[…]this story does not end with her winning any championship medals. It doesn’t have to. In fact, this story does not end at all. Because Susan is still figure skating several mornings a week – simply because skating is still the best way for her to unfold a certain beauty and transcendence within her life that she cannot seem to access in any other manner.

– Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (Riverhead Books 2016)

My Yahoo Story: Susan Kittenplan

By Susan Kittenplan, Editorial VP, Yahoo! Inc. and President, The Skating Club of New York

Getting back on the ice after 20+ years didn’t feel like a big hurdle. It’s not exactly like climbing K2 or overcoming a stutter. It’s not even in the realm of risk Liz took when she left everything and traveled the world for a year to write her bestseller. Actually, I was a little embarrassed that people might laugh at this so-called challenge.

I started skating when I was five years old and competed until I was 16. I loved it, but was tired of the early-morning practices, hated doing patch (figure eights), and knew that I was not headed to Nationals, let alone any Olympics. So I gave it up and thought I was done with the sport. However, returning to the ice has been cathartic and life-changing in ways I couldn’t have expected – both personally and professionally.

If you ever see me walking into the New York office on a Tuesday or Friday morning with a huge smile on my face, it’s because I have just come from the rink. I love the feeling of gliding and flying that I get from skating. As soon as my blades touch the ice, I instantly feel better. I also love the camaraderie of skaters with whom I share the ice – from ages 9 to 90. Seriously, there is a judge who is 90 years old who skates regularly, as well as a Nobel Prize winner in physics. Figure skating can seem effortless and elegant, but it takes tremendous strength, agility, and frankly, some acting ability to be a skater. And being a media executive takes some of those same skills as well.

I spent most of my media career at Condé Nast working at Vanity Fair, GQ, Glamour and Allure. But during my time as an editor at Harper’s Bazaar, I remembered that the Hearst offices were located near a skating shop in midtown Manhattan where I bought my ice skates as a little girl. One day, I stopped in after work and bought a far-too-expensive pair. Still, I couldn’t get myself to the rink. It seemed daunting. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to skate at all. It may sound clichéd, but after 9/11 happened, I thought I needed to do something I loved, something that would get me out of my head, something that would get me moving. Those sentiments finally got me to Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers, where I met my coach and my ice dance partner a few weeks later, and started to skate regularly.

Getting back on the ice has made me less afraid of facing challenges. My return to skating as an adult, especially as an ice dancer, emphasizes strategy and teamwork. It’s impossible for me to think about work or anything else when I skate. Ice dancing requires a great deal of focus; I have to be in the moment and be aware of the space around me. There is no room for my mind to wander because I could trip, fall, and hurt myself and my partner or coach.

Skating also helped with goal setting. Just like those we set at Yahoo, I want to pass different test levels in ice dancing. I have been working on my pre-silver ice dances for a while; I keep failing the test for a dance called the European Waltz. I’m determined to pass – even if I have to wear down those judges and test every month until they get sick of me.

It is important to find your passion, something that makes you get up too early, stay up too late, search online for any story on the topic and feel giddy when you find kindred spirits who are also obsessed with your passion. Passion can be used as a form of what I call “Positive Procrastination.” You know how sometimes it helps to put one story or project aside and work on another? That is Positive Procrastination – distraction in a good way. Skating also brings me stress relief. It feels as if my brain completely switches to another frequency.

I believe my passion makes me better at my job. When I skate before work, I come to the office with a clear head. Skating has pushed me to face certain fears, such as stage fright or speaking in public – something I have to do more at Yahoo than I have ever done before. Also, it has allowed me to become more flexible and understanding. Working with a partner requires that you do your best to not let the other person down, but it also helps you to understand that mistakes can happen no matter how much you have prepared (all good lessons that can be applied to any job). Ultimately, my passion for skating has taught me to bring grace and resilience to both the ice and the office. And there’s that whole “You fall, then you get back up” metaphor. Trite but true.

Ultimately, I said yes to Liz, and she did include me in her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, writing about my skating as only she can:

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U.S. Synchronized Skating National Champions
Skyliners Senior Bronze The Skyliners 2016-17 senior line is the 2017 ISU Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy champion and 2017 ISU Mozart Cup, 2016 Richard Porter and 2016 Boston Synchro Classic bronze medalist. It is the 2017, 2016 and 2015 US national bronze medalist.
Skyliners Junior Gold The 2016-17 Skyliners junior line won the 2017 US Synchronized Skating National Championships, 2017 US World Team Selection Event, 2017 ISU Berlin Cup, 2016 New England Challenge Cup and 2016 Dr. Richard Porter Synchro Classic, and claimed bronze at the 2017 and 2016 ISU French Cup in Rouen, France. The line is a three-time national champion and will compete as USA TEAM 1 at the ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships in Mississauga, Ontario.
Skyliners Novice Gold The 2016-17 Skyliners novice line is the 2017 US Synchronized Skating Novice National Champion. The line also won the 2017 Eastern Synchronized Sectional Championships and 2017 Colonial, 2016 Dr. Richard Porter and 2016 Boston Sunchro Classics. They are also the 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2011 US Synchronized Skating bronze medalists.
Skyliners Intermediate Gold The Skyliners 2016-17 Intermediate line is the 2017 and 2016 US Synchronized Skating National Intermediate Champion and 2017 Eastern Sectional Synchronized Skating Champion. The line won gold at the 2016 Dr. Richard Porter Classic, silver at the 2017 Colonial Classic and bronze at the 2016 Boston Synchro Classic.
Skyliners Juvenile Gold The 2016-17 Skyliners Juvenile line is the 2017 and 2016 US Synchronized Skating National Juvenile Champion. The line won gold at the 2017 Eastern Sectional Championships, 2017 Colonial Synchro and 2016 Terry Conners Synchro Classic and silver at the 2017 Boston Synchro Classic. Skyliners Juvenile has won four Nationals titles and has won Eastern Sectionals seven consecutive times.

Honorable Mentions
Gotham City Synchro Masters Twelfth The 2016-17 Gotham City Synchro masters line won silver at the 2017 Colonnial and 2016 Terry Conners Synchronized Skating Classics.

Team Rosters

Don’t miss out! Place your ad in the Second Annual SCNY Yearbook NOW!

Another extraordinary year for The Skating Club of New York is winding down, with seven medals at the US Figure Skating Championships -- including national titles in senior dance (Maia and Alex Shibutani) and senior pairs (Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier), four Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix finalists, thirteen Grand Prix, Challenger Series and Junior Grand Prix medals, and three international medals for our Skyliners’ junior and senior lines. We are equally proud of SCNY members of all levels and ages who compete locally, nationally, and internationally, skate on one of our Synchro Teams, appear in exhibitions, take freestyle, ice dance, and moves-in-the-field tests, participate in Learn to Skate programs, and just skate their hearts out across our 11 member rinks. For the second straight season, we are publishing a complimentary yearbook for SCNY members and hope you will join in the celebration Don’t miss out on the chance to place an ad in our second annual SCNY yearbook!* Members, purchasing an ad in the SCNY yearbook is great way to commemorate your skater’s progress, recognize their fans and thank everyone who has made them the skater they are. How to place your ad Placing an ad in the SCNY yearbook is simple! Upload your text and hi-res photos, choose a font and background design, and an ad will be created for your approval. Or you can create your own ad and upload the finished hi-res ad.* ● 2-Page Spread — $175 ● Full Page 5w x 8h — $100 ● Half Page 5w x 3.75h — $60 * The pages are open to everyone, including commercial advertisers, and are not limited to SCNY members. The editorial board reserves the right to reject any submission that is negative, inflammatory, offensive or adverse to the yearbook's main purpose: celebrating the sport of figure skating and its skaters, teams, coaches, officials and supporters.

Use your ad to: ♥ Recognize your skater ♥ Root for your team ♥ Thank your club ♥ Shout out to your fans ♥ Thank your coaches ♥ Show off then and now DEADLINE MAY 1

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED!!

Qualifying Lines
Skyliners Novice GOLD Skyliners Juvenile GOLD
Skyliners Intermediate GOLD Gotham City Synchro Masters Fifth
Skyliners Senior Bye to Nationals Skyliners Junior Bye to Nationals

2016-17 Team Rosters