Christian Newberry, Director of Skating at Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena, was recently appointed as a U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA) Technical Specialist. He traveled to Colorado Springs in mid-May for four days of training and testing. The process is intense, with less than half of the participants receiving a passing score.
Newberry was excited and humbled when he received his scores. "This is such a difficult position to achieve in the world of figure skating. To me, it's a recognition of my knowledge of figure skating at the highest competitive level."
A technical specialist is an official specifically trained and experienced in identifying a program's jumps, spins, and steps. The tech specialist also determines whether the execution is correct. The judges then grade these elements to provide the IJS score. As a technical specialist, Newberry will officiate at national qualifying events nationwide, judging the future champions of U.S. figure skating. Newberry is now one of only 148 technical specialists nationwide and the only one in Alabama.
According to Seth Greenberg, Executive Director of the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena, Newberry's achievement is a welcome boost to the figure skating program here in Pelham. "Christian's designation of technical specialist brings instant credibility to our figure skating program and elevates the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena to one of the premier training centers in the Southeast. It is a huge benefit to our competitive skaters to have an in-house resource available to help maximize points and enhance the quality of their individual skating programs. The change is obvious in the short time Christian has been with us. I am excited to see the continued growth and success his leadership brings."
Newberry aims to create a competitive figure skating program at the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena. "Having this credential means we can analyze our skaters in-house. We can hopefully attract more skaters to train here as well."
Newberry is a former British Men's Champion who has competed in the European Championships and World Championships. He assumed the role of Director of Skating at the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena on January 1st. His son Graham is a skating coach at the PCC. He is a four-time British Men's Champion.