COACHING TEAM

MASTER RATED COACH Ainis Lejins with an extensive background as International competitor in singles and ice dance and with his teaching experience in different European countries is looking forward to share his knowledge and love for skating with students of all ages and levels. His accomplishments include: • National Champion of Latvia • International competitor (Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Russia) • International Awards in Men’s and Ice Dance • Professional Skaters Association (PSA) rated coach • Master rated in in moves in the field • Certified rated in Dance • Certified rated in Free Skating • Passed ISU (International Skating Union) Ice Dance Judge’s Seminar • Performed in numerous Charles M Schulz Ice Skating Shows • Annual Christmas Shows • Charles Schulz Volunteer Center Sweetheart Ball • Partnered ice dancers all the way through Gold level tests • Competed in Pro-Am Ice Dance Competitions with his students • Students have competed at Junior World Championships and many International competitions (Italy, Denmark, Finland, Ukraine) • Coached U.S. Figure Skating National Showcase Champion • Coached ProSkaters Open-Live Silver medalist ( Sun Valley) • Coached overall Showcase Champion of Desert Ice( Las Vegas), Crystalline Classic, Spring Preview, Spring Jubilee, Gold Rush competitions • Coach of “U.S. Figure Skating Double Gold Medalist“ • Coach of U.S. Figure Skating Collegiate Championships competitor His lessons focus on all aspects of ice skating and especially on good basics, body alignment, edge quality, posture, flow across the ice...joy of skating.

U.S. National and International Coach, Colleen Phillips has 40 years of experience coaching exceptional skaters. She teaches Moves in the Field, Freestyle, Choreography, and Figures. She works with all levels from beginner to Championship level. Visit her website: CoachColleenPhillips.com Primary Coach of: • U.S Figure Skating Gold Medalists in Freestyle and Moves in the Field • U.S. Figure Skating National and International competitors • U.S. Figure Skating Junior National competitors in singles and pairs • U.S. Figure Skating Pacific Coast medalists and competitors in singles and pairs • U.S. Figure Skating Central Pacific Champions at the non-qualifying and qualifying levels • U.S. Figure Skating Collegiate competitors • U.S. Figure Skating Adult National Artistic Champion and Master Ladies medalists • U.S. Figure Skating National Showcase Overall Champion and medalists in singles and pairs • U.S. Figure Skating National Showcase Overall Junior Parade of Champions Gold and Silver medalists • Crystalline Classic, Spring Preview, Spring Jubilee, and Gold Rush Overall Showcase Champions • U.S. Figure Skating Juvenile through Adult Synchronized Team Skating with teams reaching the Pacific Coast and United States National Championships • Former students who have performed as principle skaters with Disney on Ice, Holiday on Ice, Bietak productions, Woodstock Ice productions, Rosstyn productions, and Cirque du Soleil Professional Show Experience: • Opening Ceremony San Francisco Embarcadero • Snoopy's television special • Flashbeagle • Snoopy's Wonderful Magical Christmas professional skater and vocalist • Ice Show Direction: Co-Directed the Santa Rosa Figure Skating Clubs amateur shows for 20 years Co-Directed Charles Schulz Beaglefest Ice Shows Certifications: Ranked Level IV by the Professional Skaters Association Senior Freestyle Rated by the Professional Skaters Association www.skatepsa.com

Born and raised in San Francisco, Judy began skating in 1956 at Sutro’s Ice Arena with the San Francisco Figure Skating Club. She competed all over California including the Central Pacific Regional competition. At Regionals she competed at the novice and junior level and placed in the top four numerous times. She has tested through her fifth test in figures and freestyle. As a teenager in 1968 she joined Ice Follies and skated with them until 1970. In the early 70s she began teaching at Snoopy’s Home Ice but took a break to raise her three children. In 1997 she resumed coaching at Snoopy’s Home Ice. Since then she has taught group and private lessons, basic skills, tots, school programs, and coffee club. She currently resides in Santa Rosa and is on the Board of the Santa Rosa Figure Skating Club. Judy enjoys watching her students‘ progress with confidence through the world of figure skating; including competitions, testing and private lessons for all ages.

Melinda is a US Figure Skating Gold Medalist, notably winning a national title in 2013 for her division. She has been performing in professional skating shows both in the US and internationally for 10+ years. She loves to share her passion with tots-adults / beginner-advanced.

Stephanie was born and raised in Santa Rosa and has been skating at Snoopy's Home Ice since 1992. She has been skating competitively since 1994. In April 2008, Stephanie traveled to Lake Placid, NY and won the gold medal in the Championship Masters Ladies division at the United States Adult Figure Skating National Championships. Her other competitive accomplishments include overall Crystalline Classic Champion in 2002 and made 2 other appearances at the Adult National Championships. She is a U.S. Figure Skating double gold medalist in Freestyle and Moves in the Field and silver medalist in Ice Dance. Stephanie skated in her first amateur show in the mid nineties and skated in numerous Charles M Schulz Ice Skating Shows since 2001. She is a member of the Professional Skaters Association and US Figure Skating. She has been teaching ice skating for over 8 years in both volunteer and professional roles. She enjoys the fulfillment she gets from watching her students improve and gain confidence. Her lessons focus on all aspects of ice skating such as stroking, spinning, posture, and jumping.

Alison Waner has competed as a member of the Santa Rosa Figure Skating Club since 2006. She has tested in freestyle, moves in the field, and solo ice dance, and performs annually in Snoopy’s Home Ice Tree Lighting show. She is a member of the Professional Skaters Association and U.S. Figure Skating. She loves working on choreography and applying her experience in character work and modern dance. Most of all she enjoys sharing her passion for skating with her students of all ages and abilities.

Coach Cory has been instructing skating in NY, NY for the past 20+ years and has recently relocated to the area. He has extensive knowledge and experience coaching all levels of skating and hockey from Learn to Skate/Play through work with professional hockey players. Most recently, he has been a lead instructor with Kurt Nichols Power Skating in the NY/NJ/CT area working with teams and players from the Tri-State area as well as the Dallas Stars Elite Youth Hockey Club. Cory focuses on strengthening the fundamental skills that will lead to the greatest immediate improvement in a player's game then moves on to the fine adjustments that set elite players apart from the pack. Coach Cory is excited to bring his skills to Snoopy's Home Ice! Contact: cory@coachcory.com

For over 40 years, Karen Kresge has starred in the professional ice show business, first as a lead soloist for 10 years in Shipstads and Johnson’s Ice Follies. She then successfully translated her training and talent into roles as Creative Director, Director and Choreographer of over 80 U.S. and International Professional Ice Shows: Holiday On Ice/Europe; Scott Hamilton’s Stars On Ice; “The Nutcracker, A Fantasy On Ice” starring Robin Cousins and Dorothy Hamill; World Figure Skating Championships and Special Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies; Cedar Fair Theme Parks, “Snoopy On Ice”/US, 2000-present. She created choreography for numerous Olympic and World Champion skaters including Kristi Yamaguchi, Rosalynn Sumners and Brian Boitano; and was a Celebrity Judge, Torvill & Dean’s “Dancing on Ice” UK/ITV skating reality show. ​ Closer to home, she is most proud of the many professional summer and Christmas ice show productions created here for and with the late “Peanuts” cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz and his family during the 25 years of their close collaboration and friendship, which led to her long association with Snoopy’s Home Ice. ​ In 2019 Karen was inducted into the Proskaters Hall Of Fame. Returning to Snoopy’s Home Ice coaching staff, Karen is enthusiastically excited to coach & choreograph all levels of skating talent, beginner through advanced. She specializes in Showcase choreography for amateur skaters utilizing her creative sense of entertainment and showmanship. Additionally, her “Got Performance” theatricality seminars are popular in stretching the interpretive and improvisational aspects which enrich a skater’s overall performance.

Melissa is a Sonoma County native who began skating at Snoopy's Home Ice in 1991. She teaches tots through adults and enjoys sharing her passion and love of figure skating with her students. She still enjoys skating and is currently working on ice dance. Melissa's 4 children also skate at the rink! ​​ Here are some of her accomplishments: • Degree in Bachelor of Arts, Dance Concentration from Sonoma State University • Professional Skaters Association and US Figure Skating Member • Skated in professional shows from 1999-2006 for Woodstock Ice Productions in California and Ohio. Some of these shows included being a featured performer. • Principal skater for Snoopy's Home Ice tree lighting shows • Co-directed many Santa Rosa Figure Skating Clubs amateur shows including the annual Tree Lighting held each December (Which she also skates in!) • Melissa is the 2010 Adult Pacific Coast Sectional Champion, Intermediate/Novice Ladies • Trained in choreography, character work, and dance. • Main focuses include spins, choreography, artistry.

Stephanie grew up in the mountains of Vermont and fell in love with skating at the age of 10 after many years of acting and ballet. She began sharing her love of the ice through coaching over 20 years ago and has been a full time coach for the past 15 years. After graduating with a degree in theatre from Middlebury College, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to perform on the New York City ice stages with The Ice Theatre of New York. She loves bringing the joy of the ice to skaters of all ages and abilities and especially loves seeing skaters take their first steps. She strives to provide her skaters with strong foundations for a long future on the ice and loves helping her students shine while working on choreography and performance quality. Stephanie is a US Figure Skating Gold Medalist, a professional salsa dancer and a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer.

Annaleissa has been coaching for five years, and is certified as both a U.S. Figure Skating and ISI Coach. She enjoys teaching both recreational and competitive figure skaters of all levels and abilities. She specializes in Freestyle, Moves in the Field, and Choreography.

Domina has been skating at Snoopy's Home Ice since 1990 and joined the coaching team in 2011. Prior to this she taught in San Diego while going through college. She is extremely passionate about skating and it brings her great joy to share her love for the ice through teaching. Throughout the years she has acquired an extensive amount of knowledge working with many world-renowned coaches at training camps and seminars broadening her outlook on the sport. Here are some of her skating and life accomplishments: • U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist Moves in the Field & Junior Freestyle • U.S. Figure Skating Junior National Competitor and Central Pacific medalist in singles and pairs • US Figure Skating National Showcase Champion • Crystalline Classic, Gold Rush, Spring Preview, and Spring Jubilee overall Showcase Champion • U.S. Figure Skating Adult National Artistic Champion & Master Ladies Junior Bronze medalists Psychology degree, Bachelor of Science, San Diego State 2008 • 20 years of Dance - Ballet, Jazz, and Hip hop

Karin has been skating for 22 years and coaching for 11 years. She began skating at Snoopy’s Home Ice in 1993, and has been coaching in the Bay Area since 2004. Karin is a U.S. Figure Skating triple Gold Medalist in Moves in the Field, Ice Dance, and Solo Dance. She performed in and won numerous local competitions between 1993 and 2001, and was a 4 time National Competitor and two time Sectional Champion with the Pacific Stars Synchronized Skating team from 1996-2000. Karin is the coach of numerous U.S Figure Skating Gold Medalist skaters in Moves in the Field and Ice Dance. She has coached Sectional and National competitors in Ice Dance, and Regional competitors in Freestyle. Karin teaches all aspects of skating, but specializes in Ice Dance technique, Moves in the Field, and Basic Skating Skills. She enjoys teaching skaters of all ages, levels and abilities. Karin is a member of the Professional Skaters Association, U.S. Figure Skating, and the Ice Skating Institute.

Paul has been teaching figure skating since 1973, a pedigree of World and Olympic coaches and World Champions in both singles and ice dancing. As a teacher his joy derives from mentoring coaches and team teaching. Paul's coaching specifically focuses on edging, alighment, form and footwork technique, all those ingredients necessary to become a thoroughly accomplished and successful skater. ​Although Paul has had skaters compete internationally on the world stage, including the Olympics, he still enjoys the inclusivity of working with children and adults for the purpose of recreation and just plain fun. Paul has a passion for teaching all areas of ice dance, moves in the field, choreographic footwork sequences, clusters, twizzles, jump and jump patterns, spins and advanced tools for choreography.

Tahlma enjoys coaching skaters of all levels and considers the technical aspect of jumps and spins to be her expertise. Also known for her ability to pinpoint the fine adjustments that produce outstanding edge quality and flow, Tahlma’s comprehensive skillset in helping skaters to achieve top performance reflects her extensive training under renown coach Carlo Fassi, as well as her degree in Psychology from the University of the Pacific, where she graduated with Honors. Tahlma has a Master rating in Freestyle, Master rating in Moves in the Field, Senior rating in Figures, and a Level IV ranking from the Professional Skaters Association. She has been coaching at Snoopy's Home Ice since 1974.

Master Rated by the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) in Freestyle With an extensive background in eligible competition, professional performance and sport psychology, Choeleen enjoys utilizing her comprehensive coaching skills to share her love of skating and passion for excellence with students of all ages and levels. 8 x U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist in Freestyle, Pairs, Moves in the Field, Dance, Solo Free Dance, and Figures 2x U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championship Adult Pair Champion, 2x U.S. Adult Figure Skating Sectional Adult Pair Champion Performed professionally as principal skaters for 3 decades locally and in nearly 20 countries M.A. in Sport Psychology; accomplished Performance Enhancement Consultant; presenter at PSA and USFS events Author of The Inner Champion: A Mental Toughness Training Manual for Figure Skaters, co-producer of Skate for the Love CD Students have medaled at Regionals, and competed at Sectional and National standard track qualifying events Coached students to 6 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championship titles & 3 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Sectional Championship titles Students have medaled at U.S. Showcase Nationals & won overall title of Parade of Champions in Duet and Interpretive Numerous students achieved USFS Gold Test medals, many moved on to professional careers as performers and coaches Coaching since 1992, Choeleen enjoys working with tots through adults of all levels in Moves, Freestyle, Choreography, and Pairs. Choeleen emphasizes the development of the mind/body connection and encourages the application of the athletic experience to enhance life beyond skating.

Faye has been coaching since 1974 and is rated in Freestyle by the Professional Skaters Association. She is a native San Franciscan and trained in the Bay Area and Squaw Valley. Faye attended college in Reno, Nevada, and has coached in Squaw Valley, San Francisco, Reno, and Santa Rosa. She was the Skating Director, a competitive coach, and the club show choreographer at the Meadowood Ice Arena in Reno. Faye has been at Snoopy’s Home Ice since 1980 and coaches competitive, showcase, and recreational skaters in Moves in the Field, Freestyle, and Choreography. Faye has had students achieve Gold Medals in Moves in the Field, Freestyle, and Figures, and some have continued in the skating profession as successful coaches and featured performers in professional ice shows.

Kim started skating at the age of three at Snoopy's Home Ice. Not long after, at the age of ten, she made her debut in the Charles M. Schulz professional Christmas show and had the unique opportunity to perform in these professional shows for many years. As she continued her skating at Snoopy's Home Ice, Kim competed in Singles, Pairs, Ice Dance and Synchronized Skating. She earned her USFS Gold Medal in Dance, Freestyle, and Moves in the Field. As a competitive ice dancer, Kim became a Two-Time U.S. Bronze Medalist and Two-Time World Team Member. She is the 2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships bronze medalist and is a three-time Olympic Team alternate, most notably becoming a first alternate to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. In her first year competing with partner Brent Bommentre, they earned the Professional Skaters Association’s “Best Ice Dance Performance” at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. As a professional skater, Kim has performed in numerous ice shows all over the world including Stars On Ice, Holiday On Ice, Broadway On Ice, Sun Valley On Ice, An Evening with Scott Hamilton and Friends, Nancy Kerrigan's Halloween On Ice, and many Disson Skating television specials. She has performed with the Ice Theatre of New York and is a founding company member of Ice Dance International. She and Bommentre appeared in an episode of the television show Glee and competed as part of the act “Aerial Ice” on the quarterfinals of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Kim graduated from Columbia University, cum laude, with a degree in English and a minor in Dance and is currently pursuing a master’s in liberal arts at Stanford University. She is the Co-Artistic Director and Performance Workshop & Youth Program Director of the Redwood Ice Theatre Company.

Sarah began skating at seven years old, but her background in skating began in competitive artistic roller skating! Sarah switched to ice as a young adult and has since tested and competed as an adult figure skater. Sarah has tested in moves in the field and freestyle. She performs in Crystalline, and other local shows or competitions in the Bay Area. She is a member of the Professional Skaters Association. Sarah also has a master's degree in music education and has been a music teacher in the public school system for the last 17 years. She is a published composer through C.L. Barnhouse publishing company and frequently writes and arranges music for her students. Previously, Sarah served as the skating director for Metro Ice Sports in Urbandale, IA before her family moved to California in 2019. Sarah has 3 children and her daughter also skates. Sarah deeply enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities!