Elizabeth Dempsey a "Creativeskater", for Sept./Oct. 2011
By: Elizabeth Hollett Shackett

Not only is the adult skating community fun, supportive and friendly, but is also comprised of highly motivated and successful people. Elizabeth Dempsey, a.k.a. Beth, is one of these skaters with the constant desire to better herself both on and off the ice.

She has only been skating for about 5 years and is a successful competitor both locally and nationally. This summer, Beth clinched 3 gold medals at the State Games of America in San Diego, CA.  After sweeping Pre-Bronze Freeskate, Compulsory and Artistic events, it is no surprise that she considers this to be her biggest skating achievement. 

Her skating journey began in a Learn-to-Skate group lesson program in 2006. She recommends that adults considering taking up skating to do the same. Knowing that having a fear factor on the ice is often a big obstacle for beginning adults, Beth encourages others to go for it! “Getting over that hump of doing the scary thing the first time is the worst part, and after that it’s not so bad.”

Besides being a figure skater, Beth is also a snowboarding instructor. Last February, she attained her Level One certification from the American Association of Snowboard Instructors. In the past, she has taken tap, jazz, and ballet for about 10 years as well as speed skating on quad roller skates. In fact, Beth was the regional champion in her age division her final competitive year. “Figure skating actually has a lot in common with my past sports, but it picks my favorite bits out of each one and assembles them into a whole.”

Off the ice, Beth is an elementary school music teacher and choral director and works with
students from Kindergarten through fifth grade. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music
Education from West Chester University. Not surprisingly, Beth is looking to better herself and is
currently a graduate student in Communication at Drexel University. Upon graduating, she will
have a Master of Science in Communication with a concentration in Public Communication.

Elizabeth's Upcoming Events:
           Oct. 2011:      Non-Qualifying South Atlantic Regional Championships, Aston, PA
          Nov. 2011:      Adult Bronze Moves in the Field Test
          Jan. 2012:      Keystone State Games, York, PA
         Feb. 2012:      Adult Bronze Freeskate Test
       
My Coach, an Adult Skater’s perspective:
“I began working with Elizabeth in April of 2010, and since then she has brought my skating to a
whole new level. In terms of choreography she has taught me how to feel a program as an entire
unit rather than just a group of small fragments that are performed one after another. She always
takes my personality into account when she’s choreographing a new program for me, and that
the process very enjoyable.

As an adult skater, one of the best things about working with Elizabeth is that she takes her adults
just as seriously as she does her child skaters. She works hard to make sure our skating is
flawless, gives us programs that are beautiful, and pushes us to go to the next level, even though
though we don’t have the same Olympic dreams as our younger counterparts. 

"Plus, Elizabeth has a really cool name.”    Elizabeth Dempsey

Tests Passed
Adult Pre-Bronze Freeskate
Adult Pre-Bronze Moves in the Field