
NAME: Jessica
CAREER: I’m a web editor, broadcast journalist, skating coach and cat lover, not necessarily in that order.
FAMILY: I’d be nothing without my biggest supporters–my parents, who used to drive me to skating practice at all hours of the day and night, and my husband Rick (to whom they passed that exhausting torch), who notably has to endure my constant 5 a.m. wake-up times for practice.
WHEN/HOW STARTED SKATING: My parents enrolled me in basic skills lessons at Union College in Schenectady, New York, when I was 7. I got hooked and never stopped!
WHEN/HOW STARTED SYNCHRO: I joined the Tri City Blades precision teams (now Achilles Edge Synchro) when I was 9 at the urging of my coach, who also coached the teams. I was always on the end because I was the shortest member of the team–a characteristic that hasn’t changed to this day.
FAVORITE SKATING MEMORY: Skating for the first time in the 1980 rink in Lake Placid during a competition when I was 10. What a thrill!
FAVORITE SKATER: How can I pick just one? Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi and Todd Eldredge, to name a few.
CURRENT SKATING GOALS: To get back in competitive shape and compete at Adult Nationals, and to keep having lots of fun skating with Gotham City Synchro!
FAVORITE BREAD THAT HELEN MAKES: Anything with pumpkin and/or walnuts! But I love all of them, really.