Olympic skating coach returns to St. Joseph after 25 years
Dec. 30—An elite figure skating coach who got his start in St. Joseph has returned to Bode Ice Arena after 25 years to help students sharpen their skills this week.
Tom Zakrajsek has coached numerous national and Olympic-level figure skaters over the years. This week, he is back where he got his start, coaching area skaters at a holiday seminar hosted by the St. Joseph Skating Club.
Returning to St. Joseph is a nostalgic experience, Zakrajsek said.
"I call this the hidden gem of skating rinks in the Midwest," he said. "To be back here again, it's certainly a lot of memories, and a lot of good memories."
Current St. Joseph figure skating coach Debbie Cole was one of Zakrajsek's students from his St. Joseph tenure.
Interacting with a coach who has worked with skaters at the highest level is a valuable opportunity, Cole said.
"This guy's had skaters that have been successful and done that," she said. "So much of the time, we don't get to experience athletes like that in our area. And so, for these kids to actually get to work with somebody who has (worked at the highest level) is an incredible experience."
Working with a coach like Zakrajsek provides perspective not only for skaters but also a coach like Cole.
Cole was among Zakrajsek's first top-level students, so the pair have an extensive history together, but learning about coaching from Zakrajsek has given her a different outlook.
"He's got specific techniques that he uses, and things, kind of, have evolved," she said. "The skating world has changed so much in the last 10, 15 years with ... how everything's being judged and how they're giving credit to jumps and spins, and things like that in their programs. And he's current, he's up to date with all that stuff."
Zakrajsek is only in town for a few days, so having limited time shifts the focus to concepts that don't require as much in-depth explanation, he said.
"My big theme for them today has been, if you're going to build a foundation, you have to understand every basic position," Zakrajsek said. "Not only to skate, but to jump and spin."
Alex Simone can be reached at alex.simone@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter at @NPNOWSimone.
