. We continued to connect and help one another. We tried to keep skating fun for all the people who had once skated at Lisa's happy rink. Doing that was not easy.

Somehow, I kept teaching skating between 1994 to 1998. During that time, I taught at both the city's Sertich Ice Center and at Colorado College. The wonderful Plaza Ice Chalet became a memory. Lisa continued to teach a bit, but went on to work full-time at another job.

Then, sometimes magical happened! A new ice rink, the Ice Arena at Chapel Hills Mall, opened in Colorado Springs in 1998. And guess what? The management company sent a representative named Glen to Colorado Springs to do the hiring for that mall rink and Glen remembered me when I worked under him when I lived in San Francisco. He asked me who he should hire to manage the new mall rink and of course, I recommended Lisa! I knew she was the best rink manager ever. I believed in her.

I remember calling Lisa after I met with Glen and telling her that I recommended her. We were both so excited.

In February of 1998, the offices for the rink opened in the mall before the rink did and I visited the rink's office to congratulate Lisa the day that office officially opened. I knew I would be teaching at the new beautiful rink, but Lisa believed me so much, that on that day, I was surprised to be given the job and title of Skating Director!

Lisa never stopped believing in me. At the time, I was the mom of two young children, so I ended up sharing the Skating Director job with two other young mothers, Karen S. and Karen K. The three of us worked hard for Lisa and based on Lisa's model, we all became friends.

Also, Lisa knew I liked skating in hockey skates and before long I was directing the rink's learn to skate to play hockey program. Lisa's belief in me made me do what I thought I could not do. I've been teaching skating skills for hockey ever since!

Lisa Teaching at the Ice Arena Chapel Hills Mall

The company that managed the Chapel Hills rink put high demands on Lisa. She always protected those who worked under her from that management; somewhere in 2002 or 2003, Lisa's time as a rink manager ended.

All of us who worked under Lisa had all gained so much confidence under her leadership and guidance. We all went on to do various things in our lives and careers.

Many years have passed since the time when I worked for Lisa. For me, Lisa's belief in me helped me realize that if I put my mind to it, I could do anything! She gave me that confidence.

Lisa left Colorado, but she and I have kept in touch via phone, through email, and through Facebook. Two chapters in my autobiography, MY SKATING LIFE, are about her and the happy rinks she managed. I know that if I ever need need anything, she'll be there.

I can't help but think of the Carole King song, "You've Got a Friend" when I think about Lisa. If I am ever "down or troubled or need a helping hand," I know Lisa will be there. Yes, the words "You've got a friend" ring true when it comes to my relationship with Lisa. We are friends for life.

To Lisa: Thank you for being a part of my life! I treasure our friendship.

Lisa (left) is in the front row with Skating Directors JO ANN, Karen K., and Karen S. - Ice Arena at Chapel Hills Mall 2000

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Lori Was the "Coolest Boss" Ever and Is Also the "Coolest" Friend!

In this blog post, I am writing about Lori who I consider the "coolest boss" and the "coolest friend" ever! Enjoy the story of our friendship which is below.

Lori, JO ANN, and Dan - September 1989

My husband Dan and I moved from Long Beach, California to San Francisco in April of 1988. We lived right in "The City" until almost the end of 1991. I took a brief break from teaching skating when we moved to San Francisco, and for a time, both Dan and I worked for a religious organization that had an office in the Haight-Ashbury district. (Our office was very near the corner of Haight and Ashbury!)

Lori was our supervisor, but also became our friend. Dan tells me he liked working for Lori so much that when she decided to leave the organization, that he knew he could not work under anyone else, so that prompted our decision to also leave at the end of 1991.

Let me tell you a little about Lori then and Lori now:

First of all, Lori was the greatest boss ever! She never got mad and made all of us who worked under her want to go to work and do a good job. She came up with the idea of having staff meetings every Monday morning at our different homes. We shared a breakfast together and laughed together as we talked about our work and made plans for the coming week. Starting the week off with a breakfast meeting in a home just didn't seem like work and that was because Lori made the work we did, which was not always pleasant, almost fun.

The Lori of "then" had this way of making people want to hang out with her. She played the guitar and mandolin and also the drums. I also remember she could do quite a good rap and was a good actress.

Lori was always willing to talk when someone needed to talk. She just had a way of making every person she interacted with feel important. Every person that was around Lori felt like Lori was his or her close friend, and she made time for every person who needed her.

Lori rented this very large flat in San Francisco's Sunset District that was furnished with furniture to show that she was our boss. I'm not sure she liked the furniture or not, but she was told that garage sale furniture would not do, so she complied. I also recall she bought some fancy business like clothes to go with her supervisor status, but I always had the feeling she wanted to just wear jeans.

One Thanksgiving a bunch of us had a potluck dinner at Lori's large flat. I remember there were very few cooking utensils in the apartment, but we all enjoyed the time at Lori's very much. Lori made all of us, who were away from family, feel like a family in San Francisco.

Dan and I had a 10 year renewal of our wedding vows in 1989 and Lori did all the work that went into that wonderful celebration!

Once, we all went out to eat to celebrate Lori's 30th birthday. I recall she wore black to celebrate the occasion! Then, one by one, each one of us took photos with Lori in her black attire! (Note: I will scan some of those photos soon and add them to this blog post.)

Just before the three of us left San Francisco and the religious organization at the end of 1991, I remember going out for Japanese food with Lori. She was very impressed when Dan and I both ate sushi for the first time and liked it. Lori always had a way of noticing little things like that!

After Dan and I moved to Colorado at the end of 1991, we may have lost touch with Lori for a few years, but somehow, through the internet in the late 1990s-early 2000s, we got back in touch and began exchanging frequent email letters. As we exchanged emails we discovered that we had so much in common in our thoughts about religion and politics and life. Exchanging emails was just "plain fun" and I remember Lori said that sometimes she'd run to her computer in the morning before she went to work to read our email letters. Dan and I did the same thing!

Through those emails, we learned that Lori was working for the Red Cross in Long Beach, California and living in Los Angeles. Then, in 2002, we took a trip from Colorado to Long Beach to see family. Just before we began the long drive back to Colorado, we stopped at the Red Cross offices in Long Beach and got to see Lori. That was the highlight of that trip for both me and Dan. During that short visit at the Red Cross offices, Lori was so excited to meet our then little kids, Joel, Rebekah, and Annabelle. I remember she said she knew we were great parents since she remembered how we played with puppets back in our San Francisco days.

Time passed. We continued exchanging emails and then Facebook came along so we were able to be in contact more frequently. We learned that Lori moved to North Carolina and was working on a Ph.D. It took her awhile to complete her doctorate degree, but she now holds the title of Assistant Professor at St. Louis University and her students address her with the distinguished Dr. title. I've heard that she is one of the most popular professors ever!

Even though we are not physically around Lori these days, we know that Lori still makes time for anyone who needs her. In October of 2015, my then 19-year old daughter Rebekah needed someone to talk to (besides me, her mom) and Lori spent several hours on the phone with Rebekah. Lori helped Rebekah get through something at the time that seemed like a crisis and I'm so grateful for the time she spent on the phone with Rebekah. She helped Rebekah so much.

Music is still a big part of Lori's life. She is in a band in North Carolina called The Beauty Operators. Someday I hope to see the group perform. From what I see on Facebook, being part of that band makes Lori so happy.

Dinner Out in St. Louis With Lori - December 12, 2017

In December of 2017, my daughter Annabelle and my dad and I went to St. Louis for something skating related. One of the highlights of that trip was getting to see Lori! We got to light Chanukah candles together on the first night of Chanukah and then we out to the greatest Asian restaurant ever. The evening went too fast! Annabelle really enjoyed meeting Lori and tells me now she knows that not all my friends are "weird." (Typical teenage reaction to Mom's friends:) Lori told Annabelle about how she knew way back then that Dan and I were great parents and told Annabelle about how her parents played with puppets!

Yes, Lori was the "coolest boss" ever and is the "coolest friend." We have a lifelong friendship that I do treasure. Thank you Lori for your friendship! And...hugs!

JO ANN and Lori - 1990

Dan, JO ANN, and Lori - 1990

Friday, February 16, 2018

I May Have Never Taught Skating If It Hadn't Been for Sandy

As I have been writing about some of my friends in this JO ANN's Friends blog, I realized that some of the friends that I now consider lifelong friends were once my bosses, so I am writing some blog posts that are dedicated to those wonderful people who hold a very special place in my heart since they had a part in shaping my life. We met because of work, but as the years passed, when we no longer worked together, we connected again and discovered that we were friends for life. How COOL is that!

In this blog post, I am writing about Sandy, who was the first Skating School Director to hire me to teach skating. Enjoy the story of our friendship which is below.

Ice Capades Chalet Brea Coaching Staff 1983 - (I'm in front and Sandy is the pretty blonde)

On March 1, 1983, I began my career as an ice skating coach. If I hadn't been hired by Sandy, I may have never taught skating. I am so thankful to Sandy for giving me that chance. If Sandy had not hired me, I may have perhaps done something else. Who knows, I may have never taught skating and who would have known more than 35 years later, that Sandy and I would still be in touch? What is even more special is that our daughters, Annabelle and Kelly, are the same age and are also friends.

When Sandy and I get together, the two of us can talk for hours and hours. We remember the past, but we talk about what's going on in our lives and with our families. Sometimes we don't talk about skating; but, at other times, skating may come up. We've established a life-long connection that we both treasure.

Sandy hired me to teach at the southern California Brea Ice Capades Chalet, but later, she also was the Skating School Director at Ice Capades Chalet in Costa Mesa. I taught under her at both rinks and when I left the Ice Capades Chalet company, Sandy wished me well. I still remember her telling me that I would always be welcomed back and how much she appreciated the hard work I put in during the years I worked under her. I was very grateful then, since, although I was a very accomplished figure skater, I knew nothing about teaching skating when Sandy first hired me. She taught me how to teach classes and how to conduct myself as a private lesson coach. She even gave me the title of ISIA Director and taught me how to run ISI competitions. When I made mistakes, she gently helped me improve at my job.

After leaving the Costa Mesa Ice Capades Chalet, I went on with my life and coaching career, but every year after that it seemed, I received beautiful holiday cards from Sandy. Those cards kept us up to date on one another's lives. I learned about Sandy and her husband Mitch's life through those cards. I rejoiced when I heard about the birth of her first child Jeff and then the birth of the twins Kelly and Tyler. The twins were born just a little before my third child Annabelle was born. Little did I know at the time our babies were born that our girls would become friends as teens. I hope their friendship will continue into adulthood.

As time passed, we continued to exchange holiday cards and then Facebook came along and the world began to shrink it seemed. Sandy and I connected on Facebook, but we also connected because of my job as About.com's Figure Skating Guide-Expert. I went skating on a vacation to California at one of the rinks owned by the MIghty Ducks where Sandy was then the Marketing Director. I wanted to write about The Rinks, so we talked briefly on the phone about The Rinks.

Later, when I began writing my skating autobiography, MY SKATING LIFE, I got in touch with Sandy and together we remembered the two ice skating rinks where I began my coaching career. Sandy was the focus of those two chapters in the book. Just remembering how great a Skating School Director she was became so fun. It was like the two of us went back in time. During the time I wrote the chapters that included Sandy, she began finding photos and memories from those days. We both found that we could talk for hours about how wonderful the Ice Capades Chalets really were and about how hard all that worked for the company worked.

Sandy and JO ANN - Book Signing 2015

Finally, when my book was published in late 2014, I wanted to give Sandy a signed copy, so when I was in California on vacation in January of 2015, we arranged to meet at a Starbucks with my lifelong friend Marion (who also taught skating at Ice Capades Costa Mesa under Sandy). That book signing/reunion was the beginning of an almost new and very special friendship since Sandy and I just wanted to keep talking about our lives and children and skating!

At that Starbucks reunion, the two of us came up with the idea that our daughters could perhaps be Pen-Pals, but we also thought it might be nice for the girls to meet face to face, so we arranged for the girls to skate together at Lakewood Ice. At that ice rink, our girls did "hit it off" and got together again. Annabelle and Kelly just had so much in common and even liked the same kinds of foods!

Sandy's Daughter Kelly and My Daughter Annabelle

Also, I mentioned to Sandy that my figure skating boots and blades (which I bought way back in 1983 from skating coach Harland Parker who taught at the Brea Ice Capades Chalet) were so broken down that I needed a new pair of skates. Sandy gave me a pair of skates that she no longer could wear and I've been wearing Sandy's skates ever since!

One of the fun things my daughter Annabelle and I have done with Sandy's family was when we got to spend an afternoon on her family's boat. Sandy's son Jeff is really good at wake-boarding and Annabelle got a chance to give it a try that day.

Annabelle and Kelly have gone to Disneyland together and Annabelle got to join Kelly and Sandy's family for a New Year's celebration at their family's mountain cabin. Kelly even flew out to Colorado Springs to join in at Annabelle's 16th sleep-over birthday party at the Broadmoor Hotel! The girls have skated together and Kelly came to watch Annabelle pass her Senior Free Skate test! We rejoiced with Sandy and Kelly when Kelly became a double gold medalist when she passed the Senior Solo Free Dance test.

Yes...it is almost mind-boggling to think that such a special friendship evolved from a job interview in 1983!

To Sandy: Thank you so much for giving me the chance to teach skating. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for teaching me so much during my early coaching days. And...thank you for this wonderful friendship we have!

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Rosie's Life and Past Should Be Made Into a Television Movie

My Parents' Orphans: The Rosie George Finocchi - Purchase Rosie's Autobiography
Figure Skating Helped Rosie Finocchi Deal With Horror

Rosie and I reconnected face to face in July of 2016. She and I knew one another casually when I taught skating in the 1980s in southern California. Rosie was one of the pioneers of adult figure skating and competed in many adult skating competitions at the time. She competed in the very first US Figure Skating Association Adult National Open Championships.

I last saw Rosie in 1987 when I ran a huge ISI recreational skating competition at Iceland in Paramount, California. I remember she entered almost every possible event an adult skater could enter. She won many of the competitions she entered since she was a very strong skater.

Rosie Won at the First Ever Adult Nationals!

What I didn't know about Rosie then was that when she was 19 years old, her mother died and Rosie, at 19, ended up raising her four younger siblings. Her story is a bit like one of those Hallmark Channel television movies, but what is even more amazing is that despite almost being homeless at such a young age, that Rosie went on to become a stockbroker, an ABA Trial Paralegal and tax consultant, and recently earned a Master's Degree!

I am proud to call Rosie my friend since she is one of the most loving and generous people I know.

Here's some of Rosie's story:

Rosie grew up in southern California and skated recreationally as a child and teen at the old Glacier Falls Ice Arena in Anaheim, California. Her father died when she was 13 years old and at his deathbed, he asked Rosie to promise to take care of her mother and siblings which included three younger brothers and a baby sister.

Before her father's death, the family moved to New York state. Rosie's mother was very ill, so Rosie pretty much was like a mother to her baby sister and her brothers. She dropped out of school in 10th grade to take care of her four siblings when her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Rosie's Youngest Siblings Michael and Lisa Before Their Mother's Death

Rosie and Her Three Brothers in 1972

After her mother died when Rosie was 19, the court sent Rosie's then five year old sister away (which was very traumatic for Rosie and her siblings), and sent Rosie and her brothers (ages 15, 14, and 10) to California to live with an uncle.

When the four orphan children got off the plane, the uncle announced to her that since she was "of age" at 19 years old, that she was on her own and departed with her brothers. Rosie stood on the streets of California all alone and frightened and wanted to cry, but instead, decided to not give up. She was completely homeless and broke with only a 9th grade education.

A scribbled piece of paper had been given to Rosie with a phone number of someone who could help her in California if needed, so in shock, Rosie called that number and a wonderful woman took her in. That woman was Gretchen Purves. Gretchen and her husband, Miciah were total strangers, but gave Rosie shelter, food, and a place to sleep. Rosie slept on the couch in their baby's room. Not long after that, a couple from the Purves's church (Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa), Tom and Teri Phipps, gave her shelter and a home and loved her as if she was their own daughter. (Rosie says the Phipps still love her like family.)

A short time later, what only could happen in a fictional book occurred:

One Sunday, after church, Rosie found her three younger brothers standing in front of the church with paper bags filled with all their belongings. Her uncle was with the boys and said, "You wanted them...I don't want them...they are now yours!" He then promptly drove away.

It turned out her uncle wasn't getting enough money from the foster care system. His brothers told her that the uncle told them that he wanted them to live with their sister. Rosie says she is grateful to that uncle for bringing her family to California and keeping the siblings together even though she expected her uncle to actually take care of her and her brothers which did not happen.

Rosie raised those three younger brothers all on her own. She found an apartment for her family, worked all the time, and sacrificed everything for her brothers. She told me that she fed the boys a lot of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and made sure they got to school and she did all that a parent was supposed to do. Eventually she and her brothers were reunited with their sister.

Skating became a way that Rosie could do something for herself and that is when I met her. I always admired her drive, but I had no idea that she had done so much for her family.

Today, Rosie's siblings are grown and some have their own children. I've met two of Rosie's brothers and a nephew.

Rosie Now Enjoys Being an Aunt!

JO ANN and Luke

In addition, I have met one of Rosie's former neighbors named Luke. Luke is an amazing young man that I'm proud to call a friend. Luke plays hockey and I've helped him with some of his hockey skating skills.

Life is a journey and Rosie has proved that her life's journey is certainly a remarkable one! She was homeless, uneducated, and broke at a very young age and went on to raise four siblings on her own when she was really still a child. And...she skated and won competitions! Rosie, it is an honor to be your friend. 💗

Jo Ann's Friends

Friday, February 23, 2018

Lisa Believed In Me and I Believed in Lisa

Further Reading:

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Lori Was the "Coolest Boss" Ever and Is Also the "Coolest" Friend!

Further Reading:

Friday, February 16, 2018

I May Have Never Taught Skating If It Hadn't Been for Sandy

FURTHER READING:

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Rosie's Life and Past Should Be Made Into a Television Movie

Further Reading: