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Contents of this site are copyright ©2003-2010,
Sue Susic Ervin. All rights reserved. |
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Nov. 10, 1998 |
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What a great idea! To honor an
important figure in a sport that has captivated the hearts of thousands of
Wisconsin residents. |
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\No, we
may not have produced an Olympian recently, but this area has been the
center of many a gold medal dream. And luckily for the youth who have
chosen figure skating as their sport, there have been coaches such as Sue
Susic Ervin. |
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In an era when women’s sports hadn’t
begun to gain prominence, figure skating was one of the few choices for
young ladies. And unlike many sports, it provided a year-round option,
with the opportunity to get children involved as early as age
three. |
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The key to the sport, as it is in
all sports, is the caliber of coaches. Good coaches have always been at a
premium. |
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As a sports writer for The Milwaukee
Journal from 1972 until 1987, I covered pro sports, major college
athletics, and — luckily for me —recreational sports such as speed
skating, skiing, soccer, tennis, and figure skating. I liked recreational
sports the best, because of the people. |
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Sue Susic Ervin was one of the
dominant coaches of the period. Not only did she teach superb skaters,
such as Kelly Ann Szmurlo, but she taught the
life lessons of good sportsmanship that should come with the technical
lessons — but often don’t. |
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In fact, from my business
perspective, Sue’s record of having 18 of her skaters advance into the
professional ranks is another way to judge her coaching proficiency. Those
skaters must have really liked the sport, to stay with it, when many other
youth burned out at an early age because of pressure from parents or
coaches. |
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Sue, and her husband, Dennis Ervin,
who directed the Mayfair Ice Chalet, which was a center for the sport in
the area, were also constant sources for story ideas, some of which I took
to national skating publications. |
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Figure skating was a world I was so
impressed with that my wife and I got our daughter involved, and
experienced one of the most thrilling moments of our lives — a gold medal
at the Badger State Games. |
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Thanks to coaches like Sue Susic
Ervin, there are many gold medals yet to be won. |
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Please honor Sue by her selection to
the Wisconsin Hall of Fame. |
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Sincerely, |
