They brought home the championship trophy named in honor of the founder of their skating team, renowned skating coach Robert Unger. Seventy-seven (77) skaters representing the Ice Chalet won the 2013 ISI Winter Classic Competition Sunday night at the Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio.  It's all the more special because the Ice Chalet community is celebrating the skating rink's 50th Anniversary this year.

The skaters, led by team coach Larry LaBorde, competed in numerous events over three long days (more than 79 hours). There were 832 skaters representing 51 teams from 17 states. The Ice Chalet team won an impressive total of 1458.5 points, including 130 individual or partner first place medals and 8 first place team medals.

The Skating Club of Greater Youngstown (Ohio) placed second with 1096.5 points.

The competition is sponsored by the international Ice Skating Institute. Events included Freestyle, Spotlight, Dance, Artistic, Stroking, Jump & Spin, Ensembles, Team Compulsories, Couples, Pairs, and Production.

The Ice Chalet's synchronized teams also won all of their events: The Robert Unger Stars Teen Open Skating Team, The Robert Unger Shooting Stars Youth Formation Team, The Robert Unger Sparklers Jr Youth Skating Team.

One of the most remarkable entries was the Team Compulsories Freestyle 5 level team of six young men, named simply "The Guys." Aaron Blake of Oak Ridge, and Caleb Rogers, Micah Sanders, Benjamin Toedte, Jack Varnon, and Arman Wise, all of Knoxville. They performed axels, lutz jumps, camel spins, and more to the theme from "Mission Impossible" that wowed the audience and the judges, placing first out of five teams in their flight.

The girls' Team Compulsories Freestyle 2 level event also placed first out of four. The "Sandman Skaters" team is comprised of Molly Culliton of Maryville, and Olivia Farmer, Meredith Glover, Bethany Lacey, Natasha Williamson, and Kimmie Wise, all of Knoxville.

Robert Unger, who passed away in 2007, was instrumental in the establishment of the ISI recreational competition program. ISI National Referee Patty Feeney remarked that "Robert must be smiling," proud of the ISI program and the traditions he founded so many years ago at the Ice Chalet.

The team gathered quietly at center ice in a tight circle awaiting the announcement of the final team standings. When they learned they had won, the screams of joy and triumph echoed in the large Cady Arena.

First Place, Robert Unger Stars (above)

First Place, Robert Unger Shooting Stars (above)

First Place Robert Unger Sparklers (above)

Photo Sharing Site

Video of "Sandman Skaters" Team Compulsories 2

Video of "The Guys" Team Compulsories 5

Team members and their ages:

Bailey Alexander, 14, Elizabeth Bain, 10, Ariel Baker, 13, Tiffany Belcher, 14, Mary Liz Bell, 12, Alexandra Bernard, 14, Aaron Blake, 14, Sara Beth Bogartz, 12, Laurel Brunell, adult, Kate Campbell, adult, Tate Carty, 7, Rebecca "Susie" Clark, 16, Channing Clarke, 7, Kari Clarke, adult, Maggie Comer, 9, Molly Culliton, 12, Tiffany Dains, 16, Katie Elder, 15, Katie Eubank, adult, Olivia Farmer, 10, Hannah Foust, adult, Gregory Fuller, adult, James Gingrow, adult, Meredith Glover, 12, Taylor Green, 17, Josie Hamby, 8, Erich Hebenstreit, 10, Natalie Hebenstreit, 11, Rene Hebenstreit, adult, Heather Helton, 18, Leslie Idol, 13, Jeshua Jacklet, 10, Savannah Johnson, 7, Larry LaBorde, adult, Bethany Lacey, 13, Kaleigh Lain, 17, Zoey Line, 15, Adison May, 8, Brodie McFalls, 5, Katelyn Moats, 15, Camron Nipper, 9, Emma Ogle, 6, Katie Owens, adult, Jillian Paciello, adult, Kendal Patty, 10, Jessica Plante, 9, Delaney Reilly, 12, Sharon Reilly, adult, Anna Rogers, 14, Caleb Rogers, 17, Christina Rogers, 10, Pamela Rogers, adult, Rachel Rogers, 12, Camryn Rutherford, 15, Lori Rutherford, adult, Jordan Sampson, 14, Micah Sanders, 14, Jonathan Shelton, 14, Sierra Shuck-Sparer, 9, Lydia Simerlein, 11, Jaedyn Sobota, 9, Miranda Spitzer, 15, Nicole Stuart, 18, Ellie Tidwell, 12, Benjamin Toedte, 14, Blaire Toedte, 17, Mandy Tortorelli, 15, Christina Varnon, 11, Jack Varnon, 14, Rebecca Varnon, 15, Aashi Vora, 7, Kristin Wampler, adult, Kennedy Welch, 5, Anne Williamson, adult, Natasha Williamson, 10, Arman Wise, 15, Kimmie Wise, 12

Unable to compete due to injury or illness: April Stuart, 18, Cece Coakley, 11, Bethany Hawkins, 18

Ice Chalet team wins First Place at the Ober Gatlinburg ISI Team Competition! September 22-23, 2012

Team members still present at the end of the competition accepted the First Place Team Trophy: Front row from left, Savannah Johnson, Emma Ogle, Tate Carty, Channing Clarke, Mary Lu Shipstad, and Kate Webb. Back row from left, Sarah Bauguess, Taylor Green, Leslie Idol, Gracie Lesko, Sara Beth Bogartz, Mary Liz Bell, Sarah Ali, and Molly Culliton.

The competition was close -- the Point Mallard team (Decatur AL) came in second, and the home team (Ober Gatlinburg) came in third.

Three Ballerinas perform at Ober Gatlinburg

Ice Chalet team wins First Place Point Mallard Competition! August 4 & 5, 2012 in Decatur, Alabama

Natasha Williamson (left) and Christina Rogers proudly display the 1st Place team trophy for the Point Mallard competition.

Ice Chalet team wins First Place Out-of-Town Trophy at Inaugural Owensboro "Living on the Edge" Competition! April 21-22, 2012 in Owensboro, Kentucky

Owensboro Competition:

Pictured L to R: Taylor Green, Arianna McElyea, Kate Webb, and Snigdha Dhar, with Emma Ogle in the center. Not pictured: Savannah Johnson.

Ice Chalet team wins 43rd Annual Robert Unger ISI Competition
March 30-April 1, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee
Owensboro Edge Ice Center First Place Visiting Team Trophy
Point Mallard Ice Complex Percentage Trophy
Peter Champelli Accepts Alpine Ice Arena's 2nd Place Visiting Team Trophy	The Sportsmanship Trophy Winners: The Stuart Family (pictured from L: Nicki, Mary, and April)
Larry LaBorde with Twinkie from Horse Haven Farms https://horsehaventn.org/	Twinkie the horse is a winner!

Ice Chalet team wins 2012 Centennial Sportsplex ISI Competition
February 19, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee
	Congratulations, Ice Chalet skaters!!! A team of 54 skaters won the 2012 Centennial Sportsplex ISI Competition in Nashville, Tennessee. Skaters from Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, and Ohio competed over two days of events, with the Robert Unger team taking the top spot. "Tickled Pink" On Saturday evening, skaters and family members also participated in a fundraiser for breast cancer patients. The challenge was to be the silliest and pinkest -- we think the group pictured below succeeded in both categories. More Photos From Our Team's Visit to Nashville

Adam and Austin Blake Appear in Disney On Ice show at the Knoxville Coliseum

Adam and Austin meet with their Ice Chalet fans after the "100 Years of Disney Magic" show on November 5, 2011.

Kassandra Hazard Appears in Dollywood's Christmas On Ice show
New "Ice Theatre of New York" show at Dollywood opened on November 5, 2011. Former Ice Chalet skater David Tankersley and Ice Chalet teacher Kassandra Hazard are in the cast.

Ice Chalet Team Wins 2011 Ober Gatlinburg Competition
	Emma Ogle, Jeshua Jacklet, and Maggie Comer proudly display the First Place Team Trophy for the Ober Gatlinburg Competition held April 16, 2011.

42nd Annual Robert Unger ISI Competition (April 1-3, 2011) Ice Chalet Team Wins 1st Robert Unger School, Ice Chalet Knoxville TN 2nd Edge Ice Arena, Owensboro KY 3rd Point Mallard Ice Rink, Decatur AL 4th Palmetto Skate Club, Irmo SC 5th Ober Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg TN 6th Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford OH 7th Garner Ice House, Garner NC 8th Alpine Ice Arena, Louisville KY 9th Wells Figure Skating Team, Silver Spring MD
Ice Chalet Team - Home Rink Champions
Edge Ice Arena, Owensboro KY - First Place Out of Town Winners

 

Point Mallard Team - Second Place Out of Town and Sportsmanship Trophy Winners
Robert Unger Sparklers - First Place Synchronized Skating Jr Youth

Shaved Ice -- First Place Synchronized Skating Adult

Robert Unger Shooting Stars - First Place Synchronized Formation Sr Youth

Robert Unger Stars - First Place Synchronized Skating Teen

Skate-a-thon 2011
Balloon Fun!

Team Splits to Attend Two Competitions on Presidents' Day Weekend 2011, and Both Win!

Ice Chalet's Big Team Wins Second Place at Miami of Ohio ISI Competition (trophy on right)

Ice Chalet's Little Team Wins Percentage Trophy at Centennial Sportsplex ISI Competition (trophy on left)

Disney On Ice "Princess Wishes" Cast Visits Ice Chalet
More photos available here!

Several members of the cast of Disney On Ice "Princess Wishes" show visited the Ice Chalet on Tuesday, October 26th for an afternoon of fun. Skaters mingled with the performers, showed off some of their skills, and played a distance race on "Jasmine's Magic Carpets" and a tea party race using "Belle's Tea Party" props. Everyone was a winner, and their reward was a visit from two of the Disney princesses, Belle and Snow White, who posed for photos in the lobby.

2010 Palmetto Classic Competition:
Ice Chalet Team Places Second!

Congratulations to the eight skaters (plus coach Sarah) who represented the Robert Unger Team at the Palmetto Classic in Irmo, South Carolina on October 23, 2010 -- they brought back the second place trophy (see below), and skated very well!

They won 14 first places, four 2nd places, and three 3rd places.  122 points overall.  Great job! Team members: Tiffany Dains, Natasha Williamson-McGlasson, Lydia Olson, Maggie Olson, Camryn Rutherford, Jordan Sampson, Gracie Servoss, Anne Williamson.

2010 Point Mallard ISI Competition:
Small, But Mighty Ice Chalet Team Places Third!

Skaters:
Sarah Ali (in center in photo)
Ariel Baker
Mary Liz Bell
Hannah Foust
Lydia Olson
Maggie Olson
Sarah Perez
Delaney Reilly
Pam Rogers
Rachel Rogers
Camryn Rutherford (on right in photo)
Benjamin Toedte
Blaire Toedte
Anne Williamson
Natasha Williamson-McGlasson (on left in photo)

 

41st Annual Robert Unger ISI Competition:
Ice Chalet Team Prevails
KLynn Skating School - 1st Place Out-of-town Team
The Edge Ice Center, Owensboro KY - 2nd Place Out-of-Town Team

Above: The Edge Ice Center, Owensboro, Kentucky -- Second Place Out-of-town Team

Ice Chalet Skaters Repeat as Champions of the 25th Annual
Centennial Sportsplex Invitational Competition

Our team won the ISI Invitational Figure Skating Competition at the Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville the weekend of February 19-21, 2010!  We repeated as champions, having won the same competition last year.  After two long days of competition, the team of 60 skaters and their families and coaches enjoyed a well-deserved victory on Sunday afternoon.  The second place team was from the Marietta Ice Center (Georgia), and third place honors went to the Owensboro Ice Arena (Kentucky).

Pictured receiving the First Place trophy for the Ice Chalet team: front row, from left, Sarah Gordon, Katie Elder, Natasha Williamson-McGlasson (in front), Chelsea Buchanan, Tiffany Dains, Cora Nesbit (in front holding trophy), Sheryl Harkness, Andre Farvin (in front), and Grace Gordon; back row, from left: Jennifer Bradley and daughter Addison, Sarah Bauguess, Mary Lu Shipstad, Anne Williamson, Michelle Nesbit, and Julia Hardin.

More Photos from the 25th Annual Centennial Sportsplex Competition

June 3, 2009 Newsletter -- Ice Chalet Communique

Robert Unger Team Wins 40th Annual ISI Competition in Knoxville

Skaters representing the Robert Unger School of Ice Skating won the championship trophy for the 40th Annual Robert Unger ISI Competition (formerly known as MVDC) in Knoxville, Tennessee April 3-5,2009. Ten rinks were represented in this annual event.. More Photos -- Also see below!

Owensboro Ice Arena - First Place Out-of-Town Team	RDV Sportsplex - Third Place Out-of-Town Team
Victoria Bell, Palmetto Skate Club Sportsmanship Award Winner Ice Chalet Skaters Win 24th Annual Centennial Sportsplex Invitational Team Champions in Nashville! Skaters representing the Robert Unger School of Ice Skating won the championship trophy for the 24th Annual Centennial Sportsplex Invitational ISI Competition in Nashville, Tennessee February 21-22, 2009. Fifty (50) skaters from the Ice Chalet competed against skaters from rinks in Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, and other parts of Tennessee. More Photos Accepting the team trophy in the above photo -- From left, front row: Julia Hardin, Mary Lu Shipstad, Elizabeth Palmer, Chelsea Buchanan (holding trophy), Bailey Alexander, Anna Rogers, and Gina Alexander; From left, back row: Angie McCarter, Caleb Rogers, Nicole Johnson, Satin Mallory, Tiffany Dains, and Sarah Baugeuss. 39th Annual MVDC is a Great Success Skaters Show They Can Dance ...er... Skate at MVDC Skaters representing the Robert Unger School of Ice Skating joined with teams from other rinks, including Owensboro, Kentucky, Lexington, Virginia and Decatur, Alabama to perform in the annual end of competition show during the 2008 MVDC. Lexington Ice Arena won the First Place Trophy for Out-of-Town Teams, and Owensboro Ice Arena won the Second Place Trophy for Out-of-Town Teams. More Photos and Final Team Standings Robert Unger Team Places Second at 2008 ISI Winter Classic! 50 Skaters Perform Well in Tampa Bay, Florida Competition A team of 50 skaters representing the Ice Chalet of Knoxville placed second at the 2008 ISI Winter Classic in Tampa Bay, Florida on February 15-17, 2008. There were 32 teams from all over the United States and Mexico. More Photos Robert Unger Team Wins Robert Unger Trophy! Robert Unger Team Wins 2007 ISI Winter Classic A team of 55 skaters representing the Ice Chalet of Knoxville won the 2007 ISI Winter Classic in Oxford, Ohio on February 16-18, 2007. The trophy for this competition is named in honor of Robert Unger, which made the victory all the more precious to the skaters and their families. There were 763 competitors from 15 states and Mexico. More Photos. Two Local Skaters Achieve High Goals: Story Robert Unger Team Places Third at 2006 Point Mallard Competition Robert Unger Team Wins 2004 Point Mallard Wind, Rain or Shine ISI Competition A team of 23 skaters representing the Ice Chalet of Knoxville won the 2004 Point Mallard "Wind, Rain or Shine" Skating Competition July 9-11, 2004 in Decatur, Alabama Robert Unger Team Wins 2004 Lake Placid ISI Competition A team of 29 skaters representing the Ice Chalet of Knoxville won the 2004 Lake Placid Skating Competition January 9-11, 2004 at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York. They defeated 27 other teams from Connecticut, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Lake Placid Champions! Nutcracker On Ice 2003 Photos This 16th Annual holiday show was performed December 2-4, 2003. ISI District 5 Coaches Seminar Sunday, September 21, 2003 The Ice Skating Institute's District 5 Coaches Seminar was held here at the Ice Chalet the Sunday before we opened for the Fall Semester. Photos available! Larry LaBorde teams with Scott Hamilton present ISI award to "Mr. Debonair" Richard Dwyer May 27-29, 2003 MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas Photos of this auspicious event are available here. The Ice Chalet's very own Larry LaBorde and Olympic Champion Scott Hamilton presented a special award to the long-time Ice Follies star "Mr. Debonair" Richard Dwyer at the ISI's 44th Annual International Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas. Robert Unger Team Wins 2003 Mississippi Valley District Competition! Knoxville TN, March 28-30, 2003 A team of skaters from the Robert Unger School of Ice Skating in Knoxville won first place in the 34th Annual Mississippi Valley District Competition held at the Ice Chalet in Knoxville, Tennessee. They defeated eleven (11) other teams from several states, including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas. Featured Events: Ice Chalet Hosts Special Olympics 34th Annual Mississippi Valley District Figure Skating Competition

 

 

 

 

 

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