Above: Tatum Klippi (left), Skye Patton (center) and Skye Brothers (right) at a graduation party. The three are members of the Student Advisory Board, who as graduating seniors hope to stay involved with the club after graduation.
Photo courtesy of Erin Klippi and CCFSC
By Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz
Tatum Klippi, a long-time Creve Coeur Figure Skating Club member, recently approached her club board with a request. The 18-year-old wanted to know if the board would support a Student Advisory Board, and who better to ask than her mother, Erin Klippi, who also happens to be the CCFSC board president.
“Where most boards have a junior board, she wanted something that could also keep our college athletes connected to CCFSC and hopefully inspire some of our younger skaters to keep skating through high school and into college,” Erin Klippi said.
Photo courtesy of Erin Klippi and CCFSC
The Creve Coeur, Missouri club began in 1972 and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The club has approximately 100 members, including coaches, board members and associates. They offer club ice from August through late May and skate at the Creve Coeur Ice Arena.
The new Student Advisory Board consists of youth skaters looking to get more involved in the club, whether that means planning events or volunteering for club events such as test sessions.
“As a whole, the board hopes to inspire a stronger sense of community throughout the younger skaters and give them a place to share their opinions about happenings in the club,” Tatum Klippi said. “We have yet to have an election, but we hope to hold one soon, probably when the regular club election is held later this month.”
Tatum Klippi has been an avid club volunteer with test chair Jamie Mathews Schieler. Schieler is also her head coach.
“I think she was worried that when she left for college in the fall, no one would step up,” Erin Klippi said. “She wanted a way for the club to feel more like a team, and as a board, we were all for it.”
So far, the Student Advisory Board has held two meetings, discussing what they want to accomplish.
“Right now, we are in the middle of putting together our end-of-season banquet, and we are also trying to plan an exhibition for the end of summer,” Tatum Klippi said.
And skaters are enthusiastically stepping forward to be a part of this new board.
“I am excited to be part of a student board to get more young kids interested in the sport of figure skating. I am also excited to get to know our club members better,” said Dylan Schuette, a juvenile skater and four-year club member.
Madelyne Voss is a six-year club member and novice-level skater. She hopes being a part of the board will help her serve as a role model for other skaters.
“I really enjoy being a part of the board as an opportunity to learn from my role models and become one myself,” Voss said. “It has also given me a comfortable space to grow in a leadership position.”
Addison Arnaiz also looks forward to creating a team atmosphere.
“I love all my team sports, which allows me to connect with other skaters and have more of a team bond while competing in an individual sport. The most fun part about the student board will be attending events with my friends,” Arnaiz said.
Tatum Klippi is a gold medalist in the free skate, moves in the field and free dance. She plans to work on her solo pattern dance as a recent high school graduate before leaving for Iowa State University this fall, where she’ll continue to skate. But she intends to stay involved with CCFSC through the Student Advisory Board.
Club president Erin Klippi welcomes the new Student Advisory Board and sees it as a great addition to their Club.
“Adding a student advisory board has encouraged some of our younger skaters to volunteer more, and as an added bonus, it has taken some of the responsibility of planning events off the shoulders of our already overly stretched board members,” Erin Klippi said.
