Dear Skating Friends, As you may already know, my pair partner, Lee Jones, and I suffered a very serious accident while on a 20-minute UFSF sanctioned warm-up ice at the 2008 Adult Nationals in Lake Placid. An accident like this is usually the result of a number of factors, but we believe that one such element was the fact that the Chief Referee had assigned nine (9) pair teams to this 20-minute USFS-sanctioned warm-up ice, preceding the Championship Pairs event. I think you will agree that this is far too many teams to be sharing the same ice, especially if we consider that the maximum number of teams permitted for the six-minute warm-up ice during competitions, as stated in Rule 3521 is four. Since the summer of 2008, Lee and I have been working very hard to request action for a change to Rule 3323, which would assure that overcrowded sanctioned warm-up ice would be a thing of the past and that pairs and dance teams could enjoy a safe number of teams on all sanctioned warm-up ice when competing in USFS sanctioned events. The rule change would be as follows: Current Rule 3323 At qualifying competitions, the chart (3325) shall be used for determining the size of the warm-up groups. Amended Rule (added language) 3323 At qualifying competitions, the chart (3325) shall be used for determining the size of the warm-up groups. This chart applies to all official warm-up periods, but not to official practice ice. The referee may extend the number by one if needed. With the amendment to the language in rule 3323, Chart 3325 would insure that no more then four (4) pair teams, and no more than five (5) dance teams would be assigned to all official warm-up ice. The referee may extend the number by one if needed, meaning a maximum of five (5) pair teams, and a maximum of six (6) dance teams. The USFS Competition Committee has voted to put this “Request for Action” on the ballot, which will be reviewed by the USFS Governing Council this coming May. SIGN THIS PETITION AND VOTE FOR THIS RULE CHANGE TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR PAIR AND DANCE TEAMS ARE PROVIDED A REASONABLY SAFE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT. A designated delegate attending the meeting in May 2010 will deliver this petition to the Governing Council. If you would like to read the original letter that was sent to the Competition Committee and the details surrounding our accident, please click on this link: http://pairsaccident.blogspot.com/ Thank you for your support. Andrea Cooper

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