Freshman an Ice Skating Champion
August 13, 2015
Ice Dancing Journey.com announced that local ice dancing team and National Intermediate Dance Champions Christopher and Sophia Elder brought home a second-place free-dance medal for their outstanding performance at the 2015 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, held July 29-31 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Christopher is a Trinity freshman and Sophia is a seventh-grader at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School. The brother-and-sister team won two significant medals: one silver medal in free dance and one bronze medal in pattern dances.
Eighteen teams competed in the free-dance competition, including three teams from Russia and one team from Canada.
“Christopher and Sophia have worked extremely hard this summer to be ready for the novice level. Their skill development has improved tremendously, which helped them be competitive with several seasoned novice teams. Donny and I are very proud of their effort, and we look forward to a successful year of growth and further development,” coach Kelley Adair said in a press release.
The team is coached by Kelley and her husband, Donny Adair, a former U.S. Dance Champion. The Elders train at the Louisville Skating Academy.
The Elders’ other impressive wins include:
2014-15 Season
- U.S. Championships – first place
- Midwestern Sectionals – first place (three consecutive years)
- Chesapeake Open – first place
- Lake Placid – first place
Upcoming Elder Competitive Events:
- September – 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Novice and Junior Challenge Skate (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
- November – 2015-16 Midwestern Sectional Championships
- January – 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Christopher and Sophia are high achievers and embrace challenges with adult confidence. Christopher enjoys playing soccer, is an avid member of the Russian School of Mathematics since the age of four, enjoys making robots and is an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Sophia is a former member of Louisville Rhythmic Gymnastics, where at age of 6, she qualified for the Junior Olympics. She also excels in school and enjoys time with her friends.
According to their mother, Yana Elder, “The biggest challenge is fundraising as we prepare for future competitions on the international stage. The cost for coaches, competitions, rink time and travel exceeds $30,000 per year.”
Few families can afford such substantial annual costs, yet Yana and her children continue to press forward and prepare the Olympic hopefuls for the next winning season. The pair has been awarded several grants for their skating, and sponsorships are available. The Elders represent The Louisville Skating Academy.
Ice Dancing Journey.com is an in-depth digital and promotional fundraising initiative to help support Olympic hopefuls from Kentucky and the U.S. The site and its contents exist to assist in the education, excitement and promotion of the Elder team skating champions.
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